April, 2014
April 5th, 2014, 2:26 p.m. - They cut a Robin Sparkles/Tracy wedding performance, and now I'm sad
The Amazing Race - "Down and Dirty": Another good pair of Detour options. Those first-come-first-serve situations don't always hurt you. This season has been pretty good, with the exception of a certain annoying team I would like to see gone sooner rather than later. Rating: 4 logs transported by elephants
How I Met Your Mother - "Last Forever": Some people hated it, but I liked it (other than the ending). I thought it wrapped everything up pretty well. It did remind me a little of the Will and Grace finale, though, with Robin leaving the group. Still, I'll have almost all fond memories of the show. Rating: 4 blue French horns
Modern Family - "A Hard Jay's Night": I was mostly bored, but Cameron proving to be Machiavellian was pretty great. Rating: 3 cake toppers
The Big Bang Theory - "The Indecision Amalgamation": I admit, I wish they'd done more with Bernadette's teeny off-screen subplot with the get-well card. And I loved Sheldon's meltdown at the end. Rating: 3 quarters
Scandal - "The Fluffer": I feel like they jammed a bunch of stuff in because they realized they had a shorter season and needed to get to the end. Like, suddenly there's a bomb? And some big plan? And Sebastian Roche? Rating: 3 cell phones Jake uses that I'm sure are exactly like anyone else's cell phone
April 7th, 2014, 6:27 p.m. - Is it too much to ask for a villain with more than two dimensions?
11. The Weight of Blood (Laura McHugh)
Up next: Moonwalking with Einstein (Joshua Foer)
April 12th, 2014, 1:22 p.m. - "Geology is the Kardashians of science"
The Big Bang Theory - "The Relationship Diremption": I like Emily; I hope she sticks around. Everything else was boring this week, except Sheldon drunk-dialing Stephen Hawking. I enjoy drunk Sheldon. Rating: 3 geology books
Scandal - "Flesh and Blood": Cyrus! Back in the bad-guy saddle! Not that he ever really left. I guess Mellie's going to need a new boyfriend now. Rating: 4 gross DNA samples
April 19th, 2014, 12:46 p.m. - I would have read this faster but my Supernatural addiction is taking over my life (I CAN QUIT ANYTIME I WANT)
12. Moonwalking with Einstein (Joshua Foer)
Up next: Doing Harm (Kelly Parsons)
April 20th, 2014, 12:47 p.m. - Bonus points for the mini charioteers
The Amazing Race - "The Gladiators Are Here!": That chariot task was so fun. Seriously, the task designers this season deserve raises. Both Detour options were deceptively simple. I just wish they'd done something about the Roadblock to make it harder to work with others. Half the racers didn't actually do the tasks. Rating: 5 Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck lookalikes
Scandal - "The Price of Free and Fair Elections": So...who are we supposed to be rooting for next season? Is Olivia the only person left who hasn't directly murdered someone? I hope she goes somewhere pretty for the five hours she'll probably be gone. If Harrison's really dead, she'll most likely be back within a day. Rating: 4 vials of meningitis
April 26th, 2014, 12:32 p.m. - "Sometimes Claire leaves me pictures of food instead of a shopping list"
The Amazing Race - "Donkeylicious": Awww, Globetrotters. I always enjoy watching them, but they really didn't measure up against the other racers, unfortunately. I'll miss them. Rating: 4 calligraphy pens
Modern Family - "Australia": I'm not sure how many vacation episodes the show really needs, but whatever. Without a doubt, my favorite part was Claire saying a dog stole her computer (with her "baby" project) and Alex responding, "That seems like a missed opportunity." Rating: 4 jellyfish
The Big Bang Theory - "The Anything Can Happen Recurrence": I was half bored, half uninterested. Rating: 3 horror movies
April 27th, 2014, 4:43 p.m. - Boy meets girl, boy cheats on wife with girl, people die because boy is an idiot
13. Doing Harm (Kelly Parsons)
Up next: Devil's Knot (Mara Leveritt)
A lot going on here, and much of it good, but...I was left unimpressed, especially after all the hype this book got. It's one of those "I could have written it better" stories.
About ten years ago, Foer wrote about the U.S. Memory Championship for Slate. The next year, he won it. This book is a fascinating look at the limits (or lack thereof) of humans' memories, and what it takes to have a superhuman one.
The protagonist of Doing Harm is possibly the dumbest, most annoying character I've ever read. If he hadn't been so concerned about his wife not finding out he had an affair, three people wouldn't have died. Also, the murderer in the book has one of the worst motives ever. Basically, this whole book was a waste of my time, and I wish I hadn't spent money on it, let alone opened it.