A Late-Blooming Fan of "The Wire"

I know that I'm late to the game here (considering the show has been off the air since 2008), but The Wire is amazing! I've heard for years that it was a great show, but just hadn't gotten around to watching it. Rick owns the entire series on DVD, so I knew I would see it eventually see what all the fuss what about.

And man, is this show worth fussing about!

The series is about the complicated relationships between drug dealers, addicts, police, politicians and the media in inner-city Baltimore. It's tough to sum up such a deep, well-crafted show so I should say that a one-sentence synopsis doesn't do it justice. The strength of the show is the complex characters; everyone has many sides and no one is who he seems. The Wire also plays with the roles of good guys and bad guys-- sometimes the "bad guys" are the most likable characters and the "good guys" are scum.

I don't want to go into too much detail and I don't want to share a clip that might give something away to a would-be fan, so you'll just have to trust me that it's a fantastic show. (I like it this much and we're still only on season three!)


HBO photo

Birthday Thanks

I've been pretty busy the past few weeks (hence the absence from the blog) and one of the things keeping me busy was my 27th birthday.

I have to admit that I was not really looking forward to this birthday. I would officially be in my late--not mid--twenties and I think any birthday is tough to face when one is an aspiring writer and stuck in job limbo. Hence my non-enthusiasm about the day.

But I soon changed my tune on the big day thanks to the wonderful phone calls, cards, emails and texts that came in last week. I even received multiple voicemail serenades sung by some of my favorite kiddos. I truly felt lucky to have such great people in my life reaching out to wish me a happy birthday.

I don't often get sappy on My Own Audience, but my birthday was a strong reminder that I have a lot to be thankful for--even if I am a would-be writer hoping for my 'big break.'

Thanks to everyone for making my day so wonderful! Now back to regularly-schedule blogging...

(Full Disclosure: Those gifts in the photo are not mine. They're actually not even gifts for a birthday, but I needed a photo for this post. Artistic license at work!)

My New Obsession

It's no secret that I have been watching more TV than usual lately. While I'm not proud of my TV-watching habits, much of my time in front of the tube for the last few weeks has been focused on one show: Alias.

I never watched the show when it was actually on the air (2001-2006), but through the magic of the free DVD rentals at the public library I have zipped through Season 1 and I'm now on Season 2.

Jennifer Garner is a butt-kicking double agent on a mission to take down the bad guys. Along the way, she travels the world, wears ridiculous undercover get-ups and falls for her hottie CIA colleague (Michael Vartan).

I've always been a fan of Jennifer Garner and now I like her even more. The show is fast-paced, action-filled, a little campy and very enjoyable. And I've already made sure that my library network has all five seasons on DVD. (They do-- yay for free library rentals!)

Alias image from Amazon.com

Rock Star

Tonight I got to see one of my literary idols in person. I went to a book reading by the one and only John Irving.

I've been a big fan since my senior year of high school, when I first read A Prayer for Owen Meany. The story was so creative and original and the characters were eccentric but true-to-life. Since then, I've counted Irving as one of my favorite authors and an inspiration.

I know people often find that seeing their idols in person is a letdown. Tonight's reading could not have been further from that scenario. Irving was animated, honest and funny. I really enjoyed myself and it seemed like the 500-person audience did as well.

I'm hoping to freelance a story about the event soon, but I have to share my favorite anecdote from tonight right now. Irving was asked by an audience member where the idea for the character of Owen Meany came from. Irving said that so many of his stories begin with a "what if" proposition.

He then recounted a visit back to his hometown in NH a few years after Vietnam. He was with some old friends and the group was remembering classmates who had been killed in Vietnam. One dead soldier, Russell, moved away when the guys were young and Irving said he didn't know him. His friends said he did, but Irving persisted that he did not.

A buddy then reminded Irving that when they were kids, Irving used to pick little Russell up by his ankles and shake the change out of his pockets. This jogged Irving's memory and he said, "He couldn't have died in Vietnam, he's too small!" His friend then reminded Irving that Russell had probably grown since they were eight years old.

Irving said he went home that night and wrote in his journal; "What if he didn't grow? What if he never grew?"

And that's the stuff that legends are made of.

The End of Wedding Season (at least for now)

This weekend, we were in New Hampshire for a lovely wedding at UNH. Saturday was the fourth (and final) wedding Rick and I went to in 2009 and it's the eighth wedding I've been to in the past 13 months. The past two summers (actually, the past three) have been full of weddings and wedding-related activities and I don't think it will be letting up anytime soon.

When I was a senior in college, one of my best friends got engaged and asked me to be her maid of honor. Once I started telling people about Kelly's wedding, which took place a year after we graduated, I kept hearing that the next 10 years or so would be jam-packed with weddings. I didn't really believe it since it seemed far off, but fast-forward a few years later and I've been to 10 weddings since college: eight in the aforementioned 13 months, plus there were two weddings I was invited to and could not attend. (Fun fact: I've been to four weddings in the last year where the groom was named Mike.)

