Weekly TV Recap for March 30th

As you can see, I've really behind this week.  Three shows to catch up on when I'm back in town.  But it will happen.  Eventually.

Once Upon a Time – I guess that’s the end of adult August on the show.  I’m bummed because I liked him.  Of course, the actor has moved on to other things since he wasn’t a full time on this show, but they had to do something.  And I called it that Neal’s fiancée is the HER that the stranger has been calling.  This will get interesting.

The Amazing Race – Since my parents lived in that part of Botswana at one time, I found the location cool.  They really found it interesting since they lived there.  Granted, it was years and years ago, so it’s changed quite a bit, but still.  Anyway, I do feel sorry for the teams that were in the lead and fell behind thanks to the equal footing they were on.  While it makes things more interesting, I also feel sorry for them when a huge lead falls apart like that.  Isn’t there a way they can let them catch up without making it equal footing?

Castle – Some very funny parts, but a more serious and suspenseful Ryan centric episode.  I enjoyed it, although I pretty much called the ending, especially with Jenny, from a ways away.  I loved the scene where they caught the mob and Ryan was calling out his partners.  So well done and so funny.

Dancing with the Stars – There is a cynical part of me that wonders just how long before the results show did Dorothy decide to withdraw.  I seriously doubt it was during that last commercial break like they said.  Either way, I could tell it was a hard decision for her, and I have to respect her for making it.

Splash – Seriously, how are these judges coming up with their scores?  I feel like I’m watching Whose Line where the scores are made up and the points don’t matter.  There was no way the people at the top deserved the same score.  At least the right person went home this week.  But the scoring needs to be fixed or it is going to kill the show.

Survivor - Please, can Phillip go?  His ego needs to be brought way down to size.  I wonder if the fans have any chance at this point.

Word Association for March 28th

Here's the word association for this week.

1. Taco :: Bell
2. Serve :: Waiter
3. Cubicle :: Work
4. Moonlighting :: Not work
5. Creaky :: Stairs
6. Bittersweet :: Chocolate
7. Hop :: bunny
8. Install :: Software
9. Quick :: Fast
10. Hybrid :: Car

St. Pat's Hat 2013

So, as I mentioned Monday, this past weekend was St. Pat’s Hat.  It’s been two years since I played, so I was thrilled to be back.

The weather for the weekend can be unpredictable.  The last two years, it’s been so rainy that we had to move to the beach.  (I did play two years ago, just not last year because my parents were visiting.)  This year, the weather was beautiful.  Sunny and warm the entire time.  I couldn’t have asked for anything better.

Unfortunately, we got a last start on Saturday.  I’m not quite sure what the story was with the fields, but we got moved at the last minute and we had to wait to start until 4PM.  That gave me time to get some much needed work done on my car – work I didn’t know needed to be done.  They finished it just in time for me to get down and pick up my shirt before the first game.

I was on team orange, and we went 2-1 on Saturday.  That was enough to get us to fourth place and a first round bye on Sunday.  Sunday, we lost the first game, but we did win our consolation game.  The weather had to be in the upper 70’s to low 80’s with a breeze that wasn’t too strong.  In other words, perfect.

Personally, my only real shining moment was catching the score that won the second game.  Unfortunately, I followed that up with being scored on multiple times in round three.  On Sunday, the only time I got open I managed to throw the disc away.  Okay, so the guy fumbled it, but it wasn’t the best pass in the world.  At least that was in the game we won.

And over the course of the weekend, I got to reconnect with some friends I've made in the group.  That's always a joy of playing these days.

I stayed for the finals, drawn by the promise that we could use our hats if one of the teams got more than 3 points ahead to create hat D’s.  I think one might have happened, but it wasn’t obvious.  And the game was a blowout.  It was 15-4, I think.  You could tell what other people thought by how many people left at half time.  I probably should have to.  Oh well.

A Hike in Thousand Oaks

A week ago Sunday, I met up with my friends Chris and Charles for a hike.  Turned out it was Charles birthday, although I didn’t know that at the time.

Anyway, since they live in Ventura, I drove out there.  From there, we headed down to a trail they know about in Thousand Oaks.  It was a fun hike in a canyon that did mean some hills.  We headed down to a waterfall and back up.  Considering how close we were to the craziness of the city, it was nice and secluded.

Of course, we weren’t lonely.  We’ve been having gorgeous weather on the weekends, and that day was no exception.  Even there, close to the coast, temps had to be in the upper 70’s.  I wish I had worn shorts, that’s for sure.

