Weekly TV Recap for June 30th

You'll notice that this is much shorter than last week's, which is how long this one should be this week.  But since I haven't had time to watch all the episodes and won't for a while, I'm posting this now.  We'll see how much I get done before next Saturday.  It may take me a couple weeks to catch up.

Royal Pains - They had an obstacle race in a show I watch!!!!!!  Even though I really don't want to do a zombie run, I still enjoyed watching it.  And, as much as I liked seeing Hank and Evan on the outs, I'm glad they are bringing them back together.  Boy, they were certainly going for the spooky factor with several elements of the episode, which I didn't like.  And now that Jill is gone (boo! Hiss!), they have finally updated the opening credits to include Boris and Paige.  Not that was saw Paige tonight, but it was nice to see the update.

Necessary Roughness - I wasn't super comfortable with the baseball player storyline, but I enjoyed the rest.  I especially loved seeing Matt with the kids.  Those were great scenes.  And I'll be interested to see how they play TK now that he's finally willing to open up about his shooting.

Melissa & Joey - Pretty much a predictable episode all the way around.  Some very funny lines, but both stories didn't break any new ground.  I do like that they are keeping with one boyfriend for Lennix.  In fact, the kids have steady significant others while the adults don't.  And the reference to the Melissa's Clarissa Explains It All roots was a riot as well.

Third Summer League Game

Monday night was our third summer league game.  And it was our best loss so far 13-15.

Apparently, there were some questionable calls on the field and the game got intense.  I didn't notice that.  I was too busy beating myself up over how poorly I was playing.

I got scored on several times.  Yeah, that's nothing new, but it still completely kills me.

What was worse was all the drops I had.  I dropped it once 3 times in one point.  That's just not acceptable.  It was one of those games that makes me question why I play ultimate Frisbee at all.

I'll be taking our next game off (night before Tough Mudder).  Hopefully when I get back out there I'll be more in my groove again.

Word Association for June 27th

Time for this week's word association.

1. Salon :: Hair
2. Tag :: Recess
3. Hawk :: New York (Watching Necessary Roughness right now)
4. Continuous :: Play
5. Sparkly :: Diamond
6. Foam :: Fest 5K (which I hope to do next year)
7. Lovely :: Day
8. Jokes :: Laughs
9. Shenanigans :: Pranks
10. Bear :: Brave

Wow.  All kinds of references to things this week.  Normally, the words I come up with are just words.

What's On My Nightstand - June 2012

Last Tuesday of June means it's time to find out what we're currently reading via 5 Minutes for Books What's On Your Nightstand.  For me, it's Mr. Monk is a Mess, the 14th and next to last tie in novel by Lee Goldberg.

This novel finds Natalie and Monk returning to San Francisco to a body in Natalie's bathtub.  Who is she and why did she break into Natalie's house.  Meanwhile, Monk's brother is upset because his nurse/girlfriend is missing.  Can they find her despite the fact that Monk doesn't care for her at all?

I'm about 2/3 of the way through the book, and I'm really enjoying it.  It's amazing what Lee has done with the characters.  The cases are intriguing, and I have no clue where they are going.

I'm hoping to finish tomorrow, and I can't wait to see how everything shakes out.

Weekly TV Recap for June 23rd

Royal Pains - I think they really are writing Jill out of the show.  I can't believe it.  All along, I figured there would be something that would bring her back, but she's gone, and it felt final.  I'll be interested in seeing if I'm right this week or not.  Meanwhile, it was great to have Paige back.  She added so much to the dynamic of the fighting brothers, and I can't wait to see if she helps Divya and their dad sort all this out.  Heck, will their dad make things better or worse?

Necessary Roughness - The new guy hiding a dual identity?  That was certainly a new one.  And I really like what they are doing with TK this year.  He's still self-destructive, but not quite as much as before.  It feels real to me.  And the storylines at home are feeling better, too.  We'll see if having her new relationship no longer being a secret is a good thing or a bad thing.

