Two Notes on TV

1. The Office is at its very best when Michael and Dwight are not in the office. This allows everyone else to be normal.
2. 30 Rock tonight approached the level set by Arrested Development.
   

Are Sitcoms Going Postmodern?

A New York Times Magazine article comparing such stalwart televisual programs as The Simpsons, 30 Rock, and Arrested Development with the metafiction techniques of Postmodern literature of the 1960's and 1970's?

Yes, please.

Shows like “Arrested Development,” “Scrubs,” “Family Guy” and “30 Rock” have taken the experiment a step further, reconfiguring the methods with which comedy tells stories. Instead of using the typical sitcom narrative (six characters in the same four rooms enduring a humdrum, linear story line), these shows explore their situations through collage and a restless stream of consciousness.

And:

Metafiction emerged from a group of self-aware writers who analyzed their own work like critics; and in the same way, today’s digressive sitcoms come from a generation of comedy writers (and viewers) who understand the ins and outs of the most popular format of 30-minute storytelling. Avant-garde literature gave America its first tradition of subverting narrative, but what was once a wild experiment in language has become an accepted counterpart to our Internet culture, where digressive Googling and link-clicking are a way of life. The dusty sitcom has caught up to the modern mind.

Learning how to use a new type of computer is fun!

Upon my return to the eastern coast I was greeted by family, some friends, about ninety minutes of Tisha B'Av, and my recently described new lappy. It's nice; I like it. It doesn't do all that much more than my one did, but it's nice that it only turns off when I want it to.

I've spent pretty much all of this day in my room at my parent's house playing around with the computer. I feel like such a blogger. But, unfortunately for all nine regular readers of this blog, I didn't spend my time furiously blogging, but, rather, learning how to use the new OS and transferring my documents, photos, videos, music, etc., to the new compy. And I'm happy to report that, after about eight hours, I've learned how to "right-click" and that about 80% of my music made it through the transfer process. And I think I'm well on my way to developing a serious case of carpel tunnel syndrome. Laptops: the gift that keeps on giving.

I feel OK spending my day learning how to use a new computer; many great things have come about through just such an exercise. I can think of one. But I imagine there must be more out there somewhere. Anyway, the one that I know about is this: Stephen White, the bestselling author of thriller novels, started writing back in the day when home computers were brand new. He started writing just as a way to teach himself how to process words. And he kept at it and was very surprised when he realized that all those pages he wrote looked about as long as a book. And even more surprised when he showed this book-length pile of papers to a few friends who really liked it. And even more surprised when this work got acquired by an editor. And so on until he became famous enough to come visit the Denver Publishing Institute in 2008. So, perhaps, I'll go on to become a world-renowned something in a field I never imagined I had any talent for, and I'll look back on today as the day this all started.

Of course, I didn't spend all day with the computer; I managed to witness the implosion (or at least, the latest iteration of implosion) of the Mets's bullpen. And I emailed some folks in my continuing quest to find someone to pay me money to assist an editor or two. I think it would be a bad move to blog about work, so this'll be the last time I'll mention the job search in this forum. If you feel the desperate need to hear about office life from this source, then you're even more delusional than I realized. But, also, if you really critically need a lighthearted take on life in an American office, I remind you that summer is almost over which means that new TV shows are just around the corner which means that you can get your fill of comedic office hijinks from the funniest show on television which not insignificantly is set in an office. I'm referring, of course, to 30 Rock. I'm excited. And I feel I should mention explicitly the link I just linked to 15 words ago, just because it's a terrifically named fan-site.

Sorry for the posting delay; there'll be more tomorrow, probably on the Olympics.

Thanks for stopping by.