My previous post on How I Met Your Mother has sparked some further conversations with friends (which is the part of the blog I love the most). Most of the conversations were agreeing with me on how great of a show HIMYM is (although - interesting point from Ryan who once lived in NYC and now lives in Michigan saying that none of his friends in Michigan appreciate it like he does cuz they've never lived in NYC).
The other conversations I've had were about the "what else?" What other shows would I suggest?
Below is a lost of top 20 shows on DVD that I'll recommend. With my work travel schedule and Netflix - I'm able to watch more shows than most (and I love TV). This said, I obviously don't watch every show (example - I've never seen any of the CSI/SVU stuff) - and my sense of humor definitely isn't the same as everyones' (example - The Office won't be making the top 20 below). I've excluded Reality Shows - and because I'm a man who doesn't appreciate Gossip Girl, The OC, etc - I've only included one "soap opera" on the list below...
The Top 20 TV Programs I've watched in the last 5 years and would recommend on DVD:
20) Rescue Me (60 min - Dramady)
19) Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (60 min - Dramady) - No idea how this only made it one season
18) Breaking Bad - (60 min - Drama - on AMC ;)
17) Two and a Half men (30 min - Comedy)
16) Weeds (60 min - Dramady)
15) Grey's Anatomy (60 min - Soap Opera)
14) Prison Break (60 min - Drama)
13) Heroes (60 min - Drama)
12) Californication (30 min - Dramady)
11) Dexter (60 min - Drama)
10) Entourage (30 min - Comedy)
9) Scrubs (30 min - Comedy)
8) Alias (60 min - Action)
7) Lost (60 min - Action)
6) Mad Men (60 min - Drama)
5) 30 Rock (30 min - Comedy)
4) Friday Night Lights (60 min - Drama)
3) The Wire (60 min - Drama)
2) 24 (60 min - Action)
1) How I Met Your Mother (30 min - Comedy)
So - that's my top 20. I'm sure I've left some shows off - either because there are a lot more than 20 great shows out there or because I've never watched it. So ... I'd love to hear which shows you think should be on the list or which of the above should not be...
2/23/2009
2/18/2009
Economic Stimulus
Thus far in my life - I have not been an extremely politically charged person. I'm not going to start now, but I had an opinion I wanted to share on the Economic Stimulus situation...
Am I crazy - or does anyone else think it's a REALLY stupid idea to have Senators and House of Representatives figuring out our "Economic recovery plan"? I mean, seriously ... We are talking about Trillions of dollars. Not what I would call "petty cash" that I want someone unqualified deciding how or how much is spent....
Let's get 5-10 of the smartest economists in a room and have THEM figure it out...or at the very least have them create 3 options to be voted on...
I've met a handful of Senators and Representatives ... While most were charming and fairly bright, I can't tell you that I want their brains to be the chosen ones to decide the economic fate over the next 10+ years... I mean ... I think I'm charming and fairly bright (oh - and have an Economics degree from the University of Michigan) ... but ... I DEFINITELY don't want myself having ANYTHING to do with that kind of decision ... There are just SO many more qualified people for the job....
When you go into surgery - do you want the general practitioner to operate on you? Do you want your neighborhood handyman building your house? Do you want the bank teller to be your financial advisor? Do you want the Best Buy salesperson to be the one to install your new home theater?? You get my point...
If our government officials want to vote on something ... they can vote on who these EXPERTS are... But again ... This job mandates specialists and not political figures...
Mr President ... Having the spending be more transparent is a great first step ... But the lobbying of this "package" is politics as usual... Let's get the BEST Americans to figure this out...
Am I crazy - or does anyone else think it's a REALLY stupid idea to have Senators and House of Representatives figuring out our "Economic recovery plan"? I mean, seriously ... We are talking about Trillions of dollars. Not what I would call "petty cash" that I want someone unqualified deciding how or how much is spent....
Let's get 5-10 of the smartest economists in a room and have THEM figure it out...or at the very least have them create 3 options to be voted on...
I've met a handful of Senators and Representatives ... While most were charming and fairly bright, I can't tell you that I want their brains to be the chosen ones to decide the economic fate over the next 10+ years... I mean ... I think I'm charming and fairly bright (oh - and have an Economics degree from the University of Michigan) ... but ... I DEFINITELY don't want myself having ANYTHING to do with that kind of decision ... There are just SO many more qualified people for the job....
When you go into surgery - do you want the general practitioner to operate on you? Do you want your neighborhood handyman building your house? Do you want the bank teller to be your financial advisor? Do you want the Best Buy salesperson to be the one to install your new home theater?? You get my point...
If our government officials want to vote on something ... they can vote on who these EXPERTS are... But again ... This job mandates specialists and not political figures...
Mr President ... Having the spending be more transparent is a great first step ... But the lobbying of this "package" is politics as usual... Let's get the BEST Americans to figure this out...
2/11/2009
HIMYM
I realized the other day, that although I've been writing this blog for 5+ years, I've left out expressing my passion for what I believe could be one of my favorite TV series of all time... Yes, when it's all said and done - I think this show could be better than Friends, Cheers, Frasier, or any other highly touted TV Sitcom (putting it in the same class as Seinfeld is difficult, not because I was the biggest Seinfeld fan, but more so of how successful it was/is).