Melissa & Joey - I actually like the story with Ryder and Holly best.  I actually kind of like Holly, and her being nice to him out of guilt was a riot.  Melissa's boyfriend turning into Joey was funny but predictable.  Difference of course being Joey would know some boundaries that guy didn't have yet.  I'm sure they'd come and come quickly.

Burn Notice - Wow, I did not see that ending coming.  Now we've got to save the sister while we work to get Fi out.  I'm glad Nate is going to be around, but I'm sorry to hear why.  (And hadn't they moved back to Miami at one point, or was that the books?)  That scene between the brothers was so powerful.  Jesse was amazing.  This was really his episode, and he delivered.  It still feels like an episode of the week thing, just with CIA being the client.  I don't think this season will be as different as they led us to believe it was going to be from the pre-season interviews.

Suits - Things in the firm are a mess with Hardman back.  I'm not too surprised that Louis is going to be on his side.  That keeps the conflict in the main characters, but it was predictable.  And the fact that Donna and Harvey used to be an item surprised me.  I'll be interested to see if they tell us more about that.  But if there's one thing I hate, it's the characters getting together for one episode and then breaking them up again.  Please.  Either keep them apart or get them together for a few episodes.

Tron: Uprising - I've got to admit I got caught up in the action of this one.  Not surprised that his friend has turned to the villain's side because it keeps the conflict in the main characters.  If they keep building, this might become more interesting.  Then again, how many episodes do they have again?

Common Law - I'm actually surprised - they didn't show us the 400th arrest.  I figured that would be the tag, some anti-climatic thing.  I also have to wonder what two homicide detectives were doing on this robbery case.  Some of the therapy conversations made me uncomfortable, but all in all, I enjoyed the episodes.

First Two Ultimate Frisbee Games

We're in week three of ultimate Frisbee summer league, and my team has played two games.  We have two byes, and the first was during week two, which makes it hard to get much momentum going.  Not that I think it hurt us that much overall.

See, we've lost both of the games by pretty much the same margin, 15-7 or so.  It's not been too pretty, but we do seem to be gaining some ground in learning to play together.  It certainly doesn't help that some of the teams do seem to know each other pretty well.

The first week, we had a majority of the team there, but boy were we clogging and swarming the disc.  I hardly got it, but then again I was hardly open because there was no where I could run to get open.

Last night was game two, and I was definitely a factor.  I got scored on a couple of times and I threw it away once.  But I also caught it and passed it on up the line several times.  They had me back as handler, which I'm not super comfortable with, but it does mean I get the disc more.

We're also trying to just have a couple people cutting, and I think that helped some with no clogging.

Numbers wise, we were way down this week.  We only had four women show up, so they were playing most of the game, including all four on defense points.  I think I only played one defense point all night.  We had a few more guy subs, which was good since I didn't want to run too much on my hip.  Sure enough, it started bugging me today.  Wish it would heal up, especially before Tough Mudder in only two weeks.

Anyway, hopefully we'll gel and win a few games before the season is over, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

Spring Reading Things 2012 Wrap-Up

As I sit here with the sliding glass door open freezing, it seems a little hard to believe that it is the first day of summer.  But so says the calendar, so that must mean it is time for my Spring Reading Thing 2012 Wrap Up Post.  You can read more of them here.

I was a very good boy this time around, as you'll see.

All links take you to my review at Epinions.

Books on my original list finished:

Hush Now, Don't You Cry by Rhys Bowen

Trail of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz

Royal Pains: Sick Rich by D. P. Lyle

Spy School by Stuart Gibbs

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

Riley Mack and the Other Known Trouble Makers by Chris Grabenstein

Hot, Shot, and Bothered by Nora McFarland

Twice Upon a Time by James Riley

The Council of Mirrors by Michael Buckley

Fun House by Chris Grabenstein

Murder on Monday by Ann Purser

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling

Shadows on the Sand by Gayle Roper

Swift Justice by Laura DiSilverio

Echoes of Titanic by Mindy Starns Clark and John Campbell Clark

Darkwing Duck: Campaign Carnage by Ian Brill et. al.

