Yes... I know... judge away

I like Survivor.  Actually I am totally addicted and I LOVE Survivor.  It is a silly reality show but it is at least the O.G. of reality shows.  I watched the first few seasons, no big deal, it was the thing then, and then, like the rest of the country I drifted away and lost interest.  

But then I came back, I can't quite remember what it was, possibly the news of Heroes vs. Villains, the season which brought back heroes (and yes) villains from previous season, I recognized, and loved so many of the people that I started to watch again, and was immediately intrigued by the backstory of the other contestants, so I watched their seasons (brilliant marketing plan CBS/ Mark Burnett repeated and perfectly executed again by the people at Bravo with Top Chef: All Stars But I'm sure we will have much more of that to come).  I not so much watched as disgustingly inhaled many (but not all) of the previous seasons, I was moving at the time (that's my excuse) so I binged through seasons as I packed.  

And wow, Parvati? I loved her, I hated her, I wanted more!  Ozzy? I love you, you are an incredible diving, swimming, fishing machine, and then you were an asshole...you also reminded my of a guy I knew in grad school- Roberto- but the good parts, not the arrogant asshole Ozzy.  My few memories of Survivor back in the day had been related to hating on Jerri and loving Colby.  In H vs. V, I thought Jerri was great (in her own crazy way) and so fantastic with Coach but Colby, well... bleh, did Rachael Ray kill your charm? what happened?

Anyway, long story short, I like it, ok.  I'm owning that shame, although I must admit, watching the shows live (one week at a time) is not nearly as good, I lose interest if I can't skip ahead to the good stuff where they cling to logs in the middle of a lagoon, jumping off after hours and hours for milk, Oreos and peanut butter, but I still watch.  I do have some issues however:

1. Are the challenges becoming repetitive or have I just watched too much of this crap? I feel like they repeat the same ones all the time "run/ crawl through mud, crawl under some wood beams, dig out a bag of puzzle pieces..." One of my favorite parts had always been seeing what creative thing the producers/whoever is in charge of that came up with- I've been dissapointed lately.

2. Why not shake it up and pick some location that isn't an exotic beach where everyone is running around in a bikini the whole time, Survivor Arctic Circle anyone?  Really I just want to pretend that I would ever have a chance of doing well on this show- and so far, I'm pretty sure I would have to leave early do to unbelievable and painful sunburns endured due to running around in a bathing suit while being a pasty ginger. 

3. I freaking LOVE the online extras from Ponderosa, that should be a whole spin-off series and should include a behind the scenes look at the crew- there has got to be some crazy stuff going on with that.

4. I love the Survivor auction.  What happened during Survivor: Nicaragua? Did I miss it? Did it get cut because the quitters messed up the sequencing? Whatever the reason, I was bummed.  It is the perfect combination of heartfelt- remember when all the contestants pooled their money for that chic to get a video message from her kids (was that Cirie? can't remember, doesn't matter) it was awesome and I may have cried a little.  But those moments combined with the pure ecstasy and joy you see on the face of someone who just won a pizza and beer or even just a singular brownie added to the hilariousness of the contestant who ends up spending all they have on some nasty local delicacy like balut- I love that.

I'm sure more will come on this subject... especially when the new season starts.  But for now, yes, My name is Sara and I like Survivor.

p.s. this was actually the first post I ever wrote, however, my love for Survivor and willingness to admit that has not yet managed to overpower the shame which keeps me from making it my first impression here and thus ruining and tainting every recommendation I ever post here.   

I wish I was on your show edition

Slate's Cultural Gabfest Podcast

My friend Nathan turned me on to this podcast a few months ago when I was searching for various podcasts, audiobooks and other things to entertain me and otherwise make a series of excessively long roadtrips between Pittsburgh, Denver, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. less mind numbing. I have since become totally addicted to this great podcast- wishing I had more opportunities to listen to it. Rather than letting the thought provoking and entertaining show make long hours of driving disappear I have succumbed to listening to little chunks as I drive to work or around town- resulting in more than a few instances of sitting in my car in a Giant Eagle parking lot, not wanting to interrupt a great argument on the latest movie, tv show, or cultural snippets.

The Gabfest is (according to their Facebook page) "Slate's critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner, plus their guests, discussing what's happening in movies, books, TV, and more." A simple enough concept executed really, really well. The hosts generally have interesting and entertaining things to say and their report with one another is delightful, it genuinely makes you feel like you are sitting around with your friends discussing a movie you just saw, always making me wish I could jump into the conversation myself (hence the title above).

