My Boys

Since this summer has arguably been one of the worst on record so far, I have found myself looking to sources outside of my own life for amusement more and more often. True, I've always loved a good sitcom about 20 or 30 somethings living together in a metropolitan area (you know, that really original plot you don't see much of) but this is developing into a minor obsession. Similar to the Sex and the City craze of the summer of 2006, I have now become a legitimate My Boys addict.






As veteran mango addicts know, I once spent a huge chunk of blogspace commenting and critiquing the finer points of Sex and the City, and I feel it only fair to give My Boys the same respect.


When I first saw adds for this show on TBS, I honestly thought it looked pathetic and overwhelmingly predictable (That tagline? Really?) but somehow over time it managed to peak my curiosity enough to coerce me into watching a few episodes, and even buy the first season on DVD so I could render a complete judgement. Soon enough, I was hooked.

The funny thing about My Boys is that its entire conception is based on the idea of an "Anti-Sex-and-the-City," yet I wouldn't be surprised if it appealed to the exact identical fan base. Sure, pricey shoes and snazzy city living have been replaced by baseball and beer, but the writing style is almost identical. (Though any fan of both shows will appreciate the entire episode devoted to blatantly parodying SATC, that was just brilliant.) The show is obviously made on a lower budget than HBO's almost movie-quality production, and so we must forgive the occassional, painfully obvious advertising plug, but otherwise I honestly think this show is really entertaining. No where else on TV have I heard the cast utter the phrases "douche" or "epic" as frequently as, well, I do. A lot of the jokes aren't laugh out loud funny, but they are the exact kinds of jokes you might make yourself poking fun at friends on a daily basis. (It was also really refreshing to hear a D&D reference far outside of the stereotypical gamer/nerd context- major cudos.)

Ultimatley, both shows aim at different kinds of realism. Sex and the City attempts to portray realistic personal relationships, while stretching the facts for hint of New York glamour and romance. My Boys on the other hand, wonderfully portrays day-today-living among friends, while fudging reality by giving the protagonist a suprisingly dominant role in all of the other character's lives.

While many praise the show's attempt to appease both genders, I honestly can't picture guys seriously digging this show (nor serious connisseurs of television, for that matter), but I am curious. So here's my proposition: just one evening of your time, I'll provide the junk food. Thoughts?

Epiphany

The explanation for the existance of Free Will in human beings (assuming of course that we do infact, have Free Will and that there does infact, exist some higher power who might dictate otherwise) is simply the same as that of genetic mutation. While the Powers Above have a few tried and true ideas about what makes for a peaceful, profitable existance on earth, they also acknowledge that there is still room for improvement- even by us peons. Peons, who apparently probabaly aren't so moronic afterall...Duh!

How did someone not think of this earlier!? (minus the whole Darwin + Religion= [BOOM!] problem) Seriously.

Well, I Had to Do Something...

Last year when we celebrated MFA's second birthday, I attempted (key word: attempted) to cook an extensive dinner based on Mango ingredients, which ultimatley failed because I didn't realize that a.) bread making flour does not contain yeast and b.) all mangos must ripen for several days before they can amount to anything worth eating. Oops. This year I don't have nearly as much time on my hands, but I would like to do something. Watching Ace of Cakes a few weeks ago, I got inspired. So, at some point this summer, I'm going to bake a cake. A pretty one. (It'll probabaly also be pretty small, cuz I'm pretty sure I'm down to like, two barely-regular readers. Oops.) Oh well, Happy Birthday MFA, for whatever it's worth. Our Little Bloggy is getting ot be a big Blog now...

Something to ponder in the meantime: the expression "pretty" as an emphatic statement (eg- pretty sure, pretty well). How did that happenn?

Juicy Goes To The Big City

I have always thought it would be fabulous if public napping facilities existed. That is, places where people could just go to nap whenever they needed, without judgement from more active onlookers. Say you have some awkward period of time to kill and don't want to go all the way back to your house, or have spent an entire afternoon walking around shopping, and now the post-mall sleepies are catching up to you with a vengance? It really is a fabulous idea...


