Weekly TV Recap for April 30th

Last week, I did this post all at once, and my recaps were short and vague as a result.  This week, I did them within a day or two of watching them and spread it out over the entire week.  Can you tell the difference?

The Amazing Race - Well, the Cowboys are gone. As you know, I've been rooting for them to win pretty much the entire time. Although with how poorly they've been doing, I figured they'd be out sooner or later. What hurts is that they lost because everyone shared the correct distance with each other except the Cowboys. Does no one get that this is a race? The U-Turn? Yeah, I probably would have done that as well. It's part of the game, and I'd want to stay in it. And just to remind you why I love them so much, there's the classic line from the end. "I can't think of anyone I'd rather do this with. Except maybe my wife." Too, too funny and so them.

Dancing with the Stars - I do believe this was a first for me. I actually knew all but one of the songs they were dancing to. I guess that means that guilty pleasure songs are a lot more popular than people are willing to admit. The performances were lots of fun, and I'm going to say again how tight the competition is. Two people tied at the top and only 5 points separate the leaders from the bottom team. That's less than a point a team. There are a couple of weaker dancers in the lot, still. It was nice to see some on stage drama that didn't involve Kirstie this week, and it was nice to see her shine, too. Sorry to see Chris go this week, but I wasn't that surprised. I have a feeling that right now if you are in the bottom on Monday, you are pretty much toast.

Better with You - Yes, this show made a come back to my viewing life this week, but only because of Derek Hough's guest spot. His bit as the dance instructor (what else) was fun, and he was a decent enough actor. The show has it's charm, although it didn't make me laugh nearly as much as the rerun of Big Bang Theory I watched right after did. Nope, not sorry I took it off my viewing schedule, although it was nice to check in with the characters. I may keep a closer eye on what they are up to and try to catch the finale.

Survivor - At times like this, I do feel sorry for the producers. There was no drama with the votes tonight. We knew who would be going home before we sat down to watch. Frankly, about the only drama was the second challenge and no talking before the second vote. And even that wasn't that big a deal. Honestly, they've got to be thanking somebody that we've got Matt and Redemption Island. He is the most compelling thing on the season right now. While I feel sorry for him, I'm also glad he's over there so he isn't tempted to backstab and lie his way through the game. I'd like to see a Christian on the show keep his testimony, and it looks like Matt has the best chance to do that right now.

The Big Bang Theory - Another very funny episode. The whole girl's night out was a bit much for me, but I love the parts about the roommate agreement. Naturally, I knew it would be funny. And once again Sheldon gets the best line of the night. "You may have gone to Cambridge (or wherever it is Prya has gone), but I went to Starfleet Academy."

Nikita - Another box found and a box kept to possibly use against Division. I'd love to know what is in it. The story with the family was very heartwarming, which was a change of pace for this normally fairly bleak show. But what really got me were the last few minutes. Alex is in trouble now, and I don't know how they will get her out of this one at all.

Running 9 Miles

I keep building up toward the 10 mile Tough Mudder I've got coming up in a month (just about exactly from today).  As part of that, I ran 9 miles on Tuesday.

Instead of sticking around my neighborhood, I tried an out and back route that took me on the bike path through town.  This path is wonderful and often takes you away from the streets.  Unfortunately, the part closest to where I live pretty much parallels a busy street.

I finished in basically two hours, which means I was running about 13 minute miles.  I'm happy with that since I can't seem to run that fast when I'm running my 3 mile hill route.

That was one thing, this path was pretty much flat.  And it was smooth payment almost the entire way, too.

I was actually surprised at how far down 4.5 miles was from my place.  I never would have guessed.

Surpringsly, I haven't felt that bad as a result.  My knees barely bothered me and my legs were a little sore, but nothing out of the ordinary.  Either my legs are building up to the run or the flat, smooth course really helped with that.

Either way, I'm really encouraged and looking forward to breaking the 10 mile mark this next week.  I'm thinking it will be Wednesday, but we'll see how the weekend goes before I decide for sure.

Last night, I went to play ultimate Frisbee.  The first hour, I felt sluggish and was having trouble keeping up with people.  But then I found a new source of energy and actually felt like I was pretty fast.  I'm not sure where that came from, but I am very happy.  Hoping to go play some Frisbee again on Sunday.  Maybe I can be fast the entire time?

