2016/2017: Year of TV

I am going to try and keep track of my television shows chronologically rather than by current, watched, etc. I will try to update this throughout the year. I will also give the medium for how I am watching the show. So, without further ado,

Fall 2016 (September/October/November)

• 30 for 30 Shorts (Hulu) — Started watching
• Ballers (HBO) — Watched the second half of Season 2
• Behind the Mask (Hulu) — Watching Season 1 
• Brothers & Sisters (Hulu) — Started watching series.
• Californication (Netflix) — Finished re-watching the series
• Chance (Hulu) — Watching Season 1
• Daredevil (Netflix) — Watched Season 2
• Designated Survivor (ABC) — Watching Season 1
• Divorce (HBO) — Watching Season 1
• Gilmore Girls (Netflix) — Re-watching the series on Netflix to get ready for the new episodes that are due out in November
• Longmire (Netflix) — Watched Season 5
• Lovesick (Netflix) — Watched Season 1
• Lucifer (Fox) — Watching Season 2
• Madame Secretary (CBS) — Watching Season 3
• Manhattan (Hulu) — Finished both seasons.
• New Girl (Netflix) — Watched Season 5
• Pitch (Hulu) — Watching Season 1
• This is Us (Hulu) — Watching Season 1 

Notes: Of the new shows I started watching (Chance, Designated Survivor, Divorce, Pitch, and This is Us), Pitch is by far the most entertaining. This is Us is good, albeit super-sappy. For some reason we are still watching Designated Survivor; why? I don't know. Chance and Divorce I watched a few episodes of each. They didn't grab me. I also really enjoyed Manhattan. It isn't, however, a new show, just new for me. The 30 for 30 Shorts are 10-15 minute episodes, so quick watching when you have just a small bit of time.


Winter 2016/2017 (December/January/February)

• The Affair (Showtime) — Watching Season 3.
• 30 for 30 Shorts (Hulu) — Still watching. Only a couple episodes left.
  
• Brothers & Sisters (Hulu) —Watched Season 2–4.
• Chance (Hulu) – Finished Season 1.
• Designated Survivor (ABC) — Still watching Season 1.
• Lucifer (Fox) — Watching Season 2. One episode left until mid-season break.
• Madame Secretary (CBS) — Still watching Season 3.
• Mozart in the Jungle (Amazon Prime) —Watched Season 1, 2, and 3.
• Pitch (Hulu) — Still watching Season 1. 
• Red Oaks (Amazon Prime) —Watched Season 1. Midway through Season 2.
• Shut Eye (Hulu) — Watched Season 1.
• This is Us (Hulu) — Still watching Season 1.
• Vikings (Amazon Prime) —Watched Season 1 and 2. Midway through Season 3.

Spring 2017 (March/April/May)

• The Affair (Showtime) — Still working on Season 3. Haven't made any progress on this. Is that a sign?
• The Americans (FX) — Watching Season 5.
• Beginning of Everything (Amazon Prime) — Watched Season 1
• Better Call Saul (AMC) — Watching Season 3
• Billions (HBO) — Watching Season 2
• Bordertown (Netflix) — Watched Season 1.  Finnish crime drama. According to Wikipedia over 1/5 of the Finnish population watched episode 1 of this show when it aired.
• Designated Survivor (ABC) — Why am I still watching this???? I quit watching.
• Evolution of Hip-Hop (Netflix) — Four episode miniseries. Fantastic.
• Fargo (FX) — Watching Season 3
• Fields of Glory (Hulu) — Shorts on about 10 college football stadiums.
• Friends with Benefits (Netflix) — Season 1. Fun.
• The Finder (Netflix) — Watched Season 1. I like these shows with quirky characters.
• Girls (HBO) — Finished the last season of this one.
• Halt and Catch Fire (Netflix) — Watched Season 3
• Harlots (Hulu) — New series. Pretty good.
• Homeland (Showtime) — Watched Season 6
• Lucifer (Fox) — Watching the second half of Season 2.
• Madame Secretary (CBS) — Watching second half of Season 3
• The Magicians (Netflix) — Watched Season 1.
• Narcos (Netflix) — Watching Season 2
• The Path (Hulu) — Watching Season 2. Getting boring. Stopped watching.
• Private Sales (Amazon Prime) — Watched Season 1. Not great. Campy enough though.
• Rectify (Netflix) — Watched Seasons 1–4. This is one of the most heartbreaking shows I have ever watched.
• Taken (NBC) — Started watching Season 1...same question as Designated Survivor...why?? Also quit watching this.
• This is Us (Hulu) — Finished watching Season 1

Summer 2017 (June/July/August)