"How I Met Your Mother" is not a show I started watching from the get-go, but it's one that I refuse to miss when it's on...I've been privately promoting the show to friends for years and have been frequently teased about doing so on many occasions.
From the uninformed, I can see where people don't expect it to be a GREAT show. For starters - it's on CBS, which isn't what I would consider the "hippest" of broadcasters. It also is not heavily promoted nor widely critically acclaimed...
This said - I HIGHLY recommend anyone who has not followed the 4 seasons of the show, to put Seasons 1-3 on the top of your Netflix queue right now. While it's not necessarily a show where you absolutely have to watch in chronological order, you do certainly have to understand and know the genius character development in order to appreciate the show. So, if you watch an episode or two (which is becoming more and more possible now that it plays on Lifetime in syndication) and "don't get it" at first ... It's not because it's not funny ... it's because you don't have the background on the characters - which is a huge part of the genius.
The other part of the genius is the writing. Anyone ages 25-40, living in NYC can attest that the writers constantly NAIL the time period, life stage, and comedic relevancy of that reality. (So yes - now that I'm thinking about it, I could perhaps relate HIMYM to Seinfeld...).
As dorky as it sounds, I've actually thought of who my favorite character is on the show - and I cannot come to a conclusion... I love them all.
If you want to buy my a birthday present and can't think of what to get me -- get me a HIMYM T-shirt (here's my current favorite - but the site is updated regularly) ;)
And if you do watch it and want to talk about how funny it is ... Then email me.... I'm happy to oblige. ;)
"How I Met Your Mother" is not a show I started watching from the get-go, but it's one that I refuse to miss when it's on...I've been privately promoting the show to friends for years and have been frequently teased about doing so on many occasions.
From the uninformed, I can see where people don't expect it to be a GREAT show. For starters - it's on CBS, which isn't what I would consider the "hippest" of broadcasters. It also is not heavily promoted nor widely critically acclaimed...
This said - I HIGHLY recommend anyone who has not followed the 4 seasons of the show, to put Seasons 1-3 on the top of your Netflix queue right now. While it's not necessarily a show where you absolutely have to watch in chronological order, you do certainly have to understand and know the genius character development in order to appreciate the show. So, if you watch an episode or two (which is becoming more and more possible now that it plays on Lifetime in syndication) and "don't get it" at first ... It's not because it's not funny ... it's because you don't have the background on the characters - which is a huge part of the genius.
The other part of the genius is the writing. Anyone ages 25-40, living in NYC can attest that the writers constantly NAIL the time period, life stage, and comedic relevancy of that reality. (So yes - now that I'm thinking about it, I could perhaps relate HIMYM to Seinfeld...).
As dorky as it sounds, I've actually thought of who my favorite character is on the show - and I cannot come to a conclusion... I love them all.
- Barney is possibly the best character on Television (and one of the best acting jobs going)
- Marshall is so funny/interesting that his character was unintentionally the star of a very successful movie (Forgetting Sarah Marshall)
- Ted is probably considered the "main" character - but he's not always the focus of the show.
- Robin has arguably had the best and most memorably funny story lines of the 4 seasons
- Lilly is the perfect fit for Marshall and a great Slap-bet Commissioner (The role also successfully un-type-casted the very difficult to overcome - "one time in band camp" character from American Pie. I mean - who thought she was ever going to be anything but that??)
If you want to buy my a birthday present and can't think of what to get me -- get me a HIMYM T-shirt (here's my current favorite - but the site is updated regularly) ;)
And if you do watch it and want to talk about how funny it is ... Then email me.... I'm happy to oblige. ;)
2/03/2009
It's 2009 - Do I need a "home phone"?
I have 4 Phone Numbers:
- My Cell Phone (primary)
- My Apartment
- My Office
- My Blackberry (Think of it as "work mobile")
If I was to breakdown my overall usage by number I'd have to say:
- Call Phone - 75%
- Home - 10%
- Work - 14%
- Blackberry - 1%
If I was to breakdown the cost of my phone bills (considering I don't pay for my business calls directly), I'd say:
- Cell Phone (which is also an internet device, mapping service, video iPod, gaming device, etc) - 60%
- Home Phone (which provides me with - um - a phone) - 40%
Yes - Something is wrong with this....
I have (and pay for) a home phone for mental state of mind ... "Just in case" my cell phone service is down, or there is a black-out like there was in August 2003, or if I lose my cell phone (you get the picture)...
I listen to my Cell phone voicemail everyday. I listen to my home messages maybe once a week (the avg number of messages waiting for me is 4)...
I have one home phone in my house - and yes - I've left it off the charger a few times and had to use my cell phone at home ... I lived ...
In my current cell phone plan, I end up with PLENTY of minutes to spare at the end of the month....
On the flip side - if I get rid of my home phone - what number are the tele-marketers going to call during dinner time or Saturday mornings?? (Is this worth the monthly expense???)
I've tried Vonage in the past - but it was way too much of a pain in the ass - and had spotty service. I'd rather pay the $15 extra if I'm gonna spend the money in the first place ...
It's 2009 - I'm guessing that most of my loyal readers are more sophisticated than I and don't bother having home phones ... I left a poll on the right hand side -- please enlighten me.
Thank you.
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