Chris is the friend I did Tough Mudder with last year.  He and I had signed up to do it again with Charles.  It has been canceled this last week, so we are applying for a refund.  Part of me is disappointed because I need some goal like that to get me to run more than 3 miles at a time.  And yet, as he and I were telling Charles what he wouldn’t be missing, both of us concluded we were kind of glad we wouldn’t have to face that hard course again.

Since I hadn’t hung out with them in a while, it was nice to catch up.  We had fun hanging out together.  Next time I see them will probably be at Chris’s wedding in just a few weeks.  Speaking of which, I need to get my RSVP in the mail for that.

Whack Upside the Head

Yes, I have lots of fun stuff to blog about.  I really have fallen behind and have a couple of days of posts I need to write.  But that’s not today.  Today, it’s all about the whack upside the head I got yesterday.

This weekend was the St. Pat’s Hat tournament, one of the things I need to blog about.  I was planning to skip church for the second day, which I thought was going to start at 9:45.  Turns out my team did well enough to have a bye, which I found out Sunday morning.  Now a good person would have taken the opportunity to go to church.  Instead, I took the opportunity to finish my book.  I crawled into bed and started to read.

I was reading Joni and Ken: An Untold Love Story, and you can get a good picture of what happened by reading my review.

As I was reading about how God got a hold of Ken, it hit me.  The drifting I’ve been doing recently is because I am just going through the motions.  And prayer?  Outside of a few hastily thrown off prayers when I remember something a friend has asked me to pray about, that’s about it.  All I could think was, How can God get a hold of me while I am spending so little time seeking him.

Who knows what I missed at church.  It might have hit me just as much.  But this was definitely what I needed when I needed it.  God was certainly in charge.

So what does this look like going forward?  I honestly don’t know specifics yet.  I’m trying to figure that out.  But I know I need to start praying and now.  I need to stop letting life distract me from what truly matters – God.

Of course, all this comes up as I am trying to get a week worthy of reviews up on my review blog so I can relax when I’m with my family and enjoy spending time with them.  Even at the best of times, that has become an all consuming side project that will take me about six months.  I want to keep this going so I can finish as quickly as possible.  And yet, what is more important?  The two sides of me are warring at the moment, and I’m trying to figure out how I can fit something else into my life.  I don’t have the time, and yet I am trying.

I have a feeling the next few weeks will be very interesting.

Weekly TV Recap for March 23rd

Once Upon a Time – I figured out who the stranger was half way through the episode.  So he’s been more important all along.  Regina is just looking for someone to love her, but she’s going about it all wrong.  Still, it makes me feel for her.  Speaking of feeling for her, I truly feel for Snow.  Yes, she committed murder, but the regret is so painful to watch.  And yes, that means the writing and acting are perfect.

The Amazing Race - I was sorry to see the father/son team leave since I liked them, but I was also glad he was going to get his leg taken care of.  That kind of stuff is nothing to mess around with.  It did take the suspense out of the rest of the leg and ruined the drama of the double U-Turn, but it had to be done.

Dancing with the Stars – It looks like DL, the reason I tuned in, will be gone early.  But I might stick around.  It’s a fun show, and it’s a good background while copying reviews show.  Plus there are some good dancers already showing their talent.  It will be interesting to see how they do next week.

Castle – That may have been the funniest of their horror spoofs.  I was certainly laughing at it.  Not quite sure I bought the killer, but I loved it.

Splash – Yes, I watched, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.  Well, I am ashamed because I keep saying I’m not adding any more shows.  The judges were too harsh on Keisha and too easy on some of the others.  Still, I was glad to see they were judging the celebs and not as if they were real divers.  That wouldn’t have been fun to watch at all.

Arrow - I really wasn't looking to see The Huntress again.  I'm so over her.  I was sorry to see his new girlfriend go like that, however.  At least she's not dead.  I knew ultimately she was a plot complication and not a serious girlfriend, but I liked her.

Survivor - The fans are toast.  Unless something serious happens, they will not last much beyond the merge.  And the one team with the older people on it is also toast because they will just lose challenges.  And can we please commence operation get Phillip the heck off my TV screen as soon as humanly possible?  Pretty please with sugar on top?

Psych - Now there was a classic psych episode.  Wild ride with twists and turns and plenty of laughs with the characters not being so out there as to be annoying.  I hope the writers and actors have found their groove now.

Word Association for March 21st

Here's my word association for this week.

1. Sweetpea :: Doodle Dice
2. Fuss :: Baby
3. Stocky :: Heavy
4. Reason :: Faith
5. Humble :: St. Paul
6. Purposeful :: Quest
7. Week :: 7 Days
8. Intimidate :: Couple
9. Choice :: Change
10. Coming home :: Relax

Spring Reading Thing 2013

Yes, there is a Spring Reading Things in 2013.  But I won't be posting about it here.  Instead, you can read my intro post over at Carstairs Considers.

