British TV Shows

I just got home and was settling down for the evening. I pulled up Hulu to find something to watch and was so happy to see they just started carrying Miranda! I’m so excited! It’s been on my list and I have only been able to find a few episodes on youtube. I have to say I love being able to watch British shows. I grew up on PBS so appreciate the dry humor. I’m inspired to list out some of latest favorites:

Dramas:
Survivors. It’s like a British version of Walking Dead, but instead of zombies it’s a deadly virus. Be forewarned that they only made two seasons and it ends abruptly – no closure. Netflix streaming.
Sherlock. The modern version with Bendict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. I like the cinematography. Much better than the American version. Netflix streaming.

Detective:
Midsommer Murders. This show started in 1997 and is still running, kind of like the long running Law and Order. Instead of being set in NYC it’s in a quiet hamlet and there’s no order – just the detective work. Netflix streaming.
Inspector Lewis. A spin off from the Inspector Morris series and set in Oxford. Netflix (early seasons) and PBS (latest episodes) streaming.
Foyle’s War. A good period piece set during WWII. Netflix streaming.
Inspector Lynley. Pairs a posh aristocrat and a working class detective and based on mystery books that I have read before. Netflix streaming.
Luther. Different than the other British detective shows – this one is much more intense and set in London instead of some quiet country who dunit. Netflix streaming.

Comedy:
Coupling. Ok, this one has been off the air for ages and I watched it years ago, I still like rewatching it. It’s like a British version of Friends. Netflix streaming.
IT Crowd. Another series that’s done and over but I still rewatch it. Totally relate to the nerds! Netflix streaming.

InBetweeners.  This is about a group of awkward teenage boys.  I’m not the targeted audience but I was surprised to find I quite enjoyed the show.  Not quite sure what that says about me.  Plus there is a movie too.  Hulu Plus, Netflix Streaming.

SPY. Fun little family comedy. Divorced dad that’s trying to win over his sons affections and accidently ends up as a spy. Hulu Plus.
Whites. It’s like a funny version of Hell’s Kitchen. Ok not really, it’s just about the cooks in a hotel kitchen. Hulu Plus.
Not Going Out. This one is like Seinfield in that it’s based around a comedian – Lee Mack. Except he plays a less successful character in all things (business and romance). I stumbled upon it from WILTY (see below) that Lee Mack was on. And discovered Miranda from this since she was a character on the show. Youtube.
Miranda. I love her! She’s so funny and great at the physical humor. Her thing is to turn mid-scene and talk to the camera. The show was a surprise hit in the UK and has completely taken off. Hulu Plus.

Comedy/Drama:
Kingdom. Stars Stephen Fry who is a country solicitor. In American, a local lawyer in a small village. Netflix streaming.
Doc Martin. A big city surgeon is suddenly afflicted with an issue at seeing blood and is forced to become a general practitioner in a small village. Plus he’s socially awkward – talk about no bedside manner! Netflix streaming.

Late Night:
I’m not a big fan of Letterman or Leno so didn’t really think this was a genre for me… that is until I discovered the British version. It’s so more civilized – they actually spend longer chunks of time talking with the guests. I always feel like the US version assumes we all have limited attention spans. Plus they’ve figured out a gay host is so much more entertaining than some stiff straight guy in a suit.
Graham Norton Show. I’ve been watching this one a lot. Lots of American celebrities. Check out the one with Mark Walberg. He’s had a bit too much to drink. It’s a train wreck of a show but very entertaining. Youtube.
Chatty Man. My next favorite that has me in stitches sometimes. Alan Carr is so personable. I would love to be interviewed by him. I think he was friends with Adel before they both hit it big. Check out the first one she’s on the show with him. Although my favorites are the ones where he interviews One Direction. Youtube.
Jonathan Ross. Proof that you don’t have to be gay and can still have a great show. Check out the ones with Gordon Ramsay. He’s such a different character in real life than what he is on his Hell shows. Youtube.

Comedian Game Shows:
I didn’t even know this genre existed! I’m not a fan of game shows. But game shows with comedians as the contestants – absolutely!
Would I Lie To You (WILTY). This one is my favorite right now! It speaks to my love of making up stories. Two teams are anchored by comedians Lee Mack and David Mitchell who are awesome and work off each other well. Hosted by Rob Brydon who does some great impressions sometimes and is from Swansea! Youtube.
QI. Hosted by Stephen Fry who created the show in response to the decline of intellectual content in shows on TV these days. You learn marvelous obscure tidbits of knowledge about different subjects. Like Julius Caesar wore a laurel wreath because he was bald and vain. And the invention comb over is attributed to him. The contestants are composed of a variety of comedians plus comedian Alan Davies whose on every episode. Youtube.

