Series?

Greg and I are working our way through the entire series of Big Love right now, and have watched Mad Men and The Sopranos together in the past. We're wondering what to watch next. Any suggestions?

Sesame Street

I had no idea that Sesame Street was so awesome! Love!

Sarah 101

Seriously, this is the best show on tv right now. I am obsessed with decorating with fabrics after watching just a few episodes. Wouldn't these tea towels be a great jumping off point for a kids room? Image via Rambling Renovators.

B-Movies

Greg has a penchant for made-for-tv-movies that he's passed on to me. With Christmas around the corner, every evening W has b-movies on to enjoy. The tradition of watching even a few minutes of such a flick at night before heading to bed has become one of the most looked forward to moments of the day for me. Tonight's offering? Holiday in Handcuffs (yes, with Sabrina the Teenage Witch).

Tie

This morning, over cereal and juice, Greg and I caught a few moments of Wind at my Back. While watching gentlemen on the screen picnic in three piece suits, I declared to Greg that in today's world men and women ought to be more formal in their daily dressing as behaviour dramatically improves as attire improves. He reluctantly shrugged (perhaps wondering what my statement might imply about my expectations for his attire for our picnic this weekend). These napkins might prove to be just the perfect solution for your jeans and t-shirt guy.

Jetsons

As a child, I wasn't one for cartoons, but I made an exception for The Jetsons. While eating breakfast this morning, I came across grain edit, a fantastic modern graphic design inspiration blog. I stopped to ponder this post for two reasons: the lead image reminds me of (a) The Jetsons and (b) a presentation I observed last week on smart grids and emerging energy technologies while on a work conference in Massachusetts... And who said you cannot appreciate modern design while also being a public policy wonk? Image via grain edit.

TV

I've been likened at work to Peggy (of Mad Men fame). While I'm not sure of the comparison, 1960s heels and pencil skirts are delightful! Image found via Milk (where it was found via this isn't happiness).

Speaking of tv-land, I've caught a few episodes of Big Love season 4 while flying on Air Canada and am super excited to watch the remainder.

Exergian

In the winter, Greg and I are too often found TV-hibernating in our living room while snow piles fill our garden. We watch b-movies (often filmed in our beloved Vancouver though it is masquerading as Seattle) and reality TV (I am still appalled that Jake chose Vienna!) and the Office.

People talk about TV, so I justify watching a fair amount by assuring myself that it is a conduit for social interaction. Think: it's 9 am, you meet a coworker in the kitchen, what better to discuss than Republic of Doyle? Television is a common discussion topic at my workplace, and comparing and contrasting our office to Mad Men (which I've sadly only caught a few episodes of while flying) seems to be a regular occurrence.

Have I mentioned that I LOVE modernism? Um yeah, maybe a few times right?

If you add these things all together and blend, you have Albert Exergian's modern TV posters. I'm having a very difficult time trying to decide which is my favourite. Aren't they fantastic?

Doyle

Tonight Greg and I celebrated public broadcasting (yes, this means the CBC where I started my radio career 10 years ago!) by watching Dragon's Den (complete with a host of Canadian celebrities) and the pilot of Republic of Doyle. It was incredibly fun to see the many scenes filmed only steps from our very house.

After running into an acquaintance who is associated with the show at a shop downtown this past weekend, we became aware that the call for hundreds of extras for the show will go out again this spring. Here's to hoping we somehow fit the bill!

Speaking of Republic of Doyle, here's a song that made it to the pilot's soundtrack, and another from Kathleen Edwards that I've long enjoyed. Image via The Scope.

Holiday

Ok, it is time to divulge a guilty pleasure; television like this makes me over-the-moon excited. I'll certainly be checking out Sarah's Holiday Party on HGTV on November 29th. I think I'm getting holiday fever.

Lunch

Over the past stint, I've caught the odd episode of Jamie's School Dinners. Though lacking in the sensationalism and glitz of American reality television, I think the revitalization of the experience of school children and daily meals that the show depicts is important. I support Jamie Oliver's food revolution. 

