Fleeting Hymn #2b

I'm having *difficulties* writing the review to the life-changing book I mentioned last week.  I suppose that's to be expected.  The draft, so far, is looong, which qualifies it as a Review+ instead of a typical review.  But, if I keep going, it may reach Review++ status, which would be a first.

Keisha met with the cardiologist Tuesday.  I wish all doctors were as great as this guy was.  He obviously read and was familiar with Keisha's file before he entered the room, and his care and assurance were obvious.  Thankfully, and praise God, I might add, he sees no cause for immediate concern, and says that she can continue on with the labor plans as normal (instead of an induction and C-section).  She does have high BP, which is a somewhat common concern many pregnant women face, but other than that, the cardiologist sees nothing as bad as Keisha feared.

I'm almost a hundred pages into Scalzi's Old Man's War, which showed up at my house in an unmarked padded envelope one evening with the post.  Through careful deduction and innocent skullduggery, I tracked down who sent it to me.  It's a reader of this blog.  So thanks for that gift, and I'm really enjoying it so far. 

(As a side, it's amazing how generous bloggers and blog-readers are.  Humanity, it seems, hasn't hit the crapper yet.  Sure, there are jerks out there, and we're all idiots, but as far as I can tell, the readers of Rememorandom are some of the finest out there.)

There once was a band that had a single on a Paste sampler I once owned.  This song always brought a smile to my ears (?) whenever it entered the straits of my iPod.  And then, later, there was another free single from the band, which again was marvelous.  But that was as far as I got with them.  Until recently.  For you see, I was perusing the cd shelves in the library when, by crazy random happenstance, I saw their eponymous album.  I checked it out and have nearly swooned with tweenage giddiness at their delightful harmonies and exotic sounds.  I am talking about Dr. Funke's 100 Percent Natural Good Time Family Band Solution Fleet Foxes.  Oh my.  Fleet Foxes' Fleet Foxes is an amazing album.  Wow.  Now I need to wait for Amazon to put it on their $5 mp3 albums and get it.  Listen to this all the way to the end.  How awesome is that?

I miss Arrested Development...  Sure, Modern Family is pretty funny, but there's nothing out there that compares to the humor AD had.  Not even How I Met Your Mother, which, let's face it, is losing steam.  Uh, what?

I'm rambling.  Must be time to end this sucker.  Maybe a review tomorrow, I dunno.  Probably no flash-fic, unless I get a chance to edit some.  We'll see.  Okay then.

Arrested Development

I've just started watching Arrested Development. All I can say is that I've been very non-productive for the past couple days, and I finished Season 1 last night. Several of my friends have recommended the show to me, but for some reason it kept slipping my mind to check it out until about a week ago. I don't know if there has ever been a show to rival its humor and I'm not sure if there ever will be again. The entire plot, the demise of the Bluth family, is so twisted and awkward, and somehow driven by love and selfishness, that I can't help but laugh several times each episode. There have been several moments where I've had trouble ending the laughs. Even as I write this I can think back to certain situations and bust out laughing (and I'm sitting in the middle of my computer lab on campus!)

It's hard to pick a favorite character, as they all have an amazing uniqueness and charm about them.

Michael: The good son of George Sr. Michael is motivated by love for his family, to provide for them and keep them safe (and usually out of jail). The protagonist of the show, but not the funniest character.

Gob (George Oscar Bluth, II): The eldest son of George, he is a magician, and definitely one of the funniest characters on the show. He is driven by selfish desires, namely that to succeed and be better than Michael, or anyone else in his family. He has the funniest quotes and memorable lines, in my opinion.

Buster: The awkward son of George, Buster lives with his mother off-and-on, and he is not exactly solid in the head. Buster is motivated by his mother and his desire to make her happy, but also to find acceptance and sugar. Buster provides slapstick comedy to the show, and the awkward humor as well.

Lindsay: The only daughter of George, Lindsay is typically driven to make sure that she is in the spotlight. She is an avid protester and picketer, though she often does not care what she's protesting or picketing. Lindsay has some funny moments.

Tobias: The son-in-law of George, Tobias is married to Lindsay and he is as awkward as Buster. Tobias is heavily played to portray homosexual tendencies, which is typically obvious to everyone except himself. Tobias is a nevernude, which is exactly what it implies. Tobias has several very funny moments and quotes.

George Michael: Michael's son. George Michael fell in love with his cousin, Maeby, during the first episode when she kissed him to get even with her parents. George runs the Banana Stand and is mostly motivated to gain Maeby's attention and to get his dad's approval.

Maeby: Daughter of Tobias & Lindsay, Maeby is driven to get her parent's attention/ to not have her parent's attention. Maeby is constantly scheming to get even or to not get even with her parents. She's not necessarily a funny character, but she provides an impetus for George Michael to get into funny situations.

George: The paterfamilias of the Bluths, George is serving time in prison for so many reasons it's hard to pick one. He is motivated by selfishness, corruption, and love for his family. George provides several memorable quotes and funny situations.

Lucille: The mother of the Bluths, Lucille is often cold, sharp-tongued, and intoxicated. She loves her children, though it is rarely seen.

Onyong: The adopted Korean child in the Bluth family, his name is actually Korean for hello, though the Bluth's do not realize this.

In all, the entire Bluth family is best taken together. They live and feed off of each other, and the comedy is layered and ingrained with them all. As a family, they are extremely dysfunctional, but they provide wonderfully funny situations for laughter. I'll end with a funny quote by Gob.

"The zero hour, Michael. It's the end of the line. I'm the firstborn. Sick of playing second fiddle. Always third in line for everything. Tired of finishing fourth. Being the fifth wheel. There are six things I'm mad about, and I'm taking over."