More Odds & Ends
Last night, I voted in my first interactive poll using my remote control. It just popped up on my screen during "Top Chef" and I looked at my remote and realized, hey I have those same three buttons! It appeared to be just a Brooklyn/Queens Time Warner poll - not sure if they are doing it in other areas or this was a test. I only managed to vote once, as I missed the other questions, so conditioned am I to ignore the boxes of words that sail/pop/wiggle into the bottom fifth of the tv screen. Remember when tv was free of that? When you only had to watch one thing at a time? I started thinking that producers these days must have to be very careful not to stage anything that has anything significant going on in the bottom of the frame, because it will invariably be blocked by a reminder that "Deal or No Deal is on Wednesday!"
Oh, the poll: 56% of people think cooking is the hardest part of hosting a dinner party, 25% think it's cleaning, and 19% think it's the guest list.
***
A woman at the gym called me a bitch. She was on an elliptical machine next to me, gabbing on her cell phone, so I asked her to stop, as it's prohibited in the club. She made a face and told her phone-partner that she had to go because of some bitch. Yeah, I don't think so. I put up with having to overhear people's inane one-sided conversations on the street, in restaurants, in line at the drug store, on trains - and I say nothing. If I asked you to stop your jabbering when we're standing on line at Starbucks, maybe then I'm a bitch, but when I'm in a place where someone has decided it's not allowed? Nope. Just taking advantage of the ability to work out without knowing your plans for after work.
***
Here's something I don't get: walkie talkie calls. I saw an ad that boasted "Free Walkie Talkie calls!" I was astounded - do you usually pay for them? Are they above and beyond the free normal calls you get with your phone? Because then I'm just clueless as to their purpose. I figured they must be the cheapest way to have a conversation, because otherwise, who would use them? I mean, other than those who just want to annoy the people around them ten times as much as a normal cell phone call, since not only do we get to hear that person's side of the conversation, but that of the person on the other end, not to mention those delightful and loud beeps that start and follow each. No, really, that was always an EXTRA cost? Can we make them more expensive instead?
***
I rented "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" as one of my last Netflix rentals. My free year is almost over and I don't think I used it enough to start paying. In fact, the guilt of seeing the red envelopes sitting there unopened for weeks was just too much. Anyhow, "Sisterhood" was a pretty bad movie, with so many cliches I was audibly moaning. At least Alexis Bledel was less annoying than usual - I really can't stand her on "Gilmore Girls." Her voice grates on me like nails on a chalkboard (or for me, the squeak of fingers running along guitar strings - you know that sound? - practically sends me into convulsions.) I find it hard to describe exactly what she sounds like to me - like she has a mouth full of marbles or her jaw is wired shut or she's been told if she modulates her voice more than two notes she'll be shot by a sniper. I only recently learned that English is her second language, although I'm not sure if that's what it is.
***
I saw a trailer for "The Sentinel" starring Michael Douglas and Kiefer Sutherland. I don't know why Kiefer took the part unless he really doesn't mind being typecast, or he's too lazy to learn another part, because it looks exactly like "24" on the big screen. Look, there's Jack Bauer holding a gun, saying "Drop your weapons!" Almost every clip he was in could have been a preview for next week's "24." Well, except that he was wearing different clothing in some of the scenes. Maybe that's what he considers a "stretch?" More than one wardrobe change?
***
On Saturday I saw "Thank You for Smoking" which I'll talk about in more detail at another time. But I found myself calling it "Thank You for Not Smoking" when I asked for the tickets, and several times since. I think it's conditioning.
Oh, the poll: 56% of people think cooking is the hardest part of hosting a dinner party, 25% think it's cleaning, and 19% think it's the guest list.
***
A woman at the gym called me a bitch. She was on an elliptical machine next to me, gabbing on her cell phone, so I asked her to stop, as it's prohibited in the club. She made a face and told her phone-partner that she had to go because of some bitch. Yeah, I don't think so. I put up with having to overhear people's inane one-sided conversations on the street, in restaurants, in line at the drug store, on trains - and I say nothing. If I asked you to stop your jabbering when we're standing on line at Starbucks, maybe then I'm a bitch, but when I'm in a place where someone has decided it's not allowed? Nope. Just taking advantage of the ability to work out without knowing your plans for after work.
***
Here's something I don't get: walkie talkie calls. I saw an ad that boasted "Free Walkie Talkie calls!" I was astounded - do you usually pay for them? Are they above and beyond the free normal calls you get with your phone? Because then I'm just clueless as to their purpose. I figured they must be the cheapest way to have a conversation, because otherwise, who would use them? I mean, other than those who just want to annoy the people around them ten times as much as a normal cell phone call, since not only do we get to hear that person's side of the conversation, but that of the person on the other end, not to mention those delightful and loud beeps that start and follow each. No, really, that was always an EXTRA cost? Can we make them more expensive instead?
***
I rented "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" as one of my last Netflix rentals. My free year is almost over and I don't think I used it enough to start paying. In fact, the guilt of seeing the red envelopes sitting there unopened for weeks was just too much. Anyhow, "Sisterhood" was a pretty bad movie, with so many cliches I was audibly moaning. At least Alexis Bledel was less annoying than usual - I really can't stand her on "Gilmore Girls." Her voice grates on me like nails on a chalkboard (or for me, the squeak of fingers running along guitar strings - you know that sound? - practically sends me into convulsions.) I find it hard to describe exactly what she sounds like to me - like she has a mouth full of marbles or her jaw is wired shut or she's been told if she modulates her voice more than two notes she'll be shot by a sniper. I only recently learned that English is her second language, although I'm not sure if that's what it is.
***
I saw a trailer for "The Sentinel" starring Michael Douglas and Kiefer Sutherland. I don't know why Kiefer took the part unless he really doesn't mind being typecast, or he's too lazy to learn another part, because it looks exactly like "24" on the big screen. Look, there's Jack Bauer holding a gun, saying "Drop your weapons!" Almost every clip he was in could have been a preview for next week's "24." Well, except that he was wearing different clothing in some of the scenes. Maybe that's what he considers a "stretch?" More than one wardrobe change?
***
On Saturday I saw "Thank You for Smoking" which I'll talk about in more detail at another time. But I found myself calling it "Thank You for Not Smoking" when I asked for the tickets, and several times since. I think it's conditioning.
posted by medusa at 6:54 AM
1 Comments:
I've not seen a single clip of "The Sentinel", but I also was wondering why Kiefer Sutherland took the part. Very similiar to "24" but, hey, he was probably offered a lot of dosh to do it.
Post a Comment
<< Home