And so...IT BEGINS!

Violetta has much the same taste as her mother when it comes to movies - though of course Mrs. V would never watch, say, The 400 Blows or Jules et Jim (which Violetta herself thought was just a bit TOO French new wavey), they both enjoy romantic comedies, Legally Blond, and crime drama paperbacks.

Thus, Violetta was a little perplexed why Mrs. V was not "into" Law and Order (heretofore referred to as L&O). But perplexed no longer--Mrs. V is a hardcore, life-altering addict. COMPLETE addict!

It all started when the V parents came to visit Violetta last year. After a delicious dinner of pizza (mm!) V suggested they watch a new classic L&O - last year's season-ender of the Criminal Intent category, where the new team of Anabella Sciorra and Chris Noth joined Katherine Erbe and Vinny (D'Onofrio, that is). It was a splendid 2 - hour long mix of oddball personalities, minutae, and the suspicion of a powerful judge (Colm Meaney chewing up the scenery!).

But the effects did not last long, though the V's were impressed with the plot. Then, Mrs. V came in June to help Violetta around the house, and there, while Violetta was at work, she was held captive. With the heat outside keeping her in, and the two cats swirling at her ankles, she picked up the remote control and innocently turned to the channel named TNT.

And never looked back. She knows all the characters ("Did that pretty Alex DA lady get killed? McCoy found her stuff in the trunk of a car") of every SVU, CI, and Mothership cast. She has started seeing RERUNS. And every time Violetta calls, guess what? Mrs. V is watching. Watching, watching, WATCHING.

And it's a gateway for more crime procedurals. TNT plays Without a Trace one night a week for several hours.

Mrs. V was up till one am, watching a three-parter.

Oh the humanity!

Platinum Weddings

Violetta and I are here, perched on her bed. We have taken to our favorite pastime as of late: Researching wedding options whilst watching "Platinum Weddings" on WE.

These are weddings that literally have no cap on their budget. As Troy Patterson implied on slate.com, it's the nouveau rich at their most extravagant: Money just for MONEY.

One bride, for example, had a) the ceremony in a famous church in NYC, b) then rode the ferris wheel inside the "Toys R Us" in Times Square, then c) walked to the reception in a parade led by Brazilian dancers (?) and d) had the reception in a theatre. No theme or rhyme or reason--just money!! At least $200,000 of it, by our count.

Violetta's is much, much cheaper, and she can't even invite all the folks that are dear to her heart; but watching "Platinum Weddings" somehow makes us excited nonetheless. First of all, the more money and accoutrements you spend and plan for, the more to worry about - and so her ceremony will be pretty low maintenance - and second, she delights in not being tacky.

However, she refuses to design and sew me a mini tuxedo. Oh the horror!

Chicago

I have been "away" from this blog because I was in Chicago with Tym and Violetta for a wedding. The wedding was lovely although I got stomped on whilst everyone was dancing to "YMCA," but the best thing about it all was that it was in Chicago. Violetta always said if certain industries thrived there, she'd settle. Of course, I prefer the balmy climate of California--as does she and Tym--but the culture and attitude of the Windy City is very very appealing.



The best part of my experience was listening to WXRT 93.1, perhaps the best radio station in the country. Somehow it's escaped the claws of Clear Channel, and has a wonderfully unique playlist. Why, in the same hour, we heard Jimi Hendrix, Ani DiFranco, and Death Cab for Cutie. While I prefer classical and avante-gard 1980s piano, I'll take some eclectic rock anytime. Shame they don't have such music in LA, is it not?

Not that I don't mind Nic Harcourt and his Morning Becomes Eclectic music fest every morning, but about 45 minutes in, he loses me. There's only so much African drum-circle-set-to-industrial-guitar music I can handle.

Alright. "The Closer" is on and I must mentally prepare. Is it just me, or has it been easy to predict the killer after the first five minutes?