This summer, I've had three roommates. There have been four of us in my two bedroom condo. That means I've been sharing my bedroom and bathroom again.
Last night, the roommate I share the room with walked into my office just before quitting and said, "Guess what. I'm moving out tomorrow." Long story short, he's still a college student and discovered he still had to live on campus.
I keep thinking about having my room back to myself. He moved a lot in the night, and that made the bed creak, which would often wake me up. There are lots of benefits.
But I'm bummed.
Yes, it was nice to have the extra income I was getting from three roommates. And one of the others might bolt at any time (and I knew that going in).
But it's more than money.
As has been the case for the last couple of years, I genuinely like my roommates. We have fun hanging out together, although we don't hang out too much outside the condo. Still, we laugh together. This particular roommate and I have the exact same sense of humor, so when we were both home, it was a blast. I'm going to miss him for that reason.
Of course, I often feel sad when a roommate first tells me he's moving out, even if I know who is moving in. I'm usually okay by the time they actually leave. I think the speed this time just makes it harder for me.
It makes it a little better that he's mentioned a couple of times how he wishes he didn't have to move out. Again, part of it is money. But part of it is because he gets along so well with all of us. That really makes me feel good.
So we'll see what happens and if I wind up going from three to one in a month or less. Hopefully not, but things are so up in the air with the other one that you never know.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Hot Wet Weekend
No, I wasn't in the middle of Hurricane Irene. I was home in Southern California. But I still had a hot, wet weekend in other ways.
See, after a summer of mostly low 90's, it's decided to get HOT. We're talking a reported high of 111 on Saturday. Yes, that's three 1's. I love hot weather, but that's a little hot even for me.
We'd actually had heat like that for the better part of a week, but that didn't keep me from being stupid Saturday morning. I went for a run at 9AM when it was already well over 90. Yes, I completed 4 miles, but it was slow and not pleasant. I started sucking down water as soon as I got home.
Saturday afternoon, I headed to the beach with a group of friends, including former roommates Daniel and Luke. It was in the 90's in Santa Monica, but it felt great. The water was a tad nippy but pleasant when you got in it. Unfortunately, the water was a bit rough for prolonged swimming, although three of the group had a blast boggie boarding.
Sunday, I finally had my friends Josh and Beth over to swim. They don't have a pool, and I keep promising them they can come over and swim. Unfortunately, Josh had to leave not too long after they arrived, but Beth and Josh's younger siblings stayed and we all had fun.
And that's the way to beat the heat, stay wet. Plus it's a very fun way to stay cool.
See, after a summer of mostly low 90's, it's decided to get HOT. We're talking a reported high of 111 on Saturday. Yes, that's three 1's. I love hot weather, but that's a little hot even for me.
We'd actually had heat like that for the better part of a week, but that didn't keep me from being stupid Saturday morning. I went for a run at 9AM when it was already well over 90. Yes, I completed 4 miles, but it was slow and not pleasant. I started sucking down water as soon as I got home.
Saturday afternoon, I headed to the beach with a group of friends, including former roommates Daniel and Luke. It was in the 90's in Santa Monica, but it felt great. The water was a tad nippy but pleasant when you got in it. Unfortunately, the water was a bit rough for prolonged swimming, although three of the group had a blast boggie boarding.
Sunday, I finally had my friends Josh and Beth over to swim. They don't have a pool, and I keep promising them they can come over and swim. Unfortunately, Josh had to leave not too long after they arrived, but Beth and Josh's younger siblings stayed and we all had fun.
And that's the way to beat the heat, stay wet. Plus it's a very fun way to stay cool.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Weekly TV Recap for August 27th
Royal Pains - So we finally know what Paige's secret is - her mom's depression. And that explains a lot about the character this season, even the comment about how little she was around during the winter. For once we got to see Evan be smart and use his head (the exact opposite of last week) when he deflected everyone's questions at the fundraiser. I can understand his anger at Hank, but I hope he forgives him soon. Meanwhile, the General is being stupid at his refusal to allow Hank to help them at all.
Necessary Roughness - An episode I actually enjoyed. I loved her kids following her on her date, and the scene where they confronted her was funny. I saw the repressed memory thing coming, but I figured it was sexual abuse instead of physical abuse. And is TK actually turning a leaf? Probably not, but I can hope. We'll just see how things progress next week.
Melissa and Joey - Well, that was a short relationship, although if they'd aired them over three weeks, it wouldn't have seemed quite so short. And we get Christopher Rich back again in the second episode. Meanwhile, Ryder's girlfriend is so annoying. She's almost funny, but not quite.
Burn Notice - I love it when they make Madeline part of the action, and she was a big part this time around. Obviously, Jesse job wasn't going to be easy, but man that turned out to be something else with the hostages and all. I had no clue how Michael would get them all out of it. Meanwhile, I'm waiting to see how they will leave us hanging at mid-season because it sure seems like they are about to solve the murder.
Suits - I really feel like for the first time Mike is seeing the consequences of the lie he is living. As much as I love the show, I'd hate to be in his shoes for that reason. The main plot with the accountant who turned out to be right about stolen money was fun. And, yes, I gasped at the kiss. Louis is pure evil, just as a side note.
Wipeout - Really? We have to have such obvious ads for Aflack? Of course, I also think that's the furthest I've seen contestants get all season.
