Time to switch

Since this is a currently active meme, I've decided to switch to the Friday 5, rather than the Thursday ? meme. This week's is called A Stitch in Time. I'd love it if you, readers, answered questions in the comments too!

1.What was your first wristwatch like?
2.What lately seems to have been a thief of time?
3.What were yesterday’s quietest five minutes like?
4.In what way have you lately been saving time?
5.We are often charged hourly rates for labor, but we never get to reciprocate in kind when promised completion times don’t match actual completion. If you could bill people for the time you spend waiting, what would be a reasonable amount?

1. I have no idea. I want to say that is was digital, and probably from a Happy Meal or something similar. And I think that it had a cartoon character on it. Rainbow Brite, maybe?

2. Playing video games. And watching tv. And all those fun things where you consume rather than produce, your fun.

3. Sleeping? And the first few minutes when I just wake up, and check the internet on my iPhone - Facebook, email, Salon.com, maybe play a little Words With Friends. Try to convince myself that I'm awake.

4. I haven't really, because I just got a new job - working in the reading program at a local high school. And now I'm busier than ever! But having more fun and feeling more productive than I have in ages. It's the end of the week, and I'm actually looking forward to next work week already! You know you have the right job when that happens.

5. How about if you pay more to never wait? That might be better. Though bad for the finances. How about if I agree to wait for an extra day or week, in exchange for a drastically reduced fee? I could deal with that.

How about you guys? I am watching Portlandia right now. It's not bad, but all of my favorite shows this season (other than The Big Bang Theory) are suspense, rather than comedy. Alcatraz is very good so far. Welcome back to tv, Hugo! What's your favorite spring season tv so far?

The Best of 2011

Today's list post takes a page from Entertainment Weekly, or any number of other magazines and newspapers at this time of the year, as we announce our annual Best of awards. Being a completely biased publication, this blog will now submit, in snappy numerical format, my favorite (and therefore, the best, of course!) books, movies and music of 2011. If the Mayans are right and the world ends next year, I guess that makes these submissions the best of all time, since there won't be a 2012 list. But I think there will be one.

Drumroll please...

Books (Perhaps Not All From This Year, But Books I Read This Year)

1. What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
2. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
3. What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets by Peter Menzel
4. Feed and Deadline by Mira Grant (2 books, but one amazing series)
5. One Salt Sea by Seanan McGuire
6. IraqiGirl: Diary of a Teenage Girl in Iraq
7. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
8. Lisey's Story by Stephen King
9. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
10. The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford

Movies and TV

1. Dollhouse
2. American Horror Story
3. Glee
4. An Education
5. Firefly
6. Army Wives
7. Never Let Me Go (a double category winner :) )
8. Fringe
9. Clare and Francis
10. Black Swan

Music (or, This Year's Soundtrack)

1. Owl City
2. Lady Gaga
3. Glee music
4. Harry Connick Jr - "Stardust"
5. Fastball - "The Way"
6. Music from Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog
7. Jack Johnson
8. The Pogues
9. "What You Don't Know" by Jonatha Brooke
10. "Adventures of Isabel" by Natalie Merchant

Games

1. The Sims Medieval
2. Who Would Win?
3. Pandemic
4. Smallville
5. Top Ten: The Bill of Rights
6. Words with Friends
7. Fluxx
8. Mad Scientist University
9. The Sims 2 (still a better game mechanic than Sims 3)
10. Kung Fu Fighting

Descriptions of said winners are, perhaps, yet to come. In the meantime, I'd love to hear your best of lists, readers!

TV night

We're watching Spanish Muzzy around here tonight. I didn't realize there wouldn't be any subtitles! I should get the book, but it's across the room and Bella's falling asleep on my lap. She's so sweet when she sleeps. ;) I am gratified to find that I already understand most of it anyway, though.

Buenas noches, blog readers.

Our whole universe was in a hot, dense state

And to change the subject entirely, I thought I'd use tonight to plug one of my favorite shows - The Big Bang Theory. I'm not a natural comedy watcher, or at least not as a loyal fan. But this show has won me over in record time (I know, it's been on at least two seasons now, but I hadn't seen it until last month.) It is endearing in many ways, including:

1. Its theme song is performed by The Barenaked Ladies. Hey guys! I wondered what you had been up to the past few years. Welcome back!

2. All of my friends act like the characters on this show. I think that's all I'll say about this one.

3. This may be the main reason I find this show side-splittingly hilarious every time I watch.

Perhaps I'm really showing my geek side here, but I love this show! Have you seen it? What do you think?