Weekly TV Recap for September 28th

The fall season is back in full force.  And I think I've already found one show I will be following.  Jury is still out on the other two new shows I started this week.

Dancing with the Stars – Just as I predicted, it’s going to take the judges really giving Bill Nye low scores to get him off the show.  I’ve got nothing against him, but he’s not in the same league as everyone else and doesn’t deserve to stick around based most of the field.  But he’s very popular, so we’ll see how long he lasts.

Castle – A bit of fun, especially with Pi.  He’s going to be a fun addition for however long he lasts.  I’m sure Castle almost dying will be part of what gets Beckett to move back to New York.  And Ryan is going to be a blast as a new dad, I can tell already.  I’d forgotten we had a cliffhanger coming.  Not too worried about it, but I’ll be glad when this show is back to episodic.  I’m about cliffhangered out and want new, fun material.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – It was a typical pilot in that it set up characters and the universe the show plans to explore.  But it was certainly fun, and I can already tell I’ll grow to love some of the characters.  The humor was great, too.  Joss, I’m giving you a fourth chance.  You’d better not break my heart again.

Survivor – Well, it didn’t take long for Cody to show his true colors.  And to think the returning players had a chance to vote him out when they could.  I only have sympathy for them because I have to put up with him.  Not surprised that Rupert didn’t make it, although I’m sorry to see him leave so soon.  And this is definitely messing with the normal strategy.  I wasn’t sure I’d like it, but I think I am.  It’s added another layer to the game I find intriguing.

The Big Bang Theory – The first episode was fine, but the second one was so funny.  Howard’s scenes totally stole the show.  Actually, totally stole both shows.  I did appreciate them giving Penny and Sheldon some good scenes together since I always love their relationship.  And Amy and Bernadette’s scenes in the first one were pretty good, too.

The Crazy Ones – I can see some potential here, especially with the relationship between Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar.  I wasn’t blown away by the pilot, but it is a pilot.  I’ll give it a couple weeks and see where it goes.

The Michael J. Fox Show – I feel like they are trying to be funny.  I can sense the funny is right there.  And yet I really didn’t laugh.  Can’t quite figure out what the issue is, but there it is.

Word Association for September 27th

Closing out the week with a little word association.

1. Laceration :: Wound
2. Shower :: Clean
3. Filed :: Paperwork
4. Possibility :: Endless
5. Horror :: Story
6. Entry :: to Event
7. Hospital :: Stay
8. Switched :: at Birth
9. Guilty :: Verdict
10. Mistake :: Made

Survivor Mud Run 2013

It had been two months.  It was time to get back in the mud.

Fortunately, I had a fun run scheduled for last weekend.  Spencer and I headed down to Lake Ellsinore for the Survivor Mud Run.  This is the third year in a row I’ve done this run, and it is worth it.

They have most of their obstacles in the middle, including their mud.  That gives you some long stretches to run, but it’s worth it.  The mud is plentiful, they make you crawl through all of it, and it is deep.  I got as muddy as always without even trying.

One highlight was definitely the pit after the tub crawl.  You got muddy no matter how hard you tried to avoid it.  It was deep and you had a drop off into the mud.  Not much you could do about it.

They also had some thick spots where you pretty much had to drop and roll.

As always, we took a detour through the lake, which was fun.  We spent some time cleaning off, but then the final mud pit – the one right before the finish line – got us again.

I had planned to arrive plenty early because they always have long lines to pick up your bib and drop off your bag.  That wasn’t an issue at all this year.  In fact, we had everything and were ready to run in about 20 minutes.  A definitely improvement over just barely being ready in time in the past.

It’s a long drive – 2 hours one way – and I was trying to decide if I thought it was worth it.  The answer is a resounding yes.  Can’t wait to go back again next year.

Ornament Signing

I’m falling behind in blogging again!

Almost a week and a half ago (see what I mean?), I went to a Hallmark ornament signing.  And the best part?  It was here in town at the store I shop at the most.

The artist was one I didn’t have many ornaments from, but I do have quite a few pieces that all the artists have worked on, so I still have a lot I wanted to get signed.  Well, 9, anyway.  I did manage to get them all signed, but I stayed all day to do it.

We were having some late summer heat, so it got hot outside the store where most of us were waiting.  But I learned about some fun Hallmark stuff from before I started collecting.  No, I’m not going to go out and buy it, but it is nice to know about it.

The store had some fun with a racing theme since the artist is known for his car ornaments.  And they had an old car for him to make his grand entrance at the beginning of the day.

