So, I've given up on True Blood. I gave it 7 episodes and it should have been good by now.

I welcome anyone who would like to help me win back any respect for it, but in essence, I found it to be overdone, over-acted and over-sexed with seemingly little underlying plot, characters neither likable, believable or evoking any empathy and overly-literal, weak dialogue. Teemed with some awful violent sex scenes, stereotypical one-dimensional characatures (sassy black waitress; gay black chef; brooding, lonely vampire; shallow, ditsy, sexed-up females) and some of the worst fake accents I've ever heard (3 of the main characters are from New Zealand, the UK and Australia, respectively, and none of the actors in the show are actually from the South, leading the way for some really unconvincing gargly Southern Accents), I had a really hard time making it through seven episodes. I wanted to see it out, finish the season, but I just had so little time for something I found to be so lacking in any depth.

It felt like a bad soap opera lined with some pop vampire lore, depicting women as weak, meek, sexual objects that need taking care of. I thought plot advancement and character development were pretty important aspects in a tv show, but turns out I was mistaken. This show takes itself really seriously. When it comes to vampires, it's a bit like, do it seriously and do it well, or ham it up and make it fun. How can the follow-up creation by somebody who made a series like Six Feet Under be so disappointing?

If anyone reading this watches this show and saw something in it that I didn't could you let me know? Have I missed something? I wanted to like it. I tried. I feel like I may be being too harsh, but I can't see anything in it. What is there to like about this show? Should I brave through those next five episodes?

It puzzles me that this show has such high ratings and such a massive viewership despite it's shortcomings. I guess as is the case of U2 ('U2 has been dubbed "The World's Biggest Band," which means the group has serious flaws. Most people are idiots, so if millions of them like your music, you're probably doing something wrong') the fact that this show is so popular doesn't necessarily mean that it's real good.

I feel that I may be being offensive with my open distaste for this show, but I am truly interested and waiting for somebody to explain to me what they liked about it. Anyone?

True Blood; 1 out of 5 stars.

I made a blog Wordle :D
Stolen from my brother.

I totally love the above video. The short film, by Tom and Matt, titled HP Invent, was made in response to a D&AD Student Awards brief set by Hewlett Packard: “Present an idea which promotes HP Workstations ability to bring to life anything the creative mind can conceive.” Here's more info.

Also found at idsgn, I am quite taken by these refurbished 'Guerrilla Typography' personal advertisements with the theme Leave it better than the way you found it from Cardon Copy.









Other things found on my internet travels include:

• An image search engine called TinEye, wherein you upload a photo and the search engine is able to find other copies of that picture on the internet, even if they've been resized or cropped. I'm yet to really find a use for it, but we'll see.

• And a search engine called Spezify which produces results visually. Again, very cool, but I'm still not too sure what to do with it.
  

• David Lynch's latest documentary project, sounds pretty promising. Titled, Interview Project, it involves a roadtrip across the USA, looking at the lives of 121 people along the way.

• And woah, a sunlight activated postcard.

• This site is just gorgeous: The Boudoir Queen.

I've been watching this show called True Blood for most of the evening, but I'm still not sure I like it yet; all the violent sex scenes, ditsy girls and bad Southern accents. My friend Alisha came over with her two boys tonight and her youngest, Scotty drew me lots of pretty pictures with my pencils. I cleaned up my desk today and sorted all of the stuff into jars and cups and drawers and things and threw some stuff away. Throwing out all of the paper in your life is a good feeling. My eyes have been really blurry and bloodshot all day from this stupid conjunctivitis. Needless to say, it's gross and I hate it. Waking up and not being able to open your eyes is a strange feeling.

Niiiiight.

^ this set by jonas peterson

Things that aren't so awesome:
- Having conjunctivitis, not being able to keep my eyes open and pulling out my eyelashes
- Going to bed late, and waking up early to sit and wait for registrations to open up, repeatedly refreshing the page, with a bad internet connection adding some additional drama
- Not being able to go back to sleep yet because my other registrations open at 12.
- Uni starts back in less than two weeks
- Biting your nails til it hurts
- Being sick for a fortnight

Things that are kind of awesome:
- Getting all of the times I wanted for my subjects (fingers crossed for the last one), so instead of spreading out my week practically, I have a packed 9-5, 3-day uni week, YAY.
- C is half asleep and snoring and cute and says we should get up at this time more often and go for walks (I told him he was the devil)
- Watching C's cat and our housemate's kitten play in the kitchen last night with a pistachio shell
- Very red hair, using natural stuff

I'm actually in a pretty good mood this morning.
I would like to start my days earlier, post midday wake-ups aren't good for anything.