7.29.2012

The Post About The Rabbit Recommends v. 112

Each week or so I post a readable or watchable and/or listenable of which I'm fond. You can choose what happens after my recommendation. Ignore, embrace, debate. Earlier volumes of The Rabbit Recommends can be found here. 

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Summer TV can be difficult. Especially if you don't enjoy people getting hurt in Wipeout like me. Here are 5 shows I recently marathon'd online. They were worth every couch potato moment.


1. Scandal (ABC): Olivia Pope protects the public images of the nation's elite and makes sure their secrets stay just that. She is a former White House Communications Director for the president, but has left to start her own crisis management firm. I watched all seven episodes in one sitting because I don't do well with cliffhangers. This show is full of them. The weekly stories grab you but the ongoing relationships and secrets of the characters is what forces you to hit "next episode." Watch on Hulu or ABC.com.


2. Sherlock (BBC/PBS): Masterpiece on PBS usually owns me, but I skipped Sherlock when it first aired. I asked rabbit chasers on Facebook for some Netflix recs and it was repeatedly mentioned and praised. Now I know why. Three episodes in Season 1 at 90 minutes each and I was mesmerized with this contemporary take on Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective. It didn't hurt that Dr. Watson is played by Martin Freeman, Tim on the BBC version of The Office and Bilbo Baggins in the upcoming movie The Hobbit. Watch Season 1 on Netflix. I purchased Season 2 on Amazon. Because I was desperate.


3. Perfect Couples (NBC): I discovered this after Twitter peeps lamented its cancellation and declared it worthy of a second look. It follows three couples at different stages in their relationships but struggling with the same types of drama. It's zany and nuanced and may require at least a 4-episode commitment to find its place in your heart. But it will. Pinky swears. Watch on Hulu or NBC.com.


4. Firefly (FOX): I stumbled upon Firefly for the first time in 2009 and just watched every episode again. Of course I loved it, because it was cancelled after only one season. It's a snazzy western set in space with guns, tumbleweeds, a hot captain and all the funny that could be mustered from the mind of Joss Whedon. Episode 8, Out of Gas, wrecks me. Television at its best. Watch on Hulu or Netflix.



5. Arrested Development (FOX): This was my only long term commitment at 53 episodes, but another one worth the investment. This comedy is the story of a the Bluth family whose patriarch is sent to jail for fraud and his son must take over the family business. And play straight man to the family who really does put the fun in dysfunction. There isn't a character who isn't brilliant. And insane. Watch on Hulu or Netflix.

What TV shows did you discover after they originally aired? Which shows should I add to my queue?

7.27.2012

The Post About Ryan Lochte and 10,000 Other Athletes


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The torch is on its way.

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We've chosen our athletes.

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They're hoping for gold.

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It's the Olympics.

I've always been a fan. Seriously, it's my only option. I'm 5'2" and run like an Ewok. So the athletic bulletin board was never one I lingered over when choosing extracurricular filler.

But I am a fan. I watch. I yell. I realize the worst part of losing...is not winning.

The Olympics are a whirlwind of awesome I adore. So for the next two weeks, I'll be camped out watching and yelling and hoping we win.

USA. USA. USA.

Which Olympic events are your favorite? Which athlete are you keeping your eye on? Besides Ryan Lochte.

{images: Jamie}

7.26.2012

The Post About My College Boyfriend Possibly Being My Cousin

I'm 100% influenced by what I watch.

When I watch So You Think You Can Dance, I start krumping in the dining room.

When I watch Rachael Ray, I buy tomato paste in a tube and place garbage in a bowl.

When I watch Sherlock, I try to deduce your hobbies from your tan lines.

So when I stumbled upon Who Do You Think You Are?, a show about celebrities tracing their family trees, I was determined to find my ancestors.

These are my grandparents. OR it's Amanda from Mandie Marie and Joseph from The Greatest Blog of All Time.

To start the search, I did exactly what the TV voice-over told me to do - sign up at Ancestry.com.

I committed to the 14-day trial and became obsessed. Thankfully, plenty of cousins and other distant relatives had already done the heavy lifting to help me trace my tree.

And yes, although I am from Alabama, my family tree DID fork.

This is just a sample of the 2000 people who are currently in my "Golden" family tree.

I'd like to share a little of what I learned about myself through this fascinating and ongoing process. 

1. My love for Alabama is genuine. Both my paternal and maternal families date back to living in Jefferson, Alabama since the late 1700s. Roll Tide.

2. Southern by birth and breeding. My family has roots in Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina after descending from colonies in Virginia. So I can say with all credibility, "Missouri should not be in the SEC."