When I was in grade school, we didn't have a cafeteria. Instead, I took a packed lunch, went out for  lunch with my dad or travelled home to eat lunch with my mom or my grandma and cousins. However, for those children dependent on subsidized meals, making healthier meals with a greater variety of ingredients can only help to improve childrens' attitudes towards eating and widening their food preferences. 

If you happen to catch the show, it offers an interesting discussion of how childrens' exposure to food at a young age impacts their future views on nutrition. As a civil servant, the story line on how public priorities and resources are prioritized, and decided upon, is also a familiar reality. 

Airplane

At just about midnight Greg and I will be departing Edmonton to head to St. John's for Easter and birthday celebrations. We plan to eat fish and chips, drink in salt air, cut cake with my Grandma for her 80th birthday and catch up with family and friends. I'm quite looking forward to it!

As a result, this blog will be on hiatus for awhile.

However, before departing to munch on the last of my unagi roll, I thought I'd send you off with a list of things I'm enjoying right now.

1. Smutty Slice TV - I've been enjoying this channel for awhile. My top picks are The Real Housewives of Orange County and Millionaire Matchmaker.

2. Adventures in vino-land - For our joint birthday party, Greg and I received many lovely bottles of wine and champagne. I declared last night that our overflowing wine rack is plenty reason to indulge in an education lesson on wine. I'm hopelessly uneducated on the subject. We plan on finding recipes to match each type and to hold dinner parties with friends to explore the bottles. I'll post more on this as we delve into the project. If you're looking to explore wine too, begin with this cheese fry recipe to devour with salt and red wine or this tomato tarte tatin recipe to savour with a chilled white wine.

3. Jeannette Walls' The Glass Castle - I am thoroughly enjoying this book. Run to your library to pick it up now if you haven't read it already. I promise you will need to continually remind yourself that this is a memoir.

4. Carter Williamson Interiors (via Desire to Inspire) - These kitchens brighten my mood! I love the warm wood, clean lines, colourful art and light fixture.

5. Comfort Food - shortbread cookies with icing and grilled cheese sandwiches with old cheddar (image via Reader's Digest).

6. The Residential Interiors Program at the University of Alberta - I'm thinking of beginning the program during the evenings next fall.

7. These vintage bowling pins from Sweetshorn Vintage - Bowling is my favourite sport!

Food

Speaking of enjoying the BBC, I am looking forward to CBC's The Great Food Revolution. From the internationalization of everyday Canadian cuisine, to competition to make it to the dinner table, to feeding all of New York City, to the world of molecular gastronomists, my interest is significantly piqued. 

The Cosby Show

I've seen Phylicia Rashad on Jenny Craig commercials recently which has spurred memories of The Cosby Show. I wasn't a weekly watcher (due to age) but have caught many episodes on re-runs since. This said, it has been many years since I've peered into the lives of the Huxtables.

In seeing Phylicia on the commercial, I attempted to recall her character's name. Felicia was my best guess. For some reason, I also thought Bill Cosby went by Bill Huxtable on the show. This evening, while driving home from a dinner out, a radio host referenced The Cosby Show and its two main characters - Cliff and Clair.

This raised a question for Greg and I - if they're "The Huxtables" why was it called The Cosby Show?

Said The Whale

Always a sucker for a good jingle, I am as likely to discover a new band from a tv commercial or movie soundtrack as I am from a list of Wednesday newly released albums.

Said the Whale is the brainchild of Vancouverites Ben Worcester and Tyler Bancroft. I discovered their catchy tune, The Light Is You, on a Sun Ripe commercial. Give the song a listen on YouTube! I promise you'll think it's the most romantic ditty. What a wonderful serenade song.

The lyrics go like this:

Teddy Bear, Honey Bee

Don't forget that you love me

More than the stars over your head

It's just that your love shines like the moon

Full and bright and blinding through

Into my heart, into my head

When it's so dark I can't see the light

I close my eyes and I think of you

My little love, my only girl

I wouldn't leave you for all the world

I'll just sit here and wait for your moon to rise

When it's so dark I can't see the light

Well I close my eyes and I think of you

When it's so dark I can't see the light

Well I think of you

When it's so dark I can see the light

Shining through you