this week I love…

1. the artistic style of Jamey Christoph. images are linked to source
 

 

 

 

2. You Are My Fave where each new post is a new favorite thing. I love her ideas, but mostly I love the fact that each new thing that inspires her is a new favorite. I use “fave” all the time, for everything, and I just don’t believe there’s a reason that everything can’t be a favorite. Check out the blog where recent entries include Friday color is my fave, A book of checklists is my fave, and Operation cardigan complete is my fave. I will never again feel ridiculous for calling everything a fave!
 

3. the Love in the Morning series by Emily Freeman at Chatting at the Sky. I’m seriously considering doing this series myself sometime soon. Be sure to check out this post and this one, too. I really love her style!

When it seems the morning forgot to bring your dose of new mercies and instead shows up rude with no more coffee in the bag, love becomes a more difficult choice. It still counts when it’s easy, but it means more when it’s hard. Some mornings are like that. Difficult to see. Weary for the day. Longing for time to slow down or hurry up, depending on the list in front of you. Heat up the water and make some tea. Wrap your small hands around that steamy cup. Close your eyes when they’re not looking, and receive the abundant gift of your own belovedness.
 
You are the object of His affections. Declare His love in the morning.
 
“The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”
— Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV)
 
Love in the Morning | three by Emily Freeman

 

4. the wedding of William and Kate, of course. I’ve heard a lot of comments about how ridiculous it seemed for Americans to find this as exciting as Brits, and yet, for me, it really was a cool, cool event. I’m old enough to remember the wedding of William and Harry’s parents, and I remember vividly the announcements of their individual births. Watching them grow up has been like checking in on distant cousins over the years. And with the death of their mother, their lives have seemed especially poignant through these adult years. So, while the monarchy itself is nothing more than intriguing to me, Prince William’s wedding was truly a special event. The best comment I saw in all the Twitterverse on Friday summed it up perfectly: “We value love and hope.” This wedding just seemed to be more about both those things than about convention or tradition. And that’s truly inspiring!
 

SPACED – Season Two

DVD rental

Having fallen in love with the first season of Spaced, the British television comedy about two friends’ daily trials set amidst a smorgasboard of pop culture references, I was anxious to see the next (and sadly, final) chapter in the series. The DVD took far too long to arrive, but that time served to cement my endearment for the two main characters of Tim and Daisy, so that the first five minutes of the first episode brought a heart-swell of affection I hadn’t realized was there before. From this unexpected beginning, the series continued to build and build into a supremely entertaining evening that continues to resound.

The first episode of the second season begins with Daisy’s return from a long holiday in Asia and features a fantastic plot of Matrix-style agents on the hunt for a briefcase containing sensitive documents that they believe to be in Daisy’s possession. As you can imagine, the episode recreates outlandish scene after scene from The Matrix, including the infamous entrance to the lobby shootout, and the story increases in silly dramedy with each new visual recreation. I laughed until my sides ached — and this was only 24 minutes of the five-hour series! Needless to say, the remaining episodes build upon hilarious movie moments and crazy plots, all the while telling the arc of Tim and Daisy’s sweet and cherished friendship.

What makes Spaced such a brilliant bit of art is not just the outlandish spectacles and spot-on parodies, but rather the realistic telling of a friendship for the ages. Tim and Daisy are two of a kind, counterparts to each other, and I could not help but root for the two of them to create the kind of lasting bond that comes so rarely in life. That the series never gives in to the obvious is a credit to creators Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes (who also play Tim and Daisy). That it leaves the viewer wishing for more is its legacy. Spaced is that rare gem that gets funnier with each viewing while becoming all the more sweet and honest. Even with a need to fast forward through crude bits and moments from supporting players, this is one series that is worth uninterrupted viewing. At least for the movie geeks among us.

image from Rotten Tomatoes

SPACED – Season One

DVD rental

I first heard about the 1999 British television series Spaced a couple of months ago when the series DVD was released, and all it took to peak my interest was this statement: “Spaced is about a generation of adults who live and die under pop culture’s influence, the kind of people still recovering from the disappointment of Star Wars, Episode 1.” Well, of course, I’m that demographic, so I began my search for the DVD. And now, after viewing the first season tonight, I am excited to have found one more artistic entry that validates my own obsessions.

Despite the ridiculous, over-the-top, visual movie references — some of which are played out in full dream sequences and some of which are placed in the background of “normal” scenes — Spaced is actually a very level comedy featuring a developing friendship between roommates Daisy and Tim. Their relationship is so sweet and absolutely realistic that it’s never necessary to explain it or analyze it or even make obvious references in dialogue. It’s simply played out in the daily activities of the characters’ lives, which are also simple and uncontrived. It is always refreshing to me when a comedy doesn’t try to explain itself, doesn’t tell me when to laugh or pause to show me where I am intended to express emotion. As my viewing progressed through these first seven episodes, the characters and their sweet friendship and their personal situations and their wacky neighbors all became more and more endearing. Even when some of the pop culture references flew over my head, I still found myself laughing until little tears formed at the corners of my eyes. This is how comedic television should be done. I’m just sorry that there is only one more season of Spaced to enjoy.

image from Rotten Tomatoes