He was a great sport.  He stayed late to sign everything people wanted signed at the end of the day.  And he took a late lunch as well for the collectors.

Overall, it was a long day and a hot day, but it was fun as well.  Now I can start thinking about the ornament I’ll buy at Debut in just a couple of weeks.

Weekly TV Recap for September 21st

Dancing with the Stars – So should we start taking bets on how low the judges are going to have to score Bill Nye before he really leaves?  He’s the weakest, at least after week one.  But he’s also the most popular, so he’ll have that going for him.  Overall, this is a very strong field.  I’m very curious to see how the season plays out.

Covert Affairs – Well, they finally showed us the scene with Annie being shot in the elevator.  And, as I figured, it was all her faking her death.  At least they told us that before we had our 4 week break.  I’m curious to see what happens next with Henry.  That story has been strong.  But seriously?  They always seem to do something that annoys me.

Suits – They’ve wrapped up some of the major storylines so far this season in very satisfying ways.  The lawsuit has been dropped and Rachel made her choice of law schools.  (Like she was going to chose the one that wrote her out of the show.)  But Louis now being about to find out Mike’s secret?  That’s not going to be good news at all.

Survivor – The returning players were stupid.  First, they didn’t vote out Colton when they had the chance.  I don’t get the whole “I don’t know you, so I’m voting you out” thing.  Go with the guy you know who is a complete jerk.  I won’t feel sorry for them with any drama coming up.  I’ll just feel sorry for us for having to put up with it.  Then the whole over celebrating thing was a bit much.  I don’t blame the tribe of loved ones for recognizing that fact.  Still, I think this is going to be a very interesting season.  Like what will happen to the guy alliance when the two tribes merge.  And how personal will this game get at the end.

Wipeout – There were some seriously disgusting jobs and puns in this episode.

Word Association for September 19th

Time for this week's word association?  I think so.

1. Medication :: Prescription
2. Communication :: Talking
3. Freshest :: Vegetable
4. Home remedy :: Honey
5. Notebook :: Journal
6. Cheerful :: Person
7. Nurse :: Sick
8. Shirt :: Pants
9. Dress :: Up
10. Gift :: Christmas

Family Excitement

Last week, my brother had an emergency appendectamony.  I got a text about it Monday night as they were waiting for the surgery to start.

No, I didn’t go up or anything.  Thanks to phone calls and text messages, I was able to keep up on what was happening.  Isn’t modern technology grand?  He has had some complications, but his surgeon has things under control now, and he is on the slow road to recovery.

The ironic thing in all this is that he is now the age I was when I had my appendix out seven years ago.  Don’t know if that’s a sign of anything or not.  We think it was just a coincidence, but it is funny.

As I say, he is doing better now, although he isn’t recovering as quickly as he would like.

Meantime, I got to have dinner with my parents last night.  They are heading down to a wedding in the extended family this weekend, so they stopped on their way by.  Actually, we had dinner in Burbank after I got out of work.  After we’d eaten, we sat on a bench and chatted for another couple hour.  It was a great visit.

Weekly TV Recap for September 14th

Covert Affairs – Looks like I was right.  The opening scene of the season is also going to be our summer break cliffhanger.  I’m just glad we’ve only got a few weeks to wait for the fall season to start.  I was shocked when they killed Teo.  All bets are going to be off now to get Henry.

Suits – And the drama continues.  I was not expecting all of them to be sued for malpractice, although I can certainly see it.  But the dysfunction is something we love.  And Rachel and Mike?  How can such a smart guy be so stupid?

Royal Pains – I was expecting major cliffhangers, and they didn’t deliver.  Not that I’m complaining.  They wrapped up most of the storylines this season.  I am glad to see that Evan and Paige are going to work on their marriage.  Obviously, I love that couple.  I was afraid with the marriage not being valid they’d just decide to split.  I’m most curious to see what Hank will be like when he returns next summer.  And how surprising is it to find a summer season of the show that actually represents a summer.  This is a first.

Wipeout – The hotties did worse than normal, but my favorite was the unhappy Lost fan.  Seeing as how I agree with him much of the time, is it really a surprise?  And the jokes they managed to make from that show were great.

Burn Notice – I was so worried when they started talking about killing one of the characters.  Fortunately, I had guessed they might do exactly what they did, so I was prepared and okay with it.  Still, those were some emotional scenes as the characters said goodbye.  What that means is that overall, I did like it.  And I love the little things they throw in to fans like the references to the opening, C4, and yogurt.  Well done.