I find Stephen Metcalf to have just the right twinge of cynicism in each discussion without ever going so far as to become too cranky to listen to.

June Thomas- who, while not a regular member of the team is there often enough to be a delight each time she makes an appearance- discusses and reviews TV shows in a way that makes you feel like yes, there is good stuff on television and it's not just the super serious critically acclaimed premium cable shows- though those are great- but that sometimes TV is just fun and enjoyable and there is no shame in that, because June can talk about both Mad Men and the CW's Hellcats in the same real and intelligent way. However, much of that might just be a result of her fantastic accent which is a joy to listen to.

Dana Stevens and Julia Turner are also both great and witty and my not writing a whole paragraph on exactly why should have no bearing on how much I enjoy them both and would love nothing more than to sit with them and dissect every movie I see.

The great thing about the Cultural Gabfest is that, in a way, you CAN jump right into the conversation. These guys are taking advantage of social media in way that all organizations, companies and public figures should be. They are having a conversation with their listeners. The Cultural Gabfest Facebook page is not only full of fans and listeners reacting to each show, adding their own critiques, recommendations and asking questions. It is also full of the Gabfesters themselves interacting with those listeners, answering questions, responding to comments and otherwise being a part of the conversation in a really lovely and dynamic way that doesn't feel like the page is blindly being updated by a Slate intern. Well done.

Finally, each Gabfest ends with a segment they call "Endorsements" where each of the hosts as well as their guests endorse something, anything, usually wholly unrelated to any of the topics discussed in that episode and out of context of anything. Simply something, anything, that they like and want to share. From books, to songs to snowboots to pies. Recent endorsements include: The song Closing Time by Semisonic, The New York Times’ interactive visualization of U.S. Census data, The eclectic blog Res Obscura, The Bravo reality show Top Chef, and especially judge Tom Colicchio. I love this part and in many ways it is exactly what I'm trying to emulate here, in fact, I nearly called my blog simply "endorsements" but stopped short of fully taking their brilliant segment.

I should also note that Slate's Cultural Gabfest is only one of Slate's Gabfests, there is also a Sports Gabfest (which I admit I have never listened to) as well as the Political Gabfest. I do also enjoy the Political Gabfest and subscribe to it every week, however, I don't listen to it nearly as often, not because I don't enjoy it, which I very much do, I simply find that it requires much more focus than I am able to give it in most situations.

Links I Like

These are the things I like enough to check on a regular basis.

• http://kottke.org   Random things, fascinating and unique.  I like it.
• http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/  Some of my favorites: The God of Cake, This is Why I'll Never Be an Adult. and The Alot (p.s. I hesitated in adding this one because I know that I will very soon make the same mistake and will be called not just an idiot but a hypocrite, so let's just call that one an aspiration)
• http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/ Yay graphs!
• http://xkcd.com/616/  It's all good, but that one is my favorite- Yay Batman!
• http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/awesome_of_the_day/2011/01/tj-miller-and-a-real-bear-audition-for-yogi-the-bear.html   I meant to link to Paste's Awesome of the Day blog but inadvertently linked to the most recent post about T.J. Miller and a Bear, I went to high school with T.J. and figured I'd leave it, despite having not seen this video.
• http://gofugyourself.com/  I feel like I should be friends with these girls, I often find myself writing Unfug It Up entries in my head sitting in traffic watching people on the street, also Fugs and Pieces helps me make it through the week. 
• http://stuffsarahlikes.com/ I know nothing about this blog and have never read it, but judging by the name it is probably great.

This is why...

I often come across things that I want to share, yes there is Facebook and Twitter (which I am trying my best to figure out.)  Once upon a time I would write about my random observations, discoveries and thoughts on blogs and in emails about my experiences abroad.  Often these were contextualized as "I live in this little town in Hungary and this crazy thing just happened/ I saw something hilarious at the grocery store/ in the street/ at work/ while attempting to do laundry."  But really, very little of this had to do with being in some far away place that isn't here.  They were funny moments and odd happenings that just... happened.  I stopped writing because the same things that happen here--at home--don't seem as worthy, but why? it's crazy people and odd news and general random and wonderful things I find online or in line while buying groceries.  So here, these are things I like, things that happened.

I liked it, I wanted to share it with you.