Word Association for 4/27

April's almost over?  Where does the time go.

Anyway, here's this week's word association:

1. Squid :: Octopus
2. Wife :: Husband
3. Promising :: Lead
4. Tingle :: Exctiement
5. Off balance :: Strange
6. Nice :: Pleasant
7. Honor :: Respect
8. Emphatic :: Strongly
9. Siren :: Fire Truck
10. Plated :: Gold

Great Easter Weekend

I had a great Easter weekend, mainly because it was calm and restful.

After being in Palm Springs for over a week, my parents were here in town for the weekend.  I took Friday morning off work (had the afternoon off for Good Friday), and they came over.  We went for a walk so I could show them my 3 mile run route.

That night was the Good Friday service at church (obviously), and the choir was doing 4 songs.  I was fairly comfortable with one of them - the one where the Basses had the melody most of the time.  I managed to fake my way through the others without people knowing when I was singing and when I was faking it because I couldn't find my note.  This whole singing harmony is hard, especially if you aren't used to doing it.

Saturday we went down to Glendale Centre Theatre to see Big River.  Met up wtih Angelique down there.  This play is a musical version of Huckleberry Finn.  I'd seen it once before, but it had been a long time.  I really enjoyed it, once it got going.  I'm not sure Mom was super impressed with the play itself.  As always, they did a great job.  I love seeing plays there because it is so intimate - you feel like a part of the action.  Sadly, the matinee we went to was hardly full at all.  If the last couple of plays we'd seen there hadn't been packed, I'd be worried.  I think it was just the holiday weekend that kept people away.

Sunday was church and a great service.  My church is finishing up a series on Mark, and our pastor planned things out to naturally be in Mark 16 that morning.  Actually, the study we've been doing for the past few months on the trial and crucifixion made this last week much more meaningful to me.  After church, it was lunch at Souplantation and then games at home.  We even Skyped with my brother, sister-in-law, and niece.  Okay, so my niece was on the screen most of the time, but we talked to all three of them.

Weekly TV Recap for April 23rd

The Amazing Race - I would have been really sorry to see Gary and Mallory go, so I was glad this was a non-elimination leg.  And the Cowboys had better get it together and stop coming in so close to last place.  Being on the same plane as everyone else would help.

Chuck - They seem to be doing as many stand alones as story arc episodes in the second half of the season.  Not to say I didn't like this episode.  I was cringing yet laughing at how out of control Chuck and Sarah's lie got.  And I liked seeing her dad again.  Casey's secret it finally out in the open as well.  I'm curious where they will go with that.  But my favorite scene was watching Awesome with his daughter.  So incredibly cute together.  It's the characters that have always made this show, and once again those little moments made me smile.

Dancing with the Stars - Another interesting theme week, although this one seemed better suited for dancing to me.  All the dances were fun.  We seem to have a very talented cast at this point.  There were comments Monday about there being no clear front runner, and I would definitely say that's true.  And Kristie kept it together this week, too.  Sorry to see Petra go, although I'm not sure I agree with Len that there are worse couples in the competition.  It's pretty fierce.

Survivor - So, Phillip, if you are indeed a merged tribe (as you claim), then how come you have two shelters and are not interacting at all.  This is the worst merged tribe I have ever seen.  And after how you've treated the other tribe, of course they are going to make you deal with the rice on your own.  What did you expect after treating them like dirt?  As to why Steve called you crazy, maybe it is because you have been acting crazy since the day it all began.  Honestly, you and your tribe have no one to blame but yourself for what went down tonight.  (And please, don't bring race into it unless it really, truly belongs there.)

Nikita - Wow, that was a good episode.  Adding Alex wanting to use the mission to fake her death adding a nice level of complexity to things that made all the twists and turns that much more interesting.  Of course, I knew something would change her mind and she wouldn't want to leave Division after all.

New TV on DVD Reviews:
Scarecrow and Mrs. King - Season 2 

Word Association for April 22nd

Happy Good Friday.  Let's do some word association to celebrate.

1. Director :: Movie
2. Operation :: Doctor
3. 30 minutes :: sitcom
4. Bald :: Shave
5. Calls :: Phone
6. Distant :: Education
7. Lightweight :: Jacket
8. Difficult :: Decision
9. Half dozen :: Eggs
10. Boss :: Work

RIP Madelyn Davis

Well, I had planned to come over here today and talk about last night's 8 mile run.  But then my plans changed when I saw this come across Twitter.