Expedition Impossible - Teams one and two I am perfectly happy with. Yes, I was really, truly rooting for the Gypsies, but I would have been okay with No Limits. And Fab 3? I'm glad I'm not going to have to put up with their bickering any more. I would have been seriously upset if they had followed the Gypsies, let them do all the work, and then sprinted past them at the finish line.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Word Association for August 25th
Here's this week's word association.
Running :: Training
Hot :: Summer
Neighbor :: Close
Reported :: Police
Horrific :: Tragedy
Supplies :: Trip
Grammar :: English
Back to :: School
Righteous :: Holy
Next door :: Neighbor
Running :: Training
Hot :: Summer
Neighbor :: Close
Reported :: Police
Horrific :: Tragedy
Supplies :: Trip
Grammar :: English
Back to :: School
Righteous :: Holy
Next door :: Neighbor
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Summer League Tournament
Wow, is it really already Wednesday and I haven't talked about the tournament from Saturday yet? Yikes!
Okay, to recap, we went into the tournament in 8th place out of 8 teams. We had won one game out of the entire season. I was expecting to play two games and be eliminated. (Two games is the minimum). In fact, the only reason I headed out to Pomona was to say I played in every game this season.
Since we were in last, our first game was against the top team in the league, the team we lost to 6-17 the week before. Games at the tournament were to 13, and I wasn't expecting much. Therefore, I seemed to be the only one excited by our 9-13 finish. Yeah, it was still a loss, but it was much better than anything I had reason to hope we'd score.
So that immediately sent us down to the losers bracket. I hadn't played much in our first game because it was closer than I expected it to be and we had 15 people there. But I was prepared to play lots in game two. And I did. And we won. I honestly don't remember what the score was, but we were all pretty exstatic.
That meant we actually got to play a third game to determine 5th place. We were playing the only team he had beaten during the regular season. The second time we played them, we turned a 9-3 win into a 16-18 loss. And we lost a few players before this game started. And we pulled off the win again! It wasn't easy (none of our games were), but it felt great.
So we finished in 5th place in the league. And we won twice as many games turning the tournament as we did during the regular season.
Obviously, I had fun. Winning every so often does that to you.
Oh, and that first place team we lost to in the first game? They lost their next two games to finish in 4th. Mirror records for the day.
Once our last game was over, I hit the pool there at Cal Poly. Played some pool ultimate (which is hard) and diving (or jumping in my case) into the deep pool for discs. It was lots of fun and felt great. Then I watched the co-ed finals and went to the party before driving home.
Okay, to recap, we went into the tournament in 8th place out of 8 teams. We had won one game out of the entire season. I was expecting to play two games and be eliminated. (Two games is the minimum). In fact, the only reason I headed out to Pomona was to say I played in every game this season.
Since we were in last, our first game was against the top team in the league, the team we lost to 6-17 the week before. Games at the tournament were to 13, and I wasn't expecting much. Therefore, I seemed to be the only one excited by our 9-13 finish. Yeah, it was still a loss, but it was much better than anything I had reason to hope we'd score.
So that immediately sent us down to the losers bracket. I hadn't played much in our first game because it was closer than I expected it to be and we had 15 people there. But I was prepared to play lots in game two. And I did. And we won. I honestly don't remember what the score was, but we were all pretty exstatic.
That meant we actually got to play a third game to determine 5th place. We were playing the only team he had beaten during the regular season. The second time we played them, we turned a 9-3 win into a 16-18 loss. And we lost a few players before this game started. And we pulled off the win again! It wasn't easy (none of our games were), but it felt great.
So we finished in 5th place in the league. And we won twice as many games turning the tournament as we did during the regular season.
Obviously, I had fun. Winning every so often does that to you.
Oh, and that first place team we lost to in the first game? They lost their next two games to finish in 4th. Mirror records for the day.
Once our last game was over, I hit the pool there at Cal Poly. Played some pool ultimate (which is hard) and diving (or jumping in my case) into the deep pool for discs. It was lots of fun and felt great. Then I watched the co-ed finals and went to the party before driving home.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Weekly TV Recap for August 20th
Wow, I lost three shows and my week got much lighter. Basically, I've only got shows on two days a week right now. This is me not complaining since I still have way too many shows and I still watched a lot of stuff on Friday. Anyway, here's what I thought of this week's batch.
Royal Pains - Have I ever mentioned how much Evan can make me cringe? Well, he was doing it big time this week. Granted, not all of it was his fault at all. And it looks like next week we'll find out what's up with Paige. Can't wait to find out about that. Meanwhile, who is after Boris? The idea that his disease might be part of a family feud is very interesting. I'm anxious to see this develop. And I'm wondering how much longer Divya will keep her secret at the hospital.
Necessary Roughness - I have a feeling I'm supposed to think Dani's best friend leaving is a bad thing. Personally, I'm ready to see her go. I have never liked her character. This new therapist TK is seeing is very interesting. The main storyline with the golf pro was good although again I felt it fell into a formula. In fact, I saw the ending coming by the half way point.
Melissa and Joey - I know last week I wasn't that impressed with the show, but I enjoyed both of the episodes this week. Some actual funny lines and not over the top with sex. I liked how the sub-plot carried over as well. Poor Ryder didn't have much to do, however, although his scene coming back from the store at the party was pretty funny.
