All the old showstoppers

I'm at a loss for what to write about. Goings-on aren't all that eventful. I'm knitting a blanket, but it's the knit stitch repeated ad infinitum, meaning there's nothing worth mentioning there. In lieu of looking for a scrap of interesting activity, let's take a peek at what I'm watching, listening to, and reading.

At the movies: I've been seeing a lot of dogs lately (cases in point: the laugh-worthy 88 Minutes and Prom Night). The best film I've watched in the past couple weeks is Leatherheads. It's far from perfect, but I'm a sucker for old screwball movies. George Clooney has made a solid attempt at replicating the snappy humor and good, old-fashioned entertainment.

On TV: It seems like television has been stagnant since the writer's strike, but new episodes are finally returning. Last week's The Office, with its acidic sitcom version of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, was amazing. The fans vs. favorites edition of Survivor has provided some fresh twists to a show that should be stale by now. American Idol has been underwhelming this season, but I get a few good laughs from their hokey Ford music videos each week. But enough messing around...give me new Lost episodes!

In music: I haven't decided where Accelerate fits into the R.E.M. discography, but it's a blessed break from the sameness that made the last two albums generally forgettable. Gnarls Barkley's The Odd Couple can be pretty dark lyrically, but I'm fond of its vintage soul mixed with the contemporary. With Asking for Flowers Kathleen Edwards may deliver her most consistent album to date. The Tom Petty vibe on it doesn't hurt. I'm still digesting Hold On Now, Youngster... by Los Campesinos!

Reading, or not reading but have bought and really would like to find the time to read: I loved Jhumpa Lahiri's first two books, so I ought to dive into her new one, Unaccustomed Earth, and let it grab me instead of waiting to find the time.

I enjoyed the first two books Mary Doria Russell wrote, but I never got around to her venture into historical fiction. Maybe it's because the mix of science fiction and theology in The Sparrow and Children of God exerted such mental workouts that I kept waiting to pick up A Thread of Grace, her third novel, when I felt more up to it. (Or it could be that I wasn't jumping at the thought of reading something set during World War II. Call it fatigue from the war movies in recent years.) At least it's in hand now thanks to a deep discount on the hardcover version.

What are you watching/listening to/reading?