Nothing to show for myself but a few extra pounds

Tomorrow I return to Cambridge. When I get back, I have to write two papers, an Advocate article, and a rough draft for the second chapter of my thesis. I hoped to get at least one of these done over break, but unfortunately I accomplished nothing. I read a little bit of Philip Roth criticism and wrote about a page for the Advocate article, but beyond that--zilch. I may be able to finish a rough draft for the article by the time the plane touches down but I'm not holding my breath.

SKIP THE NEXT PARAGRAPH IF YOU'RE NOT INTERESTED IN A RANT ABOUT THE CURRENT STATE OF TELEVISION AND THE SUPREMACY OF ROSEANNE
What kept me from doing any more work for my thesis you ask? If you haven't guessed TV already, do you really know me? I often get a bad rep for being a couch potato at school, but I only watch about an hour or two a day in my dorm, and I find it much more relaxing than wasting time on the internets. I think it's more that I like to talk about TV more than the average person, especially Seinfeld and Roseanne. I saw a Roseanne reunion on Larry King on Christmas, and it was really great. It really helps seal in how remarkable that show was, without being revolutionary. In order for it to be revolutionary, I think TV must have changed. Unfortunately, I don't think it has. Sure, the dysfunctional family has become a sitcom cliche, but no other television comedy has come close to the social relevance of Roseanne. I think Roseanne was the Steinbeck of our age. Maybe even better. Although other shows try to dip into drama or have "serious issues" shows, no other was able to combine the drama and comedy and social conscience in the way that Roseanne did without getting preachy. Its focus on the working class is also remarkable. Think about the most popular sitcoms of the last decade or so. Done? The yuppy factor has got to go. How many people can really relate to the characters on Sex and the City or Friends? How many times has a character in any popular sitcom actually struggled to pay bills? One of my favorite Roseanne moments is when the electricity gets turned off because they couldn't pay the electrical bills and Roseanne says "Well, middle class was fun." or on the issue of racism where she says "it's bigots like them that make respectable white trash like us look bad." I've had people say that they can't watch Roseanne because they're too crude and can't relate to the characters. I realize I go to Harvard, but that just strikes me as sad. I'd much rather identify myself with the rude morality of Roseanne than the glib, soulless characters on a show like Will and Grace...or dare I say, Friends?

In other news, I think Project Runway is the best show on television. I don't get Bravo at school which sucks because I don't know where I'm going to watch it, and I must. I know a lot of people that watch Top Model. I like that show, especially for Tyra Banks' absurd personality, but it ain't got shit on Project Runway. I think the fashion industry is a kind of Elysian Fields for the bitchiest, most conniving members of our society. It's like the characters of Will and Grace brought to life. Hmm, hypocrisy...yeah. Get over it. This show is addictive, and I don't want to get the monkey off my back. I don't care about the fashion world at all. In fact, I despise it. But for some reason this show sucked me in. Thanks to Salon's Heather Havrilesky for making sure I didn't miss it. Santino is evil. I hope he eats it in the future, but still want him to stick around long enough for more drama and ego. I think I want Daniel V, Emmet, Marla, or Diana to win. They seem the nicest or at least the most out of place.

Also, after I got my wisdom teeth out, Rusck sent me a message screaming "nooooo, now you're going to lose weight. it's not fair, and i'm afraid you'll waste away." Well, my mom always told me I was special, and I guess I am. I actually gained weight after getting my teeth pulled. 10 pounds. The mounds of holiday food combined with my immobility after surgery I guess combined to give me a bit of a belly. Oh well, I'll take it.

NYE was ok. Not as great as last year, but then again, I don't think it's fair to compare the two. This was a pretty good one, though. Except Bighead got into an abortion argument for the second time in a row on a night in which he was staying the night in the apartment of one of MY friends. Different friends, but still. Who doesn't know that you never NEVER NEEEEVEEEER argue about abortion. It's completely pointless. There's so very little common ground.

That's about it.