the music's started, I try not to think / about how long its been, and I'll get along

Continuing to chip away with shorter, ultimately unsatisfying posts. Ready, go.

My car is in the shop, and so when I found myself in a pensive mood last night I had a bit of a quandry. Usually, on those infrequent occasions when I need to sort something out in my head, I take an aimless drive and listen to music. Its meditative, and for the cost of wasting a little gas, it helps. But I had no access to my automobile, so instead I bundled up against the inexplicably persistent Fall chill, pulled on my new sneakers, and went for a walk with my iPod.

I walked all the way to Harvard Square and back, which is just about two miles each way. Probably healthier than driving around, although I came back and was completely knackered. I also discovered, in bits and pieces along my way, this, which I had seen around before but never really connected to anything until now. (I also, incidentally, was nowhere near cracking the code until the page I linked provided me with a cypher. I'm not good at that sort of thing.) I am aware that, as art projects go, its more than a little trite. But it appeals to me nonetheless. I like it, and may have to go code-spotting again before its all gone.

Also, incidentally and apropos of nothing, the season premiere of Gilmore Girls last night was every bit as brutally punishing as the season finale before it. It really kicked the viewers when we were down, and the previews for next week's episode make it seem like things only get worse from here. Now I know that its impossible to tell good stories without conflict, and its not like I'm actually upset about this development from a detached analytical viewpoint. But I'm finding myself wondering if I'm truly masochistic enough to go on watching this show. Probably.

Speaking of television, last night also marked the second episode in the new season of Boston Legal, about which I've been meaning to write something for ages and ages. I figure before I even get started ranting at the new series on television (Jericho, Heroes and, ahem, Studio 60) I should probably make some mention of all the old ones. So here goes. Truth be told, I've definitely got dippy423 to thank for this. Way back when I first moved into the Davis Apartment she seemed to be the prime mover when it came to introducing me to the glory and the wonder that is Boston Legal, and getting me good and thoroughly hooked. She's also the person who owns the first season DVDs, having purchased them as soon as they were available. And graciously shared them with me, eventually, after hording them away in England for a time. So credit where credit is due.

This series is brilliant. Seriously. I don't wish all network television were like this, because frankly I doubt they could all do it this well (also it would stretch William Shatner pretty damn thin). But I do wish all network television delivered as well as this show does. Its consistently funny and engaging, occasionally moving and always a good time. It introduces and discards characters with little or no regard, keeping you on edge about whether someone will be around for two episodes or two seasons. It has an extremely talented cast and a panoply of spectacular celebrity guest-stars. And, perhaps best of all for me, it has the perfect pinch of meta-humor, seasoning as needed, to bring it to perfection.

At the heart of the show and my love for it are its main characters, Denny Crane and Alan Shore (that's Bill Shatner and James Spader, respectively.) Both bring something vastly different to their characters, leading to an interaction and friendship with chemistry unrivaled on network television. (Well, until Studio 60 premiered, anyway.) Shatner flings himself into the over-the-top Denny Crane with reckless abandon and comes out looking better than he has in years. Spader, meanwhile, ages visibly in between seasons and still manages to make his flabby, middle-aged character into the sort of unmitigated unrepentant predator every hedonist secretly wishes to be. (I thought about employing a Tyler Durden metaphor there but ultimately decided against it, probably for the best.)

Its great television, and I'm glad its back. And yes, this still counts as a short post, in the scheme of things.