Getting my mind back

Shortly after Cora was born, I wrote a post about all of the bad television I had been watching.

I'm too lazy to look for it. Just take my word for it.

It was bad. Really bad.

Well, things have improved in the past two months, and I'm hoping that my renewed discernment in my television viewing is sign of things to come, namely my brain returning.

TV I found worth watching, and I watch quite a lot during feedings still:

Justified: First off, Timothy Olyphant is a very handsome man, and he does this thing with his eyes that goes beyond description. Second, I love the acting, the writing, the quirkiness of it all.

Shameless: This is a tricky show. You are sitting there laughing your ass off at people who are suffering in this economy (not to mention gross parental neglect). But then you start caring about the characters, and while you continue laughing at them as the first season comes to a close, you also start to feel incredibly uncomfortable and uneasy. That's good stuff.

Sons of Anarchy, Season Three: The entire season takes place in a short period of narrative time. And let's forgive for a moment the cheesy Irished-up theme music beginning the episodes where the Sons are in Belfast. The acting remains very good. And there's something interestingly subtle and telling about how the show depicts masculinity.

Homeland: This is my new favorite show. I'm a reluctant Claire Danes fan. I thought My So-Called Life overrated. But as CIA agent Carrie Mathison, she is raw, her body pulsing with tension. Of course, one of my favorite actors, Damian Lewis, shines as the returned POW who may or may not have turned. And, there's Mandy Patinkin, a secret old guy crush of mine ever since the days of Chicago Hope..... Did I just type that? Anyway, watch it. It satisfies.

Downton Abbey: Of course. It's amazing and fun and the guilt equivalent of really expensive candy wrapped in even more expensive packaging. It's soapy and smart.

Movies, I try my hardest to watch them. It just requires so much attention from my already addled brain.

But I am having a miniature movie festival of Ryan Gosling movies in my living room. He is a remarkable actor. I first saw him years ago in The Notebook, a drippy, overly sentimental movie saved by its actors. In the past week I watched Gosling play two vastly different characters in two very good movies:

Lars and the Real Girl: Gosling plays Lars, a very lonely and socially awkward man, who uses a "real girl" sex doll as a kind of transition object to ready him for a real relationship. Lars's relationship with the real girl is very "real" and completely innocent. As his community starts to accept the real girl (she volunteers and serves on the school board), Lars begins to understand just how complicated relationships can be. These lessons enable him to go after a "real" girl. It's a sweet movie.

Blue Valentine: Gosling and Michelle Williams play a married couple whose marriage is crumbling. Interspersed with scenes from their early days as a couple, the movie explores how far people can grow apart. It's heartbreaking and hard to watch mostly due to the performances. Gosling creates a character that is both infuriatingly childish and sympathetic.

I know that I've seen other movies, but I cannot recall them at the moment. With the recent announcement of Academy Award nominees, I think the Pilot and I will start having movie nights. I adore awards season!

I'm just relieved that I weaned myself off of Top Model reruns. I was starting to baby talk to Cora about "smizing." If you don't know what that means, you are better off for it.

Here's hoping my book list for 2012 will reflect my newly energized brain.

Quick note: In case you're wondering, we didn't find out today either.

And another note: Despite energetic proofreading, I cannot seem to catch even the most obvious of errors.