August, 2006

Another Golden Age of Television

Posted by Evan at 3:05 pm

I’ve never been a big fan of many television shows in general. Most generally the plotlines of the shows either weren’t very interesting or they weren’t intended to require long-term investment.

Sure, there was CSI, Law & Order and a few other token shows that were known for their popularity, but other than the backstories of the cast that were so delicately woven into the storyline of each show there wasn’t really a story arch that spanned the show as a whole or even that particular season. Each episode was designed so any given person could start watching that evening and not feel like they had missed out on something. I wanted more story, I want to be invested in the characters. I wanted a TV show that was more like a movie cut up into smaller pieces.

I’ve found myself watching more TV over the last year and it wasn’t clear to me why my watching habits had changed. First it was Lost which I caught on the opening episode of season 2 and have been hooked ever since (and have since watched the first season on DVD). I also watched most of the show Treasure Hunters, which intrigued me when I first started seeing the promos. Add to that my yearly favorites like Big Brother and several other guilty pleasure shows that I enjoy during the summer hiatus and you’ve got a lot of time spent in front of the TV. Why the increase all of a sudden?

I’ve heard it said by various TV personalities in the last week that we’re in a new Golden Age of Television, and I would have to agree. After watching the Emmy’s last night it has become clear to me that we’re seeing a new level of quality from television shows that we’ve never seen before. Some believe that this new age should be credited to the rise in competition for TV writers but I believe we’re also seeing an improvement in the quality of the acting in most of these shows.

I’ve been seeing teasers for new shows starting this fall like Jericho and The Shark and I have to admit that I’m getting excited that I’ll be able to turn on the television on any given night and watch a quality show. I’ve also found myself wanting to catch up on a couple of shows that have already finished their runs on network television. I’m even thinking about trying to get caught up with the popular shows like 24 so I can enjoy the ride with everyone else.

So, do you think that we’re in another Golden Age of Television? What are some of your favorite shows on TV right now? How faithful of a watcher are you?

Bloggers in Richmond Indiana

Posted by Evan at 10:15 am

I’ve had several people email me lately telling me that they found my website while looking for bloggers in the Richmond Indiana area. As recently as two years ago there were only a handful of us around here that even knew what a blog was much less actually have our own blogs. Now as the internet and its offerings become more common in households across the midwest we’re seeing a rise in the number of bloggers in the area. Chris Hardie has developed a listing of the local bloggers around town and it’s very exciting to see all of these people who share their lives with the world.

If you don’t currently have a blog I highly recommend starting one today! There are several free services out there that allow you to setup a blog with little or no technical ability. Whether it’s an online journal or a place for you to share your ideas with the world, I for one would love to hear what you have to say.

Here are a couple of bloggers that aren’t yet on Chris’ list:

• Barry Pike’s Blog
• More to come

Online communities hurting “real” communities?

Posted by Evan at 5:41 pm

I’ll admit it, I’m an extreme introvert. Not only am I uncomfortable in social settings, but I’ll usually go out of my way to aviod putting myself in such situations. It’s a psychosis that my wife, a textbook example of an extrovert, as well as most other extroverts just cannot fathom. Some would say that I don’t enjoy people, which isn’t the case. I very much enjoy relationships with others but I also fear the process of getting to know someone that well. I know, it’s a little strange.

I tend to open up to people very quickly electronically; maybe I’m afraid of the vulnerability of face-to-face communication, I’m not sure. Either way it’s very annoying to me (and I’m sure others sometimes). But, is this problem being worsened by my participation in online communities? Would I grow better in face-to-face situations if I didn’t have the excuse of communicating with people online? I’m not completely sure that I would due to the sheer number of social settings that I’ve been in compared to my relative comfort level in such situations. It’s an interesting question to ponder though for we introverts.
I’m not so much talking about the people from all corners of the Earth that you’ll likely never see, I’m talking about the people that live here, in my county and most of the time even in the same city as me. There have been several cases in the last few years where I’ve see someone that I’ve interacted with on a fairly regular basis electronically and I’ve felt very uncomfortable.

Here’s a real-world example. One of my Flickr contacts is a local woman who happens to be a pretty good photographer. She’s around my age and has a lifestyle that isn’t alltogether different from mine. A few months back I was in a local coffee bar and happened to see her across the room. I’ve never met her officially but we’ve communicated some online. Seeing her I was instantly afraid that I would be confronted in some way by her. I worried that she would want to talk about my photos and (gasp!) I would have to communicate! So, I spent the entire evening focusing more on avoiding a confrontation rather than focusing on having a good time with the people I was there with.

