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Good Things #29

Music. I discovered this band on the radio. I listen to 92.5 The River, and it always makes me think back to middle school. My best friend was cooler than me – she was more eclectic than your average kid – and she was listening to 92.5 and David Gray and other alternative bands way before any of us were. I remember teasing her because I didn’t know how great these different sounds could be. I’m always late to the party.

But here’s the band. Boy and Bear. I know absolutely nothing about them except that I love their sound.

Sherlock. It’s back. I can’t even tell you how excited I was to watch that first episode. I waited until it aired on PBS (I have amazing will-power, apparently. But really? I just wanted to watch it on the big tv…), and I was swept right back up in my love of Sherlock and Benedict and the friendship between Sherlock and Watson and everything. (For those of you who don’t know, I have a slight love affair with this.) Twitter and facebook were things to be avoided before I watched it – some people just can’t help spoiling things.

sherlock_3(That moment when he jumps through the window, flips his collar, tousles his hair, cups Molly’s face and kisses her. Man.)

Eggs. It’s been a long December (haha, Counting Crows, anyone?!) and beginning of January. The temperature has been in the teens and lower, and the girls can’t handle it. We weren’t getting a single egg for a few weeks. I let customers down. I didn’t know if the girls would recover. But this week it’s been a little better – we’re averaging about five eggs a day which, with nearly twenty hens, is quite terrible, still. One step at a time.

Pickles. This might be strange, but I LOVE pickles. Claussens – big, whole cucumbers, cold – dipped in hummus. Homemade mustard pickles for dinner with buttery potatoes and steak. Homemade bread and butter pickles with pork chops. They’re tangy and delicious and add flavor when every other food seems so utterly boring in January.

[Also, I finally watched The Artist after my friend Kate recommended it. It is better than you think it will be. Trust me. Way more thought-provoking than I expected.]

Happy Wednesday! And happy snow day to my fellow teachers!

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Confession #2

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I didn’t get the text until 6:13, two minutes before my alarm would’ve gone off.

SNOW DAY HAPPY FRIDAY

Sometimes I can’t believe my luck. I hopped out of bed with an energy that I never could’ve mustered if I’d had to get up for school. Ran into the hallway and rejoiced to my poor father who still had to go into the city because businessmen don’t get snow days. I felt bad for him, but that didn’t really cloud the delicious day that stretched before me.

I made a big pot of coffee, and some of you probably think I’m going to say: “And I grabbed a book.” I did not grab a book.

I put on Netflix and watched Sherlock.

There seems to be something wrong with me. I wouldn’t necessarily say that I’m an obsessive person, but when I like something, I REALLY LIKE IT. I read (and watched) Little House like it was my job when I was little. In high school and early college, it was all about LOST. In what I consider my “Confession #1”, I wrote that my movie obsession seemed to revolve around none other than Tom Cruise (I have no excuse. I plead for mercy.).

Sorry, Tom, I think I’ve found someone else.

The past three weeks have been all about Sherlock. I’m always a little late to the game; two seasons under their belts before I’d even really heard of the show. Netflix is probably one of my favorite inventions of the last twenty years. It’s like magic! All you do is push a few buttons and then voila! you have these amazing shows and movies right in your house. Oh my gosh.

I’ve been trying to put my finger on exactly why I can’t get enough of this show. Of course I love the mystery, the plot twists, the London-setting, but I’m afraid it has something to do with Sherlock himself. Benedict Cumberbatch is the actor’s name – no, I’m serious. When I first saw him, his face scared me. It’s sharp and his eyes are this piercing blue and he’s white-pale with dark hair, and I was like Oh gosh, he’s scary. And then he’s got this deep intense voice that makes me never want to get on his bad side.

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I mean, look at him. The guy’s scary.

Not to mention he’s smart.

I think that might be the thing: this guy’s a genius. And like a lot of geniuses, he most definitely suffers with some social issues. He’s constantly putting his foot in his mouth and hurting people around him. One of the female detectives not-so-endearingly calls him “Freak.” I get offended every time.

I’m watching this show and I can’t get enough of it. My heart races a little bit when he figures everything out from a tiny piece of footprint.

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Did I mention he composes on the violin when he’s thinking? Wait, a Consultant Detective AND a musician? I didn’t think it was possible. Also, there’s a scene where Sherlock makes a pot of loose leaf tea, and if anyone knows me, they know I love me a little loose leaf. Match made in Netflix heaven. [The ladies at the tea shop will remember our “Sherlock Blend” from last year – one-part Earl Grey to one-part Lapsang Souchong, if I recall.]

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Then there’s John Watson, with his sweet little dog-like demeanor. Everyone needs a buddy like Watson. Sweet, yes, but don’t forget he fought in Afghanistan – Watson’s the kinda guy you’d trust with your life.

sherlock8 Look at him! So cute. (Not to be confused with an equally endearing hobbit…)

Then there’s Mrs. Hudson, the landlady. She offers to serve them tea and food, but she’s always saying sweetly over her shoulder, “I’m not your housekeeper!” Come now, Mrs. Hudson, we all know you love getting them tea.

She puts up with some outlandish things. Thumbs in the fridge? Yes.

sherlock5And, for one of my favorite villains of all-time: Jim Moriarty. This guy is freaky. Every word out of his mouth makes me shrink a little bit in my seat. So evil. And so good.

sherlock4The writing is superb. Really. And whoever wrote the theme is amazing. It sounds just like you imagine Sherlock’s brain to work. Check it out.

I wish I could write more about what happens, but I don’t want to spoil it. It’s too good to destroy in one silly blogpost.

Now, I know that Sherlock and I would never really hit it off. It’s like when we watch Big Bang Theory. We love Sheldon, but my Dad’s right: “Can you imagine being with Sheldon in real life? We’d hate him!” And that’s probably true of Sherlock, too. Too uptight. Too out of touch with other people. Too quirky.

But that’s why he makes such a great character.

So if you don’t already watch it, you should give Sherlock a try. And if you know of any other good shows, send them my way; I’ve already finished both seasons and I’m waiting around for number three…

I’ll leave you with a direct quote from Sherlock himself:

“Think. It’s the new sexy.”

[I confessed to a friend while hiding in the stacks at Barnes and Noble that I’d written this post, but I was waiting to publish it. Am I embarrassed? A little. But clearly not enough.]

[I should probably read the books…]