3. Lee Greenwood was right. I'm proud to be an American. My 13th grandfather, Richard Warren, settled in Plymouth Colony and was among ten passengers of the Mayflower landing party with Myles Standish at Cape Cod on November 11, 1620. He signed the Mayflower Compact. Like a boss.

Rabbit sidebar for my mother: We WILL be dressing as pilgrims this Thanksgiving.

4. History ain't pretty. Since my Grandpa Richie was a pilgrim, it's likely he stole land from Native Americans. I have family who fought in the American Revolution, War of 1812, Civil War, World War I, II, Korean War, Vietnam, and so on. My family owned slaves. And they treated people as such. Hopefully, we've learned a few lessons from our past.

5. My attraction to pirates is genetic. My 11th grandmother secretly married a private buccaneer after her father was granted land by the English crown for having hunted them in the 1600's. Daddy-daughter drama.

6. The 2012 Olympics will be a chance for both my countries to shine. My maternal and paternal lines all descend from England. As if my pasty skin and love for potatoes would have led me to a different conclusion. 

7. This blog would make my relatives proud. I have emulated the nonsensical writing styles of my 18th grandfather, Geoffrey Chaucer, and my 8th cousin, Edgar Allan Poe. The end.

Have you searched for your relatives? Have you discovered any black sheep or white sheep or pirate sheep?

{image: with permission from Amanda of Mandie Marie}

7.23.2012

The Post About Having a Little Work Done

Sometimes I think a small nip or a tiny tuck wouldn't be a big deal. Then I remember those Dove commercials. And my minor in women's studies. And Joan Rivers.

I'm back on a confident, wrinkly track.

However, Jamie's Rabbits was starting to show its age in a not-so-graceful way. It was time for a facelift. 


I need to thank the Internet for the new design.

For six months, I wandered around other blogs, made notes of things I fancied and began Googling how to recreate them here.

Blog designers deserve every penny we pay. Plus tips.

The Rabbits are still in outpatient "recovery" from the array of design procedures but hopefully you can already see the sags disappearing.

What about aging do you love? What do you love less?

{image: Jamie}

7.19.2012

The Post About That Book Deal I Got or That Business I'm Starting

So I mentioned earlier this week about being MIA on the blog for a short season and I hinted at the cause.

I suggested 3 possible explanations which I will now address:

A. Finalizing my soon-to-be-shopped manuscript.
First of all, finalizing would indicate starting. Plus, what would I write about? I DO think I could churn out the following pamphlets:
**How To Succeed in Life When You Don't Realize Your Fridge Light Goes Out
**How "Buy-With-One-Click" Can Fill Your Life With Cardboard That You Will Need When You Can't Pay Your Mortgage
**How To Cook Without Any Skills (Birmingham Restaurant Guide)

B. Developing a business plan for my own baking business.
It's true, I do fancy the baking. It's a perfect blend of science and pretty. But what this absence explanation suggests is "business." And business requires money, spreadsheets, charts, and someone to clean the bathrooms. These are not my strengths. But I sure do like the pretty part. If I could just sell cake pops in the back of an already-established business...like Office Depot...that would be super.

C. Watching TV marathons on Roku and falling asleep on the loveseat.
Yep. During my brief staycation I discovered Sherlock, The IT Crowd and Arrested Development. I know...a little late on that last one. And for the record, if you came to my house, which you should, then you would understand the power of my loveseat. Swoon.

I also ran a camp, took some road trips, and generally lived a little. But that's enough of that.

Are you writing a book? Starting your own business? Watching something fabulous that I may not be? Share peeps. Share.

{images: Jamie}

7.16.2012

The Post About Being Gone And You Missing Me, Right?

I've been gone.

You noticed, right? My self-esteem may or may not be wrapped up in the idea that you noticed.

Later this week I'll tell you where I was. It involves one of the following:

A. Finalizing my soon-to-be-shopped manuscript.
B. Developing a business plan for my own baking business.
C. Watching TV marathons on Roku and falling asleep on the loveseat. 

Don't try to guess. Just wait.

One thing I'll go ahead and reveal is a sneak peek of the new Jamie's Rabbits.
I'd be honest and tell you I've been working on it for 6 months, but I don't want you to raise that bar too high.

Before the new design launch later this week, I'd like to do a final inquiry on what people like and don't like about blogs. So answer me this...

What do you like and don't like about blogs?

I'll answer first.
  • I like blogs that have a lot of pictures and very short paragraphs. Just like in a children's book.
  • I don't like blogs that don't have dates on posts. I need to know if each post was written before or after Michael Jackson died.
{image: Jamie}
 
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