List of shows I want to check out but can’t find yet (for free) beyond a random episode/clips:
Extras. A Ricky Gervais/Stephen Merchant comedy set in the world of Hollywood that has an outstanding list of guest stars.
Episodes. This one is on Showetime and BBC and is an American/British comedy starring Matt LeBlanc (from Friends). It’s set in the world of Hollywood too.
Black Mirror. A black comedy/drama about our use of technology. A sci-fi satire reminiscent of The Twilight Zone.
Mobile. Another drama critiquing our use of technology, specifically cell phones. This is just a 3-part series.

Writing it all down, it’s quite a list. Alot of the streaming is incomplete, especially for the shows that are still running. So you can pace yourself.  What’s crazy is the web of connections. You’ll see a lot of overlap of stars between the shows. The receptionist in Kingdom stars as the boss in The IT Crowd and the manager in Whites. The sous chef in Whites is the father in SPY. The lawyer in Kingdom is the host on QI. The anchor comedian on QI is the head chef in Whites. The star of Miranda is the cleaning lady on Not Going Out. The star of Not Going Out is a team leader on WILTY and guest on QI. You get the idea.

I love having all these viewing options. Paying for an internet connection and subscribing to Netflix streaming and Hulu Plus is so much cheaper than getting cable (which doesn’t have the selections anyways). And I can stream Netflix, Hulu and PBS on my TV through my Roku. I was on the fence of buying a second TV but came up with an ingenious alternative. I have an extra monitor that I hook up my ipad to and stream everything on, including youtube. Enjoy!

Friday Leftovers

What a week!


• It shifted from showers every day (and night) to full sun, summer time weather this week.

• Now that it wasn’t raining, I got my bike up and running for the season. This last weekend Dad helped me put the bike rack on and we explored the Minuteman/Alewife Brook/Winchester area. We hit a crazy hill, but there was no traffic and ridiculously nice houses to admire as we were walking our bikes.

• And this week I’ve started riding my bike to Alewife. This morning, my fast bus was just arriving at my bus stop when I passed it on my bike. I ended up beating it to Alewife (including all the time to find a spot and lock it up)! So theoretically cut down on my commute time.

• I was trying to find an old blog post where I listed all the summer trips I had - long weekends etc. It was a few years ago and very me-centered outlining how packed my weekends were. As I get older and more involved, I’ve been trying to keep track of family trips too. My step-mum just went down to Richmond to visit her new granddaughter and Karin. Dad just came over to Boston last weekend for Father’s Day weekend with Nick and I. And then in two weeks, Karin is bringing her family up to Vermont for a visit. Nick and I are driving over to Vermont for the 4th of July break. And then a few weeks later mom is coming to visit with Nick and I in Boston. And then she’s heading to Dallas to visit my Aunt Sue and Fred. And somewhere in that mix is maybe fitting in a visit to Denver. And I was supposed to be down in DC next week for work and I was planning on popping down early and take the weekend to visit with Joanne and her family and my friend Noah. Except I had a feeling my meeting might fall through and I was a bit overwhelmed with all the travel arrangements that I didn’t really follow up which was for the best because my meeting next week just got switched and it’s in Boston now. So no trip to DC. Point being - the calendar gets really busy trying to keep track of all the various trips people have, helping coordinate and booking the travel arrangements!

• I have nothing planned for this weekend.

• Other than a million chores and little projects that need to be crossed off my endless to-do list. And catching up on sleep.

• Remember that post back in February? 3.5 Miles. The company run/walk was yesterday after work. It was a blast and everyone had a great time. We ended up having 43 people from the company participate in Boston and 15 in the New York office the week before. 58 company total. A big jump from the 4 who did it last year.

• I ended up not training, not buying new sneakers or even a new outfit and so didn’t really run the race. My theory is that I needed to pace myself. I want to beat my previous time each year. Now if I start off doing too well, then I limit myself! Plus had fun walking with a group from work.

• It was great being part of the run - huge crowds, tons of energy and even after the after party as I was heading home, I ran from my bus stop to my front door.

• I did end up with a bruised toes! Not sure why. They’re the ones next to the big toe. And on one foot, once I took the nail polish off this weekend I saw it was purple under the nail. New shoes needed, maybe?



Meant to post this Friday before I headed home.

• This weekend, I ended up tackling - nothing. It was so hot! I’m seriously thinking of putting in a window unit AC. I don’t really want to but most summers I know that if I hit a few hot days in August, the summer is almost over. But hitting a few hot days in June - not a great sign.

• By Sunday afternoon, the heat had made me so lethargic that I ended up deciding to escape by riding in my AC car to the AC stores and went shopping.

• I need to comb the cats before I vacuum tonight. I can’t imagine how hot they must be.

Guess where I am

Right now

Friday

It’s been raining a lot. And every day I wonder why I ran out the door without a jacket. I usually have a suit jacket or sweater on but I am always cold on my commute. I realize it’s because it’s June! And one doesn’t usually wear jackets this time of year. But it’s really acting like April with the showers and everything.


