in defense of "fuller house"

This is what I did during lunch today...

If you haven't been living under a rock, you probably know that Fuller House, the Full House reboot/continuation hit Netflix today. I've been VERY excited to see this--after all, Full House was my favorite show before Dean Cain as Superman came along and stole my heart. 

When the critics' reviews started coming in, I wasn't too concerned. After all, Full House wasn't a critical darling, either. But I haven't seen a single positive review from a critic. The best review I saw was from TVLine, which gave the premiere a B-. Hilariously, EW gave the show a C- and the first episode an F. Really, an F? 

Here's the thing: Full House was never considered edgy, and it looks like Fuller House won't be either. And that's exactly what I want--a sweet family sitcom that reminds me of a simpler time.

I've only watched the first episode so far, but here's my snap judgement:

From the opening strains of the original theme song, which opens the first episode, to the side-by-side old and new images of the cast in the opening credits, to "Forever," to every catch phrase the show ever spawned being uttered at least once, Fuller House presses practically every nostalgia button imaginable. And I loved it.

The good (besides what I've already mentioned):

• Everyone easily slips back into their roles--especially the three who will carry the series: Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin, and Andrea Barber.
• Steve and D.J. still have chemistry ... and both are single. The producers, at least if the first episode is any indication, are determined to give the people what they want, so I have high hopes for the happily ever after that I always assumed Steve and D.J. found.
• Andrea Barber (Kimmy Gibbler) is hilarious. Her comedic timing is spot on!
• Steve's dog is Comet Jr. Jr.--of course there's a Comet!

The bad:

• The first half of the premiere is so focused on nostalgia that the actual plot doesn't really exist. This is especially apparent in the opening scene, which is more about recognizing each actor than anything else.
• While Fuller House is definitely tamer and more family appropriate than anything not found on the Disney or Hallmark Channels, I still cringed when Kimmy's ex talked about how well-versed she was in the Kama Sutra. Wouldn't want to have to explain that to a kid!
• The Olsen twins joke: When it's said that Michelle isn't coming home because she's building her fashion empire, everyone turns to the camera and gives withering looks. This would be amusing, except it goes on far too long. It ended up feeling mean spirited, not funny.

The big question:

• Joey is clearly wearing a wedding ring--but no wife is ever mentioned. Does Joey have a secret Vegas family?

Here's what it boils down to: Fuller House is a love letter to Full House fans. If you weren't a fan of the original, you probably won't like this. But if you were, and you still enjoy sweet, family-friendly programming, then you'll definitely want to give Fuller House a look.

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why i don't miss netflix

When I wrote about dumping Netflix a few months ago, I closed with the following:

As of right now, I think I'll come back to Netflix someday. But maybe I'll discover that I don't miss it much at all.

Well, I was right ... about the second sentence. I don't miss Netflix, not one bit. Here's why: for the first time in my life, I'm experiencing the wonder that is the DVR.

When I moved, I intended to just move my internet service (through CenturyLink) with me. I hadn't paid for TV since I lived with a friend in Grand Island from 2005-2006, so I planned to move my antenna that picked up five stations (on a good day) with me, as well.

That all changed when I called CenturyLink to request a transfer of services and try to negotiate a better rate. I went through the appropriate menu options and waited. And waited. And waited. After 20 minutes without reaching a live person, I hung up and dialed CenturyLink's main competitor in my town: USA Communications. In less than a minute, I was speaking with a customer service rep, and I learned that, for approximately what I was paying for internet through CenturyLink, I could get internet, cable, and a DVR. These prices are the introductory 6-month prices, and the rep urged me to call back when those rates are close to expiring—she said they are nearly always running retention specials for their current customers. Sold!

When I called CenturyLink to cancel—thus pushing different automated menu options—I was on the line with a customer service rep in less than two minutes. So apparently you're much more important to the company if you're wanting to leave than if you're calling for any other reason. I get it, but it's still frustrating.

My introduction to the wonderful DVR commenced the next week, and I quickly fell in love.

