So much TV, so little time. So far, the only new show that I've tried and abandoned this season is True Blood. My Own Worst Enemy and Life On Mars haven't premiered yet, so we'll see how those go. I'm still watching 90210, although it's getting harder and harder to justify why. I checked out The Ex List, and it's cute enough to warrant another viewing. Was bored last Sunday, and ended up watching Valentine, mostly for Autumn Reeser and Patrick Fabian (Taylor Townshend! and Professor Lasky!). Total brain candy, and I doubt that I'd bother to DVR it, but if I'm home, I'll probably watch. I also got totally sucked into Life, which is entirely the fault of monimala

So far this week, I've managed to watch The Big Bang Theory, Chuck, Heroes, Life, NCIS, Bones, Private Practice, and CSI: NY. HIMYM, GG, TSCC, 90210, Privileged, and two episodes of FNL (not to mention my continued backlog of House, entourage, Lost, and SPN) still await me. *sigh*

Here's the thing. I love HIMYM. I love Barney. I love Barney/Robin. It's a fantastic show that has become a part of my cultural lexicon. But minute for minute, I laugh longer and harder at The Big Bang Theory. This was a show I fully expected to loathe, that I started watching only as a time-filler. But dude, I love this show. My level of geekitude is moderate (increased by an engineering degree and an undying love of Star Wars, but tempered by a lack of any sort of videogame or roleplaying savvy), but this show totally speaks my language. Plus the characters are endearing, in large part because of--not in spite of--their flaws. And really, how often do you come across a show that makes visual jokes out of non-Newtonian fluids?

I continue to very much enjoy Chuck as well. It's a bit of a candy-coated show for me--nothing particularly deep or thought-provoking, but good, solid entertainment. Plus, Captain Awesome is still, well, awesome. ( Bartowski. Chuck Bartowski. )

Heroes continues to show flashes of greatness in between tidal waves of mediocrity. The nearly continual time-jumping has gotten old. ( The Once and Future Peter )

I am in Life overload, after marathoning S1 online and then NBC doing the two-episodes-per-week schedule. I'm still not quite sure how I feel about the changes made for S2. ( Really bad lipstick )

I still love me some NCIS, but I can't say that I found this week's episode overly engaging. ( Cupcake Caper )

Bones: Still not as good without Zack. Wasn't impressed with this week's NotZack. And yes, writers, we get it: Temperance isn't religious. Get a new idea already.

Private Practice still has lots of pretty people. That said...( Wow, incest really is the new black )

Oh, Barney. How did NPH not win an Emmy last night? How was this show not even nominated for an Emmy last night? Grr.

( Still legen...wait for it...dary )

Holy crap. Tonight's episode of HIMYM was legen... wait for it... DARY! I'm not even going to post spoilery thoughts behind a tag, because it's so awesome that I don't want those with no willpower to click and ruin it for themselves. If you haven't seen it, I suggest hunting it down ASAP.

NPH is made of win. That is all.

Happy New Year to one and all! Despite the fact that I've been posting fics on a near-daily basis, I've been pretty much MIA since right around Christmas. I was on vacation with my family, and although I obviously had Internet access, I didn't want to spend too much time surfing the 'net and catching up on LJ.

A big thanks to everyone who sent holiday cards--I'm typing this at work, so I can't go check exactly who all of you were. But they were received and I loved them! I hope yours made it to you as well.

I don't really make New Year's resolutions, but I will say that this year I am hoping to get back into an exercise routine, eat better, and do some "real" writing (even though I can't seem to break my fic addiction). I also need to try and stop reading the WGA strike coverage, because it annoys the ever-living crap out of me.

I am very excited about the fact that I received Waitress for Christmas. Haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but yippee for Nathan Fillion hotness. Mmm.

Per a tipoff from carrielh, I took advantage of Amazon's $69.99 price and ordered Angel: The Complete Series. Since I don't currently own any of the seasons on DVD, this was a pretty easy decision to make. :)

Watched Gossip Girl last night, which was partially interrupted by a phone call. I am so not a phone person. But a few things of note: ( Humphrey Dumpty sat on a wall )

By the way, for anyone who is interested, there is some truly stellar How I Met Your Mother Barney/Robin fic over at himym_fic. Most of them key off of the first-season episode in which the two of them go play lazer tag, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. :) It's a relatively small fic fandom, but most of what I've read has been good.

I really, really want to see 27 Dresses.

Another week of solid Monday-night TV. Barney continues to be made of awesome, Heroes is on an upswing, and The Big Bang Theory actually makes me laugh. What more can I ask for?

Some of my favorite episodes of Friends were the flashbacks, and the same holds true for this week's How I Met Your Mother. Between the bad hair, horrendous fashions, and pop-culture references, it's a fun trip back in time. Part of what makes this show so appealing to me is that I am roughly the same age as the characters (I'm a year older), so many of their cultural touchstones are the same as mine. ( Crazy-Hot )

Meanwhile, Heroes had its strongest episode of the season. The plot is finally advancing! ( Who's your daddy? )

I seem to be over my bout with the flu, thank goodness. I'm back at work, but still exhausted thanks to the totally messed-up sleep schedule the illness created. After initially going to bed on Monday night, I ended up being awake until 4 am due to overwhelming nausea and other unpleasantness. I finally slept from 4 until 10 yesterday morning, and then forced myself to stay awake in hopes of being able to sleep last night. And I did sleep, but I'm still tired.

