Familiarity and Contentment

April 13, 2011 by

Anyone who knows me could probably guess that I was curled up in my favorite chair with a blanket and a big bowl of popcorn last night when 9:00 pm hit. The TV tuned to Discovery. I’d been waiting all fall and winter for my favorite fisherman to return to my tv.  Dealiest Catch Marathons can only  go so far to soothe the longing.

When your world gets flipped upside down like mine has in the last few weeks, there’s something to be said about doing something familiar. Something comfortable. Indulging in the lives of my favorite fisherman has to be better than indulging in comfort foods. Right?

More than what I was feeling, however, it seemed to be a common theme running through the first epiosde of the new season. (Last week was a recap. Loved it, but not counting it!)  Last year, Edgar Hanson of the Northwestern spoke of needing a change, about leaving the boat. We watched the Harris boys live through the tragedy of losing their father. Even the Hillstrands seem beaten down by life on the Bering Sea.

I wouldn’t have blamed any of them for seeking change.

Yet, they were all on the perspective boats. Ready for a new season.

Captian Sig summed it up by saying that at the end of every season his brother talks about giving it up, but at the beginning of the next, he’s back to work.

There’s comfort in familiarity.  Thank goodness. Because I don’t know what I’d do with out my Tuesday night guys.

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Treasuring My Guilty Pleasures

April 6, 2011 by

I’ve been focusing lately on time management and stress. Today, I want to change things up and share five of my guilty pleasures with you. These are things I do (and enjoy) that are selfish just for me.

In no particular order:

A Cup of Coffee with Friends

This “pleasure” is really two fold. 1) I love me some rich, bold coffee, especially when it’s sweetened with a touch of sweet Italian cream. 2) Spending time with good friends is the best way I know to let go of what ever is bogging me down. Even if I’m only able to leave my worries at the door of the coffee shop for an hour or so, it does wonders for my soul.

A Glass of Merlot

Where coffee can be my pick-me-up, a nice glass of a bitter-sweet Merlot does just the opposite. It washes away my cares and helps me relax. Add the next “guilty pleasure,” and I’m sure to get a good night’s sleep.

A Steamy Soak

Weather it’s in my hot tub or a steamy bubble bath, a 20 minute soak is the short track to pure happiness.

Retro Music

I really do listen to all kinds of music, but if I need a lift, the music I grew up on is sure to put a smile on my face. How can it not?

Reality TV

Of all the guilty pleasures on my list, this is the only one that made me cringe a little to type. Yes, I know Reality TVs reputation. Does it make it any better that I like the closer-to-reality-than-tv type. Dedliest Catch, Auction Hunters, Auction Kings, First 48… well, you get the idea.  No? Doesn’t matter. These are my guilty pleasures. All that really matters is they make me happy.

What are some of your guilty pleasures?

Filed Under: Life, Music, TV, Writing Life Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Monday Musings: A Good Read and The Week Ahead

April 12, 2010 by

I hope to resume my “Breaking it Down” series this week with Wednesday’s blog post being on characterization and Friday’s on pacing. This of course hinges on whether or not I’m called for jury duty.  I’m on standby and could spend all of one or several days downtown. I’ll try to keep you updated, but if I’m called to serve, any left over free moments will have to be devoted to my manuscript.

In the meantime: Through the many writing email groups I belong to I was pointed to a Donald Maass book called The Fire in Fiction. I’m a huge fan of Writing the Break-out Novel and I’m not sure how I missed this one, but quickly ordered it. I’m only about thirty pages in, but must recommend it to anyone trying to amp their skill up a notch. I just (Yes, as I was typing the doorbell rang) received a second craft book I was enticed to buy. (You know how Amazon can be with that ‘people who bought this book also bought…”) After I get into it, I’ll let you know what I think.