Books not on my original list finished:

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger

Trixie Belden: The Mystery off Old Telegraph Road by Kathryn Kenny

11th Hour by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

Book I Have Started but Not Yet Finished:

Two Wrongs Don't Make a Write by Cathy Wiley  (Okay, I'm only 20 pages into it, but it counts, right?)

Books on my original list not finished:

NONE!!!!!!!!!

Thoughts:

No, I didn't read those books not on my list at the end.  I read two of them at the beginning of April and one in mid-May.  But they were all fast reads, which really helps.

It also helped that I lost my job in mid-May, giving me more time to read (although I've been watching plenty of TV still, or the list would probably be longer.)

I've been doing these challenges for several years, and usually I list way too many books and I have no hope of finishing my list.  This is only the second time I've finished, so I'm thrilled.

Weekly Word Association for June 20

Here we go with this week's word association.

1. Deep end :: Swimming Pool
2. Complications :: Plot
3. Silver :: Gold
4. Bridge :: Water
5. Delete :: File
6. Spying :: Detective
7. Ripped :: Muscles
8. Tunnel :: Vision
9. Pillow fight :: Fun
10. Useful :: Idea

Cars Land

I'm an unemployed DisNerd with an annual pass.  Of course I've been to Cars Land.  :)

Actually, I've been there twice.  A week and a half ago, I got to go with my cast member friend Brian for his cast member preview.  Then I went back this last Friday with my friends Chris and Keith for the official grand opening.

I don't think I have ever seen the detail there they have in any other land.  It is incredible.  You walk into the area, and you truly do feel like you are in Radiator Springs.  They've got plenty of stores and restaurants (too many stores if you ask me), but they also use just about all the buildings that are part of the town in the movie.

The highlight of the area, of course, is Radiator Springs Racers, the new big ride.  Yes, it's the west coast version of Test Track in Florida, but it's so much cooler.  You actually get to ride through town and all the characters from Radiator Springs have a cameo.  Then, it's off to the races and it's so much fun.  Actually, it's a little sad to know how much detail you are missing as you race by it, but it is incredible.

I'll admit I was a little disappointed with Lugi's Tires.  I was expecting more out of this ride, but that's probably because I'd heard about the Flying Saucers so much of my life.  Still, riding on air felt awesome, and I certainly did have fun.

Finally, there's Mater's Junkyard Jamboree.  This ride is really a spinner/Tilt-a-Whirl type ride.  You're being pulled behind some tractors that rotate around three circles while Mater sings a song.  But I've got to admit, this one was surprisingly fun.  You really get whipped around, and I had a big smile on my face when it was over.

Of course, one thing about both of these last two rides, they feel like they could be about 30 seconds longer each.  You're just really starting to enjoy the ride when it's all over.

Anyway, that's my thoughts on the area.  I love it and I can hardly wait to go back.

Weekly TV Recap

Royal Pains - They are not making this easy for anyone, are they?  I wonder how Divya's split will work out.  And I like how they are showing that they really did need each other.  It's nice since it all came together a little too fast in season one, so to show how it worked now is good.  Still no Paige or Boris, but it looks like at least Paige is back next week.

Necessary Roughness - There's the formula from last season.  Well, almost.  We figured out the patient of the week's problem, but we didn't know if that fixed it or not.  Meanwhile, I don't like how things with the son turned out.  And man, TK is sure interesting.  I am definitely hooked on the characters, so I will keep watching, but it's not a favorite.

Burn Notice - Things are definitely going to be interesting.  At least now the CIA is after Anson, too.  I loved who Madeline saved the day for Jesse.  And Fiona is in serious trouble with the FBI agent she's dealing with.  I will miss the client of the week, but this is shaping up to be an interesting season.

Suits - So now we're bribing Jessica to let Mike stay on?  This is going to blow up in their faces.  And I did like how Mike resolved the case with the employee and the book idea.  They have certainly set some things up for interesting storylines this season.  And the humor in some of those scenes had me laughing.