"Lucy" Scribe Madelyn Davis Dies

As the title suggests, Madelyn Davis was one of the writers on I Love Lucy.  She worked for almost the entire run of that show and did some other work on Lucy's later sitcoms.

To the best of my knowledge, this means we've lost the last of the cast and writers responsible for the show.

I Love Lucy remains my all time favorite sitcom.  It doesn't matter how many times I've seen certain episodes, they still crack me up.  While some references to thinks like party lines are antiquated today, there is a timelessness to the situations and jokes that still makes this show laugh.  That's the sign of a true classic.  As much as I love Friends and even Big Bang Theory, I don't think they will hold us as well as this gem.  (And don't even get me started on Seinfeld topping lists of all time best sitcoms over Lucy.  Please!)

A few years back, Madelyn wrote her memories called Laughing with Lucy.  Laura Levine, a former TV comedy writer turned to humorous mysteries, got an autographed copy of that book for me.  I read it and truly enjoyed it.  While I know that I Love Lucy had problems behind the scenes, Madelyn focused on the good and presented a picture of a happy life spent figuring out how to make others laugh.  I'll never forget her discussion of coming up with Vitameatavegimin (or however it is spelled).  She wrote great scripts that made it easy for Lucy and the rest of the cast to make us laugh.  Everyone made it seem effortless even though it wasn't.

When the book came out, she was at the LA Times Festival of Books to sign it.  Before Laura sent me the book, she had Madelyn sign it for me, but I still wanted to go down to see her.  Sadly, she was only there on Sunday, and I wasn't able to go both days, so I missed her.  Honestly, I still regret not getting to thank her in person for all the laughter she's given me over the years.

Palm Springs Weekend

My parents are in Southern California for about a week and a half right now.  Their first stop was Palm Springs.  There's a trailer park there they love because the pools are fed from hot springs.  The water is always bath water warm - absolutely perfect.

So I took a couple days off work to join them.  Actually, on Friday, I drove by the location for Tough Mudder on my way.  So it added an hour or so to my drive, but I feel much better knowing where I will be going in five weeks.

Saturday, we headed up to Yucca Valley to visit with my friends Stephen and Natalie and their kids.  It's been a couple years since we did that, so it was great to see them.  We ate lunch at Sizzler and were there for quite a while.  Then we headed over to their house for a little while to play some games.

Sunday we just hung around the trailer swimming and playing games - mostly Rummikub since that is Mom's favorite.  It was a nice relaxing day.

But the wind started coming up Sunday night.  It howled all night Sunday and was blowing strongly when I left on Monday.  Once I out drove the wind, I actually hit a little rain before I made it back.  It had been in the 90's Saturday and Sunday, and wind also brought cooler temps with it.

All told, it was a good visit.  They'll be here this weekend, and we've got lots of fun stuff planned as well.

Weekly TV Recap for April 16th

The Amazing Race - Finally, Ron is off my TV. Too bad he had to take Christine with him. Of course, I knew sending him to do a task where you are looking for something/one was a bad idea. Then again, I'd probably be just as bad at it as he is.

Dancing with the Stars - I almost skipped it this week, but then I remember it was Classical week. And what a good week it was, too. I can understand why these dances would be harder, but they still managed to do a great job. Yep, a theme week got me to tune in, and I'm glad.

Chuck - So, we're finally back to the Volkaves, and what an episode it was, too. The comedy seemed scaled back a bit, but the storylines advanced quite nicely. Can't wait to see where they are going with Ellie. That lie at the end of the episode caught me completely by surprise.

Castle - I feel like I should have seen that ending coming, but it caught me completely off guard. Lots of fun tracking the killer down as always.

Survivor - When I heard there would be a double tribal counsel, I was expecting two people voted out at one time. That would have made things very interesting. However, two tribal counsels in one episode wasn't that big a deal. While I understand David's frustration with just waiting to be eliminated, I don't understand his comment about the other team not wanting to play the game. You play a game to win, and if you stay together when you have the numbers, you win, pure and simple. On the other hand, Rob is overreaching. He's now worse than Russell ever was. Seriously, what's so wrong with eating fish?  And this season is so much more enjoyable when you fast forward through Philip talking.

