breaking up is hard to do

breaking-bad

As a person who clearly loves some television, and spends a decent amount of time watching it, even I can’t watch everything. I’ve found over time that I like a well balanced portfolio… a little quality drama, a little comedy, a little procedural. Sometimes I want to sit down and focus on a show I think is great and sometimes I want to have something on in the background while I write a pchron post.

What I need to avoid is having a TiVo backlog so large that I feel like it’s a to do list or I’m spending time watching something I don’t enjoy all that much and haven’t gotten back to Friday Night Lights for example which I happen to really be enjoying.

So why can’t I let go? Some shows used to be good. Some shows are good enough but there are too many things that I like more. And some shows may be great but they drive me crazy for one reason or another (stop being so dumb/mean/crazy!). So cutting the cord on committing to the rest of Under the Dome (which I felt great about until someone started talking about how good it was getting) made me take a look back at some of the shows I’ve let go.

  • American Horror Story (Fx) – Loved some of season one just too random crazy.  
  • American Idol (Fox) – Over the judges and the repetitiveness of the rounds.
  • Bates Motel (A&E) – I liked the way they recreated the characters but too much crazy in that town.
  • Breaking Bad (AMC) – This is the one that gets most people, I like an anti hero but I still need someone to root for.
  • The Carrie Diaries (CW) – This show was cute, but a little too cute.
  • Criminal Minds (CBS) – I still occasionally catch this in reruns, just not enough interest in cast or cases to keep me invested in the brutalness.
  • CSI (CBS) – Again just not interested enough in cast or cases.
  • Franklin & Bash (TNT) – I like a dumb cable show with quirky leads, but there are a lot out these days so not all make the cut.
  • The Glades (A&E) – I almost like the leads, just not quite enough.
  • Glee (Fox) – This show had some amazing moments but it just started to falter too much.
  • The Killing (AMC) – The leads are great, particularly Holder, but the misleads and unsolve were too much for me to return to S2.
  • L&O:SVU (NBC) – Whatever Benson.
  • Perception (TNT) – Not sure if it’s that I don’t love RL Cook in this or if I’m not quite sure about the cases or McCormack’s ‘perception’ solving them.
  • Person of Interest (CBS) – Intriguing but somehow not engaging…
  • The Voice (NBC) – I get why people dig Blake and Adam but tuning back in second season not as into the competitors.

And some of these are on the chopping block:

  • Awkward (MTV) – I loved the first season of this but now Jenna has just gotten more annoying, we’ll see what the new showrunners bring.
  • Bones (Fox) – This was once one of my favorite procedurals, but I’m kind of over it, not because they’re together or not but because it’s hard to stay fresh after eight seasons.
  • Burn Notice (USA) – Ok it’s in the final season I’m hanging in there.
  • Castle (ABC) – Ditto Bones though season 5…
  • Crossing Lines (NBC) – If this show hadn’t been on when there wasn’t a lot else I’m not sure I would have stuck out the first season.
  • How I Met Your Mother (CBS) – Another last season that is keeping me hanging in for my need for completion and hope for a few of those choice moments.
  • Major Crimes (TNT) – I did love me some Closer but our new lead’s calm might be working against the show.
  • Modern Family (ABC) – I find this show brings some funny, but its gotten a little too stereotypical and repetitive.
  • Nashville (ABC) – I remember really enjoying the first couple eps, but saved almost all of season 1 on dvr and have yet to return, not a good sign.

There have also been a few shows that for me have come back from a drop:

  • American Idol (Fox) – Ok I dropped this again but at one point I got sucked back in, reality shows can do that any season for me.
  • America’s Next Top Model (CW) – I have a couple of friends who watch this so it’s harder for me to chat about the silliness that this show is if I don’t watch.
  • Parenthood (NBC) – The Bravermans sucked me in after dropping them one day when I was sick and checking out OnDemand.

The fall season is always a good time to reevaluate so we’ll see what makes the cut. I’m sure there are other things I’ve cut or am about too cut, what about you, anything getting the ax?

Continue Reading

new and noteworthy tv: 8/19-8/25

usopen

Another week to go and then more tennis…

Monday

  • Basketball Wives (VH1, 8pm) Season Premiere – More reality…
  • Delete (Reelz, 8pm) Miniseries Premiere – Fighting artificial intelligence with artificial intelligence, plus actors
  • Bubba-Q (Food, 10:30pm) Series Premiere – Building custom grills.

