The Summertime TV Blues

I've successfully managed to convince myself that watching TV is "research." Yes, research! What you don't believe me? Fine, I'll give you the spiel I give myself before plunking down in front of the TV for two hours when I should be writing. It goes something like this. "I'm a writer. TV shows are written. Some are even written well. And all storytelling stems from the same place so I need to study and absorb and analyze all forms of storytelling and writing to improve my own skills."

Are you convinced yet?

Well, let it sink in for a while.

Anyway, you can imagine why a TV fanatic such as myself would have a little bit of summertime blues. I mean I plunk myself down just like any other day. I zap on the power. I click the adorable little Tivo caricature on the top of my remote to show me what fabulous offerings I have to choose from today and staring back at me is a depressing list of science and discovery shows that my husband watches. Granted, I'm sure Ice Truck Drivers are very fascinating and learning how to "Build it Bigger" is a trip, but I want my drama. I want my action and adventure and romance. I want my four-camera sit-coms, darn it!

So now I start my usual summer tradition of watching first-season DVDs of shows I never got around to when they first aired. Up next: True Blood! Disc one has just arrived from Netflix and you know where I'll be tonight! Alyson Noel can't stop raving about it on Twitter so I figure if it's worth tweeting about, I better get my butt in gear (meaning: on the couch) and start watching!

Any other recommendations? Or is it true what they say? There just "ain't no cure for the summertime blues?"

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Beach Books and Plane Ride Flicks

Aloha friends! This week at the Cafe, we're talking about Books, Movies, and TV. And since I just got home from a lovely (though windy) week in Maui, I actually did have a little time to (partially) watch some movies and read books.

I've had TFC's own Sara Zarr's Sweethearts for a while and I've been dying to read it so I brought it along and read it in about 3 sittings. I also brought the HUGE but worth-lugging-around book, The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I only got about 1/4 through it while there, but I am looking forward to finishing it. Not only is it totally interesting, it's written so incredibly well!

Now, back to Sweethearts. Have you read it yet? If not, I totally recommend it. It's about a girl named Jennifer who used to be the chubby girl kids made fun of. She had only one friend, a boy named Cameron, who had a terribly disfunctional family life. As 10 year-olds, they realized how much they needed each other and knew their friendship was deep and special. They stuck together and survived the horrific events life threw at them. And then Jennifer got the news that Cameron was dead and a huge chunk of her died along with him. She reinvented herself and became Jenna, the girl people liked, the girl with a boyfriend, the girl who hid her true feelings within her new non-chubby self. But then something happens to disrupt this new life she's built around herself, opening old wounds, her eyes, and her heart.

Another thing I really loved about Sara's book is that like my own Miss Match, it takes place in Salt Lake City, Utah. Lots of fun, familiar references for those of us who've lived or visited the beautiful, quirky city.

Disclaimer: If my review sounds lame, keep in mind I've been on an all-night flight! :)

And speaking of flights, our flight from LAX to Hawaii had a problem with the entertainment system so we weren't able to watch movies; but on the way home, I watched half of "Precious" (I do not recommend only watching the first half because you only get the sad parts and I hear it has a happy-ish ending) and about five minutes of "Did You Hear About the Morgans," which seems like a cute romantic comedy. That's what you get when you've got 3 little boys with you, haha!

What books have you read lately? And if you've seen "Precious" or "Did You Hear About the Morgans," do you recommend I watch the rest of them?

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Amusement Parks - Vacation?

Sorry~I'm late posting this! I actually spent Saturday "vacationing" at King's Island, an amusement park near Cincinnati, and we didn't get home until midnight-ish. (My daughter's select choir was participating in a competition in the area and the awards ceremony was held right there at the park. Her choir won first place in their division and were named as grand champions overall! Yay!)

Notice the quotes around the word vacationing. Seriously. I love the rides as much as anyone, but I think I'm becoming an amusement park Grinch. After passing over some of the best attractions because the wait times were flirting with two hours, failing to find any non-junk food for lunch and paying over four dollars for a bottle of water, I reached a startling conclusion. I am sooo over amusement parks.

I will admit that I've done more than my share over the years. Parks I can remember going to (and some of them more than once) include Knotsberry Farm, Disneyland, Magic Mountain, Six Flags in five different states, Kings Island, Cedar Point, Universal Studios, Stone Mountain, Busch Gardens, Saratoga, Lagoon, Hersheypark, Idlewild, Tokyodome, Yomiyuriland, Disneyworld (including Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and MGM Studios), Tokyo Disney, DisneySea, EuroDisney and Seaworld in California, Florida and Japan. Yeah. Too many. So I think I've done my time. It was probably more fun when the kids were younger and they got excited about all the simple stuff, but now... I'd rather spend my vacation time lying on a beach somewhere with a good book or exploring an exotic new locale.*

What about you and amusement parks? Love 'em or leave 'em?


* Speaking of new locales... (WARNING: BSP!) Aphra races through exotic locales in Italy and France to thwart the bad guys in DEATH BY DENIM, coming your way this week!

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Yay! Summer Camp Season!

Summer break means suntan lotion and alarm clock-free mornings, but it also means fresh possibilities for romance. Especially at summer camp.

I was always a little braver around guys at summer camp. The instant I arrived, I started scouting for my “Camp Boyfriend,” or C.B. He was typically the hottest, most athletic, most unavailable. You know the type. I was more willing to take a risk because these guys weren’t classmates, neighbors, or best friend’s big brothers. So if I happened to make a fool of myself, I could bounce back to my Real Life virtually unscathed.

What made summer camp flirting exciting was the possibility of really falling for a C.B. and him falling for me. It was like a mini-reality show, where you have a predetermined time period in which to “win the guy,” against obstacles like poison ivy, allergies, the camp talent show, and girls who are knock-outs even without makeup and curling irons. Gag.

Unfortunately, none of my summer camp romances ever stuck. Sure, we’d keep in touch, and once a C.B. even mailed me a gold ring. (I sent it back and it got lost in the mail. Sad but true.) Looking back, I think that my C.B.s were excellent training for more serious dating later on in my Real Life. Thank you, C.B.s!

Do you feel braver at school, or away from school? What is your favorite part about summer vacation?

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