Wipeout - Well, I didn't do so well picking contestants this time around. First, I was rooting for Mr. T. Eliminated second round. Then it was Scarecrow who went in the third. Fortunately, I picked Bucket List, and I made it to a win with her. And has anyone else noticed that the "Coin Toss" at the end switches directions after you fall once?

Nikita - Wow, didn't take Nikita and Michael long to hop into bed, did it? I'm trying to remember at this point how many black boxes there were to begin with. Two down, but several more to go. Assuming the show gets picked up for another season, of course.

Sunday's Ultimate Frisbee Game and Running 7 Miles

No, no.  I didn't do both in the same day.  But I do want to talk a little about my running this past week.

As I mentioned earlier this week, I played ultimate Frisbee on Sunday.  We'd been playing an hour and a half.  Some people had left, so we were dividing up the teams again.  They decided to switch me over to a different team.

So far, this isn't that out of the ordinary.

The reason why?  Because I was fast.

I was shocked.  I have never been called fast in my life!  I'm wondering if it was that my speed has improved or that I still had energy when most everyone else was tired.  Either way, I was thrilled, obviously, since I'm still talking about it.

Tuesday night, I went for a 7 mile run, my longest run to date.  Gotta train for the 10 mile Tough Mudder I've got coming up.  I probably pushed it too far since I haven't run much beyond 3.5 or 4 miles in the past couple of weeks.  However, I finished it with energy to spare.  In fact, when I started my walk for the cool down, my legs were still pushing me forward at a much faster rate than normal.  It was like they wanted me to keep running.  I wasn't sure about mile 5 if I had two more in me, but that last mile a runner's high must have kicked in or something because I felt great.

And I finished in under 1:41.  Don't know for sure when I left, but it was around 6.  When I got back, after my cool down, it was 7:41.  Normally, it takes me longer than that to run anything.

Maybe there is something to me being fast.

The down side is that my knees were killing me on Wednesday, especially my left knee.  They've bothered me off and on for years.  Ultimate Frisbee used to set them off, but it doesn't any more.  I knew they were bothering me a little bit about half way through the run, but I thought I was doing okay.  And I was for the run.  Not sure what it means or how to keep it from happening.  They feel fine today.  In fact, they started getting much better while I was cleaning the condo last night.  We'll see how they do with the 3 mile run I am planning for tomorrow morning.

Word Association for April 13th

Here we go with this week's word association.

1. Analytical :: Thinking
2. Production :: Movie
3. Softball :: Baseball
4. Uniform :: Sports Team
5. Intangible :: God
6. Grill :: Burger
7. Second base :: Baseball
8. Citizen :: Country
9. Celery :: Carrots
10. Opera :: Singing

Baseball was the correct answer to two of them (and almost uniform, too.)

Home is Just a Place to Lay Your Head

At least that's how it was for me this last weekend.  Actually, I was home pretty much all night Friday night.  It was the calm before the storm.

Saturday, my friends Josh and Beth were moving, so I spent most of the day helping them.  At least from 10:45 or so until 4PM.

At 4, I left to go to Vroman's for a book signing.  I'd actually been there last Sunday for the launch party for John Vorhaus, one of my ultimate buddies.  This week was the new stand alone from Lisa Lutz.  She was fun as always, although some of the "banter" between her and her co-author on this book seemed a bit harsh.  You know the teasing that goes too far.  Angelique showed up as well.

Anyway, since my friend Luke lives about three blocks from the bookstore, I hung out with him afterward.  We went to a good burger place and then back to his apartment.  One of his friends from work was there, too.  It was a nice evening all the way around.

Sunday saw me up and going to church like normal.  After church, I ran home to change clothes and grab some clothes for ultimate Frisbee before heading over to Josh/Beth/Joe/Erica's for a bring you own lunch.  (They all live in the same apartment complex now.)  As I expected, I was there until time to go play ultimate Frisbee.  After the game, I rushed home, showered, grabbed dinner, and then headed back for our usual Sunday afternoon hang out time.  Yes, I saw lots of them this weekend.

I was aiming to get several reviews written and some other stuff done at home this weekend.  Obviously, that didn't happen.  And I don't regret it for a minute.

