Oatmeal; X-Files
The way our apartment is constructed and located, with relation to other apartments and the local prevailing winds, we don't usually get other peoples' food smells.
We often get laundry detergent smells from the laundry room, which is one floor down; lately we've been getting some kind of sweet flowering bush smell, which is very nice; but we don't smell other peoples' cooking.
Except this morning, which for some reason brings with it the smell of *something* frying in butter. Probably eggs or potatos or both -- in any case, I haven't smelled this smell for MONTHS and it's making my delicious oatmeal breakfast look a little spartan in comparison.
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Lately I've been on a sort of nostalgic X-Files kick, and I've been systematically working my way through the early seasons of the show via my netflix account. I did all of season one months ago and then took a break from it. Last month I tore through season 2 and now I'm well into season 3.
It's been interesting, because I hadn't really revisited a lot of these early episodes since I saw them for the first time when I was 12, 13, 14, 15, etc. Watching them now, my current impressions are almost overwhelmed by the echo of how I felt when I saw them for the first time as a teenager.
I remember going to bed the night of the Season 1 finale so moved by the scene where Scully holds Deep Throat as he dies in that empty, nighttime street, that I couldn't get it out of my head for WEEKS. I have drawings of that scene in old sketchbooks.
I remember, from season 2 to season 5, which is when I went to college, watching almost every single episode with my friend Mimi, who lived in my neighborhood and taped episodes for me when I was out of town. I remember her dog barking at scary moments in the show, scaring the bejesus out of us as we sat in her darkened living room eating pickles and potato chips.
There were many weeks where the thing that got me from Monday to Friday was the promise of a new episode at 9 on Friday night.
What I didn't remember is how clumsy and obvious the direction and writing of a lot of those early episodes is. There have been episodes I simply couldn't watch all of -- the cringe factor was just too strong.
But it must be said that seasons 2 and 3 are uneven -- there are some eps that are strikingly sophisticated, even by today's standards. Humbug, Clyde Bruckman, etc, even some of the mytharc eps. Last night I watched Nisei and 731 (or whatever it's called) again for the first time in many, many years, and I was struck by how nuanced Gillian Anderson's performance was, and how beautifully photographed the entire story was.
I was also struck by how very attractive everyone was. Scully is about as beautiful in season 3 as she will ever be; ditto Mulder; and Skinner... even Skinner is sexy. I like it when he does that thing with his jaw.
Anyway, it's been a fun way to revisit an old favorite. Lots of memories there; nearly all of them happy ones.
We often get laundry detergent smells from the laundry room, which is one floor down; lately we've been getting some kind of sweet flowering bush smell, which is very nice; but we don't smell other peoples' cooking.
Except this morning, which for some reason brings with it the smell of *something* frying in butter. Probably eggs or potatos or both -- in any case, I haven't smelled this smell for MONTHS and it's making my delicious oatmeal breakfast look a little spartan in comparison.
===============================
Lately I've been on a sort of nostalgic X-Files kick, and I've been systematically working my way through the early seasons of the show via my netflix account. I did all of season one months ago and then took a break from it. Last month I tore through season 2 and now I'm well into season 3.
It's been interesting, because I hadn't really revisited a lot of these early episodes since I saw them for the first time when I was 12, 13, 14, 15, etc. Watching them now, my current impressions are almost overwhelmed by the echo of how I felt when I saw them for the first time as a teenager.
I remember going to bed the night of the Season 1 finale so moved by the scene where Scully holds Deep Throat as he dies in that empty, nighttime street, that I couldn't get it out of my head for WEEKS. I have drawings of that scene in old sketchbooks.
I remember, from season 2 to season 5, which is when I went to college, watching almost every single episode with my friend Mimi, who lived in my neighborhood and taped episodes for me when I was out of town. I remember her dog barking at scary moments in the show, scaring the bejesus out of us as we sat in her darkened living room eating pickles and potato chips.
There were many weeks where the thing that got me from Monday to Friday was the promise of a new episode at 9 on Friday night.
What I didn't remember is how clumsy and obvious the direction and writing of a lot of those early episodes is. There have been episodes I simply couldn't watch all of -- the cringe factor was just too strong.
But it must be said that seasons 2 and 3 are uneven -- there are some eps that are strikingly sophisticated, even by today's standards. Humbug, Clyde Bruckman, etc, even some of the mytharc eps. Last night I watched Nisei and 731 (or whatever it's called) again for the first time in many, many years, and I was struck by how nuanced Gillian Anderson's performance was, and how beautifully photographed the entire story was.
I was also struck by how very attractive everyone was. Scully is about as beautiful in season 3 as she will ever be; ditto Mulder; and Skinner... even Skinner is sexy. I like it when he does that thing with his jaw.
Anyway, it's been a fun way to revisit an old favorite. Lots of memories there; nearly all of them happy ones.
posted by Calista at 3:02 AM
2 Comments:
I still remember, after seeing TOOMS in college, having to cross campus to meet some friends, and walking across these darkened fields (which are now in short supply on the so-called "grounds" of my overdeveloped alma mater). I was scared to death, and I remember being so glad that something on TV could freak me out like that.
Oh, X-Files. You gave so much to so many!
Tooms still scares the shit out of me. Even the non-classic eps that I had forgotten all about have some real scares. The one where some dude tries to boil himself alive is a notable example.
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