What's Making Me Happy This Week, Pt. 2

A few weeks ago I was ruminating over how to connect my Xbox to the internet, as it didn't have a wireless adapter and the modem was in my room. I mentioned the idea of running an ethernet cable through the house to my roommate, and he proposed using the cable splitter that was right in front of the TV and the Xbox to set the modem and router up there. And lo, it was done. Why is this important, you may ask? Because, once again, I have Netflix streaming through my Xbox to my TV, and it is glorious.

I'm using this newfound access to catch up with a show I heard about a year and change ago that was supposed to be rather excellent, and I can now confirm that is true. 'Terriers' is based in San Diego and follows two down on their luck, unlicensed private investigators through their various misadventures. It's smartly written, well acted, and in the first two episodes it hasn't made a misstep, which I feel is rare. There aren't a lot of shows that don't have terrible pilots, but they came out swinging, which is just as well because there's only half a season of it. I'm usually leery of getting into TV series, as I'm a completionist and want to watch every episode of something (which is terrible for my time management). An unintimidating thirteen episodes is just about right to hook me, and hopefully it'll leave me wanting more.

The second thing making me happy this week is rediscovering a game called Braid. It's essentially Super Mario, in that you play a small fellow who stomps on goomba-creatures and defeats bosses in order to find and rescue a princess, who is perpetually in another castle. However, it is so much more than that. In addition to your usual running and jumping, in Braid you can reverse the flow of time. In each stage of the game, this works differently, and results in some very fun, occasionally frustrating puzzles. The story is great, the music is amazing, the art is astonishingly beautiful, and it's challenging. You can't ask for much more than that. And it's cheap! You can grab it for $10 off the Mac App Store or on Steam.

What's Making Me Happy This Week, Pt. 1

One of my favorite podcasts is NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour. It's a panel show in which four folks who work in various departments at NPR covering arts and entertainment discuss current events and other various and sundry topics relating to pop culture. It's very NPR, as everyone is generally polite and friendly, and the discussion is substantive and relatable. It's also a lot of fun to listen to the panelists bounce off one another, as this is a group of funny, likable people who know what they're talking about. One of their regular segments is 'what's making us happy' in which they discuss exactly that: which piece of art or life event is keeping them happy that week. And I thought that was a really cool idea, so I'll be doing it on my own here. I thought about doing it on a podcast, but then I realized how seriously self-indulgent that would be, so I put it on my blog. HUGE difference.

So, thing the first! This particularly charming music video from Ben Folds Five, 'Do It Anyway'. Featuring the Fraggles! I admit, I wasn't a huge fan of the Fraggles growing up for whatever reason, but I found this whole enterprise to be pretty delightful overall.



The other thing that made me fist pump and clap when I saw it was this campaign ad for a supreme court seat in Michigan. Featuring most of the cast of the West Wing IN CHARACTER, it's probably the best campaign ad ever produced ever.



As much as I do like 'The Newsroom', I do miss 'The West Wing' a lot, and this was a great little reminder of how awesome that was. Speaking of 'The Newsroom', I think Jon Stewart must have been watching it, because he and the Daily Show staff kind of went to town on the Romney campaign, as they are wont to do. However, this particular bit was significantly more pointed and well put together. When Stewart finished, I did start clapping, alone in my house. Which maybe isn't something I should admit to the world. Hmmm.

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In terms of actual things I read/watched all the way through, I finished Joe Haldeman's 'The Forever War' this week, which was a thoroughly enjoyable, if slightly depressing read. Following the life of a guy born in 1977 through the 34th century, thanks to time dilation, it really highlights how you can never really go home again. Finally, I watched the latest episode of Dr. Who, 'Dinosaurs on a Spaceship', which despite the very silly premise, was a whole lot of fun. You get to see the doctor in both extremes, from his manic wonder to his more cold, slightly vengeful side. Also, they ride a triceratops and there are two robots who seem to be channeling Douglas Adams. It's brilliant.