Sidetracked Charley

Midsommer Murders family I read an article about viewers so identifying with the characters in television series that when the season or the series ends they get depressed. I at first blamed this on the "cliff hanger" season closers that often have me in tears. Alright, I cry easily. But it got me thinking of the shows and their characters I identify with the most. And they are more and more English or Australian mysteries and dramas. The actors they employ as leading characters have character: warts and all. And they clearly are not sewn into their costumes. There frankly was not a single character on Desperate Housewives, which just ended its long run, that I could identify with on any level. And I tried to get involved with Revenge but it has been decades since I was in the age group of any of the leading roles. The American TV series I do watch seem to have at least one or more main characters that are middle aged or over: NCIS (which is obviously killing off its o...

  In the muddle over computer issues I have not said much about my Vizio HDTV.  Maybe that is because the moment I took my saved up money to purchase it the computer failed and I began to regret the money spent. I do not use credit cards so I save for what I want. I had wanted the flat screen TV for more than a year as I put away cash for the eventual purchase. Everything had gotten in the way - like car repairs. With at last money in hand, product research completed, and friend along to keep me from going bonkers over the unconsidered options I got the flat screen of my dreams. Okay, due to prices I went 5" bigger (glad I did) and when my friend mentioned the HTML cable I also jumped in an got a new Samsung Blu Ray/DVD player capable of streaming Netflix video. That was a couple hundred I had not planned to spend. But it seemed to make sense until the computer failed. The failure of the computer had far reaching ramifications - beyond budget. The whole fight with HP over th...

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time I like the Oscars for two things: The best and Worst on the Red Carpet, and a list of films to add to my NetFlix Queue. So with the internet there is no longer a reason to watch the impossibly long homage to the movie media. I just get all my information from the Internet - including best and worst moments thanks to YouTube. Pixars UP - Best Animated Feature So here I sit with my short list of films that had merit as far as the Academy. And my list. Frankly, I don't think I am going to see The Hurt Locker . It looks like merely viewing it might hurt. I have a very strong sense of empathy. And I have my doubts about being able to identify with Preciou s. Julie and Julia is already on my NetFlix queue and next up to be mailed to me. Up in the Air is definitely going on the list. And I must admit it is there because of George Clooney. And Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is on my list because of Jake Gyllenhaal and costumes. I guess I a...