What I love most about the DVR is it allows me to watch TV on my schedule. (Yes, the VCR I had hooked up to my parents' cable TV did this too, but the DVR is simpler and doesn't require tapes.) Rarely do I stay up late watching something—I can always record it! And if I have two shows on during the same timeslot? I can either record one and watch the other live, or I can record both and watch them later. This saved me last Tuesday, when NCIS (a show you know I'm obsessed with!) and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. premiered at the same time, and I had a meeting at work. With the VCR, I would have had to choose the more important of the two (and NCIS would have won with no question), but thanks to the DVR, I could watch both!

Side note: The NCIS premiere was as great as I'd hoped it would be, and I can't wait for part two of Ziva's goodbye tomorrow night. S.H.I.E.L.D. was okay—I enjoyed the witty Whedon-esque dialog, but the plot didn't enthrall me. I still have it set as a series recording on my DVR, but I'm not sure if I'll keep watching.

The DVR is not essential—neither is cable, for that matter—but I'm certainly enjoying it! I realize that I've done this backwards—most people dump cable in favor of Netflix, not the other way around. But I didn't really dump Netflix for cable—the cable was just a happy, unexpected development. Seriously, though, with all of my expanded basic cable, DVR'd Hallmark and Lifetime movies, and Amazon Prime offerings, who has time to miss Netflix?

My current DVR'd programs. In between the girly movies and Lifetime movies-of-the-week, I do go for some culture. See? Henry IV!

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dumping netflix

I joined Netflix in the summer of 2007. At the time, streaming video was fairly new, and members could stream 1 hour of video for each dollar they paid per month (or something like that). There wasn't much available to stream then, but Netflix soon began devoting large amounts of money to acquiring streaming content.

When Netflix announced its price hike in 2011, I ditched the DVDs and selected a streaming plan. And I remained happy with Netflix.

I'm still happy with Netflix ... but as of July 7, I will no longer be a subscriber. Why? Well, the answer is twofold. First of all, I'm buying a house, so I'm trying to save all the money I can. Netflix is far from being a necessity. Secondly, I also have Amazon Prime (which I get at a reduced price through Amazon Student). Prime includes free two-day shipping and free streaming of select movies and television shows. Amazon's selection has improved vastly in the last year, and now that Amazon Instant Videos can (finally!) be streamed through the Wii, I've been watching more Prime videos than ever. Prime doesn't have as many movies or TV seasons as Netflix, but there's more than enough to keep me occupied. In fact, I'm currently watching two shows that aren't available on Netflix: Covert Affairs and 7th Heaven. Couple that with the fact that I only watched three of the last 100 things streamed on my account, and I have to conclude that my money would be better spent elsewhere. (Multiple family members use my account ... and apparently they use it a whole lot more than I do!)

Of course, as I've been sitting here typing, I've been thinking about the myriad of items in my queue. Felicity isn't on Amazon Prime. Neither is Nikita. Or The Artist, which I've been intending to watch for the past year. And that's the key—I have 330 items in my queue, but how many of them will I actually watch? Maybe 5 or 10 percent? Just last night, I queued up an episode of Felicity, thinking that if I ever wanted to finish the series, I should do it now. I watched about two seconds before switching to Covert Affairs through Prime. I honestly can't think of one thing that I would be bummed about missing if my subscription ended tomorrow instead of three weeks from now.

As of right now, I think I'll come back to Netflix someday. But maybe I'll discover that I don't miss it much at all.

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media musings

It's time again to catch up on the media I've been consuming ...