Tuesday

  • I guess I could start watching So You Think You Can Dance?

Wednesday

  • Modern Dads (A&E, 10:30pm) Series Premiere – The reality of four stay-at-home dads…

Thursday

  • Ghost Shark (Syfy, 9pm) – It’s no Sharknado but it does follow a reairing of it.

Friday

  • Venus and Serena (Show, 9pm) – A look into the tennis sisters focusing on the injury-plagued 2011 season.

Saturday

  • Too Cute! (AnPl, 8pm) – Top 20 puppies!

Sunday

  • US Open Preview/Arthur Ashe Kids Day (CBS, 10:30/3pm) – A look at the last slam of the year and then watch the pros goof around and listen to teenybopper bands. 
  • Family Dance Off (ABC, 8pm) – Five families compete.
  • Silk (PBS, 9 pm) Series Premiere – A barrister takes on a new case and a new trainee.
  • Video Music Awards (MTV, 9pm) – So seriously where do people see music videos?

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation other than those underlined. Times noted are typically PST.

Continue Reading

new and noteworthy tv: 8/12-8/18

ownersmanual

Nothing much to add so perhaps time to check back into Friday Night Lights season 2 on Netflix…

Monday

  • CMA Music Festival (ABC, 8pm) – Little Big Town hosts highlights of the fest.
  • The Real Housewives of Miami (Brav, 9pm) Season Premiere – Can the group get together?
  • Hotel Impossible (Trav, 10pm) Season Premiere – Anthony has his work cut out for him.

Tuesday

  • The Bad Girls Club (Oxy, 8pm) Season Premiere – What are the chances the girls will irritate each other in Miami?
  • Amish Mafia/Tickle/Porter Ridge (Disc, 9/10/10:30pm) Season/Series Premieres – More reality with the Amish continuing, a Moonshiners spinoff and colorful characters in Indiana.
  • Face Off/Heroes of Cosplay (Syfy, 9/10pm) Season/Series Premieres – Rookies meet returning competitors and then a look at some fans who convention in costume.

Wednesday

  • Duck Dynasty (A&E, 10pm) Season Premiere – Surprise wedding.

Thursday

  • Owner’s Manual/The Pitch (AMC, 10/11pm) Series/Season Premieres – Two guys build things and one uses the manual and then the ad competition returns. 
  • Polyamory (Show, 11pm) Season Premiere – Married and dating.

Friday

  • Ghost Adventures (Trav, 9pm) Season Premiere – Looking for ghosts.
  • Say Yes to the Dress (TLC, 9pm) Season Premiere – Kristen Chenoweth’s assistant needs a gown.

Saturday

  •  Gymnastics (NBC, 8pm) – U.S. championships.

Sunday

  • The Great Food Truck Race (Food, 9pm) Season Premiere – Competing from one spot to another, I’d rather not know the behind the scenes of my food trucks.
  • Oprah’s Next Chapter (OWN, 9pm) – LiLo.

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation other than those underlined. Times noted are typically PST.

Continue Reading

new and noteworthy tv: 8/5-8/11

broadchurch

Monday

  • T.I. & Tiny/Marrying the Game (VH1, 9/9:30pm) Season Premieres – Personal lives go on. 

Tuesday

  • Holmes Makes it Right (DIY, 8pm) Series Premieres – Contractor fixes people’s problems.
  • Hot Listings Miami (Sty, 9pm) Series Premiere – Miami properties.
  • Barter Kings (A&E, 10pm) Season Premiere – Getting another item.
  • Hard Knocks (HBO, 10pm) Season Premiere – The Cincinnati Bengals.
  • The Legend of Shelby the Swamp Man (Hist, 10pm) Series Premiere – Ax Men spin-off.

Wednesday

  • L&O: UK/Broadchurch (BBCA, 9/10pm) Season/Series Premieres – More law and order from across the pond and then local police investigate a crime in what is a highly touted miniseries. 
  • Million Dollar Listing (Brav, 9pm) Season Premiere – Closing another deal.

Thursday

  • Panic 9-1-1 (A&E, 10pm) Season Premiere – Calling for emergencies.

