Summertime's Here!

And it was a perfect day to kick off summer with, sunny, bright, breezy, and in the mid-upper 70s. I slept in again and spent most of the morning doing laundry, which I put off yesterday because I wasn't feeling well. I'm still not. I'm still sniffling, but I'm coughing now, too, which may be a good indication that whatever is clogging my head is loosening. The sore throat is gone, too. Whatever I had Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday seems to have downgraded to a nasty summer cold. I still have a headache, stuffy head, and sore neck, but everything else is gone.

I spent the morning watching Hannah Montana episodes with Jessa. Most of the reports I've gotten on this show from adults have said that it's almost annoyingly bland. I don't know about that. I think it's adorable. It reminds me of a lot of goofy fantasy-oriented sitcoms from the mid-late 80s that involved teenagers or young adults in outlandish situations. Is the idea of a 14-year-old girl with a double life as a rock star and a high schooler any different than a teenager who is half-human, half alien and has strange powers (Out of this World), a male nanny and his charges (Charles In Charge), a wisecracking, cat-eating alien living with a normal Earth family (Alf), a literal storybook family ending up in the real world (The Charmings), a rich, child-like dad bonding with his very adult son (Silver Spoons), or man building a girl-like robot for his family (Small Wonder)?

Actually, I was surprisingly impressed with Hannah Montana. Yes, it's contrived and silly and very standard sitcom fare, with everyone overacting through the roof, but it's also colorful, slickly produced, and a great deal of fun. In fact, the music was my biggest complaint. It sounds a little too much like every other kiddie act on the market for my taste. The show, however, is sweet. In one episode, Miley sleepwalks after spending several sleepless nights trying to figure out how to tell her dad that she thinks his new song is horrible and get around her brother's desperate attempt to have a party. In another, Miley (in her Hannah guise) manages to get into a celebrity tennis tournament with a hot doubles player and is given one ticket, which sets off an argument between her male and female best friend as to who should go. (Personally, I think she should have left both of her friends behind and just brought her dad, no matter how embarrassing that would be for a 14-year-old.) You get the picture. The humor is broad and obvious, and the writing is typical sitcom shenanigans, but Miley Cyrus and Emily Osmet have nice comic timing and handle the gag-filled script well.

I was less fond of the male characters. Hannah's brother Jackson, her best guy friend Ryan, and Rico, the little brat who owns the ice cream stand where Jackson works, were all annoying dorks. Billy Ray Cyrus just seemed to be out of place (no matter that he is Miley's dad in real life). Other than that, like High School Musical, I can understand why Hannah's become such a sensation. The show and the music are harmless, fluffy fun.

I went to work shortly after getting in. Work was steady to busy, and will likely remain so on the weekends until after the Fourth of July. Most people will be occupied with barbecues, birthday parties, and graduation parties for the rest of the month.