In happier news, Heroes finally seems to be on a bit of an upswing. There were still things I didn't like about this week's episode (namely the WonderTwits and West), but the season is starting to take shape. ( Photo opportunity )

This week's episode of How I Met Your Mother wasn't the best of the season, but it was still amusing. And Barney and Robin totally need to hook up. Also, someone seriously needs to buy Ted a comb.

Due to postseason baseball, the only thing I watched last night was NCIS. (I have officially abandoned Reaper.) As usual, it was a solid episode, complete with Gibbs/Abby cuteness! ( And they call it Ducky love )

Oh, Heroes. Why must you be so disappointing? I suppose I shouldn't be overly surprised, given that I was utterly underwhelmed when the series premiered last season, and the first season finale didn't exactly blow me away. Still, I had hoped that the second season would have the same kind of energy and momentum that the middle of S1 did. Sadly, that is not the case so far.

( Spoilers ahoy )

In contrast to my Heroes disappointment, How I Met Your Mother continues to exceed my expectations this season. Even if Ted is, at heart, basically a tool. ( But what about the pineapple? )

Welcome back, TV! The fall season is underway, and I'm already enjoying it. I'm not sure when I'm going to sleep with all the shows I want to watch--hurray for TiVo.

Although the return of Heroes was quite exciting, I was looking forward to a new How I Met Your Mother just as much, and it didn't disappoint.
( ...dary! )

( Bring on the Petrellicest )

I also watched the premiere of Journeyman, which wasn't quite as much of a Quantum Leap ripoff as I thought it would be. The show was a little confusing, and I'm not sure I'll bother to record it, but it was an agreeable enough way to pass an hour. ( Paging Sam Beckett )

How I Met Your Mother wins at life. I can't imagine this show not coming back for another season. The finale tonight was a perfect mixture of sweetness and hilarity. It so deftly walks that fine line of saccharine, and rarely crosses over to the side of ick.

( Legend...wait for it... )

Thank goodness for Barney. If it wasn't for him, I'd be sitting here thinking that last night's episode of How I Met Your Mother was a complete waste of time. ( Dog days )

Thoughts later on Heroes and possibly Studio 60.

Bear down, Chicago Bears...

Okay, now that that's out of my system... :)

So excited about the return of Heroes this evening. I'm too lazy to detail the awesomeness, but let me just say that Adrian Pasdar should be in every scene, and I don't care what Zack's sexual orientation is, because I love him.

I still maintain that How I Met Your Mother would be funnier without Ted. The Marshall/Lily/Barney plot was hysterical.

Really enjoyed The Class again tonight. I like the tighter focus on Nicole and Duncan, Ethan and Kat, and Richie and Lina, with Kyle there being hot and funny.

I love How I Met Your Mother, but I would be just as happy if it was The Barney, Marshall, and Lily Show. I just can't bring myself to care about Robin and Ted, at least not as a couple. We know they're not the end game, so why should I invest anything in their relationship? ( First Times )

I think The Class is growing on me--maybe it's like mold? I still think it would be worlds better with about half as many characters. Jason Ritter and Lizzy Caplan make me laugh in pretty much all their scenes, so that's good. Unfortunately, the Sara Gilbert character is being written so dark that I don't really think it works for a sit-com. Maybe Arrested Development, but not this one.

Monday-night TV is fun. I watch a fairly eclectic group of shows, and last night all of them were on their game.

I still enjoy How I Met Your Mother, even if Ted and his love life are the least-interesting thing about it. ( AC, baby )

I also watched The Class, which actually made me laugh out loud several times. Maybe it's getting better? Someone needs to tell Jason Ritter to cut his hair, though.

Watched Heroes "with" monimala, and although she and I disagree over whether it's the best new show of the season, I still like it a lot. ( Mmm, Mohinder )

I admit, I've had mixed feelings about Studio 60. I loved the pilot, but several episodes since have felt overly preaching and condescending. Fortunately, I very much enjoyed the two-part episode that concluded last night. ( Nevada Day )

New Friday Night Lights and Veronica Mars tonight! Have I mentioned that FNL got a full-season order? And that I love Piz? Yay for Tuesdays!

Holy crap. Last night's episode of Prison Break just about made my brain melt. [ChandlerBingVoice]Could Michael and Sara be any hotter?[/ChandlerBingVoice] ( Nice girls finish last )

I really love How I Met Your Mother. Neil Patrick Harris is beyond hysterical, and that swordfight was awesome.

Watched CSI: Miami last night. I don't know why I continue to subject myself to that show. Mostly I just wanted to make sure they didn't kill off Ryan.

Is anyone else watching How I Met Your Mother? I don't watch a ton of comedies, but it's really quite funny. It's no Arrested Development, but then, what is? Neil Patrick Harris totally steals the show as the annoying and smarmy Barney.

My fic website, Manifested Delusions is undergoing an overhaul. So far, I have the main page, as well as the Alias, Everwood, Firefly, General Hospital, and Gilmore Girls fic pages done. I'm hoping to get the rest of them--including a brand-new Prison Break fic page--knocked out tonight. I'm actually really proud of the layout, and I owe a debt of gratitude to filmobsessed137 for the original HTML, which I am currently modifying to accommodate the new graphics.

And finally, stolen from mrsjamiewitter, a multi-fandom meme (which I'm doing from memory, so I apologize if I got the questions wrong):

For each of your fandoms, answer the following questions:

1. Who would you have a one-night stand with?
2. Who would you marry?
3. Who would you party with?
4. Who would be your BFF?

( 12 fandoms behind the cut )