The Vow—I saw The Vow opening weekend with my sister and a friend. The story is about a woman (Rachel McAdams) who wakes up from a coma with no recollection of the last five years of her life—which included transforming from a conservative meat-loving law student to a free-spirited vegetarian artist and meeting and marrying an insanely handsome independent recording studio owner (Channing Tatum). It's a sweet love story with an ending I didn't predict. (The plot does bear a resemblance to Susan May Warren's book The Shadow of Your Smile, which I reviewed earlier this year.) Even more heartwarming than the movie, though, it the true story that inspired it. The Vow is very, very loosely based on Kim & Krickitt Carpenter. Reader's Digest wrote about the Carpenters in 1996, and they've reposted the story online. As much as I loved The Vow, I think I would rather have watched a more faithful adaptation of the story. The Carpenters also wrote a book about their experiences, and a new edition has been released to coincide with the film. It's available in paperback or for the Kindle for less than $10. I just ordered my Kindle copy ... I'll be sure to let you know what I think of it when I'm finished reading!

Downton Abbey—SPOILER ALERT! If you're planning to watch Downton Season 2 (or LOST) at some point in the future, you'll want to skip this section.

Downton Abbey had some major missteps this season (can we say burn victim Peter/Patrick; Lord Grantham's dalliance with the maid; and Lavinia, the sweet girl whose presence served only to keep apart Matthew & Mary and who we knew to be doomed from the start?), yet in my opinion, the truly emotionally satisfying ending more than made up for any ridiculousness. I call this the LOST effect. I know legions of LOST fans would disagree, but I found the series finale to be so emotionally satisfying that I could completely forgive the fact that seemingly thousands of questions remained unanswered. That the sideways world turned out to be in essence a purgatory that our Losties created for themselves did not for one second diminish my joy at watching them all discover who they really were and reunite with their loved ones. The same holds true for Downton. Give me one emotional, long-awaited marriage proposal in the snow, and I'll forgive all kinds of melodramatic nonsense. And when the season finale comes packed with so much Maggie Smith goodness, I can't help but love it! (My favorite interchange from the finale—and perhaps the entire season—comes 47 seconds into this video.)

Watch Downton Abbey: The Best Maggie Moments on PBS. See more from Masterpiece.

Hulu Plus—Did you know you can now stream Hulu Plus through your Wii? It would be nice if plain old Hulu was available, too, but I guess it makes sense to only have that option for the pay version. Hulu is giving Wii users a two-week free trial to Hulu Plus (others can get a one-week trial), so I decided to check it out. Three days into my trial, I've decided I definitely need to cancel before my credit card gets charged at the end of the two weeks.

Pros: 1. FOX shows are available the day after air, rather than 8 days after air. This isn't a huge deal, I don't like waiting more than a week to watch Fringe episodes. 2. Some shows and movies that aren't available on Netflix are available on Hulu Plus. 3. Hulu Plus has the entire current season of many popular shows.

Cons: 1. Not all shows are available to watch on devices other than a computer. For instance, Psych's current season. 2. Speaking of Psych, Hulu Plus members have to wait 30 days to watch USA shows, just like regular Hulu users do. 3. Ads. That's right, Hulu Plus users still have to watch ads! Remind me again why this costs money?

Do I prefer watching Parks & Rec on my 32-inch HDTV to watching it on my 14-inch laptop screen? Yes. Do I love the (almost) instant gratification of watching Fringe the day after it airs? Of course. But is it worth $7.99 a month to me? Nope.

Netflix—Yes, I'm still a happy Netflix subscriber. And now I'm even happier: I just won a year of Netflix from SingleRoots! (If you aren't familiar with SingleRoots, check them out. I have them linked in my "Blogs Worth Reading" blogroll.) The Starz catalog is set to be removed from Netflix on February 29, but I don't think it will have much of an impact on my Netflix use. (I can't even remember the last time I watched a movie on Netflix ... I almost solely watch TV shows.) A full list of those movies and television shows that will disappear at the end of the month can be found here.

The Bodyguard soundtrack—Fun fact: The Bodyguard was the first R-rated movie I ever saw. Granted, it was on network television in the mid-90's, so it was pretty toned down. I actually got permission from my mom to watch it (which is impressive if you know my history of sneaking to the basement to watch all sorts of things of which she wouldn't approve). Anyway, Whitney Houston's recent death got me thinking about The Bodyguard soundtrack, which was one of my introductory cds when I joined the BMG Music Service in the late 90's. So I dug it out—I'd never bothered to copy it to my iTunes—and listened to it the other night. I'd forgotten just how phenomenal her voice was. Hungry for more Whitney, I headed over to EW.com, where they've put together a playlist of 25 of her best songs. Check it out here.

