Wow! I didn’t have any allergy issues through May — very cool.  June and July is grass pollen season though and grass pollen is my evil nemesis. Evil allergy nemesis mixed with summer vacationing equals no July posting.  Here’s hoping August is more productive and I’m able to catch up on my monthly summaries.

TV– Top 5 Favorites of the June 2010  (In A,B,C Order)
Doctor Who, season 5 (***)

Fringe, season 1 (*** 1/2) – I enjoyed watching this show again on DVD to see how the plot was developed.  While the character build-up starts off nicely right from the beginning, I did notice the plot jumps all over the place for the first 9 episodes.  They’re enjoyable episodes though, and by episode ten when the plot begins taking a more organized approach, I felt like I was already invested in the characters and ready for the fun to begin. [Season 1 is available for rent on DVD at Netflix and available for sale on itunes.]

Gavin & Stacey, season 3 (***) –  is an enjoyable slice-of-life show about a young couple who meet over the telephone at work.  By season three, Stacey from Wales and Gavin from Essex have not only become a stable couple, but have managed to get  their two eccentric families to socialize together .  There’s not a great deal of plot; the fun is in watching these characters interact and in the regular moments of life. 

I think British TV does a better job than American TV of showing how entertaining regular people– of all ages and all different types of appearances– can be living their regular lives. This show is a good example of that.  [Season 1 is available to rent on DVD through Netflix, seasons 1, 2,and 3 are also available for sale on itunes.]

Glee, current season 1 (***) –  Glee has come a long way from their days of horrible pregnancy plots to the wonderful Bohemian Rhapsody/Quinn labor scene and I’m glad I decided to stay and watch. [Season 1 is available for rent on DVD at Netflix and available for sale on itunes.  There are also usually 3-4 full episodes of the season available on Hulu.]

House Hunters International (***) – This 21-minute show is the perfect remedy for my summer armchair travel cravings.  It starts out with a couple who want to find a home in some foreign country.  There’s a brief introduction to who they are, why they want to find a home (or second home) in the new country, and what specific qualities they’re looking for in their new place.  The realtor then shows them 3 places in their desired location. 

After the viewer has seen all three dwellings, we’re asked to guess which home the couple chose and we then get to see how they fixed up the home that they chose. So far I’ve been to Paris, Italy, New Zealand, Prague, Berlin, and Tokyo all while sitting in my own living room. [Several seasons worth of shows are available for on Hulu and at least one season worth of shows is available on the HG website too.]