Happy Spring Everyone!!!!

March Disneyland Trip

When I bought my Disneyland pass, I had always had in mind taking a day off work here and there while school was in session to go.  Of course, I’ve been working my temp job for six months now, and taking time off means losing pay.  But I did do that this last Tuesday to go.

The reason?  I got to hang out with my friend and former roommate Mark.  We hadn’t seen each other since we hung out at Disneyland 10 months ago.

The day in the park was great.  It was more crowded than I wanted it to be, but we still got in quite a few rides.  Mark hadn’t spent any times in Cars Land, so we hit all three of the rides there.  I also introduced him to Toy Story Midway Mania, which he loved.  Unfortunately, he beat me at that and Buzz Lightyear over in Tomorrowland.

We started and ended out day in CA Adventure, but we did hit Disneyland in the middle of the day.  Thanks to some perfect timing and fast passes, we hit all the big rides over there, too.

And we got to catch up.  That’s fairly easy when you are spending hours with someone in lines, but it was nice to find out what all is happening with him and still have time to goof off.

And the weather was perfect!  I was wearing shorts all day.  I did put on a sweatshirt, but I never felt the need to put on the pants I brought.

I’ve only got six weeks left on my pass!  And I’ve got to get one more visit in before it expires.  It’ll probably be right at the end of April, but I’ve got until the end of April to use it one last time.

Weekly TV Recap for March 16th

The Amazing Race – A team leaves with an express pass in their pocket.  Obviously, they should have used it instead of switching tasks, but I can see the temptation to save it as long as possible.  I wasn’t a big fan of that team, so I’m okay with seeing them go.  Can’t believe the father/son came in first again.  I just wonder what he is doing to his leg long term by continuing on.

Once Upon a Time – I seriously can’t believe they killed Cora.  I was bracing myself for one of our heroes, so I was glad she was the one to go.  However, the consequences for Snow and Regina for the rest of the season are going to be dramatic.  Can’t wait to see where things go next week.

Survivor - Brandon is as delusional as ever.  How was making people so upset they wanted to get rid of you being the master of your own fate?  Seriously?  He is right about one thing - Phillip is in charge.  I only hope the rest of his tribe sees that and stands up to him because I really want them both gone now.

Psych - My roommate and I are both a little disappointed in the season so far.  It's lost the spark, partially because Gus has become a one note character.  It didn't help that I'm not a fan of the lost footage format of storytelling.  This one had its moments, but overall they need to step up their game.

Big Bang Theory - Every so often, they throw us a more serious episode, and that's definitely what this one was.  Still, I liked it, and I really like the development they gave Howard.  I'm very curious what was really in the letter, although all of those answers would have been great.  Well, except for Sheldon's.

Nikita - Yes, I've gotten both of them watched.  Enjoyed last weeks, but I found a serious plot hole in this week's.  Why couldn't they go after Ari and then go after Alex's friend?  Why did both have to happen right now?  That's the part I do not get.  Although the tension between Nikita and Alex will certainly be interesting to watch.

Parental Visit

Friday was my birthday, and to help me celebrate, my parents came down for a visit.

They weren’t able to leave until Friday, so they got down here on Friday night.  By the time they got here, we didn’t have time for much else beside dinner, presents, and bed.

And Saturday, our weekend was off and running.  We spent most of the day at the Reagan Presidential Library.  I used to go regularly before they jacked up the prices.  That obviously isn’t keeping people away because it was crowded while we were there.  It was fun to be back.  Boy, so many of Reagan’s quotes sounded like they could have been said today.

We were there for a Disney exhibit, which was certainly fun.  However, I think I liked the one they did 12 years ago (the first time I went there.  Yikes!) better.

Saturday night, we headed over to my friends Joe and Erica’s house so my parents could finally meet them.  We had a great visit with them.

Sunday started with church followed by lunch with my friends Josh and Beth.

After lunch, we headed to a county park in the area and went for a hike.  While the day was windy, the wind was pretty much missing the canyon, so it turned out to be perfect weather for the hike.  From there, we came back to my condo for some slight work, dinner, a quick game, and The Amazing Race.

So as you can see, it was busy, but it was also lots of fun.  Monday, I was back to work and they were driving home.

Word Association for March 11th

Here's this week's word association.