What media has caught your fancy lately? Now that Downton is over for the season, do you have any other shows—British or otherwise—I should check out?

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why i'm still (mostly) happy with netflix

By now, I feel like the whole world knows about Netflix's recent questionable moves, but in case you've been living under a rock, here they are: first the price hike, then the decision to split into two services--Netflix for streaming and Qwikster for DVD rentals, which was announced in CEO Reed Hastings' "apology" letter to members.

Both moves, I believe, were dumb and handled poorly. Do I understand a price hike? Yes. For the amount of streaming I do, I know I'm getting a bargain. Do I understand a price hike of 60%, sprung out of the blue on customers? No.

I've seen it over and over again in news articles and other blog posts: Netflix's lack of quality movies in its streaming catalog greatly diminishes its value. And it's true that recent hit movies are sorely lacking on Netflix, and it's just going to get worse when the Starz catalog disappears next year.

Yet I'm still content. While my queue is populated with movies no one has ever heard of--many of which, quite frankly, will be nearly unwatchable--I also have a wealth of TV shows at my disposal. Probably 90% of my streaming activity is TV shows, and I'm not alone. I found this article today, which states:

"50% and sometimes 60% of viewing is TV episodes now," said Netflix's chief content officer Ted Sarandos, during a joint keynote at the MIPCOM conference in Cannes with Miramax CEO Mike Lang.

TV is what I want, and TV is what Netflix is giving me. Without Netflix, I wouldn't have discovered Jericho, Prison Break, Veronica Mars, Monarch of the Glen, Dollhouse, or Felicity. I wouldn't have been able to catch up on Parks & Recreation in time for the premiere of Season 3 last spring. And I wouldn't have become downright giddy recently when My Boys, Melissa & Joey, and Upstairs, Downstairs showed up in the "new TV" section.

I did dump my DVD rentals before the price hike went into effect, and I expect to use Redbox when I just "have" to see a movie. But in the month since I went to streaming only, I haven't missed the DVDs at all.

Perhaps Netflix will soon make another lame-brained move that will drive me away. But for now, I'm happy to say that I'm still a Netflix subscriber.

How do you feel about Netflix? Are you checking out Hulu or Amazon Prime? And what's your greatest Netflix "find"?

If you're looking for a laugh, check out this SNL sketch. Just a warning: it gets a little risqué near the end. But if you're a Netflix subscriber, it's pretty hilarious.

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why i love amazon: reason #4368

Did you know that if you're a college student--as in enrolled in at least one course at any college in the United States--you qualify for a free Amazon Prime membership? You do need to have a .edu email address, but doesn't every college give those out these days?

I am enrolled in school again (see 35 before 35 #20 ... yes, I'll post about it soon!), so I signed up for Prime today. It's a free 6-month membership, and if I choose to continue with Prime after that (which I don't anticipate right now, but I suppose I could change my mind), I can get a year for $39--that's half price! The one disappointment is that Prime videos are not included in the free subscription, but as I chose to keep Netflix streaming, I don't really need that service, anyway.

Having Prime (which gives free 2-day shipping) could be a good thing or a bad thing. See, I never pay for shipping when I buy from Amazon. I just wait until I have $25 worth of products to buy, and then I use the free Super Saver Shipping. Here's the problem, though; sometimes I have something I really, really want (or need), it doesn't cost $25, and I don't want to (or can't) wait until I need something else. So instead of paying for shipping, I browse the dvd and book sections until I find something that will push my total to $25. This very thing happened to me last week, and I ended up buying the Tori Spelling movie Family Plan because it pushed me over $25. Do I like the movie? Yes. Back when I had cable, did I have a strange compulsion to watch it every time The Hallmark Channel ran it? Yes. Was it on sale? Yes. Did I need it? No.

