I've always wanted to say "FU!" to a meme

Day 17 - Favorite mini series

Absolutely nothing on US television. Haven’t even watched one since Roots that I can even remember.

Ah, but the Brits. They may not even call them this, but so many of what I consider to be such are from the Beeb/Thames/That Lot heritage.

But to choose?  Helen Mirren’s Prime Suspect was, maybe still is, among the best ever (did she, or it, ever officially get killed off?)  Poirot, certainly. Jeeves & Wooster for some old fashioned pre-House old-school kicking.  Rumpole, even, although it, and perhaps some of these others, probably maxed themselves beyond pure mini status over extended lifetimes of five and six-fit series.

So I’m going with the one that is clearly short enough, good enough, and definitely done enough: the Francis Urquhart trilogy of “House of Cards,” “To Play the King,” and “The Final Cut.” Like many of the other winning entries in this monthlong meme, it has all kinds of things going for it. An amazingly strong, yet vulnerable, lead; impeccable writing and delivery; a theme song that I will now once again be whistling for a week (and so will you if you click this);  and some serious cultural influence, at least in its home country, where  I’m told that “to urquhart” has become an accepted verb for passing on a non-denial denial to the detriment of an opponent. (The exact quote appears in the text of this entry’s icon.)

FU took on the crown, the loyal opposition, his own party, and even the sainted memory of the real-life Margaret Thatcher by putting her where so many of her fellow Britons wanted to see her: paws-up. That creative decision ended the involvement of the first story’s writer with the rest of the production, but it was certainly one of the crucial visual moments that drew me in.

Sadly, most of this country still remembers Ian Richardson the best for being the butler in the series of Grey Poupon commercials. These three interconnected stories make his well-earned royal hardware so much more appropriate.

Week 3- weak, less.

Shoulders felt much better even a day after their rather sudden reawakening this time last week. Despite two full weight sessions this week and four days of cardio (I think- it'll be four, or five, in an hour or so), they haven't given me any trouble. I had a little pain in the elbow/knee areas after Thursday's lower-body work, which is likely to some exercises where Sally had me just holding one or two dumbbells while doing mostly sitting/squatting movements. That seems to have faded.

The past week had its share of stressful moments, between a fairly major home repair and some bad things happening to some other good people I know, and when I'm stressed, I exercise less and eat more. No complete off-the-wagon days, or returns to any really bad food choices (yes, La Nova, I'm lookin' at you), but I could, and will, do better.

This coming week, my trainer is mostly away. This I knew. What I didn't know until earlier this week is she's packing three days worth of her regular classes into one day this coming Monday- and then leaving for Puerto Rico for a ballroom dance competition. I can only hope to find that much energy in my life if this program goes on. To start, though, we'll be working a day earlier, and then not again until the following Monday, which will have three available time slots to complete the makeup of the missed classes.

I think sometimes that a fitness program would do well to incorporate 12-step recovery plans. There'd be immense value in having a sponsor to call at that moment when the chocolate craving is just getting completely irresistable. At least I've climbed onto the first step, of admitting there's a problem. And despite being at it for three weeks now, I've neither tripped on nor fallen over that step.

Random randomage is random

Eleanor and I spent the late afternoon at a graduation party for Em's boyfriend. The weather held up, it was fun seeing that he has such a large and loving circle of friends and family, but we had to get outta Dodge pretty quick. The most interesting stories I was hearing were from Em and Cam's immediate circle, who basically kicked me out of the "childrens' table" by the time dinner was served, and we wound up under the Nintendo tent where the level of conversation was, if anything, far more childreny than anything the posse of 18-year-olds had been managing. Until then, Eleanor had been doing a great deal of the cooking, because that's who she is and what she does when she's needed.

Contests, we get contests: the geekingoutabout bling from the mock-the-Twilight contest is on its way. I still have no idea what it will be. Fortunately, it's being shipped by US Mail, and as I reassured one nervous commenter, that likely rules out blood, wild wolves and dead bodies. But not paperbacks of the series itself.  Meanwhile, I'm struggling with another entry which I should be geeked about even it's not of the same geekitage: Rifftrax is running a "MSTize this!" contest for their upcoming re-release of Reefer Madness (which Mike and the boys now own the colorized rights to). The clip is at the contest site and consists of ten short scenes from the classic camp film, each ending in a whoopie-cushion cue for you to write the Mike-and-botty comeback line.  Trouble is, I'm not stoned enough for the original material to be that funny anymore, and the scenes they chose aren't among the independently funniest in what little I remember of the movie itself. Which I would, likely, have to rent or something to give it full effect, and they own the rights, and.... oh Mike. Sometimes I just want to shoot you into space. But I'll probably enter the thing anyway.

I missed the Maniacs again. Dayum. It was last night. At this rate, I'll book them to play at my funeral and they'll send the wrong body.

Just saw a headline on the local paper's website: The Boss Passes. Oh shit, I thought, everything else this week and now Springsteen? Turned out to be just another panegyric for Steinbrenner, who was never just "the" Boss in my book. I did give him a Decent (for a Met fan) sendoff earlier this week on that other blog dere, and our neighbor Sally's family was promimently featured in an earlier article from the week about George's connections to Buffalo. (The "James Naples" in the article is her brother.)

I need to find more things to read. Suggestions?