Ask Hot Chicks Dig Smart Men Edition the Ninth

Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Today's questions come from the Incomparable Anne™, who is chock-full of inquiry:
What are your top five/ten favorite movies (or, if you prefer, TV series) and why?

How did you get started on the jam-making (the making jam for others, I mean)?

Did you have a pet before Boogie?

Would you go into space if you had the opportunity?
Let's just take these in order.
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Nowadays, I consider movies and TV series to be almost the same genre, mostly because original programing produced by the premium channels is far superior to anything previously offered on television, and in fact, is far superior to most POS movies offered in theaters. So here they are:
  1. The Wire. Simply the best thing every produced in the medium.
  2. Dexter. How Michael C. Hall manages to make me empathize with a serial killer is beyond me, but it's indicative of his skill - and the skill of the writers. Bonus: John Lithgow is the creepiest bad guy EVAH.
  3. Breaking Bad. Watching the moral death spiral of Walt, the main character, is fascinating in a "I can't look away from this train wreck" kind of way.
  4. Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel. Because I'm twelve. 
  5. Band of Brothers. Easy Company's experiences in the European Theater make me grateful to be human.
  6. Second Hand Lions. If there's a better cast in the world than Michael Kane, Robert Duvall and Haley Joel Osment, I don't know what it would be. Bonus: Christian Kane.
  7. Oz. Just as Band of Brothers gives me a glimpse of the very best of being human, this one gives me a glimpse of the very worse. But I can only watch one episode of this series at a time, because it tends to give me nightmares.
  8. Sons of Anarchy. The entire series is like a sociological study in moral ambiguity. Bonus: Katy Segal.
  9. Othello. The Kenneth Branagh version, not the one where Othello is played by a white dude. This movie brought Shakespeare to life for me.
  10. Independence Day. I love this movie, although I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's my fondness for the underdog. Bonus: Jeff Goldblum. 
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I started making jam as a way to create lower cost Christmas gifts for friends and family. I'd make jam and breads, and then make gift baskets including ornaments and such. I stopped doing that when it started feeling like a chore rather than a pleasure, but I still like to make the jam. Mostly I give it away because I don't like it (except for apple butter), and there's only so much jam my family can eat. The unclaimed jars go to the retirement home where my Gram lived her last years.
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Boogie is my first mammal pet as an adult. Growing up, we had horses, a dog and a barn cat. My transient lifestyle (and poorness) prevented me from owning pets that required a lot of care before now.
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The "going into space" question is a bit more complex than I first thought, and the answer is, "it depends." Is it a one-way trip, say to Mars or to settle another Class M Planet? Would I be able to communicate with my family, even if I never got to see them again? Is FTL available, or is everyone I care about going to die while I'm gone because of relativistic speeds? What's the risk to me personally? What is my purpose in going?

I guess the bottom line is that if the opportunity had presented itself when I was younger and the ties that bound me to this earth were a bit more tenuous, I suspect that yes, I would have gone, even if it was a one way trip. Now? Probably not, unless there was a return trip, or I could bring those I care for with me.
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Thanks for your questions, Anne.

2 comments:

Stacey said...

Good Choices on Shows. We're big on Damages - Bonus Glen Close at her rabbit boiling best.
I'm so glad you are answering these questions. It's the high point of my day.

Anne C. said...

Thank you for your answers, Janiece. ;)

When I was living in DC, I saw Othello with an all black cast and Patrick Stewart as Othello. Reminds me of The Wire and what great acting we can experience when we are "allowed" (gag) to cast primarily minority actors.

And I love that your answer to the space question was interpreted as a sci-fi lover would. (As I would hope that I would have.) None of this practical "zip into space for 20 minutes" that billionaires do. Dream big! We're going into space to fricken DO something! I love that. :D