• The Affair (Showtime) — Quit watching.
• Animal Kingdom (TNT) — Watching Season 2. Boring.
• Ballers (HBO) — Watching Season 3
• Better Call Saul (AMC) — Finished watching Season 3
• Billions (HBO) — Finished watching Season 2
• Bloodline (Netflix) — Watching Season 3—The last season.
• Casual (Hulu) — Watching Season 3
• Fargo (FX) — Finished watching Season 3
• Flaked (Netflix) — Watched Season 2
• Game of Thrones (HBO) — Watching Season 7.
• Harlots (Hulu) — Watching Season 1
• Narcos (Netflix) — Finished watching Season 2
• The Night Shift (Netflix) — Watched Season 1–3
• Ray Donovan (Showtime) — Watching Season 5
• Royal Pains (Netflix) — Watched Season 1–7
• Sherlock (Netflix) — Watching Season 4
• Turn (AMC) — Watching Season 4—The last season.
• Will (TNT On Demand) — Watched Season 1. Love this.

When Your Soul is Crushed by the Man

What do you do when the places you love lose their soul? I used to love Dinkytown, especially its bookstores and coffee shops. All of them just made me happy. Now, we are down to a single bookstore (which although it is smaller, still makes me happy) and only a couple independent coffee shops.

The coffee shops of Dinkytown have a special place in my heart. Expresso Royale, one of the first coffee shops I went to in Dinkytown, long before I even started at the University of Minnesota, is still one of my favorites. It has that independent coffee shop atmosphere; the aroma of freshly ground beans wafts throughout the shop, while the sounds of hipster lit majors mixes with those of the aspiring anti-establishment political science wonks. Over time their prices have risen, but given the rent in Dinkytown, I see that as a necessary evil.

The Purple Onion, on the other hand, has lost its way. Before it moved to its University Avenue location, it was a great place. Open. Loud. Full of thinkers and artists. It fit Dinkytown. The grungy artistic feel it once had has been replaced with a sterile downtown-loft like feel; more likely to be frequented by wall-streeters instead of 4th streeters. Its coffee prices, which have risen at a higher rate than any other coffee shop in Dinkytown (including Starbucks) are also more in line with wall-streeters.

The Purple Onion at its old location on the corner of 4th street and 14th Ave. This location, which was split after the move, now houses a Potbelly and a Qdoba.

Going to the PO (that's what the locals call it) just makes me feel sad; it has lost all the character it once had. It is crazy to say, and I cringe as I write it, but currently the Dinkytown Starbucks has more soul than the PO. So for now, PO, I bid you adieu. Perhaps I will see again one day. If you need to find me, I will be at Expresso Royale.

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Summer of Television

It is time to give an update about my current TV viewing habits.  Since last I wrote, we have adiosed DirectTV for Comcast. Long story, but the short version is that the DirectTV customer representative I was talking to made me so mad that I cancelled on the spot. Signing up with Communist-cast made me cringe but (1) it was ultimately cheaper since we already have internet through them, and (2) the X1 box gave me back DVR. I also finally junked my gen-1 Apple TV since Hulu was constantly re-setting. I picked up a Roku 3 which is a slick little machine that I primarily use for Hulu and Netflix.  So, the current itinerary of programs includes (August updates, September updates):

Current Shows (in Progress)

• Aquarius (NBC; Season 1) — One episode to go in Season 2
• Ballers (HBO; Season 1, 2) — New episodes start Sept. 11
• Gilmore Girls (CW and Netflix) — Re-watching the series on Netflix to get ready for the new episodes that are due out in November
• Ray Donovan (Showtime; Season 1, 2, 3, 4) — New episodes start Sept. 11

Caught Up

• Animal Kingdom (TNT; Season 1) — Renewed for second season
• Better Call Saul (AMC; Season 1, 2) — Renewed for third season
• Billions (HBO; Season 1, 2) — Renewed for second season
• Bloodline (Netflix; Season 1, 2) — Renewed for third season
• Casual (Hulu, Season 1, 2) — Renewed for a third season in 2017
• Elementary (Fox; Season 1, 2, 3, 4) — Renewed for fifth season
• Fargo (FX; Season 1, 2) — Renewed for third season
• Game of Thrones (HBO; Season 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) — Renewed for 7th season
• Girls (HBO; Season 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) — One season left
• Halt and Catch Fire (AMC; Season 1) — Two seasons out, renewed for third season
• Homeland (Showtime; Season 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) — Renewed for sixth season
• House of Cards (Netflix; Season 1, 2, 3, 4) — Renewed for fifth season
• Longmire (A&E and Netflix; Season 1, 2, 3, 4) — Netflix renewed the show for a fifth season
• Lucifer (Fox; Season 1) — Renewed for a second season
• Roadies (Showtime; Season 1) — No word on whether it will be renewed.
• Sherlock (BBC; Season 1, 2, 3) — Renewed for fourth season
• Stranger Things (Netflix; Season 1) — Season 2 is in the works according to the Duffer brothers
• The Americans (FX; Season 1, 2, 3, 4) — Two seasons left
• The Path (Hulu; Season 1) — Renewed for a second season
• True Detective (HBO; Season 1, 2) — Maybe a third season??
• Turn: Washington's Spies (AMC; Season 1, 2, 3)