Tron: Uprising - Yes, I've started watching this.  So far, I'm not impressed with the two plots only sort of connecting.  I'll give it some more time, but it needs to get better in a hurry.

Fairly Legal - Ben is devious.  Getting Kate to move into that apartment without knowing he lives next door.  But what is with her?  Ben is bad news.  How can she possibly go for him?  And Lauren dropping the FBI bug on the ground?  How can such smart women be so stupid?  At least we found out Justin won the election since Kate uncovered stuff that made Davidson resign.  Now I just have to wait and see if the show gets renewed or not.

Common Law - So many funny moments with the therapy this week.  Of course, the case was predictable.  As soon as we learned about the lighter, it was obvious who it really was.  I wish they come up with a case that surprised me.

New TV on DVD Reviews:

DuckTales Volume 1   

Charlie's Angels 2011 - Complete Series   

Word Association for June 13th

Here's the word association for the week.

1. Stitches :: Laughter
2. Reckless :: Driving
3. Wealth :: Scrooge McDuck
4. Tenant :: Apartment
5. Recognize :: Achievement
6. Hospital :: Sick
7. Bangs :: Hair
8. Hello :: Good Bye
9. Folder :: Paper
10. Glamour :: Glitz

Camp Pendleton - 2012

Yep, another year, another Camp Pendleton Mud Run.

Through a long set of circumstances, I wound up doing this one alone.  Wasn't my first choice, but I survived, obviously.  It really hit me at the end when there was no one to compare war stories with and I had to find a stranger to at least take a pic with me by the sign so I had proof I'd been there.

The course was the same as always.  What changed this year was that they let us go in waves.  I was in the first wave, although by the time I finished, I was seeing bib numbers from all the different waves.

The big change this year was the water crossing.  The first year I did it, it was about neck level.  Last year, I definitely had to swim.  This year?  There was hardly any water in it at all.  Really, it provided two more mud puddles that were maybe 2 inches deep.

And I improved my time by 9 minutes.  I just look at my results, and I finished in 1 hour 20 minutes and 7 seconds.  Last year, it was 1:29.  The waves helped because I never really got slowed down on the course by other people.  It was just me running at my own pace.

Weekly TV Recap for June 9th

Royal Pains - So they aren't going to resolve the brother's fight right away.  Frankly, I'm glad.  And I think it will give us some interesting stories as everyone tries to work things out.  I'm still curious how they are going to keep Jill around because it looks like she is on her way out the door.  And if Boris and Paige are now main characters, where were they?  Granted, the episode was full enough as it was.

Necessary Roughness - I think I'm going to stick with this one.  This episode, at least, was interesting, and it moved things forward in some big ways.  Yes, they are setting the balls in motion for the story arcs this season, but I'm okay with that.

Melissa & Joey - I guess they're done with the home renovation stories because the house was finished.  Not that comfortable with the first episode.  Certainly glad my roommates weren't watching with me.  The second one was funnier, especially since Melissa was sneaking away for some down time.

Fairly Legal - Again, a very good mystery.  I knew that truck was involved somehow all along.  I like how that let them resolve stuff.  I wish I trust that Kate was going to stay with Justin, but I'm worried she has feelings for Ben and is going to be stupid and dump him.

Common Law - Wes' ex made for a great episode.  It was nice to see the loyalty the two of them truly do have for each other even when they are attacking each other face to face.  The son should have been the obvious suspect, so I'm not quite sure why I didn't see him.  The therapy sessions?  Priceless.  All told, enjoyable again.

New TV on DVD Reviews:

(Can you tell that USA Network went on a release spree this week?)

Burn Notice - Season 5    

Fairly Legal - Season 1     

Necessary Roughness - Season 1     

In Plain Sight - Season 4   

White Collar - Season 3    

San Bernardino Sheriff's Mud Run

Yeah, I'm really behind in some things.  For example, I'm just now talking about the San Bernardino Mud Run, which I did back on May 19th.

