The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries
&
Dorothy L. Sayers Mysteries
I’ve been on a British mystery series kick, so here are a couple of my favorites!

In The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries, Diana Rigg and Neil Dudgeon form this dynamic duo in an era of flappers, jazz, and snappy wit. Mrs. Bradley is unabashedly modern and irreverent, and really, you must confess that you catch yourself thinking admirably, “I want to be her at that age.”

And let’s not forget George, dear George, who I don’t think was part of the original novels at all, but I’m glad he was created here, because let’s face it, he’s a great foil and character. Plus the chemistry between them is as sizzlingly sharp as the conversation, and as subtle as a wink.

As for Dorothy L. Sayers Mysteries (The Lord Peter Wimsey-Harriet Vane Collection), let’s just say that while Lord Peter may hide his intelligence under a meandering demeanor, Edward Petherbridge gives him sex appeal. Charm, such charm. You can’t help falling a little for him, and wishing they’d been able to acquire rights to make the fourth in the series, if only to see the actors carry this through to the end.

-- Jan 22, 2008

Prevue Clean Life Bird Cage
Who raves about a bird cage? Well, trust me, if you’ve ever gotten the Clean Life Bird Cage by Prevue, you’d be singing its praises too. I used to have a Top Wing cage, which I called the “birdie condominium” due to its size (18“x18“x36”), but it was a tremendous hassle to clean each and every time. And that didn’t stop the surrounding mess. The Prevue Clean Life Bird Cage, however, is a big difference!

The bottom pan is angled so that it catches all stray foodbits, eliminating the need for even a seed-guard. Cleaning is a snap. I was initially concerned whether it would be enough space for two cockatiels (one of them quite feisty), but I’ve since found it roomy enough. Which makes sense, considering in their previous birdie condominium, they hardly ventured to the bottom section of the cage, thus constituting wasted space. Nothing wasted about the Clean Life cage! I can even transport my birds in this when going to the vet, instead of having to use a separate smaller cage each time.

The bars of the cage are ever-so-slightly wider apart than typical small-bird cages, which you’ll only notice when putting in food-clips or that sort of thing. Nothing too drastic — they may feel a bit loose but they’ll hang all right. Overall, if you like keeping the place clean (and I’m sure you do), give this cage a look. Thumb’s up!

-- Dec 10, 2007

Dexter
Michael C. Hall is brilliant playing your friendly neighborhood serial killer. Well, he fakes the “friendly” part but hey, what else can you do when you’re a sociopath forced to pretend emotions in order to fit in? But don’t worry, Dexter is perfectly capable appearing normal and sprightly while moonlighting as a chopper-upper. He’s that kinda guy.

What I especially love is the wit just brimming in this show. Some of it comes from the original book it was based on, of course (I’d read the first two; let’s say I root for the TV version), but the writers and actors definitely deserve a grand share of kudos in making the show their own. There have been many times when I just cracked up over the deadpans, or even the slightest change in Dexter’s expression (parts where he stops over an Oops? Hilarious).

I don’t get Showtime, and so am only able to rent Season 1’s DVDs. You have no idea how much I’d like to fast-forward in time just so I can get Season 2’s DVDs, but I soothe myself with the knowledge that when the time does eventually come, I can launch a marathon Dexter session once more, and it shall be good.

Oh, and the show’s opening credits? Totally addictive. I could watch it over and over again. Oh wait, I guess I have. . . .

-- Oct 09, 2007

A Lifetime in Heat by The Guggenheim Grotto
This Irish trio will sneak up on you faster than a garter snake, and you’ll love it when their numbers coil their way around you. This number, in particular. Its soft, understated style weaves around faint keyboards and strings in the background, and you’ll find yourself crooning along to the song as it stays stuck in your head for days at a time.

I’ve never held any love for America / But you kissed her shores and somehow she held onto ya

It moves very subtly, but as I said, you won’t be able to get it out of your head. Oh, and the faint foot fetish aspect doesn’t hurt, either.

I spent myself trying to find your feet / And it felt like a lifetime in heat

If you can get hold of the band‘s Told You So, that’s another excellent song, too.