The way I see it, Prime will be a nice service that could save me money. No longer will I be worrying about how to get an order up to $25, but I also may be more likely to click "buy" on something I don't really need because I don't "have" to make a $25 order.

Also, it's worth noting that Amazon Mom also has a free trial of Prime. And if you're not a parent or student, you can still try Prime free for one month.

When you order from Amazon, do you feel compelled to order enough to qualify for free shipping, or do you figure it's better to just get what you need and pay a little extra for shipping?

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save the upper middle class americans!

I love this. It perfectly shows the utter ridiculousness in the panic surrounding Netflix's price hike. (In case you're wondering, I'm still planning to cancel the dvd portion of my service come September 1. And no, I don't need a sponsor to give me $6 so I can keep the dvds.)

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calming down about netflix

In the summer of 2007, I joined Netflix. Over the past four years, I've been an extremely satisfied customer. I've even blogged (rather dorkily) about my love for Netflix. At first, I loved all the dvd options suddenly available to me. I joined at the beginning of instant streaming, and at first, I could stream eight hours a month. Soon, Netflix removed the time limitations on many plans, and I could get as many dvds per month as I wanted (one at a time) and watch as much instantly as I wanted. Back then, Netflix's streaming library was pretty terrible, but in the last couple years, the streaming options have gotten much better. I'm at the point now where I watch much more instantly than I do on dvd. (This is how I watched Prison Break, Jericho, Parks & Recreation, Monarch of the Glen, Veronica Mars, and Dollhouse--shows that I absolutely loved but would never have tried if not for streaming.)

This afternoon, I heard about Netflix's new price structure. Now, dvd plans and streaming plans are separate, and to get what I currently have--one dvd at a time and unlimited streaming--I'll have to pay almost $16 per month. That's a hike of about 60%.

My first reaction was outrage--how dare they! I soon saw I wasn't alone. Netflix users tweeted their feelings in droves, and "Dear Netflix" was a trending topic. The blog post announcing the changes had 5000 comments the last time I checked, and nearly all the comments I read were negative.

Then, I stopped to think about it. Perhaps this isn't the smartest move on Netflix's part. Perhaps customers will leave in droves. Perhaps Netflix will rethink this and come up with some sort of "bundle." Perhaps Netflix will be just fine. But Netflix is providing a service that I can choose to have or not have. No one is forcing me to pay $16 per month. If I want to get dvds and streaming, then I'll pay the money. If $16 per month for Netflix is too much for me (and it is), then I have a decision to make. Netflix is a luxury, but at $8 per month (the cost of either dvd or streaming), I can afford it. So I just have to decide which plan I want to keep--dvds or streaming. I'm leaning toward streaming right now, but I have until Sept. 1 (the day the new price structure goes into place for current customers) to decide. In the meantime, I'll keep my eye on what's happening, but I'll also keep my sanity!

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two snow days. whatever will i do???

Pretty much everything in Central Nebraska came to a standstill Sunday night, thanks to a slow-moving snowstorm. We weren't going to have school on Monday anyway, thanks to our four-day school week, but we did have a staff in-service scheduled for Monday morning that got postponed. I decided to stay home for at least the morning (I normally work in the office on our day off), and it's a good thing I did--I couldn't have gone anywhere anyway, as I woke up to at least a foot of snow in my driveway! Monday night, I got winter's most anticipated call: the call letting me know we had a snow day on Tuesday! So how did I spend my time? Glad you asked :-)