I was hoping to do it with a friend, but he wound up being too busy, so it was just me.  I also drove over and back that day (originally, I was going to spend the night over there) to save money.  But it turned out to be a great day overall.

The race itself got off to a late start.  And we hardly saw any mud or anything in that first mile.  But after that, we saw lots of mud.  The last two miles were almost all one mud pit after another.  Variety of obstacles?  There were a couple of walls and some logs to climb over at the end.  Other than that, it was pits with hills in between.  And lots and lots of them.

Not that I'm complaining.  It was fun for something different.  I had so much gravel in my shoes at the end that it wasn't funny.  I felt like I had half the course with me.  But it was a good day.

And then on the way home, I stopped and hung out with a friend in Pasadena for a couple hours.

All told, it was a good day.

My May Reads

Here are the books I read in May.  Links will take you to my full review at Epinions.

All ratings are on a scale from 1 (bad) to 5 (great).

THE COUNCIL OF MIRRORS by Michael Buckley - 5

The conclusion to the Sisters Grimm series finds Sabrina and Daphne leading the good guys in a fight to take out The Master once and for all.  Can they succeed?  The book is dark at times, but we are fighting a war here.  Fans of the series will certainly enjoy seeing how it ends, although if you aren't familiar with the series, start at the beginning.

FUN HOUSE by Chris Grabenstein - 4

A reality competition has come to Sea Haven, and Ceepak and Danny have gotten caught up in the action when the sudden star of the show is caught with steroids.  But when the bodies turn up, they have to dig deep to find the killer.  As always, I loved spending time in this resort town and with the cops, who continue to develop as a characters.  The book is filled with foul language, which reminds me why I don't watch the shows that were being spoofed here.

MURDER ON MONDAY by Ann Purser - 1

Lois Meads has taken on some cleaning jobs in a neighboring village to help her family financially.  But when a murder disrupts the village, her clients become suspects.  Will she pick up clues to help find the killer?  Despite (or because of) some flaws, I liked Lois.  However, the plot started slowly and never really gained speed.  I was glad to be finished with this one.

11TH HOUR by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro - 4

The Women's Murder Club only takes on two cases this time around.  First, there are the skulls found in an actor's garden.  Then there's the man killing drug dealers.  I was actually surprised to find that the ladies worked together to solve one of these cases, which hasn't happened for a while.  In the end, it's a Patterson book, but it was fun.

HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS by J. K. Rowling - 4.5

I finally got around to rereading the second in the series.  I love the characters and overall story, but these books sure do start slowly.  Fortunately, she manages to work in most of the seemingly random things later in the book this time around.

Word Association for June 4th

Yep, I'm starting the week with the word association for the week.

1. Model :: Plane
2. Clash :: Fight
3. Frightening :: Story
4. Instinct :: Survival
5. Award show :: Winner
6. Editing :: Story
7. Frumpy :: Dumpy
8. Everyone :: Inclusive
9. Lifting :: Weight Training
10. Agencies :: Employment

Weekly TV Recap

Just a few shows this week, but the USA Network will be starting it's summer season over the next couple of weeks, so I'll be getting more shows to watch very soon.

Melissa & Joey - I've got to admit, I was a little surprised by just how much fun I had with these two episodes.  Yes, the stories were predictable.  Some of the jokes were as well, and I still laughed at them.  But it was so much fun to see these characters again.  I wonder just how long they are going to go with the remodel as a basis for the plots, although if it gives them some story to focus on, that's fine with me.

Fairly Legal - I got caught up in the mystery of this one right away.  And on a mystery show, an accidental death wouldn't be a favorite, but here I liked it.  I felt the sub-plot with Justin got sacrificed as far as the climax goes.  Oh, and I still don't like Ben, although he seems more human than he did earlier in the season.

Common Law - I should have spotted the killer early on since the final scene was obvious as soon as they figured it out.  Frankly, the entire murder plot as a bit ho hum, but the interactions with the characters were fun.  That's what I really like about the show so far.

New TV on DVD Reviews:

Royal Pains Season 3 Volume 2    

The Flash - Complete Series