Burn Notice - What a jerk. I can't help but root for them to take the guy down. The scene with Michael holding the security guy hostage was actually pretty funny. And the ending. I know they'll have some twist with the murder storyline for the season finale (I'm guessing in three weeks), but for now it appears everything is going along fine. What's the twist going to be?
Suits - The comment from the woman about Mike and Rachel dating was too funny. It's obvious they are going to get together at some point. I loved how Mike went out of his way to clear Rachel, although I'm surprised she agreed to go back. Okay, she's a main character, but I'm still surprised she agreed to go back. Meanwhile, Harvey
Wipeout - The winner called it early on. Usually, those things don't happen, but this time it worked. I figured he had it when he was the only guy to make it to the Wipeout Zone, but the last contestant gave him a really good run for his money.
Expedition: Impossible - I so want Fab 3 gone. I really hope they don't win. Their whining over the Gypsies rooting for No Limits is unbecoming, especially since they'd be the other way around if it was the Football players out there. I hope they come in last. Meanwhile, No Limits make it to the finals just barely. It will be interesting to see how they do next week. This is really still the Gypies to lose, and I hope they can pull it off. They've been the strongest team so far, and I'd love to see them win. If not them, No Limits.
New TV on DVD Reviews:
Friday, August 19, 2011
Three Nights of Ultimate in a Row
I have played ultimate Frisbee the last three nights. Yes, I am totally taking tonight off. (Got to catch up on TV.)
Tuesday and Wednesday were my last two summer league games. Surprise, surprise, we lost both of them. Tuesday was 6-17 against the first place team. Wednesday was better at 13-17. We were even ahead 9-7 at half in that one.
Tuesday, I felt like I was contributing something on offense. The guy who was supposed to be guarding me was poaching big time, so I was able to come back and let them swing it to me. Of course, on defense, I was scored on so many times it wasn't even funny. It was frustrating, however.
Wednesday was a disaster for me. I was scored on several times and I threw it away both times I caught it. I was definitely feeling low.
Which is one reason why I went to my pickup game here in town last night. And it was exactly what I needed. Okay, so I still am pretty bad at defense, but I scored several goals and made good plays elsewhere. A roommate came with me, and we both had fun.
I also didn't go because of the back of my left knee. It's been bugging me off and on all summer, and was killing me driving home Wednesday night. But I popped some Advil and then iced it good and it's been perfect since then.
So tomorrow is the tournament that ends summer league. We go into it in last place, which means we get to start out against the team we lost to on Tuesday night. I'm not holding my breath that we'll make it very far. We'll probably be playing the losers bracket right away. Gee, can you tell how unenthused I am? We'll see if I stick around after our second game. We go have access to the nice pools there and part of my fees go to the party that will happen later that night, so I might stick around. But if I'm too bored, I'll just come on home. We'll just have to see who is there and how much fun I'm having watching instead of playing ultimate.
Tuesday and Wednesday were my last two summer league games. Surprise, surprise, we lost both of them. Tuesday was 6-17 against the first place team. Wednesday was better at 13-17. We were even ahead 9-7 at half in that one.
Tuesday, I felt like I was contributing something on offense. The guy who was supposed to be guarding me was poaching big time, so I was able to come back and let them swing it to me. Of course, on defense, I was scored on so many times it wasn't even funny. It was frustrating, however.
Wednesday was a disaster for me. I was scored on several times and I threw it away both times I caught it. I was definitely feeling low.
Which is one reason why I went to my pickup game here in town last night. And it was exactly what I needed. Okay, so I still am pretty bad at defense, but I scored several goals and made good plays elsewhere. A roommate came with me, and we both had fun.
I also didn't go because of the back of my left knee. It's been bugging me off and on all summer, and was killing me driving home Wednesday night. But I popped some Advil and then iced it good and it's been perfect since then.
So tomorrow is the tournament that ends summer league. We go into it in last place, which means we get to start out against the team we lost to on Tuesday night. I'm not holding my breath that we'll make it very far. We'll probably be playing the losers bracket right away. Gee, can you tell how unenthused I am? We'll see if I stick around after our second game. We go have access to the nice pools there and part of my fees go to the party that will happen later that night, so I might stick around. But if I'm too bored, I'll just come on home. We'll just have to see who is there and how much fun I'm having watching instead of playing ultimate.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Double Feature Weekend
This weekend, I went to a double feature.
Okay, so that's very misleading, but I said it that way on purpose. :)
I saw two plays this weekend, specifically two musicals.
First up, I went down to Glendale Centre Theatre for a matinee of 1776. I'd watched the movie version a few years back, but I'd never seen the stage version. Turns out I'm not a big fan of the show period. But that's not to say the cast wasn't phenominal. Considering how many people they had to fit on such a small stage, it was great. I love the intimate setting of that theater. They also had their season for next year announced, and I'm already looking forward to several plays there. And we're going back in a few weeks for their next play.
Anyway, that finished up in time for me to drive back to town, grab some dinner, and make it to the evening show of The Music Man. I've fallen in love with the movie version of this musical (specifically the remake), but I'd never seen the stage play. As soon as a local theater company announced they were doing it, I knew I wanted to see it. Then it turned out some friends were in it, so I had to see it. One of them was even Marion. It was great! I loved every minute of it. They did it at the performing arts center at the local community college, and that auditorium is amazing. I enjoyed every minute of it.