...A fabulous idea that certainly occured to whoever designed New York City's Central Park. For starters, Central Park a miracle within itself- thoroughly convincing any passer through that they are in the middle of country New England instead of a smelly, noisy metropolis (No really, it actually smells different). But here's the kicker: be it by will of man or nature, Central Park is filled with large, smooth, flat rocks interspersed with grassy patches. These landscapes simply beg any onlooker to come lie on them for ten minutes as they soak up the sun. And the best bit? It's an entirely socially acceptable practice. Seriously, there were four other people doing it in my little sector alone. It was awesome. (Though there was one guy you could smell from like 3 feet away, yuck)


My other thoughts on the Big Apple: intimidating, in a way I've never noticed before. Window shopping down 5th Avenue I found myself almost afraid to actually walk into the stores, only to be glared at by people assuming that I was a poor, country girl who obviously had no intention of buying anything. And there was another level to it- I honestly did not feel like I was good enough to walk into some of those stores wearing converse sneakers (not high-heels) and jeans from Filenes. Wierd.





2 Days and Counting....You Know Why. Get Excited.

Proof

You Can't Say I Didn't Warn You...

The Last Remaining Starfish

Once upon a time, before the new facebook layout, the other new facebook layout, and even before bumper stickers, there was a fabulous little application called "My Aquarium." In My Aquarium, the user collected coins each day to buy different kinds of fish for their own tank, or to send fish to their friends along with little messages. It was simple, fun, never nagged you about adding more friends, and provided a great, creative way to semi-privately communicate. (That is- once you'd figured out how to say everything you wanted to say in 100 characters or less, along with an appropriately picked marine species).

But today I got a notification saying that the whole app, in order to "focus on something more exciting" would be entirely revamping itself...into SpeedDate. One- what on earth does the My Aquarium demographic (those of us who already have friends to send fish too) have in common with the SpeedDate demographic (losers that probably lack said fish-loving friends, and who just really need to get laid)? Which brings me to two- How on earth do they think this is going to be successful? And three- Whatever happenned to facebook being an uber secure way to keep in touch with people you already knew instead of the next eHarmony?

But then of course there's four (which in some small ways brings us back to one)- Really, Fates? Really? This has officially become the last time I ever blatantly challenge the Universe ever again...

Going To The Mattresses

The other day, I moved back home from college with the help of my parents. As everyone knows, this is a truly grueling experience. It's not so much the heavy boxes to be lifted, or the ocassionally balmy weather, oh no. As we all know, the true strain is psychological. Whenever a family congregates in the face of a task, any power battle that has ever existed between members immidiatley becomes encarnate in the best possible way to pry the remaining adhesive off of the walls, or which exact vessel is best for the packing of clothes vs. shoes. In my case, this means that several minutes can easily be spent figuring out which boxes should be put in which car, for reasons that essentially boil down to "this might be easier now," "this might be easier later," and "can we just do it this way and not waste time discussing it already?" Oh, and then there's also your parents being in increased contact with your personal shit, which is never a good thing, and an excellent reason to stay up until 6am the night before packing away anything that might cause the ever dreaded "Juicy, why do you have these?"


...But the trial is over, and I am now free to veg to my hearts desire for the next few weeks. "You've Got Mail" is on Bravo, and I think I might have overlooked the complexity of what first appears to be just a typical late-80s-mid-90s-New-York-City-based chick flick (Truly, their glory days, starting back When Harry Met Sally). It reminds me of the glory days of AIM too. (Well that, and the fact that I actually am confined to Dial-Up internet until friday. *Shudder*) Remember in middle school when the person you had a crush on got online, and your heart jumped a little when you saw their screen name in bold, followed by the cheesy "door opening" sound byte? (double cudos if you got their screen name from a friend instead of awkwardly asking them directly.) Ever think of all the crazy things people reveal online that they would never actually say in person? Ever slightly grateful for the natural pauses in conversation that somehow just aren't awkward like they would be on the phone? I downloaded Skype last week. I still have AIM but I barely ever use it, and facebook chat (shitty² as it is) has taken over by pure conveniance. Common sense would tell us that video chat will fade IM out, along with snail mail and cassette tapes, but I don't think that's true. Just look at the texting phenomennon- it's cheaper than ever to call anyone and actually talk, but tons of people would still just rather text 75% of the time. Skype was just developped within the past year or two, but there's still a simple Instant Messaging option for those who prefer it. (Or for those like me, whose internet at both addresses magically crapped out on her in the same week.)

Oh, and another thing I've always wondered about- the Dial Up sound effects (music to our ears oh so many years ago): just for show or actually necessary and meaningful?