Monday

• Woke up at 7 to cancel the coffee order I'd placed for in-service. Our local coffee shop doesn't have an answering machine, and they closed on Sunday before I knew in-service had been postponed, so I needed to call before they started on it. After placing the call, I rolled over and went back to sleep until 10!
• Read my book. I've had this book to review for Waterbrook Multnomah for far too long now. It's an interesting book, but it's not one of those "can't put it down" reads. Sadly, of the 150 pages left when I started reading, I only made it through 50.
• Worked on my puzzles. Ever heard of nonograms? How about O'Ekaki? I think they go by other names, too. I first saw them in a sudoku book I had, and I'm currently obsessed. I just bought a book (if you click on O'Ekaki above, you'll see which one), and I spent about an hour doing them Sunday night ... and then proceeded to dream about them! One of the reason's I only made it through 50 pages of Flight of Shadows is that I kept going back to O'Ekaki.
• Shoveled my driveway with Blendy ... well, we shoveled enough of the driveway to get my car out of the garage. The rest of the driveway we left, hoping that a nice man would come by and move the rest of the snow.
• Guess what? A nice man did come move the snow! About an hour after we finished shoveling, my dad showed up with a tractor and blade. He cleared the rest of the driveway and the circle drive!
• Played "Just Dance 2" with Blendy. Mom and Dad gave it to me for Christmas. I'm well aware that I look like a complete fool while playing, but I don't care--it's so much fun! (It's also making me sore--I think that's a good sign!)
• Went to the chiropractor. Around 11:00 Monday morning, I suddenly thought, "I wonder when my next chiro appointment is?" I dug out the appointment card I carry in my wallet and saw my next appointment was at 4:15 that afternoon! I always feel so much better after seeing my doctor!
• Decided to be responsible and work on speech. I started cutting a piece that my team could potentially start using this weekend. Then I received "the call" (the one letting me know school had been called off) and I ...
• Decided to be irresponsible! I spent the evening with Mom and Blendy watching The Bachelor and Castle. If you recall, I do love me some Nathan Fillion!
• Watched some What I Like About You while blogging. Season 4. Vic and Val. Why isn't this show on dvd? Someday my video tapes will wear out ...

Tuesday

• Woke up at 9:30 and decided to spend the morning pampering myself and the afternoon being responsible. It didn't go quite as planned ... I decided to take a bath in the master bath. I never use that bathroom because it wasn't available when I moved in, and I just use the bathroom that's across the hall from my bedroom. But this bathtub has jets, and it's actually deep, so I thought I'd try it out. Yeah, that was a bit of a mistake. I ran the water, got in, sighed in relaxation, and turned on the jets. Soon I was sharing the water with hundreds of rust flecks! I'm guessing the jets hadn't been used at least since the owner moved out, and that was over a year ago ... and who knows if she even used them for a while before that! I immediately jumped out and drained the water. Ewwww!!!
• Moved on to part two of the pampering process: facial and hand treatment! I dug out my paraffin bath (which I hadn't used since Christmas '09), put some goop on my face, and settled in for part two of Bleak House. (Thanks, Netflix streaming!)
• Started being responsible by reading my book instead of watching part three of Bleak House. Finally finished said book and wrote the review. You can see it here. (If you do read the review, would you let me know if you can see the ranking button at the bottom of the post? It's not showing up for me, but I wonder if it's just my browser.)
• Made flour tortillas for use in supper's quesadillas. Tortillas are surprisingly easy to make, and they taste so much better than the ones I usually buy at Walmart!
• Decided to give the bath another go ... complete with the next part of Bleak House. (Have you gathered yet that I'm a period drama nut?) This time I waited until the very end of the bath to turn the jets on ... and sure enough, the same thing happened!
• Watched Knight and Day with Blendy. Entertaining, but not a movie I'd want to see again and again.

All in all, I had a good two days off. Not sure I'm ready to hit the grind again, but I'm certainly a lot more rested than I was before ... and rest is a precious commodity during speech season!

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narnia revisited

One of the classes I teach is an intermediate-level reading class. We finished reading C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe a couple weeks ago, and then we watched the recent Hollywood version. (I vastly prefer the BBC production from the '80s, but I knew my kids would be turned off by the special effects--or lack thereof!) While waiting for our next book to arrive, I had a few days to kill. We played Blurt!one day, which was a smashing success, but I worried we were too noisy. So the next day, I decided to show Prince Caspian via Netflix's instant streaming. My students are loving it. Me, not so much.

