I Heard a Rumor . . .

Posted on August 27th, 2007 by gail helen.
Categories: Education, Personal, Literary, Omnia Vanitas, Sponsored Posts, Random, Television.

While I won’t have cable this semester, it looks like I will have access to my favorite channel, the CW (it used to be the WB). They’re responsible for my two favorite shows of all-time, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Veronica Mars, although both of those series have sadly ended, leaving a void of grief in my weekly TV schedule that no other show has been able to fill . . .

Apparently, though, the CW may be premiering a contender this fall. I’ve heard a lot about the Gossip Girl series of young adult books by Cecily Von Ziegesar, and now they’ve been transformed into a new teen drama of the same name. As a wannateach, I’m fascinated by books that portray the “real” issues that teens face — sex, drugs, peer pressure, and the host of other demons that keep parents awake at night — while avoiding the preachy-ness of the kinds of texts that are traditionally used to show kids the consequences of certain actions.

Anthropological interest aside, I’m hoping the show will have the sort of pull I felt towards Buffy and Veronica Mars. The characters are socialite-teens from New York’s fancy Upper East Side who attend private schools full of vicious rivalries that an anonymous (and seemingly omniscient) narrator called “GossipGirl” blogs about on her website. I’m thinking of my guilty pleasure, Cruel Intentions, and hoping the show crosses that setting/atmosphere with a smart, sassy heroine that doesn’t rely on sex appeal for power. Judging from the pictures on the Gossip Girl web site, they’re really banking on the attractiveness of their actors to get the initial viewers, a tactic which should be effective — they’re definitely look the part of “the beautiful people” they’re supposed to be playing. I’ve include one below, simply because I love the expression — it’s so 3:10. Of course, I was hooked when I heard that Kristen Bell, who played the eponymous star of Veronica Mars, will be voicing the part of Gossip Girl — I could listen to her witting her way through the instructions for setting a VCR, she’s that good. But I also have hope for the “outsider” characters that lack the social and financial assets of their peers — I’m thinking Brenda and Brandon without the annoying “we’re so Midwestern, ain’t it cute?” thing. Now I just have to wait until the premier on Wednesday, September 19th to see if this show can be crowned my new favorite . . . And apparently, I’m not alone, as shown by this lovely tribute to Gossip Girl on MySpace.

Blake Lively as Serena Van Der Woodsen

0 comments.

Television Black Out :(

Posted on August 26th, 2007 by gail helen.
Categories: Omnia Vanitas, Technology, Random, Television.

Well, I’m back in the dorm, and of course all is not as expected.  I thought I’d have free basic TV, but alas, the coaxial jack appears to be cable-only, and does not lead to a rooftop antennae as hoped.  For all I know, that’s not even a possibility, but it never hurts to fantasize, until you find out that the minimum cable package costs $50 a month, which is a little beyond my purse at the moment.  Luckily, I think I can wire something up to improve my in-room reception, and I’m looking into some computer-based solutions that might allow me to harness the power of my room’s high speed connection (limited as it may be) . . . Lord knows, I’m grateful for the DVR I have installed at my mum’s house, so at least I can have a catching up smörgåsbord of tube time when I head back south . . .

0 comments.

How I Know I’m Getting Old . . .

Posted on June 10th, 2007 by gail helen.
Categories: Personal, Omnia Vanitas, Technology, Random, Television.

I just saw a commercial on TV for those Zwinky avatars, where you design and clothe a virtual representation of yourself or who you’d like to be . . . when I was sixteen and first got the Internet, I was all about things like that, especially because of the customization. I could give myself the blue hair and combat boots I don’t get to wear now, since I have to be oh-so-mature and responsible. Lord, but I am tired of dress slacks and twin sets. Unfortunately, as an adult, I have come to the realization that Zwinky and all such things are for the kiddies. Nowadays, all I can think is who has the time? Who can afford the effort? Ah, the joys and luxuries of youth! :)

0 comments.

Everything You See Is Fake

Posted on June 5th, 2007 by gail helen.
Categories: Omnia Vanitas, Technology, Random, Television.

The other day, I was talking to a friend about the absence of realistic expectations in our world — everything is supposed to taste better, look better, be better, then it actually is. We got very grandiose in our thinking, discussing the human impulse toward greatness and expansion that is foiled by physics and biology, the influence of overly praise-full child-rearing on our ability to judge the success and failure of our own actions, and of course the simple and inevitable decline of civilization back into the primordial ooze. No, we hadn’t been drinking, just watching too much TV, which is probably why we forgot to include one of the true perpetrators of unreality — digital technology and the empty gods of advertising and entertainment it serves. I “StumbledUpon” something that made this very clear, this lovely video: Everything You See Is Fake. Watch it, and then go outside and stick your hand in the dirt for awhile. That might quell the shaking in your guts.

0 comments.

Sleep Schedule

Posted on May 29th, 2007 by gail helen.
Categories: Personal, Omnia Vanitas, Random, Television.

Every time the season changes, my sleep schedule gets shot to hell. It’s 5 AM and I can’t even get my eyes to close. Part of my personal and long-accepted insanities. But somehow I can’t even manage to be productive in these morning hours, the way I used to be able to — my best work was usually done between 2 and 4 AM. I think I’ll need to do a round of Ambien or something to get myself right this time, but I wouldn’t even care if I could at least be using the time wisely. At least I read the novels for my class this week, which I guess is something . . . Now if only there was something good on TV! :)

0 comments.