1. Align :: Straighten
2. Collar :: White
3. Orphan :: Annie
4. Program :: Computer
5. Waves :: Ocean
6. Accident :: Car
7. Offices :: Work
8. Corrupt :: Politician
9. Tears :: Cry
10. Family :: Visit

Weekly TV Recap for March 9th

I haven't had a chance to watch Nikita yet, but here's the rest of my TV thoughts for the week.

Once Upon a Time – I can certainly see where Mary Margaret is coming from, but her change in attitude is going to spell bad news.  And I knew that even before they showed us the preview of the episode.  And they told us how Neal could still be so young – he’s a lost boy!  I love it!!  Now, to see how next week turns out.  I’m very, very worried about it.

White Collar – Speaking of worried, how could they leave us with that cliffhanger????  And Neal’s dad running off like that?  They’d better nail him and good.  Is it fall yet?

Survivor – Well the team of fans finally made some smart decisions by voting off the weakest player.  Alliances are good, but if they blind you to what needs to be done to help your team, they’re just stupid.  I’m not sorry to see the guy leave, although I’m sorry to see him leaving for medical reasons.

Psych – I knew where they were ultimately going with this one early on.  I just wonder how long Shawn’s mom will be around.  One episode?  More?  Not the best episode, but entertaining

The Big Bang Theory – I really like Raj with this gal.  I hope she sticks around for at least a few more episodes.  And he is so sweet with her.  Granted, we’ve seen that side of him before.  The guys at the school was cringe worthy, but I did enjoy the ladies going to Disneyland (naturally).

Word Association - Birthday Edition

I'd better do a quick word association post or it won't happen this week.

1. Schedule :: Work
2. Guest :: Party
3. Stall :: Horse
4. Cold :: Weather
5. Editorial :: Opinion
6. Striped :: shirt
7. Curtains :: Night
8. Cramping :: Foot
9. March :: Soldier
10. Folder :: Paper

Mardi Gras Madness 5K 2013

This past Saturday was the Mardi Gras Madness 5K here in town, and I did it for the second year in a row.

The course was the same as last year.  It was pretty much flat except for the bridge they have us use to cross over the main street and get to the bike path.  Starts and ends in a strip mall. It’s actually kind of fun that way for something different.

Last year, it was my first time doing a 5K in under 30 minutes.  I was a bit slower than that this year – I completed it in 30:38.  But considering I’ve been running once a week most of the year, I’m actually okay with that.  If I’d been using my watch to pace myself, I probably could have done it under half an hour, but I really didn’t care.

Another difference this year was my roommate did it with me.  He beat me, but I was kind of expecting that.  And I think it was only by a couple of minutes.

This race benefits a program that trains teens in town to run the LA marathon.  What was fun is that two teens I know are part of the program this year, and I spotted one of them at the race directing traffic.  I got a kick out of that.

The weather was perfect, a tad nippy but warming up quickly.  In fact, it was so nice, I went to play ultimate Frisbee that morning after the run.  I just couldn’t sit inside on a day like that.

It did cool off that evening by the time I went out for a friend’s birthday party.  We were sitting outside for a while, and I wished I had brought by jacket.

Weekly TV Recap for March 2nd

Castle – I was right.  It really was all about Alexis.  And Sarah was cover/a draw for Castle’s dad.  I wish I hadn’t known we were going to meet him during sweeps since that took a big twist out of the show (and kind of helped me know it was Alexis), but it was still a cool episode.  I’ll be interested to see how finally meeting him plays out over the course of the rest of the season.

White Collar – I was almost liking the new boss, but then she had to go and be working for the enemy.  I was expecting that “twist” but I hoped to be proved wrong.  The case itself was fun, although I did feel a little sorry for the true artist.

Survivor – So is it wrong that I’m rooting for the Favorite over the Fans?  Especially if they are going to keep that one guy around.  He’s a whiner of the first order and needs to go.  Granted, there are several “favorites” I want to see off my TV as well, but he’s annoying me the most right now.

Arrow – A gripping episode.  I was worried that the man would die, so I was glad he didn’t.  Arrow revealing his identity to his friend?  Who’s next?  And the fact that he said he never intended to tell him?  Amazing honesty.  But just what is his mom into, and will she tried to kill this guy again?

Psych – It was good to have them back.  A bit more of a serious episode, but since they were coming back from that cliffhanger, I’m not surprised.  I also wasn’t surprised that Henry lived.  It’s not the kind of show to kill someone, plus Shawn and Henry’s relationship is a key to things.  The plot seemed to head off away from what happened last time, but that might just be me and my faulty memory since it’s been a year since the last episode aired.

Nikita - Amanda is devious and so vengeful.  She makes the best villain!  I think she's better while on the run than Percy ever was, although he was a pretty good villain, too.