For all of the hockey fans who are really looking to fill the gigantic gap another NHL lockout has left, I can relate. An avid fan myself, I have had a difficult time finding a remedy to my hockey lockout blues. In fact, it are days like today when I miss coming home after a long day of school and watching the slick shots, heavy hits and stunning saves on NHL.com. However, I have found at least a few things to divide my time between, and the nice part is, these double as tools to relaxation during test/exam season here at Loyola.

1) Parks and Recreation– A fan from episode one, I have not found a funnier show on television today. Parks and Rec, as the aficionados call it, mixes an eclectic cast of quotable characters together in a small town, Indiana government department (the parks and recreation department, of course). Throughout the show, the characters find themselves in odd situations, often times at odds with each other. The reason I am such a huge fan is because of the balance of content and humor, and also, the type of humor. There is a clear story line in each episode, and there is always a protagonist, a small, seemingly insignificant problem, and a whole bunch of true characters who try (or try to avoid) solving the problem. The humor is often witty, quick, and usually at the expense of someone else’s dignity. If you can’t tell, I highly recommend this show.

2) Arrested Development– I must admit, I was let down by the first few episodes of the Fox TV show.  It wasn’t that I didn’t like the show, but rather, I didn’t understand it.  However, a few episodes in, I realized that Arrested Development hinges on the strange and silly occurrences that lead the Bluth family from where they are in the beginning of the show to where they end up in the end.  The humor is not as obvious as it is in other shows on TV today, but it can easily be found in the sheer wackiness of the situations the characters find themselves in.  Plus, each episode is only 20 minutes on Netflix, so it fits neatly into all of the crazy schedules college students have.

3) Top Shot– This show is considerably different than the two previous.  For one, this show can be found on the History Channel’s website, which says a little bit of something about the show.  The neat part about this show is that it is reality TV without the reality.  The show consists of 2 teams made up of some of the best gun shooters around the world.  While on the show, the teams compete at a number of very difficult looking competitions, sometimes with weapons no one has ever used (tomahawks anyone?).  As contestants are eliminated (based on a voting system), the teams get smaller, until there are just two shooters left.  The winner gets $50,000, and the loser walks away looking without money, but definitely looking like one bad apple.  This show is great when looking for that sense of competition lacking from no hockey.