Random Ramblings from Sunny Southern CA

Chuck Versus the Finale Thoughts

2012-01-30T16:58:00.000-08:00

Saturday, I watched the final two hours of Chuck ever. And I cried through much of it. Part of it was because of the extreme emotions of the characters on the screen. But part of it is because I was saying goodbye to these characters. I love them - yes, even the Buy More crew. I will have to revisit my Blu-Rays often because I will really miss them. This has been my favorite series on TV for 5 years. There have been moments that I didn't care for, but overall it was a fun ride.

But the finale wasn't everything I had hoped for, which is highly ironic. This is the fifth finale they've done for the show since they never knew if they'd be getting more episodes. This time, they knew it was the end. And it showed (more and spoilers below the jump).

They wrote Ellie and Awesome off to Chicago. Jeffster! got discovered and is moving to Germany. Casey is leaving as well. I'm not necessarily a fan when shows do this (which they often do). I like the idea of the characters all staying together and having more adventures. But I get why they do it.

And there was lots of like about the episodes, especially the second one. So many awesome nods to season 1 especially. The scene with Jeffster! saving the day at the concert was classic comedy/action combined. The acting was great.

Yet there was a pretty big discordant note in the mix - Sarah's amnesia. I know we saw Morgan get his memory back. It looks like Sarah was starting to get her memory back. We can see the happy ending coming. But darn it, I wanted to actually see the happy ending. Many fans liked it, but to me this is something I've had to accept over the last couple of days. Just one line, Sarah saying, "I remember" would have been enough for me to know that my favorite couple got their happy ever after just like the rest of the cast.

And considering how many happy ever afters they got over the years, it's shocking the producers decided to go that route.

Yes, I still recommend the series. Yes, I loved it and will enjoy it again. But it's not the perfect ending I was expecting or hoping for.

Weekly TV Recap for January 28th

2012-01-28T10:17:00.000-08:00

So, I debated about posting this or waiting until I had time to watch the finale of Chuck. And then I decided I was going to give that a post all its own, so here is the recap for the week through Thursday night.

Once Upon a Time - That's better. I loved the focus on Snow/Mary Margaret andJames/David. Now that I'm over their"affair" since they were really married and Storybrooke is not real,I'm definitely rooting for them. I'mcurious how their fairytale romance worked out. How did Snow remember James? Howdid James get out of the marriage? Andin our world, who is the stranger who came to town?

Castle - If I hadn't knows that was Sara from White Collaras the reality star celeb, I never would have guessed. Really impresses me that she can play twosuch different characters. Again, I wishthey'd have a killer we've actually suspected before the end just to throw usoff. But I loved the stuff with the dog,especially the light hearted fight between Castle and Beckett over how to takecare of him. Very fun.

White Collar - Watching Peter try to decide what to do withNeal is interesting. I do wonder howmuch Neal means what he says and how much is the lying like he taught the kidat the school. Speaking of which, Nealand Mozzie as matchmakers was pretty funny. But speaking of Sara up in the last post, I wonder if they are bringingher back or her breaking up with Peter was her swan song from the show.

Royal Pains - As happy as I was that they didn't resolve theHank/Divya thing right away, I'm glad they worked it out this week. I'd hate to see that drag on too long. Evan freaking out about freaking out waspretty funny. And I'm wondering just howlong they are going to keep this golfer around. I think this is the longest run we've had with someone not related toBoris. Speaking of whom, I'd love anupdate from him soon.

Big Bang Theory - That was a pretty great episode all theway around. Raj and his phone got reallyfunny, especially when they brought Barry into the episode. The final scene was hilarious. Then there was Penny and Leonard. I wonder just how far they are going to gowith them being back together. The bugreports were fun. I was expecting thegun to go off unexpectedly, but I wasn't expecting anyone to get hit. Finally, fun with flags was fun in the partwe saw. Certainly wouldn't have wantedto watch an entire episode, however.

So, What's Happening?

2012-01-26T16:41:00.000-08:00

That's a very good question. To be honest, not much. I wish I could say something exciting was happening. Heck, it would give me something to post about. But I just don't have anything big to talk about.

I am back over at The Disney Blog again doing recaps for Once Upon a Time and Castle.

I made my goal. I ran six miles last night. I wanted to do that before the end of the month. Now, if I can keep that up for the next couple of months, I will have a decent base for building toward Tough Mudder and the Half Marathon.

And I'm still looking for someone to run Tough Mudder with me. Anyone?

One of my co-workers retired and today was her last day.

Other than that, it's been a very quiet week.

The weekend was difficult. I took some news I got on Friday harder than I really should, and that depressed me. Then Sunday playing ultimate I felt like I was on the outside of the group because some people are doing things without me. I thought I would be included in both of them, but obviously not. It's never a good feeling to not be included.

However, Sunday night the core group was all back together for geek night. It was so great to hang out with everyone again. It made my weekend end on a happy note.

And right now? I'm taking tomorrow off for the race, and I can hardly concentrate on anything. Is it time to go grab dinner yet?

Word Association for January 25h

2012-01-25T16:11:00.000-08:00

Looks like today is the day to do word association. It's right there in the title of this blog post.

