I AM OFFICIALLY BAFFLED
By the fact that, lately, the things that other people rave about only manage to elicit a lukewarm response from YT. Am I that different? Take f’rinstance the buzz surrounding The Office. Everyone goes on and on about how hilarious that show is, so brilliant, they just can’t contain themselves, blablabla. Meanwhile, I cannot for the life of me understand what is so funny about a bunch of people walking around deadpan in some ugly office acting like complete dorks! I mean, I get it and everything; it’s supposed to make fun of the banality of office life and certain smug self-satisfied types, and granted, it can occasionally elicit a brief chuckle, but I fail to become incapacitated by laughter as when I watch, f’rinstance, Ali G. I dunno. I keep giving it another chance, thinking this I might just have missed something last time, but I think it’s time to acknowledge that I simply will not ever find that show funny.
And, incidentally, it’s not the British humour that doesn’t appeal, because the Brits are at the top of my list when it comes to finding things funny. I love British humour. [See one very fine example here]. In fact, I’ve even found myself in stitches watching Ricky Gervais being himself on other shows. So it isn’t that!
Other things? The Alchemist, for one. I’ve just finished reading it and am completely mystified by what people find so remarkable. I mean, it’s okay, but to me it doesn’t come close to the pinnacle of world literature like, say, The Little Prince, of which it reminded me occasionally. I kept expecting epiphanies and bolts of lightning to strike, but sadly none of that was forthcoming. Sigh.
The same applies to the DaVinci Code. Boy, if there ever was buzz…! Meanwhile, YT took it on vacation last summer and, pah! Sure, it was an okay read, but it didn’t move me in the least. The characters did not get under my skin, the prose did not enthral. And the global obsession with all its supposedly highbrow theories and whatnot – give me a break! They’re just made up. They don’t even hold water.
Anyway. I shall turn rant mode to off now.
UNFORTUNATE EGG-ON-FACE SITUATION
Thankfully not on YT’s face, though, as had been predicted. Nope – YT takes no responsibility for this one, although am guilty of the – slightly lesser – blunder of passing on false information. Seems the two papers that reported the sighting of Kate Winslet here last weekend were well and truly duped. Or perhaps it was their source, who swore he had seen Kate partying it up down at trendy old Rex. Kate’s publicist, however, swears Kate was home with her hubby and kids, which is just as YT had surmised. So clearly Kate has an Icelandic double. Who might consider a career as a Kate decoy.
AND FINALLY, THE WEATHER
The rain we were promised arrived last night and washed away almost all the snow. We still have a bit left, though, to provide some daylight reflection and spare us all from sliding headlong into SAD. Moderate winds from the east, meaning not too much windchill (the bane of Icelandic living), and temps have crawled above the freezing mark for a change, now hovering at 4 degrees Celsius (39.2 Fahrenheit). Set to get colder again tomorrow. The sun came up at 10.56 and is currently shining brilliantly in the sky; it will set at 16.18.
I think that perhaps you have to work in an office, and specifically work for/with someone who is David Brent or one of the other characters. Like I do. :-)It’s not really laugh out loud funny, more toe curlingly amusing…
I for one am surprised that its been so popular outside the UK, and I think Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant were too…
Than again, I love ‘The Naked Gun’ and ‘Police Squad’, so I do have a very low ‘threshold of humour’ 🙂
Colin
I loved the Naked Gun, too. God, that scene where OJ Simpson kicks in the door and gets his foot stuck! LOL
Thank you for explaning that The Office is supposed to be ‘toe-curlingly’ funny. That I can relate to!
Hey Alda,
Leslie Nielson aka Frank Drebin rocks! But the funniest scene in the Naked Gun movies, especially now that O.J. is “looking” for the real killer, is when he gets stuck under a bus that heads for Detroit. A lot of people would like to try that scene for real.
By the way, I didn’t make it by your site for Your Michele day, but you did drop a comment on my site. So I guess Alda sent me.
Alda sent me – her first week bloggin.
I don’t watch much TV and don’t know the shows you’re talking about. I’ve never found Seinfeld funny, or any sit com that uses sarcasm and cynicism as the basis for laughs.
The two shows that always made me laugh are ‘Only Fools and Horses’ and ‘Simpsons’
But i’d have to be stoned to laugh at much else on TV.
The Little Prince – Ah – I admired that book for years. I’ve probably given away 6 or so copies, such sophisticated, Simple Joy and Pain.
Cliff
strange …. i justn’t couldn’t ‘get’ “the office” either, and although i kept on watching it, just in case …. nada. there again, my office is nothing like the environment that the TV programme is based on.
and the alchemist – did i miss something there ? ‘le petit prince’ moved mountains for me, but the alchemist ? i even tried reading it in frog i was that desperate.
give me a series of AbFab and the second bridget jone’s books and i’ll cry with laughter.
thanks for the link to me – how very kind.
Well, I can’t comment on those TV shows..don’t even know if you can see ’em here in the US. BUT, congratulations for being one of the 5 people in the entire world who doesn’t like The DaVinci Code. Completely overrated, poorly written book! Last year I had jury duty and got picked for a dull case about the construction of a donut shop. About 5 of my fellow jurors were reading The DC and raved and raved about it during our breaks from the court room tedium. When I was flying back from Iceland last fall the person next to me was reading it in Icelandic, she also raved about it (in English). I just don’t get it…
I’d much rather blog than watch TV series, but I’m with you on the British humor thing. Usually great, but occasionally leaves you clueless.
I think I could handle the temperature in Iceland, but that 11 AM sunrise would do me in.
I think having had that Office Experience is a big key to finding it funny – which I do, in a cringing kind of way. As for the Alchemist and The Da Vinci Code, I agree completely – absolute flooof. Especially The Alchemist, which I’ve heard hyped to the heavens by so many people it seems ought to know better…
But, it could be that I’m just a total snob.
Crazy Jane
I think that’s my problem too, actually. I’m a snob!!
haven’t read The Alchemist but agree totally about The Da Vinci Code. I was amused in a cringe-worthy way by The Office. Fawlty Towers is my favourite!
Louise