While I’m not looking forward to the possibility of jury duty this week there are a few things I am looking forward to. And, yes, they are all TV related. Glee and Deadliest Catch return with new episodes on Tuesday as well as American Idol.  I’ve been disappointed with the hugely anticipated Survivor: Heroes vs. Villeins, and if things don’t switch up there soon will give up on the remainder of the season.

Filed Under: Life, Writing Life Tagged With: , , , , ,

A Dose of Reality (TV)

February 3, 2010 by

Okay…I’ll admit it.  I’m a bit of a reality show junkie.  I don’t really get into the high-charged, MTV kind of stuff, but I do like American Idol, Survivor, and (Of course) Deadliest Catch. So needless to say, I was pretty sad to hear the news about Captain Phil Harris yesterday.

For those who don’t know, this announcement was made Jan. 30:

Deadliest Catch star Phil Harris is currently in hospital after suffering a stroke while unloading his boat.

Early this morning, follow up reports on the larger media outlets, including TMZ, said he woke up from his medically induced coma yesterday, squeezed his sons’ hands, and told the attending medical personal, “Don’t f*ck up.”

Well, that’s a good sign, I guess.

It would seem he’s on the road to recovery.

I’ve always had a special fondness for “Captain Phil” As a mom, I could relate to the family situations: dealing with two kids you want to throttle one moment and in the next fear for their safety.  I watched as he went through his medical crisis two season’s ago (A pulmonary embolism) and the aftermath/recovery last season. It’s so sad that he’s having to deal with medical issues again.

Here’s hoping for a speedy recovery for the captain, because it just wouldn’t be the same Deadliest Catch without him and the rest of the Cornelia Marie crew.

Since last night was an American Idol night, I feel like I should comment about that too.  I’ve been extremely underwhelmed by this year’s auditions. Oh, don’t get me wrong, there have some really good singers come through the doors — a few I still remember days and weeks later.  But, I’ve yet to see real star power. There hasn’t been an Adam Lambert, a Danny Gokey, or a David Cook.  I haven’t watched an audition and said “That’s your winner, right there.”  I haven’t found a personality I could latch onto and really be a fan of going into Hollywood week.  I’m sort of disappointed and have low expectations out of this season. Maybe that’s what the producers are shooting for. They’ll wait until Hollywood to really show us the talent they’ve found.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed, because as of right now I found myself saying “Good enough to move forward, but if she/he makes the top 24 I’ll be shocked.”

Filed Under: Life, Music, TV Tagged With: , , , , ,

Crab Fisherman the New Cowboys?

April 15, 2009 by

I’ve been waiting for months for the new season of Deadliest Catch. So, the very moment Simon was done giving it to Lil’ (undeserved I might add) I flipped the channel and settled in for my guilty pleasure — High drama on the Bering Sea.

I quickly remembered that no one is better at teasing and raising the stakes than the Discovery Channel.  In those opening moments, they had us believing The Wizard was going down and taking its captain –Keith Coburn–with it, as well as his crew.  We still don’t know what the deal is with the orange life suit floating in the water and the coast guard guy yelling about their being a body in there.  They never got to the part where we hear Captain Kieth telling his wife over the phone “thanks for waiting with me,” but we did see that he, in fact, got hit in the head with his boat while diving to make a repair himself.  But it’s that kind of self made, do it yourself, grab life by the horns attitude that attracts me to this show–and its captains.

sig

Capt. Sig of the Northwestern

It occurred to me as I was watching last night these guys are really the perfect romantic hero. You know, sort of like the cowboy of the old west. Braving the forces of Mother Nature and the mechanical pitfalls of thier boats as well as their arch nemesis the Bering Sea just to make a living. They may blow up at their crews (most of which contain family) but beneath all the gruff we often get peaks at their hearts of gold.  They comprise more than a fleet, but a family. They care about each other and support each other whether they are fighting blood clots and embolisms (Captian Phil) or waiting for biopsy results (Captain Keith).

Too bad most Captains are superstitious about having women on the boats, hu?

Now… I’m sitting on the edge of my seat, waiting for next week so I can see what all those teases were really about.

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