Friday

  • Strike Back (Cin, 10pm) Season Premiere – Soldier drama.
  • What Not to Wear (TLC, 10pm) Season Premiere – Three friends need some styling help.
  • The White Queen (Starz, 10pm) Series Premiere – Based on best-selling books let the politics and romance begin.

Saturday

  • Hell on Wheels (AMC, 9pm) Season Premiere – Railroading onward. 

Sunday

  • Teen Choice (Fox, 8pm) – Lucy Hale and Darren Criss host. 
  • Eat, Drink, Love (Brav, 9pm) Series Premiere – Personal lives of a few folks involved in cheffing and whatnot.
  • Bad Ink (A&E, 10pm) Series Premiere – Bad body art gets corrected. 
  • Cutthroat Kitchen (Food, 10pm) Series Premiere – Cooking?
  • Low Winter Sun/Talking Bad (AMC, 10/11pm) Series Premieres – Reprising the role of this UK miniseries, cop drama, then much like Talking Dead folks chat about each ep of Breaking Bad.

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation other than those underlined. Times noted are typically PST.

Continue Reading

new and noteworthy tv: 7/29-8/4

AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL

Monday

  • The Writer’s Room (Sund, 10pm) Series Premiere – The first ep starts with talk of Breaking Bad.

Tuesday

  • Capture (CW, 9pm) Series Premiere – Contestants hunt each other, as this is a reality show I’m not sure they kill their prey.

Wednesday

  • Do Something Awards (VH1, 8pm) – Go community service.

Thursday

  • X Games (ESPN/BC, various) – The games come to LA.
  • Young Hollywood Awards (CW, 8pm) – What would young Hollywood do without their own awards?
  • Hatfields & McCoys (Hist, 10pm) Season Premiere – Moonshine baby.

Friday

  • America’s Next Top Model (CW, 8pm) Season Premiere – This season they’ve added wannabe fierce dudes.

Saturday

  • Too Cute! (AnPl, 9pm) Season Premiere – Adorable animals abound.
  • Psychic Tia (A&E, 10pm) Series Premiere – This is one of those self-explanatory titles.

Sunday

  • Secret Millionaire (ABC, 8pm) Season Premiere – More supposed to be touching encounters.
  • Ride-iculous (Trav, 8:30pm) Season Premiere – Top thrill rides.
  • Shark After Dark (Disc, 11pm) Series Premiere – One assumes shark and darkness.

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation other than those underlined. Times noted are typically PST.

Continue Reading

new and noteworthy tv: 7/22-7/28

Unforgettable

A little delay this week, but now typing on a brand new laptop! Now just a couple dozen more laptop items to figure out…

Monday

  • Cat. 8 (Reelz, 8pm) Mini-series Premiere – Renegade scientist, fireball, yup.
  • Breaking Pointe (CW, 9pm) Season Premiere – Revisiting the ballerinas.
  • Supermarket Superstar (Life, 10pm) Series Premiere – Competing to get product into the market.

Tuesday

  • Power Broker (HGTV, 9pm) Series Premiere – First time buyers try to score.
  • Who Do You Think You Are (TLC, 9pm) Season Premiere – More celebrity ancestry.
  • The Vineyard (ABCF, 10pm) Series Premiere – Another reality show following youngsters.
  • Web Therapy (Show, 11pm) Season Premiere – Kudrow returns for more healing therapy.

Wednesday

  • Spell-Mageddon (ABCF, 9pm) Series Premiere – Contestants spell under pressure. 
  • Joe Rogan Questions Everything (Syfy, 10pm) Series Premiere – Trying to explain the unexplained, Bigfoot?
  • Top Chef Masters (Brav, 10pm) Season Premiere – Thirteen chefs kick it off.

Thursday

  • My Life as a Gangster Girl (A&E, 10pm) Series Premiere – Recalling their criminal pasts. 
  • Sanya’s Glam & Gold (WE, 10pm) Series Premiere – We follow Sanya an Olympic gold medalist.
  • Childrens Hospital (AdSw, 11:59) Season Premiere – This totally random show is apparently still on.

Friday

  • John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show (Com, 11pm) Season Premiere – Comedians join John.

