Intense Sunday Nights

I have a select number of shows I simply cannot miss. But for the most part, I’m a-okay falling behind a few weeks and catching up on a cold, rainy Saturday/Sunday. Homeland is not one of them. If I miss it on a Sunday, I feel like I’m missing the most important news in the world.

If you haven’t heard of Homeland or watched it, it’s time. This show brings an intensity to Sunday nights you never knew you needed. I get so sucked into the plot lines and characters that I really think Abu Nazir is a terrorist out there and we’re trying to catch him. The minute you think you have the show figured out, you realize you don’t. The show continues to surprise and delight, even on its less thrilling episodes (note: that is practically an oxymoron).

But it’s not just the watching of the show I enjoy. Over on Grantland, Andy Greenwald writes thrilling recaps and analyses after every episode. It’s the highlight of my Monday to read and then discuss with BLB over afternoon coffee. As the second season wraps in 3 weeks, this Christmas/Winter season is the perfect time to catch up on the series. You must start from the beginning and I can assure you, when you have all the episodes at your disposal, it will be hard to walk away.

It’s television like this that makes me so happy and grateful there are Americans out there who could careless about the latest Real Housewives or MTV reality show. People appreciate the detailed, dramatic script peppered with some lightheartedness. And I for one, cannot get enough.

Finding Your Way to the Abbey

Every winter season in Chicago, I find a TV show and series to carry me through the winter blues. It helps keep me sane. Last year, it was Friday Night Lights. The year before, Modern Family. And this year, while Dexter appeared to be my new favorite show keeping me trapped in my room dressed in sweats, it isn’t.

After hearing much about Downton Abbey on all of the blogs I read, I decided to look into this show, which I’ll admit, I thought was Downtown Abbey. This miniseries airs on PBS Masterpiece and follows the lives of one aristocratic family and their servants–a bit a rather enjoy. I’ve now found myself unable to stop thinking about the show and wondering when I’ll get to watch it again. And despite appearances, it has nothing to do with the accents. It’s all about the music and that library!

I’m sure my dreams appreciate going to sleep after watching an episode about the Crawley family instead of the serial killer ways of Dexter Morgan.

Sunrise Anniversary

Life has been pretty insane lately, which is why I think I’m completely blindsided that tomorrow is September 1. And that Summer Fridays end this week. As well as Summer Hours. Hell, Summer! Sigh.

After a pretty intense 2 Werk Weeks, I feel like I’m finally coming back up for air after swimming defiantly in a changing current. And it feels good. Because not only do I feel like I had a major accomplishment to tuck in my pocket, but I got to know some of the MDub team that I never really work with it. And since these weeks were filled with late nights and changing ideas, I learned to lean on them when I needed it.

Really, all of my co-workers. Everyone in the office knows how important this pitch was and really rallied to help me stay sunny throughout the process. Whether it was Jon sending musical inspirations for the day to help keep me from going postal (his best is below), or Sarah making sure we bike, pilates and zumba on a Saturday morning, I realized how blessed I truly am. And how I wouldn’t trade this place for anything (except maybe a TV show, movie and book deal, but they’d have to be rolled into all three).

And funny that this realization of how amazing my co-werkers truly are just so happens to land on my one-year anniversary with the company. This is officially, the longest place I’ve worked since the Dole Center back in Kansas (glory days).

I only hope everyone has the kind of support system I have here. Because it’s more than just being a team player. It’s that “Bud Light Fairy” who leaves you a brew when you go for a bathroom break at 9:30 at night. It’s those inside jokes you make when trapped in a room at 11 p.m. on a Wednesday when all you do is stare at the deck and laugh. That’s the best kind of support system. The green and orange walls are my Sunrise on Avenue C.