Holy Rattlesnakes

Well, so much, and so little has happened since my last post. I have since: contracted and gotten over a cold, become addicted to the US version of The Office, found a Blockbuster (about 4 miles away) and started exercising (jogging a couple miles a day).

First things first. The average temperature here has been around 55 degrees in the last week; it reached the highest at 70 degrees and lowest at 42. Needless to say, my Texas immune system hasn't adapted to this kind of climate so I got a minor head cold. But, 4 days of rest and lots of fluids have nixed that cold. I am also signed up to get a flu shot, and encourage everyone else to do the same, as my experience with the flu last February was terrible.

The original version of The Office, starring Ricky Gervais, is a classic; but. in being a classic it is untouchable in its place in history, and yet is worthy of homage in the greatest form of flattery: imitation. Now, the US version of The Office has similar components, and yet is an entirely different beast. I think that I may be one of the last people on the earth to have watched the US version, but I just started last Thursday or so. I have since made it through the first 3 seasons, and half of the fourth season. It's a wonderful show, and while it lacks in the utter despondency in the "boss" character, it makes up for it in the depth of the supporting characters, and the contradictions that are posited in the main cast. Jim is ultimately the most likable person ever, and yet has an almost non-existent social life outside of his job; Michael is one of the most inept, self-unaware, irresponsible people and yet he has managed to attain his position of Regional Manager and be the most successful salesman ever for Dunder-Mifflin. Pam obviously has talent in her art and a measure of drive, as she has a college degree and is fully aware that she could do better, yet she is fully comfortable keeping the lowest position at her place of work. And Dwight, he is overtly a fascist, a nerd, and openly takes survival of the fittest literally, yet he hero-worships the 'least fit' Michael, and the biggest problem that he encounters is an emotional problem, and though he tries to stay aloof, he yearns to share his problems with others, and yet creates a facade in order to maintain his facade that he created by allowing for the first facade...Anyways, the UK show vs. the US show is like Fight Club the book vs. Fight Club the movie: the original is seminal and classic, and yet the re-make takes the spirit of the original and re-creates a vision that stands on its own. On a side note, I think it's interesting that both B.J. Novak (Ryan Howard the temp) and John Krasinski (Jim Halpert) were both born and raised in Newton, MA, the city where I currently live.

I rented EXistenZ this week, and it was definitely worth seeing: it operates on several levels, but ultimately asks many questions about reality, existence, and our perception of both. So, go rent it! or download it!

I think that I've talked about how it is just more expensive to live here in Boston than in Texas, and I finally got a concrete example that I think all will be able to relate to: frozen pizzas. If memory serves me correctly Tony's Pizzas (not Totino's) cost around 1.49 in Kroger's in Texas; well those same pizzas cost 3.19 at Shaw's in Massachusetts; California Kitchen Pizzas cost around 5.00 in Texas, and about 7.99 here in Mass. So yeah, that seems to be about the relative shift for the cost of things here. I would have done beer, but they don't sell the same beer here as in Texas.

Oh, and I am finally getting my internets installed this Sunday, so expect more frequent posts! Or dread them, or ignore them, whichever you already do. I will still write them.