Not that it's a problem for me-- I love weddings. Drinking, dancing, cake-- a day (or evening) full of my favorite things! I just can't believe how fast all this period of life came on. It seems like one minute you're singing "Sweet Caroline" at your favorite college bar and the next minute you're singing "Sweet Caroline" at your friend's wedding. (By the way, some of my friends have created the awesome tradition of having "Sweet Caroline" as the last song at their reception. Amazing and I would recommend that others adopt said tradition.)

I still have plenty of weddings to attend-- there are already three on the calendar for the next two years, with more to be added, I'm sure-- and I'll be ready for them. All of these weddings may have seemed to come up on us quickly, but they really are a blast.

Update(9-28-09): I'm now not just attending three weddings in the next two years, I'll be in one of those weddings! Woo Hoo!

Movie Round-Up

I've seen a few flicks since my last post and since I love to share my opinions, here are my thoughts...

The Hangover: Saw this one last week and liked it. It's definitely what you expect it to be: silly, frat boy humor with a few gross-out jokes and in the tradition of flicks like Forgetting Sarah Marshall, there is full-frontal male nudity. My only complaint would be that too many of the jokes are given away in the previews. The movie isn't ruined if you've seen all the trailers, but you will definitely know a few punchlines in advance.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Skip it! Waaay too long. Rented this one on Saturday and barely made it through. It clocks in at 2 hours and 45 minutes-- feels even longer. Sure, the story is original and the makeup effects are cool, but it moves at a snail's pace and it's depressing. Honestly don't know why this one got nominated for so many awards.

Shutter Island:Okay, so I haven't actually seen this because it doesn't come out until October, but I caught the trailer online. This one is based on a Dennis Lehane novel and set on an island in Boston Harbor. The book was great--suspenseful with lots of twists. And the trailer looks downright SCARY! Even though I read the book and know what to expect, not sure I'll be able to see it in the theaters due to my wimpish nature. Check it out below...

Pixar has done it again

Just got back from seeing UP and it was amazing. Not that I had any doubts, but it was wonderful.

In my opinion (and I think my movie-mates Korri and Tom would agree with me), there isn't a studio out there that can touch Pixar's creativity or their incredible animation. Like all Pixar films, UP featured characters and places that looked real and had a brilliant array of colors.

This is definitely a movie for all ages. Plenty of jokes that adults can appreciate, just like the humor in other Pixar films. Bring your tissues though-- serious heartstring tugging!

I don't want to give too much away, but Dug the dog is the best character and has the funniest line in the movie.

Check out the trailer and then check out the movie!

They've still got it...

I was lucky enough to see Dave Matthews Band at Fenway last night and the boys did not disappoint.

It's been at least five years since I've seen them in concert and not that I had any doubt about how the show would be, but they were just as entertaining as the first time I saw them when I was 16.

They played about six songs from their new album, Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King and of course old favorites like Two Step, Stay, Crush, #41.

Basically it was an amazing night-- the weather was perfect, DMB rocked and Fenway was a really fun venue. My crappy BlackBerry pic does not do it justice!

Another Musical Rave/Bargain of the Week

If you like good music, you should subscribe to this NPR podcast. The podcast is "Live Concerts from All Songs Considered" and it's awesome!

Free live concerts (in entirety) from artists like Ben Gibbard, Radiohead and The Swell Season (Bethany and Brian, you guys need to download this one!). Sounds too good to be true, but it's not.

The best find of the week! (Thanks, Rick.)

Sharing Musical Love

This morning, one of the first things I saw when I turned on the TV was Matt Nathanson's "Come On Get Higher" video. A few hours later, I heard it as soon as I turned on the radio.

Probably just a coincidence or Top 40 overplay, but it made me stop and think about my love for Matt Nathanson, a Mass native. I've seen him in concert at least six times and he is awesome live. In my opinion, one of the best live performers around.

His latest album, Some Mad Hope, has been his most commercially successful and he definitely deserves it.

I highly recommend anything by the man! Check him out and support a talented, quality musician.

flickr photo - Although I do have a picture of me and Matt after I met him my freshman year, but that was long before I owned a digital camera...

I suddenly want to go to dance camp in upstate NY...

I spent this afternoon dancing and clapping with hundreds of older women. That's right -- I saw a matinee of Dirty Dancing live onstage!

And like I really need to say this, but it was SOOO good! I went with my mom, one of my besties and her mom. It was the perfect mother-daughter activity.

Growing up, I saw the movie a few times, but was never fanatical about it. So it's great that the musical is for everyone -- not just die-hard fans. It was very well done and so entertaining.

The show is leaving Boston next week and continuing on its worldwide tour. It's already been a hit in Australia and England and I know it will continue to be one here. Especially if the actor who plays Johnny keeps taking his shirt off in all those scenes...

image from Flickr (that was for you, Steph)

You should buy/rent this today!

Slumdog Millionaire is out on DVD today and I think everyone needs to see this movie!

It was so amazing and unlike any movie I've seen recently. I know there was a lot of hype surrounding it -- especially after the Oscars -- but it was well-deserved.

Go see it! (Or buy it.)

Photo from flickr.