These types of situations don’t happen to me often (and I’m probably making it sound like a bigger problem than it really is) but nonetheless it does bother me. And I can’t help but wonder if I’m making the problem worse by being so involved in these online communities.

Do you have any similar, unjustified fears that you worry you’re promoting by your participation in online groups? I’d like to hear about them.

More about the band geeks

Posted by Evan at 3:04 pm

They’ve been poked fun at many times in movies (and in high school halls). They’re the band geeks, and we’re a misunderstood bunch. Yes, band geeks are interested in things that most other high school students couldn’t care less about; marching, playing music, spending our entire summers AT THE SCHOOL, and most of all even taking an extra class at school. But, do band kids have something in common other than these obvious things? I believe so.

Being in marching band in high school meant several things to me. Some quick browsing around my blog archives should show you how often I think about those days. It was my life. Not only did it offer an environment for a music-loving geek like myself to fine-tune my skills but it also offered a student with bad grades the chance to gain a little bit of respect with his peers. Sure, in my biology class I was the stoner that never did his homework, but in band I was the guy who could site-read anything and had gotten first at the state Solo and Ensemble contest. It gave me a chance to show that I had something to offer. One could offer that I used it as an excuse not to do well in my other classes, I’m still not sure if that would be accurate or not.

Either way there are lots of things that are very healthy about being involved in marching band in high school. There’s the dedication that’s involved (and if you don’t believe me try marching outside with a 40-pound drum hanging from your shoulders when it’s 90 degrees). There’s also the time that’s involved in preparing a show (and subsequently the time that you don’t spend having a normal life). It takes a certain amount of true motivation and drive to pull off an entire summer of marching band. Something a lot of people might not know is that there are many kids who begin summer band and never finish. It’s not something that everyone can follow through on; it requires a true desire to push yourself to the next level. These band kids should be admired.

Next week when Kristen and I sit up in the grandstands at the Indiana State Fair Band Day competition I’ll be very proud of the work all of those kids have put in for their marching band. From the prize winning bands to the bands that the other band kids make fun of; they’ve all worked hard and they deserve our support.

A Summer of Guilty Pleasures

Posted by Evan at 3:02 pm

It’s a tough life sometimes trying to conceal my guilty pleasures. The times when they come up are often fairly uncomfortable and make me feel inferior to my associates. There are worse things to enjoy, sure, but it’s the disdain with which most people hold my guilty pleasures that makes it so difficult. So, what are they?

Big Brother

Yes, it’s true. I’m a Big Brother fan… I’ve watched it since the very first season and I haven’t missed a season since. If you can hold back your scolding remarks long enough to listen to me I’ll try and explain my fascination with the show. I believe the thing that I love the most about the show is the connection you create with the cast as you watch them them week after week. It starts out as an investment; you don’t know their names, you don’t know what they do for a living and you don’t know how they’re going to get along with everyone else in the house. In a couple of weeks time you’ve learned their names and are starting to see clearly which players will likely ally and which players will hate each other. For me it has nothing to do with being a closet voyeur or the like, it’s about watching these people respond to extreme situations. This season, Big Brother: All Stars, is my favorite season yet.

Disaster Movies

I only know one other person on Earth that enjoys a disaster movie as much as I do and it’s my father-in-law. I’m not sure if it’s an attempt to escape from reality or a desire to toss my mind into unlikely situations to see how I might respond, but whatever the reason I absolutely love disaster movies. Some of my favorites include Deep Impact, The Core and The Day After Tomorrow. I won’t often miss the chance to see a new disaster movie in the theater.

Summer Marching Band Season

I graduated from high school 7 years ago and yet every summer around the 1st of August I find myself giddy with anticipation of the upcoming Indiana State Fair Band Day. When I was in high school this was the focus of each of my summers. I (and 70 or so of my band buddies) would spend all summer in the 90-degree Indiana humid heat learning the drill and music for our show. It was something I was passionate about then and almost every summer since then I’ve wished I could go back and relive those days. But, honestly I don’t think I could take it anymore. Kristen and I will be attending the night show for the State Fair Band Day competition next Wednesday evening.

Treasure Hunters

This show is in its first-ever season and from the moment I saw the preview I knew that I would love it. It’s several groups of teams (ala The Amazing Race) who are all searching for clues that will lead them to a large stash of buried treasure. I’ve spent every Monday night since the show started plastered in front of the TV to watch this show.