Plays are wonderful. I don't know why some people who love movies hate them, but I am glad I finally have a friend who loves going to them as much as I do (although I did go to The Music Man by myself since I'd pretty much forgotten I'd need to go that weekend until the last couple of days).
Okay, so that's very misleading, but I said it that way on purpose. :)
I saw two plays this weekend, specifically two musicals.
First up, I went down to Glendale Centre Theatre for a matinee of 1776. I'd watched the movie version a few years back, but I'd never seen the stage version. Turns out I'm not a big fan of the show period. But that's not to say the cast wasn't phenominal. Considering how many people they had to fit on such a small stage, it was great. I love the intimate setting of that theater. They also had their season for next year announced, and I'm already looking forward to several plays there. And we're going back in a few weeks for their next play.
Anyway, that finished up in time for me to drive back to town, grab some dinner, and make it to the evening show of The Music Man. I've fallen in love with the movie version of this musical (specifically the remake), but I'd never seen the stage play. As soon as a local theater company announced they were doing it, I knew I wanted to see it. Then it turned out some friends were in it, so I had to see it. One of them was even Marion. It was great! I loved every minute of it. They did it at the performing arts center at the local community college, and that auditorium is amazing. I enjoyed every minute of it.
Plays are wonderful. I don't know why some people who love movies hate them, but I am glad I finally have a friend who loves going to them as much as I do (although I did go to The Music Man by myself since I'd pretty much forgotten I'd need to go that weekend until the last couple of days).
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Last Week's Game
We're winding down Summer League. Just got tonight's last official game and then tomorrow's make up game before Saturday's tournament. Since we have only won one game so far, I'm not exactly going to miss it this year. Hopefully next year I'll be on a team that at least has a 50% record going into the finals.
Anyway, I've already given away the ending of last week's game. We lost in over time 16-18. What's worse is we were way ahead at half time, 9-3. What happened? They stopped messing up and we started messing up. That's pretty much all there is to it.
Not that I was really helping. I got scored on a time or two and either didn't catch it or couldn't pass it on when it was thrown to me. Not one of my better performances.
Our games this week are against two of the better teams. Then on Saturday we'll start off by playing the #1 seed (we're 8 out of 8). So I'm expecting to have four games of summer league left this year.
Still can't believe the summer is almost over already.
Anyway, I've already given away the ending of last week's game. We lost in over time 16-18. What's worse is we were way ahead at half time, 9-3. What happened? They stopped messing up and we started messing up. That's pretty much all there is to it.
Not that I was really helping. I got scored on a time or two and either didn't catch it or couldn't pass it on when it was thrown to me. Not one of my better performances.
Our games this week are against two of the better teams. Then on Saturday we'll start off by playing the #1 seed (we're 8 out of 8). So I'm expecting to have four games of summer league left this year.
Still can't believe the summer is almost over already.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Word Association for August 15th
Wow. I'm doing the word association on Monday. What's up with that?
Eating :: Dinner
Cowboys :: Indians
Nightmare :: Elm Street
Impress :: Date
Year :: 2011
Kiss :: Date
Corn :: on the Cob
Humping :: Dumping
Mirror :: Wall
Brains :: Smart
Eating :: Dinner
Cowboys :: Indians
Nightmare :: Elm Street
Impress :: Date
Year :: 2011
Kiss :: Date
Corn :: on the Cob
Humping :: Dumping
Mirror :: Wall
Brains :: Smart
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Weekly TV Recap Aug 13th
In Plain Sight - Season finales have weddings and babies, so this one had to have both. Actually, I wasn't surprised about that or the fact that Mary's job interfered with the wedding. I saw that coming from the premier. What was nice was that our witness of the week was actually someone we had seen before. It's the first time they've brought someone back since season one. I'm not happy about Brandi leaving Peter at the altar, however. I like how they have matured her and I loved her with Peter. I hope that they bringing them back together somehow. I believe I saw Peter rushing to Mary in the final shot of her in labor, so maybe that will be a way they can do it. Of course, all that assumes they get picked up for another season. I sure hope they do.
White Collar - I was on the edge of my seat the entire time wondering what the cliffhanger was going to be. And Keller kidnapping Elizabeth
Covert Affairs - I actually felt they handled Annie's sister finding out about Annie's real job very believably, and I can understand her asking Annie to move out, even after she's calmed down. Annie has brought danger home with her a few times. I guess they've written the brother-in-law out of the show since there was no mention at all of him, just taking the kids to his mother's. I don't like that, although he was never a big part of things. I was surprised that the defector actually died. I figured they'd save him. Sorry to see the doctor go, although I am rooting for Annie and Augie all the way. Meanwhile, who did Jai call and what is he up to?
Wipeout (Tuesday) - All I've got to say is the classic video game references for Kong were great, especially during the qualifier. Loved it.
Royal Pains - Okay, so they found a medical reason for the magician to be freaking out, but it felt like an episode for Necessary Roughness. That aside, I quite enjoyed his story. Didn't enjoy Evan and Hank's story as much. It was nothing but embarrassment humor, and we all know how much I hate that. Boris took Jill much more seriously than he let on, so what's up with that. And as soon as I saw the doctor, I knew he and Divya would go out.