Behind (but Still Watching)

• Empire (Fox; Season 1, 2) — I am only a couple episodes into Season 2, which is on Hulu; Season 3 is coming soon
• Madame Secretary (CBS; Season 1) — Waiting for Season 2 to hit Netflix; Renewed for Season 3
• New Girl (Fox; Season 1, 2, 3, 4) — Waiting for Season 5 on Netflix; Renewed for Season 6
• You're the Worst (FX; Season 1, 2) — Waiting for third season to hit Hulu

Behind (but Not Really Watching...Maybe an Episode Once in a While)

• Daredevil (Netflix; Season 1) — Although Season 2 is already out, I am still only 3/4 of the way through Season 1; Finally finished Season 1.
• Gotham (Fox; Season 1, 2) — Season 2 is on Netflix, but I have only watched the first few episodes
• Hannibal (NBC; Season 1) — Show was cancelled after three seasons
• Person of Interest (CBS; Season 1, 2, 3) — I am about half way through Season 3 on Netflix; The show was cancelled after Season 5 
• The Grinder (Fox; Season 1) — Show was cancelled after one season; I have watched the first 13 episodes

Finished

• 11.22.63 (Hulu) — Eight episode mini-series
• Hart of Dixie (CW; Season 1, 2, 3, 4) — Show was cancelled after Season 4
• House of Lies (Showtime; Season 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) — Show was cancelled after Season 5
• Last Chance U (Netflix; Season 1) — One season documentary mini-series
• Lipstick Jungle (NBC; Season 1, 2) — Show cancelled after two seasons
• Mad Men (AMC; Season 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) — Show ended after 7 seasons
• Making a Murderer (Netflix; Season 1) — One season mini-series
• Nashville (ABC; Season 1, 2, 3, 4) — Show cancelled after Season 4
• Parenthood (NBC; Season 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) — I watched all six seasons this spring on Netflix
• The Bridge (FX; Season 1, 2) — Show cancelled after Season 2
• The Good Wife (CBS; Season 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) — Show ended after 7 seasons
• The League (FX; Season 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) — Show ended after 7 seasons

Quit Watching

• Suits (USA; Season 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) — Quit mid-way through Season 6. Mike in prison is a dumb premise.

Some Good Advice on Writing

“Cut out all these exclamation points,” he said. “An exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

Photograph of F. Scott Fitzgerald c. 1921, appearing "The World's Work" (June 1921 issue). Photo in the public domain from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:F_Scott_Fitzgerald_1921.jpg

F. Scott Fitzgerald, near the end of his life, began a love affair with Sheilah Graham. In her memoir “Beloved Infidel”, she describes the advice Fitzgerald gave to her. after reading one of her radio scripts:

“You don’t mind if I reword it here and there?” he asked. And though tired from his own writing at the studio, he sat down with a stubby pencil and a pack of cigarettes and painstakingly—and completely—rewrote my copy. He worked with the utmost concentration and as he worked he twisted the hair above his forehead so that a tuft stood up, as on a kewpie doll. It gave him a strangely boyish appearance. “Cut out all these exclamation points,” he said. “An exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke.” He underlined words I should emphasize, corrected my grammar. 

This is good advice for any writer. A well-structured sentence will emphasize all the content it needs to without shouting at people.

How I Spend My Money

Lauren sent me this comic which pretty much is a super-accurate depiction of where my money goes.

The original is from Sarah Anderson's book Adulthood is a Myth. Her stuff looks pretty funny, so it will probably be on our bookshelves soon!

Using Unix to Change Filenames

I have recently been trying to standardize my file names to keep a better consistency. I have decided to use all lowercase letters rather than the title case that I have been using.

View inside a folder that has file and folder names using title case (combination of upper- and lowercase letters.

I knew there must be a quick way of making these changes using Unix commands in Terminal. After a quick Google search, I found this site. After using the cd command to get in the directory, the syntax to change everything to lowercase looks like this:

for f in * ; do mv -v $f `echo $f | tr '[A-Z]' '[a-z]'`; done

To understand how this works, let's parse the syntax. First the semicolon is how we put multiple commands on a single line. It is akin to hitting <enter>. So it may be a bit easier to understand if we format this in a different manner.

for f in *
  do mv -v $f `echo $f | tr '[A-Z]' '[a-z]'`
done

The first and last lines are executing a FOR loop. The f in * just says do something (in this case the something is the commands issued in the second line) for each filename in the directory, that is where the * comes in. The f is an arbitrary variable name.