Saturday

  • America’s Cutest Dog (AnPl, 8pm) Season Premiere – No dog is cuter than my dog. 
  • UFC (Fox, 8pm) – Johnson vs. Moraga.

Sunday

  • Unforgettable (CBS, 9pm) Season Premiere – Higher profile cases for our rememberer. 
  • Gator Boys (AnPl, 10pm) Season Premiere – Florida and Miami.
  • Total Divas (E!, 10pm) Series Premiere – These are WWE style divas.

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation other than those underlined. Times noted are typically PST.

Continue Reading

cooking with…

onestsp

I’m not known amongst my friends and family as a big cooker, but we do try to do family dinners more Sundays than not, so my sister and I tend to swap on cooking duties. Since we’re often not cooking in our own homes we’ve gotten in the habit of bringing recipes back and forth which can create a challenge with shopping and just keeping track of printouts.

I decided that getting recipes online was the best next step. At the start of my evaluation I wasn’t sure what my criteria was but as I looked at the myriad of options I started tracking it all down.

  1. Ease of recipe input – Trumping all, I want to be able to cut and paste ingredients and directions in one big lump rather than individual fields for quantity/item for each, an extra perk is if the program can automatically import based on common recipe sites/formats; I would like to be able to edit the info input as well as add misc. notes; I don’t want there to be mandatory fields that I don’t want to use. 
  2. Categorization or tagging – I want to be able to search based not only by ingredient or kind of meal (main, side, etc.) but I also want to be able to search based on whether the recipe is one that is mine (vs. say sis’s) and whether I’ve cooked it or not.
  3. Web based – I wanted something that I wouldn’t have to own specific software or an app to view on a particular computer or be a mac specific thang.
  4. Public – Ideally I was interested in something that I could share my recipes with others.

The other nice to have would be a specific printing format, while things I don’t care so much about are an existing database of recipes and the ability to meal plan and do shopping.

After registering for a myriad of free sites and trying them out, it turns out I’m almost final on going with One tsp. They were the easiest to input and with a menu bar addition it “clip”s recipes. You can have up to 150 recipes and for $5/yr unlimited. The things it lacks are the public aspect, which isn’t that big of a deal (you can email your recipes to others), and the nice printing format (though of course the web page view is printable).

I’ve got a start with eleven recipes that I’ve used, input with a combination of clipped, cut & pasted from digital format, and typed from a hard copy. So far so good. Have you gone digital? Any thoughts or reccos?

Continue Reading

new and noteworthy tv: 7/15-7/21

CedarCover-Banner

Monday

  • The iHeartRadio Ultimate Pool Party (CW, 8pm) – Highlights of the music festival. 

Tuesday

  • 2013 MLB All-Star Game (Fox, 4:30pm) – Go fake regional team
  • Whose Line is it Anyway/Perfect Score (CW, 8/9pm) Season/Series Premieres – Improv games and competing for dates.
  • Giuliana & Bill (Sty, 8pm) Season Premiere – More of them.
  • Weird or What? (Syfy, 8pm) Season Premiere – I’m guessing weird.
  • Covert Affairs/Suits (USA, 9/10pm) Season Premieres – Annie’s on the case and then more office deceit and whatnot, I’m still moderately engaged with the fake lawyer nonsense.
  • Catering Wars (Life, 10pm) Series Premiere – Who can cater to the top.
  • Ink Master (Spike, 10pm) Season Premiere – Inking inmates.

Wednesday

  • Here Comes Honey Boo Boo/Wedding Island (TLC, 9/10pm) Season/Series Premieres – No comment and then following a wedding planner. 
  • Deal With It (TBS, 10:30pm) Series Premiere – Another annoying prank show.

Thursday

  • Road to/Project Runway (Life, 8/9pm) Season Premiere – Season 12 designers, time to finish up season 11. 
  • Money from Strangers (MTV, 11pm) Season Premiere – And another annoying prank show.

Friday

  • Teen Beach Movie (Dis, 8pm) – Who are the next teens stars who we will soon see go off the rails. 

Saturday

  • Cedar Cove (Hall, 8pm) Series Premiere – I didn’t realize Hallmark did original series but Andie McDowell brings what seems to be a Hallmarky book about a small town judge to the small screen. 