Necessary Roughness - This show is just too serious for me. Maybe that's my problem with it. Well that and I hate seeing people in self destruct mode, which is what TK is in most of the time.
Melissa and Joey - One or two funny lines, but most of it wasn't that funny. Actually, the funniest part was having a character on a sitcom who is joke impaired.
Burn Notice - I really felt like we had two main stories dueling it out for most of the episode, although we focus more on Michael, Jesse, and Pearce at the end. Jesse and Pearce shared so many funny lines, too. I was wondering how the show would work with Michael no longer officially burned, and I think it's working quite well.
Suits - Okay, so generally I can't stand Louis. He's egotistical and pushy and obnoxious and slimy. But I felt really sorry for in this episode because he was trying to help the case, but it kept backfiring. Okay, so quite often it was questionable, but still. Meanwhile, Harvey
Wipeout (Thursday) - No one really stood out to me this week. And after 7 months of the show being one once or twice a week I'm really tiring of it. I hope they have the blind date episode with some people I met at a mud run on soon so I can give it a rest.
Expedition Impossible - My money has been on No Limits and Gypies to make the finals (I guess there will be four teams in the finals) for a while. The only thing that could stop them are injuries. And that almost happened to No Limits who went from first to last in the second part of this leg. Still, I'm glad they are around, although I really wish Fab 3 would leave already. I hate the way they yell and fight with each other. Drives me up a wall.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
What I Read in July
Even if you take out the picture books and comic strip collections in this list, I still had a very good month.
All ratings are on a scale from 1 (bad) to 5 (great).
THE BOOK OF ELSEWHERE: THE SHADOWS by Jacquline West - 4
Olive Dunwoody and her parents have moved into a new house, but soon Olive begins to suspect that something out of the ordinary is happening. In fact, she's pretty sure the pictures are moving. What's going on? I wasn't prepared for a supernatural book when I picked it up, but I still enjoyed this story aimed at tweens.
MY SPACE: BABY BLUES SCRAPBOOK #24 by Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott - 5
The MacPhersons never fail to make me laugh, and this comic strip collection is no exception.
DARKWING DUCK: CRISIS ON INFINITE DARKWINGS - 5
This fun second new adventure finds Negaduck trying to destroy Darkwing Duck by bringing in all the Darkwings from every universe and brainwashing them for evil. Very clever and lots of fun.
ATTACK OF THE DERANGED MUTANT KILLER MONSTER SNOW GOONS by Bill Watterson - 5
More laughs with this classic comic strip. There's a reason it's a family favorite.
MR. MONK ON THE COUCH by Lee Goldberg - 5
While Natalie tries to figure out the identity of a John Doe who died of natural causes, Monk investigates a string of murders that have the most unual common element - a couch. Another fun book with friends old and new that includes some good twists and laughs.
PULL MY PAW by Sue Ann Jaffarian - 5
The Bowen family faces a tense Mother's Day when family traditions come into question and one of the sisters tries to paw off an unwanted dog. Humor and heart felt moments in this e-short story and leaves you ready for the next chapter.
ROYAL PAINS: FIRST, DO NO HARM by D. P. Lyle - 4
Hank is trying to figure out why a bride to be is having spells where she doesn't know who she is, spells that leave her with holes in her memory. Meanwhile, a new health drink seems to have dire consequences. I enjoyed the story, although the portrayal of Evan bothered me. Still, a fun tie in.
SHOULD I SHARE MY ICE CREAM by Mo Willems - 5
Poor Gerald has a dilemma when he thinks maybe he should share his ice cream with best friend Piggy. Will he make the right decision? A bit of humor and some good, organic lessons about sharing (and indecision) make this another winner from Mo Willems.
THE FINAL DETAIL by Harlan Coben - 4
Myron returns to New York from an unannounced vacation when he finds out that business partner has been accused of murdering one of their clients. But she didn't really do it, did she? Outside of one scene I really didn't care for, I found this book to be a very good mystery with great characters. I have a feeling I'll be reading more.
ELI by Bill Peet - 5
The story of an aging lion that is ashamed after saving a vulture from being killed. But might that act of kindness save his life? Bill Peet's pictures are great, and the story is fun if fairly predictable.
BURN NOTICE: THE BAD BEAT by Tod Goldberg - 4
What Sam and Michael think is a simple job of helping out a guy hounded by loan sharks becomes much more complex when they find Russian mobsters are also after the guy. While the climax felt weak, overall the book was still good.
All ratings are on a scale from 1 (bad) to 5 (great).
THE BOOK OF ELSEWHERE: THE SHADOWS by Jacquline West - 4
Olive Dunwoody and her parents have moved into a new house, but soon Olive begins to suspect that something out of the ordinary is happening. In fact, she's pretty sure the pictures are moving. What's going on? I wasn't prepared for a supernatural book when I picked it up, but I still enjoyed this story aimed at tweens.
MY SPACE: BABY BLUES SCRAPBOOK #24 by Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott - 5
The MacPhersons never fail to make me laugh, and this comic strip collection is no exception.