When I first saw Prince Caspian, I was less than impressed. I blogged about it, saying,

I saw Prince Caspian with friends last night. Entertainment-wise, I'd give it an A. But in terms of staying true to the story, a C- would be generous. (If you haven't seen the movie yet and plan to, it'd be best to skip to the next paragraph now!) I fell in love with The Chronicles of Narnia at a very young age. I've read the books (or had them read to me) three or four times, and I've seen the BBC version of Prince Caspian many times. I'd heard rumors that this movie changed many story details, but I had no idea how many! From a completely invented "storming the castle" battle to Caspian and Peter almost "freeing" the White Witch to Aslan not appearing until the very end of the movie, I couldn't believe all the changes. The last straw, however, was something I'd generally be all for: romance. But a romance between Caspian and Susan? Give me a break! When they kissed at the end, one of the guys I was with said (a bit too loudly) exactly what I was thinking: "Now they've ruined the movie!"

Having seen 3/4 of it again (we'll finish it on Tuesday), I can say my opinion hasn't changed at all. And I'm regretting showing it to my class, as they're getting the "reimagined" version without knowing the true story.

I do have some hope for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, though, thanks to this report. I'm glad the filmmakers have recognized they made mistakes with Prince Caspian. After Caspian, I wasn't sure I'd shell out my hard-earned money to see Dawn Treader in the theater, but now I probably will!

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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dear netflix,

I've been a customer for two years now. You sucked me in with that free two-week trial, and I've never looked back. I love the "watch now" feature (though back before you made that deal with Starz, the choices were pretty sparse), and I've discovered some great TV shows that I wouldn't otherwise have seen (Jericho, The Monarch of the Glen).

I've always been happy with your service. Yeah, it bugs me that it takes two days for you to get a movie back from me, even though it only takes one day for me to get it from you, but that's probably more the USPS's fault than yours. Recently, however, something big did happen . . . your customer service blew me away! See, back in May, I moved Valkyrie to the top of my queue, and for a month, it wasn't available. Then, out of the blue, I got an email from you saying that since the movie wasn't available from my nearest shipping facility, you were sending it from another facility . . . and in the meantime, you'd send me the next movie in my queue. So for a few days, I had two movies even though I'm on the one-at-a-time plan. (Ironically, both were WWII movies--the other was Swing Kids.)

Last week, it happened again. I'd been wanting to see Taken for months, and after the Valkyrie incident, I decided to move Taken to the top of the queue to see what would happen. Sure enough, after being at the top and unavailable for a month, you sent it to me, along with another movie (which is perhaps too embarrassing to name here). But here's the thing--I was on vacation for two weeks, and I took my current movie with me, so it's not like you were shipping me movies for most of the time that Taken was at the top!

You've just announced that deal with ABC/Disney which adds to the value of your service, I love the convenience of both the instant viewing and the untimed rentals, and then with this type of customer service, well, let's just say I won't be canceling my membership anytime soon!

Love,
Becky

***I wrote this a few weeks ago but decided it made me sound too nerdy, so I didn't post it. But Jen recently asked why I love Netflix, so here it is!

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these are a few of my favorite things

No, I'm not going to write about raindrops or whiskers or kettles or mittens. Instead, I'll let you in on some of the products and services I've been enjoying lately. I usually only plug books or movies, but I really do have other interests!

• Special K Chocolatey Pretzel Bars. These cereal bars are so tasty and surprisingly filling that you wouldn't believe they're only 90 calories each! I love the sweet & salty combination. I found them in a special display at Walmart; according to the Kellogg's website, they're a new product, so you might not be able to easily find them. But if you can find them, you should try them out!
• Piperlime shoes. I was a little hesitant to buy shoes online, but Piperlime's sales and return policy made me give it a shot. I love, love, love both pairs of shoes I've bought from the website! Regular prices are a bit steep for me, but sale shoes get as low as $12, and the shoes seem to be good quality.
• Pedicures. Now that I've had a pedicure, I can't believe I went 27 years and 355 days without one! The hour spent getting my pedicure was one of the most relaxing I've had in a long time! I went to Xenon, and I can't wait to go back again! (Well, my wallet can wait to go back again . . .) Special thanks to Melissa for giving me a gift card!
  