This morning it was a scramble getting ready in time to catch the early bus. As I was heading out the door, down my street, I see my bus coming so start running. I must have been a sight with my red umbrella flying around and me running like the dickens trying to beat the bus to the bus stop. I hear a honk and the bus driver pulls over and lets me on half a block before the stop. How nice was that!?! I thought there wasn’t anyone at the stop so she was just stopping for me but she ended up stopping a moment later to let the person waiting at the stop on.

And then as I was reading the free paper on the subway I first noticed this little article:

That’s over half a million for parking spots in an alley! Crazy isn’t it? And a moment later, I flip the page and see this other interesting story about more money.

Apparently we’re loaded with money here in Boston. But at least this last story gives you the warm and fuzzies.

And finally, I get into work and deal with my second email of the day with the subject line “HELP”. This seems to be a recent trend and hopefully just a passing fad. Thank goodness it’s Friday and the weather is supposed to break this afternoon. I plan to get my bike out and operating. Dad is visiting for Father’s Day weekend and we’ll be going on some biking adventures. I need to log a bunch of miles in preparation for that corporate run I mentioned months ago and is suddenly coming up next week. It looks like I will probably walk it but still want to make sure I can do even that. Thinking about it, London was some good training, I must have logged over 5k each day. Ok, that makes me feel better. Enjoy the last of the rain (for awhile)!

Jetlag

I think it’s jet lag.  I had no problem adjusting when I arrived in London - took about a day but I was good to go.  But coming back has been a bear. I kept crashing early and waking up early (3 am early).  I thought by Tuesday night I had finally won (I came back Friday) - I was able to stay up past 10 pm without completely crashing.  But again this morning I woke up at 4:30 am.  I usually wake up around 5:30/6.  I don’t know what’s going on but I’m tiiiired.  They always say going east to west is harder but it’s never been this bad.  I wonder if work is in the mix too.  I sometimes I wish I was French and took a month or two off in the summer from work. 

London!

I’m back! I had a lovely time in London. I flew out Friday night and landed Saturday morning bright and early (6 am). By the time I got my hotel straightened out (the one I booked had a broken boiler and relocated everyone to a neighboring sister hotel) and unpacked, it was 10 in the morning before I headed off for a great first day. I went over to the Portobello Road market which has a big antique/food market Saturday mornings. It was just what I needed after a red-eye flight, perusing the stalls of all the merchants and popping into the touristy shops along the street. I munched on a Bath bun as I walked down the street and even stumbled upon an Oxfam store and found the a copy of a Peter Robinson mystery (I stumbled upon him at an Oxfam in Scotland and haven’t been able to find him state side). BTW, Oxfam is just a used bookstore where proceeds go to a good cause.

After tiring of the market and crowds I took a break and toured the side streets of Notting Hill. Tons of cute boutique stores (home goods and clothes). All out of my price range, except one, which was having a huge clothes sale. I ended up getting a few cute pieces of clothes - one was even a sample - one of a kind. All made by this local up and coming London designer. I finished the visit off with a Chorizo sandwich from one of the stalls for lunch - such fresh ingredients - delic! I made my rounds of picking up the things I wanted to buy and at the end popped back into the House of Scotland store to deliberate over a wool blanket on sale. Decided in the end to resist temptation and as I was leaving, I ran into this elderly couple who had been one row ahead of me on the plane that morning. What are the odds of running into them at this one store. Had to say hi.

On my leisure walk back to the hotel I stumbled upon my first street map (it’s just past the red phone booth in the picture). These things are awesome - they’re all over London and made it a breeze to walk around town without a map. I hadn’t had much time to plan my trip since I didn’t really know if I was going and was short on time the week before.

Back to the hotel where I was in desperate need of a nap. And then in the evening I made my way to a London play, London Wall, via Leicester Square, which was a great way to close out the day.

Sunday and Monday was a nice mix of sightseeing, shopping and exploring the city. Great weather the whole time. Tuesday and Wednesday was me at work pretty much all day and then flew back home Thursday. All in all a great trip.

On the downside, my camera battery died on Monday and I had packed a million chords but not one for the camera. I had to use my blackberry phone camera which wasn’t great but better than nothing. I’m transferring the pictures right now, so figured I’d post a few.

I was able to stay at his marvelous recently restored hotel for the second half of the trip. Not only was it gorgeous, I was able to enjoy fabulous breakfasts. It was a great buffet spread and for the first course I would have waffles with real maple syrup! And fresh fruit.

And for the second course I would have some fresh bread and butter and cold meats and cheeses.

I love europe for it's great fresh food, grand and historic architecture, super nice people and the ability to stumble around town without a plan, map or very much money.  What a great trip!