DARKWING DUCK: CRISIS ON INFINITE DARKWINGS - 5
This fun second new adventure finds Negaduck trying to destroy Darkwing Duck by bringing in all the Darkwings from every universe and brainwashing them for evil. Very clever and lots of fun.
ATTACK OF THE DERANGED MUTANT KILLER MONSTER SNOW GOONS by Bill Watterson - 5
More laughs with this classic comic strip. There's a reason it's a family favorite.
MR. MONK ON THE COUCH by Lee Goldberg - 5
While Natalie tries to figure out the identity of a John Doe who died of natural causes, Monk investigates a string of murders that have the most unual common element - a couch. Another fun book with friends old and new that includes some good twists and laughs.
PULL MY PAW by Sue Ann Jaffarian - 5
The Bowen family faces a tense Mother's Day when family traditions come into question and one of the sisters tries to paw off an unwanted dog. Humor and heart felt moments in this e-short story and leaves you ready for the next chapter.
ROYAL PAINS: FIRST, DO NO HARM by D. P. Lyle - 4
Hank is trying to figure out why a bride to be is having spells where she doesn't know who she is, spells that leave her with holes in her memory. Meanwhile, a new health drink seems to have dire consequences. I enjoyed the story, although the portrayal of Evan bothered me. Still, a fun tie in.
SHOULD I SHARE MY ICE CREAM by Mo Willems - 5
Poor Gerald has a dilemma when he thinks maybe he should share his ice cream with best friend Piggy. Will he make the right decision? A bit of humor and some good, organic lessons about sharing (and indecision) make this another winner from Mo Willems.
THE FINAL DETAIL by Harlan Coben - 4
Myron returns to New York from an unannounced vacation when he finds out that business partner has been accused of murdering one of their clients. But she didn't really do it, did she? Outside of one scene I really didn't care for, I found this book to be a very good mystery with great characters. I have a feeling I'll be reading more.
ELI by Bill Peet - 5
The story of an aging lion that is ashamed after saving a vulture from being killed. But might that act of kindness save his life? Bill Peet's pictures are great, and the story is fun if fairly predictable.
BURN NOTICE: THE BAD BEAT by Tod Goldberg - 4
What Sam and Michael think is a simple job of helping out a guy hounded by loan sharks becomes much more complex when they find Russian mobsters are also after the guy. While the climax felt weak, overall the book was still good.
Word Association for August 10th
Time for this week's word association:
Injury :: Hurt
Incentive :: Comment
Suitable :: Replacement
Cheating :: Games
Remembering :: Funeral
Nasty :: Comment
Games :: Fun
Wife :: Husband
Challenged :: Hard
Barbaric :: Uncivilized
Injury :: Hurt
Incentive :: Comment
Suitable :: Replacement
Cheating :: Games
Remembering :: Funeral
Nasty :: Comment
Games :: Fun
Wife :: Husband
Challenged :: Hard
Barbaric :: Uncivilized
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
Wonderful Weekend
As I may have mentioned once or twice on my blog, I spent the last few days in Texas visiting my niece (and brother and sister-in-law). Specifically, I flew out there Thursday and flew back yesterday.
Now, what was wonderful wasn't the heat, although it was a big of a shock to come back to weather in the mid-80's yesterday. They are going for a record of triple digit days in Dallas this year, so it was hot. And unlike good old California, it doesn't cool off at night there like it does here.
This was the first time I'd seen my niece since Christmas. I wasn't sure what kind of reaction I would get. When she first saw me at the airport, she wasn't quite sure what to make of me, but we were halfway back to the car when she started looking around like crazy to make sure I was coming with them.
And that's prety much how the rest of the weekend went. If I left the room she was in, she started asking about me, yelling for me, or searching for me. Some times, she'd do all three. And shen she was ready to leave a room, she'd grab my hand and pull me with her.
As I told some of their friends at one point, I was eating it up.
Okay, so it seemed like it was split between being called Uncle Mark and Uncle Mike, but I'm not going to quibble over minor details like that. This is the first time I've seen her when she really was calling me Uncle anything (she's just over two), so I'm quite happy.
It really doesn't seem like I was there for three days because there was a lot going on. Thursday, I got there in the middle of the jr. high meeting at their house. Friday was the only normal day. We played at the house for a while and then headed to a splash park near their house. Basically, it's a play area with water jets of all kinds. It was fun and cool, at least for a little while.
Friday night, the youth group at their church was having their all nighter. My brother, the youth pastor, had originally planned it for a few weeks ago, but it had to be postponed. I went too, and I had a blast. I even managed to stay awake. We played broomball, and I scored the winning goal in the adults vs. youth game. Then we went to a place with lazor tag and whirlyball, a comination of bumper cars, lacross (with the plastic track balls and catchers) and basketball. It was fun but pretty tricky. Our final stop was bowling.
Naturally, that meant B and I were tired, so we slept some Saturday late morning/early afternoon. And again Sunday afternoon. But Sunday was church in the morning and then a meal with some people from church afterward.
So as you can see, it was busy. And even though I can get more sleep here at home, I would go back in a heart beat and do it all again just to hear "Uncle Mark! Uncle Mark!"
Now, what was wonderful wasn't the heat, although it was a big of a shock to come back to weather in the mid-80's yesterday. They are going for a record of triple digit days in Dallas this year, so it was hot. And unlike good old California, it doesn't cool off at night there like it does here.
