mandolin | Why I hate the proxy servers at work...

I'm willing to bet that I'm going to be stymied at posting this because the proxy server at work HATES LiveJournal. (They tell us that when we move, we'll be using ethernet. I hope so. Damn token-ring network.)

Couple of things to cover here:

* * *

I am seriously limiting my computer time in the evenings. Some nights I may not even turn my computer on at all. This has little or NOTHING to do with arm/hand pain, though... recently, I have turned on the computer with the intent of doing work, and next thing I know four hours have passed and I haven't gotten anything done.

So if you want to chat with me on IM, or play a game of Literati (yes, Erika, I await your next chance to kick my ass at that), drop me a line during the day to let me know you'll be on. If I have something that needs to be done, that's planned and will be done online, okay, I can get on the computer. Hell, I spend my work day coding at a computer, I really should not spend much time on it at home.

* * *

I've been reading some posts on my Friends list about the demise of certain shows, and it's kind of depressing. You'd think in this day and age of reality show gluts and the disposable nature of TV, that people would be happy to have good shows last for a few years.

But now, I'm not so sure. I'm actually starting to think that maybe, just maybe, it's not such a bad thing that Now and Again only lasted a season.

Those of you who've known me since 1999 are probably ready to keel over and are checking for other signs of the apocalypse, so let me explain.

N&A, and other single-season shows whacked by networks, have never really jumped the shark - they never had the chance. (Some people think N&A jumped the shark with the dream episode. Considering there wasn't much more since that ep, and seeing as how that episode set off the longest episode debate EVER on the mailing lists, I don't agree.) These shows don't have the opportunity to alienate hard-core fans by trying risky changes, nor do they get the chance to spiral down to a point where prominent members of the fandom curse the show's existence and regret having watched it in the first place. They remain forever etched in the context of their great first seasons, since there's no later blah seasons to make viewers disregard the early great stuff later on. So maybe it's good that N&A went out with a bang.

But dammit, I still want them to put the series on DVD.

* * *

This weekend, Plague prided herself on (as she said) getting me hooked on the Fake manga. Yes, I did borrow her copy, yes, I did buy a copy myself. But she can't take all the credit here. Had one of my friends on LJ not practically gushed over the manga in the first place, I wouldn't have given it a second look. This time, the blame goes to