Sunday

  • City Girl Diaries (Sty, 9pm) Series Premiere – Following five working women. 
  • Sister Wives/Breaking Amish (TLC, 9/10pm) Series/Season Premieres – More of these peeps.
  • Axe Cop/High School USA! (Fox, 9:30/9:45pm) Series Premieres – Two new fifteen minute additions to the animation domination.
  • Brother vs Brother (HGTV, 10pm) Series Premiere – Renovation showdown.
  • Tattoo Rescue (Spike, 10pm) Series Premiere – Tattoo parlor interventions.

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation other than those underlined. Times noted are typically PST.

Continue Reading

new and noteworthy tv: 7/8-7/14

bridge

Monday

  • Top Gear/Dangerman (BBCA, 8:30/10pm) Season/Series Premieres – Car vs yacht then extreme stunts. 
  • Get Out Alive with Bear Grylls (NBC, 9pm) Series Premiere – Ten teams of two compete, in one assumes difficult circumstances.
  • God, Guns, & Automobiles (Hist, 10pm) Series Premiere – A ‘throwback’ auto dealership
  • Hollywood Exes (VH1, 10pm) Season Premiere – Blah, blah.

Tuesday

  • Interior Therapy with Jeff Lewis (Brav, 9pm) Season Premiere – Will someone question Jeff”s design?
  • Storage Wars: New York (A&E, 9pm) Season Premiere – Stuff in lockers.
  • Drunk History/The Jeselnik Offensive (Com, 10/10:30pm) Series/Season Premieres – Boozers reenact and then comedic guests.

Wednesday

  • Wonders of Life (Sci, 9pm) Season Premiere – Exploring the origins. 
  • The Bridge (FX, 10pm) Series Premiere – We’re hoping this US/Mexico detective show following a murder is engaging, Diane Kruger plays the latest somewhat asperger-esque expert detective.
  • Camp (NBC, 10pm) Series Premiere – For those wishing they were at summer camp right now, or wondering why there isn’t a scripted show about camp on ABCFam.
  • Real World/Road Rules Challenge (MTV, 10pm) Season Premiere – Yadda, yadda.

Thursday

  • Orange is the New Black (Netflix, 12:01am) – Apparently these original Netflix series are keeping coming, this has some good early buzz. 
  • Summer Camp (USA, 8pm) Series Premiere – Not to be confused with Camp, this one is adults in a reality show.
  • Hollywood Game Night (NBC, 10pm) Series Premiere – Can’t ever get anyone to do game night with you, apparently celebrities do it all the time so you can watch them.
  • Airplane Repo (Disc, 10pm) Series Premiere – Some specialized repo.

Friday

  • Comedy Bang! Bang! (IFC, 10pm) Season Premiere – Andy Samberg guests to kick off the new season.

Saturday

  • Being Human (BBCA, 10pm) Season Premiere – A ghost, a werewolf and a vampire return, though with cast changes and the US version I can’t remember who they are, though will tune in. 
  • Bounty Hunters (CMT, 10pm) Series Premiere – I guess we need to watch more bounty hunters.

Sunday

  • Tia & Tamera (Style, 8pm) Season Premiere – More of the sisters’ goings ons. 
  • Hillbillies for Hire (CMT, 9pm) Series Premiere – Custom prank shop?
  • Adam Richman’s Fandemonium (Trav, 10pm) Series Premiere – The best tailgating
  • La La’s Full Court Life (VH1, 10pm) Season Premiere – Mm hmm.
  • The Newsroom (HBO, 10pm) Season Premiere – A new season, I don’t get this channel and I can’t remember if we like this show, I think people do.

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation other than those underlined. Times noted are typically PST.

Continue Reading

random bits of pinterest…

I recently read somewhere that once your pinterest board gets to be a certain size you should consider breaking it out into additional boards. It turns out I had a decent amount of Tiger art on my arty board so I decided to create rar for a variety of tiger-like items. Btw, I don’t know what the right number of pins is or whether that advice is actually true, and though my arty board is looking a little tiger depleted, who doesn’t like a board for tigers?!?

 lunch box walk…

rop van mierlo…

got your back…

linda kim’s jungle book…

paw to paw…

sharon montrose…

 Check out more of rar or the rest of my boards at pinterest.com.

Continue Reading