Reading: Yeah, it’s been a while since I finished anything.

Recently, Rand and I finished a collection of Jules Feiffer cartoons, mostly political, from the 50s through the 80s.

I picked up The Passionate Teacher earlier in the week, and I read a bit more of Teaching with Fire.

I’ve been working my way slowly through Living Buddha, Living Christ.

And it looks like I’m going to have to go hunting through boxes for that copy of The Awakening that I know I have, as All Things Jennifer, Lady Turpentine and I are going to try and get a little book club thing going…

Watching: Almost through the first season of Deadwood. I admit, I was skeptical at first, but I’m now fully hooked.

Some interesting facts about Deadwood:

Deadwood features many historical figures, such as Wild Bill Hickok, Seth Bullock, Sol Star, Calamity Jane, Al Swearengen, Wyatt Earp, E. B. Farnum and George Hearst. The plotlines involving these characters include historical truths as well as substantial fictional elements.

I knew that some of the characters were historical figures, but had no idea so many of them were. Also, all the scripts are written in iambic pentameter. How cool is that? Once I was alerted to this fact, it became more apparent. And interestingly enough, EB Farnum (played by the guy who played Larry on Newhart, as in “Hi, I’m Larry. This is my brother Darryl, and this is my other brother Darryl“) gets all the cool Shakespearean soliloquies.

EDITED: Finished S1 of Deadwood. Another interesting fact…as I was listening to the character Jewel (the “gimp”), I thought, “Hmmm…I’ll bet that actress really has cerebral palsy. In fact, she sounds a lot like Blair’s cousin from The Facts of Life. Could it be?”

A quick trip to IMDb confirmed that, indeed, Jewel is played by actress Geri Jewell, one of the first actresses with cerebral palsy to have a recurring role on a TV series…that role, of course, being that of Blair’s cousin Geri. Also, Jewell is from Buffalo. Who’da thunk?

Oh, wait…more Buffalo connections. David Milch, the show’s creator, is from Buffalo. Also Jeffrey Jones (aka Principal Rooney) is from Buffalo. I did not know that.

Continuing to watch Season 2 of The Office. Without entirely meaning to, I watched the season premiere with Jen and Mark on Thursday…I wanted to wait, and watch it all in sequence. Oops.

Listening: Hmmm…do I have anything new? How about something I want to be listening to:

Carbon Leaf–Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat