The Empirical Manifesto

I know a girl who "sees things." Not dead people necessarily (though admittedly I haven't asked), just...things. The same things that you or I might miss, and as an artist with an artist's eye, she brings these things to us. On her blog she reveals to us details in television or film we may ourselves miss - and because of her, I myself have started "seeing things" much like the discovery that a very odd photogoot used to sit through an entire film four times just to watch the lighting exclusively from each corner of the screen - it helps me appreciate detail more.

I recently ran across something I didn't even know existed: SUPERNATURAL: The Anime Series. It was the last one in the sale bin and marked $10 - for 22-episodes! I also discovered though watching the special features that this was the first time an American live-action show was ever reworked as a Japanese anime, for those of us who enjoy that sort of thing (been watching Full Metal Alchemist on and off with my son).

So when anime Impala crests anime hill and I absently saw the anime billboard - that's when what quicksilvermad does caught me by surprise, for I saw it too this time. Japanese fans of the series, conceptualizing, writing, producing, drawing, and inking their perception of America:




DRINK COFFEE: Do Stupid Things Faster with More Energy

When I was single man, I didn't require network nor cable television. I had a nice TV that I used solely as a monitor for my laserdisc player. I didn't even own a VCR. Movies are grand, orchestrated things. Television was for the weak-minded, the dull-eyed. And I despise sitcoms for too many reasons to go into now. And while I prided myself on not having some astronomical cable bill, nor needing to schedule around some silly television event. However, as life sometimes does, things eventually changed.

During my wife's stint as a stay-at-home mom, I provided her with all the luxury DirecTV had to offer, and yes, I would plant my carcass dead-center of the boobtube most nights, watching mindless drivel flash across the screen. Every year or so, we boot television out of our house and concentrate on DVD movies we missed in theaters. Its a well-oiled plan. But recently, that too has changed.

Since the release of more and more television shows on DVD, I'm finding that I *actually* watch more 'TV' than anything. More serialized shows than ever before. And I'm enjoying them. I'm becoming cattle. It was rare that even when we'd have cable in the house that I would get attached to a series. There have been but a few shoes I've really enjoyed, or to a lesser degree, at least watched:

• Bones


• NUMB3RS


• NCIS


• Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

I now have one more to add to this list, although begrudgingly - Supernatural. I remember galinda822 and catttitude watching it during her last visit, but I did not participate. Last month or so ago, my wife picked up Season 3, and since we've made a habit of laying in bed in the evenings together watching television on DVD, she decided to 'catch me up' on the first two seasons. And while it was entertaining enough, it was simply something to do. But as these things seem to happen, I started looking forward to watching them each evening.





My wife is working now, and things have changed again. And while we still don't have any incoming signals to the house, we sure do have a lot of DVD box sets. And I like this change. I like spending this time with my wife. And I sure as hell like not having any commercials. If you're going to watch TV, this is the only way to roll.