Weekly TV Recap for April 9th

Beware.  I've got a major spoiler on this page.  If you watch these shows but haven't seen the latest episodes, stop now.  You've been warned.

Dancing with the Stars - Could it be that I am growing tired of this show. Yes, I had it on. Yes, I caught some moments like Maks' fall. But I've got to admit I didn't watch it that closely. I guess we'll see how much I watch the next few weeks, but I may take it off the DVR.

Castle - They completely got me with this one. Yeah, I figured things out just before the final twist, but only just before. Meanwhile, I was having a blast with the entire line of Tony's and their pizza. And I'd just been thinking to myself that they hadn't mentioned Ashley for a while. Now, it would be fun to see him again.

No Ordinary Family - They managed to walk a very fine line. If they aren't renewed, they wrapped up a lot of stories. They explained why the Powells' powers are permanent. They got rid of Dr. King (in a very grisly way.) But if by some miracle they do come back (and it would take a miracle), they have opened up the story potential for next season in some rather dramatic ways. I'm happy with the first season as a whole, but I would come back for year two if we get it.

Survivor - How stupid was Matt. Okay, so this group of people voted you out. You're going to go back to them? Especially after having told Rob, the leader, that you thought about switching but decided not to? I honestly felt sorry for him the first time when Rob decided to vote him out for no good reason. This time, I didn't feel that sorry for him at all. Yes, I'll still be rooting for him to make it back to the game because I love a good underdog story, but hopefully he learns something from his mistake. As to his playing honorably bit, I could respect that if he hadn't been voted out. Once he was voted out and allowed back in, he had no more allegiance to his old tribe. They got rid of him. He could start with a completely fresh slate and go with whoever he wanted. Why he didn't is beyond me. But I don't have strong feelings about it one way or the other, obviously.

Big Bang Theory - I was completely distracted for the first scene. Why? Because behind Amy and Sheldon in the bookstore were books by authors Laura Levine and Joanne Fluke, both of whom I love. Once we moved past that scene, I was able to enjoy the show. Many of the jokes were predictable, but I still laughed at them. The final scene was a classic.

Nikita - It was great to have this show back. Much of the action wasn't that big a surprise, but finding out that Percy was the one who ordered Michael's family killed? I did not see that one coming. My guess is he is now definitely on Nikita's side, so we've got someone on the inside again. As far as Alex goes, I think she's going to be in a lot of trouble but written out one way or the other by the end of the season.

Word Association for April 6th

If it's Wednesday, it must be time for word association.

1. Limited :: Edition
2. Zombie :: Attack
3. Energy :: Efficient
4. Proof :: Positive
5. Hassle :: Free
6. Peep :: Hole
7. Jogger :: Me!
8. Hunt :: Duck
9. Career :: Goal
10. Plants :: Water

Southern California Warrior Dash 2011

Warning: There are no pictures to go with this post.  I took pictures, but I only used a water proof disposable camera and I haven't gotten them developed yet.  Once I do, I'll post some.

Saturday was my first mud run of the year - the Warrior Dash.  I'd actually heard of this one last year, but by the time I did I'd signed up for another mud run the same day.  This year, it worked out.

The Warrior Dash is one race from a company that tours the country putting on mud runs.  It's a 5K course with roughly a dozen obstacles.

I was running it with my friends Sara, her husband Jason, and her friend Laurel.  Now saying I ran it with them is a bit of a misnomer since we all pretty much did our own things.  Jason took off right out of the gate, and I never caught him again.  Sara and Laurel were planning to take it slow.  But I figured I needed to run, so I set off at my own pace.  And I'm pleased to say that I actually ran most of it.  Seems like I wind up walking a portion of any mud run I sign up for, so this made me happy.

The running part was actually pretty easy.  It was a flat course with a couple of quick dips or climbs nothing major in that department.

The obastacles, on the other hand....

Up first was a giant mountain of hay bales.  Up and over.  We climbed through old beat up cars with tires between the vehicles.  Okay, so I managed to squeeze between the cars most of the time.  There were two cargo netting obstacles.  One we had to climb horizontally over, and the other was up and over a big bar.  That one freaked me out a little since I don't like heights, but I kept moving and did okay.  One of the obstacles was leaping over fire, and I was actually surprised at how high up the fire was.  Okay, so it was probably half a foot or so, but that was highter than I expected.

