Wednesday Random

A Subtle Jumping of Shark

I’ve not used this in a while — the term, “Jumped the Shark.” I feel a close relationship with it though, seeing’s though I’m from Wisconsin, and the original shark-jumper was none other than Milwaukee’s own Arthur Fonzarelli of Happy Days fame. Still, there usually comes a time in a television show’s run when it just plain runs out of ideas and does something stupid. I like Wikipedia’s definition:

The idiom “jumping the shark” is pejorative and is used to argue that a creative work or outlet appears to have reached a point where it has exhausted its core ideas and is introducing new creative ideas that are discordant with its core nature.

Ironically, Happy Days went on for 6 more seasons after the season 5 shark-jumping episode.

And so maybe there’s hope for The Good Doctor, which I’ve been watching on Netflix in the fits of boredom I’ve been experiencing since my wife left to spend time with our daughter and new grandson. I mean, the show’s made it through 6 seasons now (only 5 on my Netflix so far) and has been picked up for a 7th. But — and his was quite subtle — I was a couple of episodes into season 3 when I realized it had probably jumped the shark already at the end of season 2.

Maybe it’s the binge-watching. What was kind of entertaining at first has now become almost laughingly predictable. It’s even worse than shiplap and asbestos on HGTV’s home-improvement shows. There will be an emergency in every surgery. The lead character (a Doctor on the autism spectrum) will have a meltdown over something. I think the show has lost its sense of humor too. Where it used to be clever and surprising, it is now mundane.

I’m slowing losing interest. But hey, Netflix hasn’t really stepped up in quite some time, so I guess it’s either this or…well, nothing really. Not on Netflix.

Feeding Myself

As I mentioned, my wife is out of town for a while (don’t get any ideas — I still have a very good guard dog). This is a challenge for me, actually. We’ve been together over 37 years, and through it all, she’s taken fantastic care of me and the home. I’m doing my best, but I know I can’t keep up. I do laundry regularly. I wash the dishes after every meal. I clean up and take out the garbage, water the plants, and I vacuumed on Saturday. But I know I’m forgetting something.

Don’t worry though. I’m sure she’ll let me know when she gets back (haha).

One thing that I’m doing fairly well is in feeding myself. I’m good with my smoothies, but I’ve also made a few dishes that are getting me by…in addition to the multiple Ziploc bags of Bulgogi she made and put in the freezer before she left. Oh, and the curry. I could go at least another week on that stuff if I had to, but of course, who wants to eat that stuff all day every day?

So, I’m getting by. Maybe it’s the sheer boredom of not having her around, but I think I’m staying in front of disaster pretty efficiently so far…

One of Ours

You’d think I’d have plenty of time to read now, and considering my pace on Demon Copperhead, I would be far into my next Pulitzer, Willa Cather’s One of Ours. But I’ve slowed down a bit. I’m thinking it’s because the previous two books I’d read were such page-turners, I’ve lost my enthusiasm for anything less.

Except this: Cather’s writing style is excellent. I’m only 12% into the book so far (thank you Kindle), so the story has not yet really developed. But I do enjoy how smooth it is. I’m tracking well, and I’m enjoying the language. And I’m sure I’ll pick up the pace soon enough. I’ve actually already got my next novel lined up, so I’d better get moving if I want to get to it any time soon. You’ll hear about it in a couple of weeks I suspect. One of Ours is only 206 pages in paperback. Shouldn’t take me long once I hit my stride.