Graceland – A good wrap up of many of the plots, although I'm not sure how I feel about Briggs seeming to get away with everything until the cliffhanger.  I'm going to have to see how I'm feeling next summer.  I might be back, or I might say it was a great first season and leave it at that.

Word Association for September 12th

I should be in bed.  And instead, what am I doing?  That's right - word association.

1. Sacred :: God
2. Distill :: Beer
3. Haunting :: Ghost
4. Delete :: Computer
5. People :: Crowd
6. Corrupt :: Politician
7. Hanger :: Shirt
8. Gotham :: City
9. Igloo :: Cold
10. Spanish :: Language

Weekly TV Recap for September 7th

Summer Camp – Really, was there any question who would win?  I was expecting the guys all along.  I’m curious why they brought the rest of the campers back unless it was to give away the prize at the end.  Oh, and something tells me it was really two or three weeks instead of all summer like they keep talking.

Covert Affairs – Another intense episode.  Annie is in some serious trouble even if she can get to Henry first.  And what is Auggie going to do?  Still no idea why they had to give us the teaser – twice – about Annie being shot.  This season is intense enough as it is.

Suits – So we’ve ended the murder trial.  But I have a feeling things are going to be just as messy next week if not more so.  Poor Jessica has been so used at this point.  Still, it was nice to see them all in the courtroom.  And Donna getting to deliver the bad news twice?  Priceless.

Melissa & Joey – Well, it wasn’t quite as bad as I thought it might be.  Still, I’m not happy about the drunk/love potion portion of getting them together.  At least it doesn’t look like it will stick, so I may keep watching.

Royal Pains – The fallout from Hank’s drug use continues, which is a good thing at least.  It’s better than just moving on to something else.  Poor Paige with Evan winning.  I fee so sorry for her.  Something tells me we are going to have several big cliffhangers next week.

Wipeout – A few pretty funny moments, although I was very disappointed with the Disney prince.  He gave all of us DisNerds a bad name.

Burn Notice – They are teasing that someone dies before it is all over.  Sorry, but that’s not going to make me happy.  But it won’t be Fi, at least not right away.  She’s just too obvious.  They had better really turn things around by next week.  That’s all I’m saying.

Graceland – You don’t think that maybe, just maybe, the tape will prove you acted in self-defense against a stupid agent?  But instead you have to try to destroy evidence and run?  However, it makes for better TV, and I am certainly curious to see how they are going to wrap things up, if they even are, next week.

Word Association for September 5th

Time for this week's word association.

1. Teacher :: Student
2. Activity :: Game
3. Scared :: Creepy
4. Suction :: Cup
5. Impossible :: Situation
6. Terrestrial :: Earth
7. Humongous :: Sandwich
8. Cheekbones :: Face
9. Dream :: Sleep
10. Fog :: Morning

Brunch in Downtown Disney

It was a long weekend, and I really didn’t do much.  Sunday was my normal church and ultimate Frisbee.  Monday, I didn’t even leave the condo.  But Saturday….

Saturday, I went down to Downtown Disney and met up with some friends for brunch.  It was the weekend of the half marathon, so Shirley and Doug were down for the 5K.  Angelique came with a friend, as did Sue Ann and her friend Heidi.

As always we were at the Storyteller Café.  It’s a bit pricey, but it’s fun.  We always get the buffet after all.  And that included Caramel French Toast this time.  Yum!

We sat around talking for over an hour after we had finished.  None of us really wanted to go.

And when we were done, Angelique and I did hit the stores to look for pins and ornaments.  Surprisingly, we didn’t find any of either to buy, but Angelique did find a figure of Gus and Jacque she needed.

I must admit it was killing me seeing the people walking around with the shirts and medals from the race.  They’ve introduced a 10K this year and a double dare if you do that on Saturday and the half on Sunday.  Seriously thought about signing up, but it sold out quickly.  In fact, their races are getting to the point where you have to sign up immediately or you miss out.  Camp Pendleton was less crazy this year.  Anyway, I was wishing I were doing it even though I’m not sure when I would have trained for it.

In fact, I’m still debating about the half marathon in town in November.  If I hadn’t signed up for three mud runs in the next few weeks, I might do it.  But I don’t know when I’ll get my training in.

Anyway, on my way home, I took a detour through Glendale and visited with my friend Chris.  Hadn’t seen him in a few months, so it was good to catch up.  He was in the middle of doing the double dare, so I got to hear about how it was going.

I will admit the one thing that wasn’t making me jealous was the weather.  It was hot and muggy this weekend, unusually so for California.  It would have been killer to be out there running in it that far.

Still, overall, I think I wish I had run.