• Netflix. I could wax poetic on Netflix for a long time. A member since the summer of 2007, I enjoy Netflix more now than I ever have before. I even wrote a whole post listing all the things I love about Netflix, but then I never posted it because I sounded so dorky!
• My new computer. I finally bought a laptop! It's an HP Pavilion, and I love it. I also now have wireless, which means my sisters and I can all be online at the same time. When I bought the laptop, one of my goals was to write more, which I've definitely been doing. Not fiction, but I'm still writing, and at this point, that's what matters.
  

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my (current) favorite things, media edition

Last month, I wrote about my favorite things. Since media is such a big portion of my life (good or bad . . .), I thought I'd do another "favorite things" post focusing on media.

• Monarch of the Glen
  I discovered this show, produced by BBC Scotland, when I was sick a few weeks ago. I wanted to watch something, but I didn't know what, so I started looking around in Netflix's watch instantly section. It's so fun! It's sweet, gentle, and funny--perfect for a rainy day. Word to the wise: if you decide to watch it, stay away from its imdb page. I went there to look up one of the actors and ended up stumbling across a pretty major plot point.
• Lost in Austen
  My love for the BBC continues with this half spoof/half love letter to Pride & Prejudice (especially the 1995 Colin Firth version). As it began, I wasn't sure if I'd like it at all, but I ended up absolutely loving it. If you liked the movie, you should give this a chance.
• Nathan Fillion
  Castle, which is a total rip-off of Bones, would be completely unbearable if not for Fillion. The fact that I tune in every week despite weak case-of-the-week plot lines says a lot about Fillion's charisma. He's come a long way since I hated him on Two Guys, A Girl, And A Pizza Place. My favorite Fillion character is still Mal on Firefly, but Rick Castle runs a close second. And ABC just picked it up for a second season!
  
• Sinner: A Paradise Novel
  I got this book at Christmas (thanks to Uncle Ken for the Borders card), but I didn't have time to read it until last month. I really liked it, yet I also hated it. I like just about everything Ted Dekker writes, and this was no exception. It didn't have the "can't put it down" intensity of some of his books, but it was still a very interesting read. Now for why I hated it: Dekker convincingly portrays America's future as a place where free speech does not include any type of "hate speech" . . . and any claims that Jesus is the only way are considered not only intolerant but illegal. Reading stuff like this always makes me uncomfortable, and I try to stay away from it. Had I known the subject matter before beginning the book, I probably wouldn't have read it, but I think it's good that I did. Getting out of my bubble and realizing what's really going on in the world is probably good for me, as much as I don't like it!
  
• LOST
  LOST's fifth season wrapped up on Wednesday. I enjoyed this season perhaps more than any other. Sure, there were "what were they thinking?" moments (the revival of the Jack/Kate/Sawyer love triangle, for one), but overall it was extremely entertaining. I have finally stopped trying to talk about LOST with people who don't watch or have only casually watched the show (unless they ask . . .). It's just too difficult to explain at this point. I'm especially loving that the writers have chosen to employ my second favorite sci-fi device: time travel. (My favorite is the time loop . . . but that's still a possibility for season six!)
  
• Les Miserables 10th Anniversary Concert
  Les Mis has been my favorite Broadway musical for, wow, almost ten years now. (I just did the math to figure that out . . . and it turns out that, yes, I'm getting old!) I've been doing a lot of driving lately, and there's nothing I enjoy more than belting out "One Day More" or "Do You Hear The People Sing?" . . . if I'm by myself, that is!
  
• The Boundless Podcast
  The other thing I've been enjoying in the car is the Boundless Podcast. I usually listen to it on my way to and from tutoring. It's funny, it's insightful, and it showcases some really good indy artists.
  
  

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