-- Feb 14, 2007

Turn Out the Light by The New Amsterdams
On the band’s record label bio, vocalist Matt Pryor says of the song: “My job requires me to travel. It’s really hard for me to be gone, but it’s even harder on my wife and kids. ‘Turn Out the Light’ is an acknowledgment of that.” You could say it’s a love song; you could also say it’s a lullaby. In any case, it’s a song I never get tired of listening to when I’m driving home in the dark.

You can’t hear a word / You can’t hear my broken will

You can find more of The New Amsterdams‘ songs at their Vagrant Records site and at lawrence.com.

Along with this song, I also recommend Hover Near Fame, Bad Liar, Son of a Preacher, and Watch the World Cave In. You can find quite a bunch of these at the lawrence.com site, and let’s just say you’ll definitely know which were written during the last days of Pryor’s previous band, The Get Up Kids. The mood plays a big part.

Turn out the light / I’ll stay if you want me to

-- Jan 03, 2007

Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance
Now that, ladies and gents, is an anthem. Found out about this when artist Celia Calle (whose art is mesmerizingly fabulous, by the way) linked to the band’s video, and it’s a non-stop rousing round from beginning to end. You can’t help but get caught up in the thundering wind of it all.

He said, “Son, when you grow up, / Will you be the savior of the broken / The beaten and the damned?”

There was one point in the song where I stopped and turned, because the Queen element was so inescapable. Believe me, if you know Queen, you’ll recognize that point on first note. But the energy is all the band’s own, and you can’t help but join along.

So paint it black and take it back / Let’s shout it loud and clear / Do you fight it to the end / We hear the call to / To carry on

-- Oct 02, 2006

Guy Fawkes Day by Paul Melançon
Everytime I hear this song, I inevitably think of V for Vendetta (which is in itself a must-see, by the way). Of course, that’s hardly surprising when you consider they both make reference to the same key figure, i.e. Guy Fawkes! But Paul Melançon preceded the movie by a few years, and though it’s fun to tie the two together and picture the ways they merge with and divert from one another, we have to give Paul his due. His use of allegory in the lyrics is clever, as quick and addictive as the beat. That, and the fact that this is just a plain great song to belt out and shuffle to, makes this a continual thumb’s up in my book!

Laying gunpowder and throwing the matches high / I know it’s treason but I’ll never apologize / Plotting one more time to bring your breached walls down

Trivia info: The artwork on Paul’s website is by Tom Hart, editor of Serializer which is an MT site (as is GAM, of which I’m a part). Isn’t it fun to play six degrees of Modern Tales?

And I can see / That you would agree / By the size of the crowd that’s gathered for me here on Guy Fawkes Day

-- Aug 20, 2006

The Closer
Kyra Sedgwick was nominated for an Emmy for her role in The Closer, and she definitely deserves it. Each episode is star quality, in which you’re fascinated by the case, intrigued by the cast, and sometimes even laughing your head off, which only a really excellent show can pull off. Focusing more on investigative natures, rather than blatantly voyueristic shock-value (read: CSI), The Closer captures intelligence, wit, and pacing as they should be captured.

One factor that I especially like, mind you, is that the cast is diverse. And not in a “token TV” way, either, but in a normal, natural manner as you would find in real life. They don’t try to hype it up or draw attention to it, and you end up realizing it anyway because it is so real compared to most other shows.

This I especially laud and applaud, because it is rare. Yes, characters on the silver screen are increasingly diverse, considering that four or five years ago, there was a grim lack of range when it came to actors, characters, and storyline. But The Closer plays it really well and really naturally, and with great acting and plots to boot, you can’t help grinning in satisfaction at the end of each episode.

-- Jul 14, 2006

The Lonely Hearts & Glen Phillips
One thing I really like about Dale’s Hold My Life is the music streams that he incorporates into each episode. The songs he picks rocks. It is also a good thing that he does, this spotlighting, because he highlights the artists for readers to find out about and gives the artists the attention they deserve.

My current favorites are Passive Aggressive by The Lonely Hearts—the melody sticks in my head like you wouldn’t believe—and Finally Fading by Glen Phillips, whose voice makes me deliriously satisfied (don’t forget to check out Waiting and other songs).

Though believe me, it’s hard to pick favorites when you have such a great range of cool musicians. From Doug Bale to The Longshadows, these songs just make you love and love and love.

-- Jun 29, 2006

Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa
If you’re Chinese and have ever had a cough or sore throat, you know that Pei Pa Koa is one of the best things you can give that dear throat. Nin Jiom is the brand, and you can find the familiar, comforting red-and-white packaging in any Asian grocery store. Forget those chemical-ridden, foul-tasting, manufactured cough medicine from your local drugstore—they just don’t hack it, pun unintended. Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa is an all-natural, effective remedy to your throaty needs, and it tastes delicious as well. Generations of Chinese know what they’re talking about!

-- May 15, 2006

Owly by Andy Runton
If you’re ever feeling blue, insecure, or think that you’re stuck in the “why can’t I be as good as others etc wah wah” rut, read Andy Runton’s Owly, particularly “Splashin’ Around”. It will make you grin, remind you of what’s important, and let you remember why you’re doing it all in the first place. Hey, it did for me!

-- Apr 03, 2006

Compass by Traci Spencer
When fellow GAMmer Leia told us about this comic that her friend Traci does, I went to see like the good little girl I am. The minute I looked at it, though, the first thing that flashed across my mind was, “Oh crap.” Why? Because I knew I would get hooked the minute I started reading the comic, and I didn’t have time to get hooked just yet, thank you very much.

But now I’ve had time, and now I’m hooked. As I told Traci, her comic has sent me into fits of pure envious, adulterous joy.

The art is fabulous, with each panel strong and true, knowing what it’s meant to do and what needs to be conveyed to readers. The characters are immediately identifiable as well, which is a good thing, because some comics out there kind of blend their cast together, making each character practically interchangeable with each other. Nope, each person in the 26 pages so far (and 10 pages of the completed minicomic) clearly has his or her own style and mannerism. And you like it.

Traci’s going to rework Compass in an updated style before a certain big change to the comic (which is going to be very exciting—wink wink, copious amounts of glee). The parties involved can hardly keep it to themselves. In the meantime, though, read it while you can, and then tell Traci what a marvelous job she’s doing! Because it’ll only be the truth!

-- Mar 16, 2006

Girl in the War by Josh Ritter
Quite a while ago, I shared with you Josh Ritter’s music—Me and Jiggs and Harrisburg. I might have told you about his A Thin, Blue Flame, and how it rises and pounds as the song goes on, his voice culminating in fierce passion at the world.

Now he’s got Girl in the War out, and it tugs and pulls at you as only his voice and songwriting abilities can. I like the live acoustic version better, if only because it highlights the strength and simplicity of both, but this original version works too. The song is available 24/7 at the above link.

Peter said to Paul, “You know, all those words we wrote / Are just the rules of the game and rules are the first to go” / Now talking to God is Laurel begging Hardy for a gun / I got a girl in the war, man, I wonder what it is we’ve done

I also found his Paste Magazine podcast interview and live performance through his site. While I’ve only had time to listen to part of one, it gives me such hope and joy beyond compare.

. . . Okay, yes, it’s inspiring and gratifying to know about his thought processes and his consciousness of the world and life around him. If only because I’ve been encountering a lot of beleaguering jadedness and negativity roaming around out there, and I think that’s rot. We’ve a choice: either let it drag you down, or confront it and battle it to the ground. I prefer battle to drag, thank you.

-- Mar 13, 2006

Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel
When I first heard about it, I thought it was going to be immature and making fun of everything, trying to gross everybody out and being obnoxious about it (oh, wait, that’s network TV and Fear Factor. My bad). But then I heard it on one of Discovery’s podcasts, and now I tune in whenever I get the chance.

It’s an incredibly educational show, and more than salutes the working folks “who make civilized life possible.” Mike Rowe tackles the oddest and the most intriguing things that come his way, giving his props to the people with great respect while still coming with the wittiest observations each time. I swear, every episode gets me laughing out loud, and leaves me thinking, “Wow, that is so great. I want to know more.”

So Dirty Jobs, we salute you!

-- Mar 06, 2006