This was the first time I'd seen my niece since Christmas. I wasn't sure what kind of reaction I would get. When she first saw me at the airport, she wasn't quite sure what to make of me, but we were halfway back to the car when she started looking around like crazy to make sure I was coming with them.
And that's prety much how the rest of the weekend went. If I left the room she was in, she started asking about me, yelling for me, or searching for me. Some times, she'd do all three. And shen she was ready to leave a room, she'd grab my hand and pull me with her.
As I told some of their friends at one point, I was eating it up.
Okay, so it seemed like it was split between being called Uncle Mark and Uncle Mike, but I'm not going to quibble over minor details like that. This is the first time I've seen her when she really was calling me Uncle anything (she's just over two), so I'm quite happy.
It really doesn't seem like I was there for three days because there was a lot going on. Thursday, I got there in the middle of the jr. high meeting at their house. Friday was the only normal day. We played at the house for a while and then headed to a splash park near their house. Basically, it's a play area with water jets of all kinds. It was fun and cool, at least for a little while.
Friday night, the youth group at their church was having their all nighter. My brother, the youth pastor, had originally planned it for a few weeks ago, but it had to be postponed. I went too, and I had a blast. I even managed to stay awake. We played broomball, and I scored the winning goal in the adults vs. youth game. Then we went to a place with lazor tag and whirlyball, a comination of bumper cars, lacross (with the plastic track balls and catchers) and basketball. It was fun but pretty tricky. Our final stop was bowling.
Naturally, that meant B and I were tired, so we slept some Saturday late morning/early afternoon. And again Sunday afternoon. But Sunday was church in the morning and then a meal with some people from church afterward.
So as you can see, it was busy. And even though I can get more sleep here at home, I would go back in a heart beat and do it all again just to hear "Uncle Mark! Uncle Mark!"
Saturday, August 06, 2011
Weekly TV Recap for August 6th
I made it through everything through Wednesday before I left town. Not sure yet if I will include Thursday's shows I haven't seen yet this week in next week or not. We'll have to see what happens in them.
In Plain Sight - Mary thinking about keeping the child herself? I wouldn't have predicted that earlier in the season, but when I realized what the plot of this episode would be, I knew that was coming. I'll be curious to see what they do with that next week. The witness was so monumentally stupid this week that I was rooting for her to lose her child and her freedom. Nice to see it finally happen for a change. And is it just me, or is Mary more annoying and less lovably funny with her constant snarking right now?
White Collar - Yeah, there was some plot involving an Egyptian artifact. I don't really care about that, and I was supposed to since they really hyped Elizu's guest starring spot. What captured my attention was the treasure story. Holy cow way to ramp that up. And I'm not looking forward to seeing what kind of cliffhanger they leave us with next week. So, Mozzie has fenced one of the paintings the FBI knows about. This is going to be serious trouble. How will Neal wiggle out of this one?
Covert Affairs - Annie is about to tell her sister. I wonder how that will change the dynamic of their relationship. I can see her being upset but also understanding after a while. In the plot of the week, I was glad to see that the wife wasn't a spy for the other side. She was just a scared woman on the run. I really liked her character and felt for her.
Wipeout (Tuesday) - I so wanted to see the Back to the Future guy go further. The jokes around him were so funny. Second choice was the poker guy. But I figured the body guard would be the one to win, and boy was I right there.
Take the Money and Run - An interesting premise as two citizens hide $100K and then two detectives, aided by two investigators, attempt to find it. I found it interesting that the brother, who said in the pre-show interviews that he'd love to do stuff like this every day, was the one to crack. However, I was ready for the show to be over after about 30 minutes. And they spent more time with the interrogators, who must work for the show since they are on next week's episode, then with the police detectives. I'll probably pass, although if I were bored some night (fat chance), I could totally see myself getting hooked on the show.
Royal Pains - So many interesting developments tonight. First, it sounds like they've written around Tucker, at least for the time being. Bummed since I love that character so much. Divya is pulling double duty to pain off Raj's parents. (And I'd forgotten she owned part of HankMed.) Evan and Paige are sort of engaged. And what is her secret? Meanwhile, Jill pieced together something about the "accident." I've thought all along it was someone targeting Boris. But who and why are the big questions.
Melissa & Joey - So we got two episodes tonight. I thought Emily might be Melissa's sister, although I wasn't seeing the resemblance. Turned out I was wrong on that. Still, I wasn't happy with the kids trying to find some kind of prejudice at the lesbian wedding. The second episode was some better, but still not their best stuff. Kind of makes me wonder why I keep watching in a way.
Necessary Roughness - So Wednesday must have been lesbian day since they appeared on all three of my shows. Not impressed with that storyline, and the skateboarder felt rather predictable as well. This show definitely needs something to shake it up. I was interested to see the husband trying to make things right, although I doubt that will happen. What I enjoyed most was the TK storyline. I actually didn't think it was predictable and the way he reacted to things showed a different level to the character I hope they build on and explore in future episodes.
New TV on DVD Reviews:
Get Smart - Season 1
In Plain Sight - Mary thinking about keeping the child herself? I wouldn't have predicted that earlier in the season, but when I realized what the plot of this episode would be, I knew that was coming. I'll be curious to see what they do with that next week. The witness was so monumentally stupid this week that I was rooting for her to lose her child and her freedom. Nice to see it finally happen for a change. And is it just me, or is Mary more annoying and less lovably funny with her constant snarking right now?
