the [potentially] great new show that you’re probably NOT watching.

ok, so i don’t have tons of time to watch tv.  in fact, if it weren’t for tivo, i would never watch tv at all.  i am perpetually behind on the few shows that i watch (house, the office, prison break, and heroes) by at least a week, so the last thing i needed was another show.  nevertheless, i heard about this new show on abc called ‘pushing daisies’ that was supposed to be interesting, so my curiosity got the best of me.

in short, it’s about a guy whose first touch has the power to bring people back from the dead.  however, this seemingly cool ability comes with two caveats: 1) if the now-undead person stays alive longer than one minute, someone else in the vicinity must die in their place; and 2) if he ever touches them again, they’re dead…for good.  but the catch is this:  it’s not really a sci-fi show.  it’s a comedy.  and a bit of a romance (albeit an awkward one).  and even a suspenseful whodunit drama at times.  with a tim burton-esque twist.

now i know you’re probably thinking the same thing i did when i first read the premise…”how stupid. someone actually greenlit THAT?”  but i gave it a whirl anyway.  within minutes of the opening of the pilot (cleverly titled ‘pie-lette’…the main character is a piemaker), i knew that this show was different from anything i’ve ever seen.  it features fantastically bright colors that seem torn from something in between a dr. seuss book and scenes from the remake of willie wonka.  the music is whimsical and frolicking at times, mesmerizing and evocative at others, and somehow manages to tightrope the line between being out of place and being just plain weird.  the pacing of the storylines resemble that of a feature-length film, making it hard to stop watching.  the actors are all perfectly suited for their roles, and, with the exception of a kristin chenoweth solo in the second episode (?!?!), the script is witty, quick, and well-delivered.  and it has the best narrator i’ve heard in a while…whose casually formal ‘bedtime story’ air and impeccable timing add immensely to the seussian effect that the show exudes.

it’s still too early to tell if it will be consistently good enough to maintain such high standards (there was even a slight falloff from the pilot to the second episode)…hence the disclaimer in the blog post title.  either way, it is BY FAR the most i’ve enjoyed a new show since heroes first aired over a year ago.  in a time when 75% of tv shows seem to be a ripoff of some OTHER tv show (c.s.i. cleveland, anyone?), ‘pushing daisies’ is fresh, original, and fun.

if you’re interested, i’m pretty sure you can watch the season pilot on abc.com for free.  if you like it, tell people about it.  if it does turn out to be consistently good, it’d be nice for it to run longer than six episodes without getting cancelled.

tales from the freshmen frontier.

so i just figured out i can access my blog from work.  right now, we’re in advisory, followed immediately by lunch, so i figured i’d take a minute to share a funny exchange from my class today.

in discussion of our new unit of vocabulary words, we came across the word haughty.  when we discuss new words, i usually ask them for suggestions as to what they think the words mean since they’ve usually at least heard them before, even if they’re not familiar with what they mean.  today was no different.  i asked if they were familiar with the word haughty or if they’d ever heard it…no responses.  so i asked what they thought it might mean.  a boy in the back of the room slowly raised his hand.  i was surprised because he hardly ever involves himself willingly in class discussions.  after the long pause in class, i assumed he had a question, so i called on him.

“yes sir,” i said, raising my eyebrows to indicate my interest.

“my girlfriend’s one of those,” he responded.

“excuse me?” i asked.  obviously i was missing something.

“my girlfriend is one of those,” he replied, slightly more articulately.

what the HECK is this kid talking about?  i thought.  he’s not a clown or attention hog, and he’s never cut up in class before, so i assume he’s being serious.

“what do you mean?” i asked, my curiosity and puzzlement becoming nearly impossible to mask.

“a haughty.  my girlfriend’s a haughty.”

i immediately realized what i had missed, but evidently my realization wasn’t displayed on my face.  feeling that i was still confused, he sought to clarify.

“you KNOW, coach d.,” he continued with a look of disdain at my apparent ignorance,  ”she’s hot and she’s naughty…a haughty.  that’s what it means, right?”

i couldn’t help but grin as the class erupted into laughter.

guess you can’t blame him for trying…at least it makes sense…in a freshman sort of way.

don’t you wish you taught high school?

lessons.

ok, so the time for a new blog post is, once again, long overdue.  i’m not sure who exactly is out there reading this, but it’s funny how knowing that people are looking periodically for something new on here makes me feel so much more accountable than i would otherwise.  this made me begin to wonder:  am i only posting random tidbits of my life out of a sense of…obligation isn’t really the right word, but it’s all that comes to mind…?  and the answer - short, simple, and sweet (unlike most of what i have to say) - is a resounding no. 

as i begin to set down new roots in this new place that i have yet to become totally comfortable calling “home,” i find that, while i am a teacher by trade, it is the role of learner that i am playing most frequently these days.  it has been quite some time since i can say i’ve had a day in which i did not make some discovery, marginally interesting or life-altering (although the latter of these occur much less often), about myself.  i’ve learned how much i genuinely enjoy serving people to whom i owe nothing and from whom i will most undoubtedly never receive any credit, let alone praise.  i’ve learned that life is much more pleasant when you’re in good company; moreover, i’ve learned that i am good company, be it to my friends or to myself.  i’ve learned that my culinary skills need some work.  i’ve learned that my God-given abilities can be used in so many more ways than i ever imagined.  i’ve learned that if you live in texas, you will swiftly become a master of the u-turn.  i’ve learned to appreciate the innocence of children, whether they are too young to realize the corrupt world around them or too teenaged to realize that it still exists within them.  i’ve learned that the tollway is almost always faster…even if it is more expensive.  i’ve learned that most people just want to know that you care.  i’ve learned that i can’t do it all…and i’m learning how to discern between what i should and shouldn’t take on.  i’ve learned to become comfortable accepting, admitting, and even saying to others that i am okay…even good…at things without worrying about coming across as haughty or arrogant.  i’ve learned that i don’t mind traffic as much as i thought i would.  i’ve learned that my family is amazing and i have been so fortunate for the privilege of knowing them and seeing them so frequently throughout my life.  i’ve learned that i am slowly, but surely, becoming a conglomeration of my father and my grandfather (although with twice as much naivete and half as many corny preacher jokes).  i’ve also learned that, in my book, there is no higher compliment i could ever be paid than to be compared to either of these men.  i’ve learned what an amazing example of selfless sacrifice my parents have been throughout my life.  and i’ve learned that i never have, and probably never will fully convey to them how much that means to me and how much i appreciate everything that they’ve done.

and, coming back to my original train of thought, in my short time here in houston i have learned that i am fascinated by the ability of  some people to mold the words of the english language into a palette of colors and then use that array, by way of thousands of differents strokes of their ‘brush’, to let others in on the images, the ideas, the ramblings, and the ponderances inside their heads, however prolific or banal they may be. 

so no.  i do not write this solely as an obligation for anyone.  i write because i enjoy it.  i write because it is my art (i never was much of a painter)…even if it isn’t exactly high art.

and i write because the immensity of some things is simply too big to be expressed anywhere but on the page.