Something I really love

I know that you've all read my Jane Austen posts that I did a while ago, and so you all know very well how much I love her and her works. Well, the BBC has done it again. A few years ago, they redid all of works of Jane Austen EXCEPT Pride and Prejudice and Emma. Pride and Prejudice we can understand them skipping, as the A&E version that came out in '95 is still phenomenal and very popular, and the Focus version that came out in '05 is still quite new. But Emma...there were two versions that came out quite close to each other, one a TV version by A&E and a feature film by Miramax, I beleive. Both were quite good, but about the same length.
Now the BBC has decided they were going to improve matters. They released a new version of Emma and PBS' Masterpiece Theater is showing it over the next few weeks. The first two hours were on Sunday and I taped it and only jsut got around to watching it...
OH MY GOSH, it was awesome. Romola Garai plays Emma perfectly and Jonny Lee Miller is a fantastic Mr. Knightley. The supporting cast is great, and I can honestly say this version of Harriett Smith is just as clueless as I always thought she should be, but never got to see. Frank Churchill is charming and attractive, but not overly pontsy, and Jane Fairfax is appropriately mousy.
Now, I've only seen the first segment, and there are two more short segments to go, but I am GREATLY encouraged by my first taste of it. I recommend the rest of you to tune in to Masterpiece Theater this Sunday at 9pm to see the next installment. If you feel that you can't watch that without seeing the previous one, then you can go to pbs.org to watch it before gametime on Sunday!
DO IT!!!!

I need hobbies....or a job

It is an interesting turn of life when you find yourself unoccupied for most of the day, and then work most of the evening, which is when normal people have their most unoccupied time. Unless you're single, and then it is just as busy. As I am single, it would still be busy. But as I only work in the evenings at this point, my social life is pretty much in the tank.
But enough about that, let's get back on topic: I have a very long day before I ever get to work because quite simply, I don't have too much to do. I'm looking for another job to fill the morning, but with the economy the way it is.... And then there's the worry that working during the day AND at night will significantly hinder my availability for those few chances I get to work during the day.
But what should I do during those long mornings alone? I have very few needs at the moment, so shopping is pretty pointless. I have very little money, so taking classes for fun is out. I seriously lack patience or creativity, so I cannot knit afghans for orphans. I'd write, but quite honestly, I write better when I have a little compressed time and not huge masses of time that need to be filled.
I need ideas. Until I have steady work that keeps me busy, I need ideas for things I can do during the day to make me feel productive and will use my time in a cosntructive way. I've had my share of TV days, and those days are just as long and unproductive as sitting around and staring at dust.
Help me out, kids, will ya?

New Year...

I was a slug the entire month of December. Granted, I did things...like baking dozens of coffee cakes for our friends, addressing and stuffing envelopes with Christmas cards, mailing packages...and I watched a lot of Christmas movies. I think I went through each of the movies in our collection once, and some of them at least twice. I really enjoyed the holidays! I had all of the anticipation and had time to revel in the entire season.
But now it's over...and as always, I am really sad. It's just such a magical time and when it's over it feels like the magic is gone. I don't get nearly as excited about New Year's as other people do. But I do enjoy the time that it allows me to look back and try to figure out how to improve myself. Whether or not I follow through on those things is another matter entirely...
What are you going to do this year that will make it so special?