White Collar - Yeah, there was some plot involving an Egyptian artifact. I don't really care about that, and I was supposed to since they really hyped Elizu's guest starring spot. What captured my attention was the treasure story. Holy cow way to ramp that up. And I'm not looking forward to seeing what kind of cliffhanger they leave us with next week. So, Mozzie has fenced one of the paintings the FBI knows about. This is going to be serious trouble. How will Neal wiggle out of this one?
Covert Affairs - Annie is about to tell her sister. I wonder how that will change the dynamic of their relationship. I can see her being upset but also understanding after a while. In the plot of the week, I was glad to see that the wife wasn't a spy for the other side. She was just a scared woman on the run. I really liked her character and felt for her.
Wipeout (Tuesday) - I so wanted to see the Back to the Future guy go further. The jokes around him were so funny. Second choice was the poker guy. But I figured the body guard would be the one to win, and boy was I right there.
Take the Money and Run - An interesting premise as two citizens hide $100K and then two detectives, aided by two investigators, attempt to find it. I found it interesting that the brother, who said in the pre-show interviews that he'd love to do stuff like this every day, was the one to crack. However, I was ready for the show to be over after about 30 minutes. And they spent more time with the interrogators, who must work for the show since they are on next week's episode, then with the police detectives. I'll probably pass, although if I were bored some night (fat chance), I could totally see myself getting hooked on the show.
Royal Pains - So many interesting developments tonight. First, it sounds like they've written around Tucker, at least for the time being. Bummed since I love that character so much. Divya is pulling double duty to pain off Raj's parents. (And I'd forgotten she owned part of HankMed.) Evan and Paige are sort of engaged. And what is her secret? Meanwhile, Jill pieced together something about the "accident." I've thought all along it was someone targeting Boris. But who and why are the big questions.
Melissa & Joey - So we got two episodes tonight. I thought Emily might be Melissa's sister, although I wasn't seeing the resemblance. Turned out I was wrong on that. Still, I wasn't happy with the kids trying to find some kind of prejudice at the lesbian wedding. The second episode was some better, but still not their best stuff. Kind of makes me wonder why I keep watching in a way.
Necessary Roughness - So Wednesday must have been lesbian day since they appeared on all three of my shows. Not impressed with that storyline, and the skateboarder felt rather predictable as well. This show definitely needs something to shake it up. I was interested to see the husband trying to make things right, although I doubt that will happen. What I enjoyed most was the TK storyline. I actually didn't think it was predictable and the way he reacted to things showed a different level to the character I hope they build on and explore in future episodes.
New TV on DVD Reviews:
Get Smart - Season 1
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
When Does Life Slow Down?
In a lot of ways, this has been a very long week for me. Tomorrow, I leave for a few days in Dallas visiting family. Can't wait to see them, especially my niece.
But in other ways, it has sped by. Granted, that's my fault for trying to cram too many things into this week. Too much TV, too many reviews. Laundry. Tonight I've got to go home pack, and go to my ultimate Frisbee game. I'm hoping to squeeze Royal Pains in before I leave for the game.
This last weekend was great, too. Saturday, I went with a friend to see the new Winnie the Pooh movie. It was a whole lot more fun than I thought it would be. We both laughed all the way through it. Well worth seeing.
Then it was off to a book signing for the latest round of USA Network tie in novels. It's strange, but I'm actually up to date on those, so I don't have any to read between now and January.
Sunday I decided to head out to play ultimate Frisbee in the late afternoon. I was going to try to go for a run, but I did that instead. I had a blast. But sooner or later I'm going to have to start running sometime other than playing ultimate Frisbee again.
And I think that's about it from here. Expect a shorter than normal TV recap this week since I won't be watching all of tonight's shows or any from Thursday until I get back next week.
But in other ways, it has sped by. Granted, that's my fault for trying to cram too many things into this week. Too much TV, too many reviews. Laundry. Tonight I've got to go home pack, and go to my ultimate Frisbee game. I'm hoping to squeeze Royal Pains in before I leave for the game.
This last weekend was great, too. Saturday, I went with a friend to see the new Winnie the Pooh movie. It was a whole lot more fun than I thought it would be. We both laughed all the way through it. Well worth seeing.
Then it was off to a book signing for the latest round of USA Network tie in novels. It's strange, but I'm actually up to date on those, so I don't have any to read between now and January.
Sunday I decided to head out to play ultimate Frisbee in the late afternoon. I was going to try to go for a run, but I did that instead. I had a blast. But sooner or later I'm going to have to start running sometime other than playing ultimate Frisbee again.
And I think that's about it from here. Expect a shorter than normal TV recap this week since I won't be watching all of tonight's shows or any from Thursday until I get back next week.
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
Word Association for August 2nd
Yes, that's right. I'm posting my word association today.
- Nag :: Chores
- Smug :: Arrogant
- Barry :: Burn Notice (money launderer)
- Righteous :: in Christ
- Hairstylist :: Salon
- Vibrate :: Phone
- Deal :: of the Century
- Communicate :: Talk
- Telling :: the Truth
- Andrew :: Peter
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