The do command of the second line tells Unix to actually do what follows it. The heart of this command is mv. In Unix-speak, mv can either be used to move files or rename files, depending on what comes after it. In this case, we use it to rename files. The -v is an optional flag that tells Unix to print to the screen everything that mv is doing (verbose mode). In general the structure of using mv to rename files looks like this:

mv old_filename new_filename

From the FOR loop, the name of each file is stored in the variable f. Thus we can get that name by accessing $f (the old filename). Notice the new filename is not given explicitly, but is a series of Unix commands. This is enclosed in a set of backticks (`commands`). Everything typed between backticks is evaluated (executed) by the shell. (The mathematical equivalent would be enclosing this in parentheses so order of operations is followed.)

The series of commands executed is

echo $f | tr '[A-Z]' '[a-z]'

This echos back the filename ($f) and then pipes it into the translate (tr) command. This is like a pipeline, where the output of a one process is fed as input into a subsequent process. This is that vertical bar (|). SO the output of echo (the filename) is fed into the tr command.

The tr command translates the first thing into the second thing. Since these are characters, they are both enclosed in quotation marks. Both the first and second component are calling regular expressions. The first component, [A-Z], looks for uppercase letters, which are then translated into lowercase letters, [a-z], the second component.

After executing the command, the verbose flag outputs the following:

Andy -> andy
Dad -> dad
Fractals-and-Chaos-Workshop-Pamphlet.pdf -> fractals-and-chaos-workshop-pamphlet.pdf
Grandpa -> grandpa
Soccer -> soccer

The result is all the filenames (or folder names) are now lowercase

The same directory after running the commands.

There are other ways to do this as well. For example, the regular expressions can be changed so the commands are:

echo $f | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]'

Be careful if you use these commands. You can accidentally write over a file if it has the same name. For example if your directory contained two files,

myFile.doc
myfile.doc

and you issued this command, you would write over the 'myfile.doc' file.

Read-a-Thon (c. 1982/1983)

Going through some more old stuff, and came across the list of books I read for the Multiple Sclerosis Society Read-a-Thon. According to the "Book List Record", I read 35 books and had 9 sponsors. (The sponsor bit was not copied by my mom, so I do not know whether they donated per page or per book.) I also don't know how long this read-a-thon took place, but my guess is that it happened over Christmas break. Here is the list of books:

	Title	Author	Pages
1	The Littles to the Rescue	Peterson, John	95
2	The Littles Take a Trip	Peterson, John	95
3	The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood	Pyle, Howard	238
4	The Littles and the Big Storm	Peterson, John	80
5	The Littles Give a Party	Peterson, John	96
6	The Case of the Snowbound Spy	Hildick, Edmund Wallace	120
7	The Adventures of Tom Sawyer	Twain, Mark	238
8	The Count of Monte Cristo	Dumas, Alexandre	238
9	The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn	Twain, Mark	238
10	The Secret of the Rosewood Box	Orton, Helen Fuller	120
11	Mystery in the Pirate Oak	Orton, Helen Fuller	120
12	Socks	Cleary, Beverly	156
13	Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Midnight Visitor	Sobol, Donald J.	112
14	Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Dead Eagles	Sobol, Donald J.	96
15	Encyclopedia Brown Tracks Them Down	Sobol, Donald J.	96
16	Encyclopedia Brown Takes the Case	Sobol, Donald J.	96
17	Crazy Horse, Sioux Warrior	Meadowcroft, Enid LaMonte	104
18	May I? Please? Thank You	Wilt, Joy	146
19	The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes	Heyward, DuBose	46
20	Encyclopedia Brown Solves Them All	Sobol, Donald J.	96
21	Encyclopedia Brown Finds the Clues	Sobol, Donald J.	86
22	Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Exploding Plumbing	Sobol, Donald J.	73
23	The Great Rabbit Robbery	Hildick, Edmund Wallace	101
24	Encyclopedia Brown Carries on	Sobol, Donald J.	72
25	Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes	Doyle, Arthur Conan	95
26	A Bear Called Paddington	Bond, Michael	128
27	Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective	Sobol, Donald J.	75
28	Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Secret Pitch	Sobol, Donald J.	96
29	Encyclopedia Brown Shows the Way	Sobol, Donald J.	96
30	The Case of the Nervous Newsboy	Hildick, Edmund Wallace	131
31	(Copy cannot be read)
32	Encyclopedia Brown Keeps the Peace	Sobol, Donald J.	96
33	Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds	Adler, David A.	58
34	The Mystery of the Dead Man's Riddle	Arden, William	45
35	Pirate Island Adventure	Parrish, Peggy	120

I clearly liked mystery, Encyclopedia Brown, McGurk, and The Three Investigators books appear in this list. The classics were the Great Illustrated Classics, so while the page count was almost always 238, about half of the pages were pictures.