And, of course, there was the mud pit.  I got plenty of mud caked on me, so that was a good thing.  However, the mud was a bit on the thick side.  They were constantly trying to made more mud as we came through, but the two men doing that were adding more dirt more than they were adding more water.  The result was a very thick mud.  Personally, I think it needed a little more water.  Not a lot, but a little.

Yes, I am becoming a mud run mud snob, why do you ask?

Speaking of water, I think my favorite thing about this mud run was the clean up.  Showers?  No.  Fire truck with hoses?  No.  The mud run was on the banks of Lake Elsinore, and they just had us swim in the lake to clean up - right next to a sign about no swimming.  Okay, so I didn't get any cleaner than I have in my other mud runs, but it was a fun way to clean up.  And there was no waiting in a long line either.  The water was a little cold, but I quickly got used to it.

Speaking of which, the weather was perfect.  We had been having 90+ degree weather late last week, but it cooled down to the 70's.  It was hot enough to work up a sweat pretty easily, but it wasn't so hot that we felt uncomfortable.

We all had a good time, and there's already some discussion of doing it next year.  I'd definitely do one of their races again.

Weekly TV Recap for April 2nd

No Ordinary Family - So I was wrong, this wasn't the final episode but the penultimate episode. It set some things up for the finale and was fun to watch, but I knew how the whole vision of the future thing would turn out. I mean, those never happen according to what we see.

The Amazing Race - My family doesn't like Luke because she's such a wimp, but I'm kind of sorry to see him go. Only kind of, however, because his crying can get to me. There are others I want gone first. As much as I like the Cowboys, I was glad to see Mallory and her dad get first, however. They deserve it at least one leg.

Castle - How much fun was that? Okay, so I saw where the story was going early, but the journey to get there was so much fun. Lots of great quotes and a laugh or two. Plus the way Castle tricked Beckett at the end. Great episode.

Dancing with the Stars - I think the first few to go are becoming fairly obvious as well as those who will be around most if not all season. I wouldn't mind a man winning this time. I was sorry to see Lacey be the first to go, although with her partner it wasn't that surprising. He wasn't a great dancer and I think he was the least well know, so he had the smallest fan base to draw votes from. We're off on another great season.

Survivor - Finally, the one tribe made a smart move. And Phillip is driving me freaking insane. The merge and someone getting back in the game will make this Wednesday interesting. I hope it's Matt. He deserves it.

Wipeout - My favorite contestant of the night was the one who was imitating Jill. She was just too funny. Other then that, I was rooting for the winner all along. He just seemed so nice. I figured he had a good shot when it came to be him and two women at the end, although that last one gave him a good run for the money. Oh yeah, and those stairs at the beginning? Pure evil!

The Big Bang Theory - Wow, how I had missed this show. But this episode was well worth waiting for. The first half had me in stitches as we watched Sheldon over react to things and everyone else join in. If there's a better sitcom on TV right now, I'd sure like to know what it is.

New TV on DVD Review:
In Plain Sight Season 3

The Rest of Last Weekend

So, I talked about St. Pat's Hat, but I didn't really get into what else I did last weekend.

Friday night, I went to the play they were putting on here at work.  I'd never seen Over the River and Through the Woods, and I enjoyed it.  I thought the cast did a good job, especially since 2/3 of them were playing grandparents.  The first act was histerically funny, and I couldn't stop laughing.

Things got more serious in the second act, and I left barely holding back the tears.  In fact, it was half way home before I was beginning to feel remotely normal again.  And considering the mood I've been in all week, it didn't help.  The show seemed to present an either/or picture of extended family or job, and I felt like it was a false delima.  Or maybe I'm just trying to justify how I live.  The bittersweetness of the second act makes it likely that I won't see this play again, or I'll just leave at intermission.

And, as I've mentioned, choir sang in church on Sunday.  This was the first time they've sung since I joined.  It went...okay.  My voice wasn't in great shape for the first service.  It was better second and pretty good the third.  I think I wore it out playing ultimate Frisbee on Saturday.  I did pretty well with one of the songs we were singing, but I struggled with the other one.  I just couldn't seem to remember what the notes for the bass part were.  Fortunately, I seemed to cover it pretty well since the only feedback I've gotten, even from my fellow basses and our director, has been positive.