Rivals :: Romance
Automatically :: Correct
Bathroom :: Humor
Jerk :: Not nice
Preference :: Choice
Parenting :: Kids
Helmet :: Bike
Wave :: Hello
Judo :: Mat
Flat tire :: Jack

What's on My Nightstand - January 2012

2012-01-24T16:46:00.000-08:00

I can't remember the last time I participated on What's on My Nightstand as hosted by 5 Minutes for Books. I'm not sure exactly why I stopped; it just dropped off my radar. So let's fix that, starting this month.

What am I currently reading? Mr. Monk on Patrol by Lee Goldberg. Set after the TV series ends, the book finds Monk and Natalie visiting Disher and Sharona in New Jersey trying to hold solve a string of robberies. It's a hoot, but I figured it would be.

Next up will be Stay at Home Dead by Jeffrey Allen. It's a cozy starring a stay at home dad. Since it's rare to find cozies written by men or with men as the main character, I do try to support those when I can. I've been hearing great things about it, so I'm looking forward to giving it a try.

Weekly TV Recap for January 21st

2012-01-21T09:40:00.000-08:00

Once Upon a Time - You know, I wasn't that impressed withthis episode, probably because it felt like filler. Maybe that's why I was most interested in thefairytale story, it really played with the familiar story and turned it on itsear. I loved how they changed why Hanseland Gretel were in the forest and made the Evil Queen even more evil. That was interesting. But those last few minutes? Who is that stranger and what is he doing intown? I can't wait to find out nextweek.

Castle - And a much more serious one. The case itself was good and I loved how theysolved it. But I'm left wondering who isthe guy who called Castle? What is hisstake in all this? It seems he wantsBeckett alive for some greater purpose instead of just trying to save his ownhide. I'm intrigued, but as I write thisI'm also a little worried that the conspiracy part of the show might be toogreat and ruin what is essentially a fun show. Honestly, I'll keep watching anyway because I find the show fun week inand week out.

White Collar - I've always said this show was well acted butWOW! Tim DeKay's performance tonight wasoutstanding. His obvious concern, soclose to losing it for most of the hour, always right under the surface. I hope the Emmys were watching because Idoubt you'll find a better performance anything. The rest of the episode? Very well done. Didn't see the twist coming about Neal potentiallybeing free so soon. Does that mean bythe end of the season? I wonder how theywill play the fall out from this secret coming out now. And where is Sarah in all this? So many great places to go from here, and Ican't wait to see it.

Royal Pains - Again, they didn't wrap up things all in oneepisode but are planning to carry the storylines out over several. I'm glad to see that even if I likeresolution. However, I do feel likesomething happened with Paige's dad that must have been cut. I really would like to know what it was. And I really wasn't a fan of the divorceparty, I mean it was a clever joke on weddings, but since it's so serious, thatisn't something that should be joked about.

Wipeout - All I have to say is after they were the only onesto finish round three, it would have been wrong for the Winter Brothers not toget all the money. I'm so glad they won.

The Big Bang Theory - I saw some articles talking about the"twist" to this episode, so I was expecting it to all be hypothesis,as the title suggests. Still, it wasfun, although I may never play Catan the same way again. I'm curious where they go with it next weekor if they ignore it. Oh, and I knowthere were supposed to be all kinds of references to the pilot, but I didn'tcatch any of them, probably because I have only seen it once or twice andthat's been over a year now.

Chuck - I liked this one better than last week's episode,although that cliffhanger makes me wonder why I am running a race next Fridaynight instead of staying home to watch Chuck. I mean really, what was I thinking? And you know what my favorite part was? Jeff and Lester, the guys I used to hate. The scene where they saved the day wasabsolutely hysterical. I hope I like howthey end things next week. I really,truly do.

You are What You Bowl

2012-01-20T16:51:00.000-08:00

That's been my taunt to those I am bowling with on Wednesday nights as they go for a turkey. Of course, I then congradulate them if they get it. Well guess what?

I bowled my first turkey on Wednesday night.

I'm sure it was at least partially mental. I would get two strikes in a row and then miss horribly when going for the third. But this time, I walked up there and bowled it. I was extactic. Even more so when I managed to take first in that game by less than 10 points at the end.

It was a good night overall with my high being 171 in the fourth game. Yes, that's the game where I bowled the turkey. My average for the night was 131, so as you can see, I had a couple games where I barely made 100. I haven't been quite as on as I was last year, but I'm still having fun and beating everyone overall at the end of the night, so I'm happy with that.

Oh yeah, and I bowled a turkey finally!!!!

Signing up for Two Races in Two Days

2012-01-18T16:44:00.000-08:00

Well, I've made two of my races for 2012 official in the last two days. Yesterday, I signed up for the Neverland 5K at Disneyland in a week and a half. Today, I signed up for the Disneyland Half Marathon in September. And my pocketbook hates me.

Neither of these races is cheap, especially the 5K. It does include a "Twilight Ticket" to Disneyland (good after 4PM), so that's half the price, but still, it's going to be a big shock to the system when the credit card bill comes.

But those are races off my schedule and days that should be pretty fun. I'll be seeing some friends at both races, and running the half with two friends. Okay, so "with" probably isn't quite true since I'm assuming we'll go our own pace, but that's pretty awesome.

Yep, I'm using the rest of my Christmas money on these races. So thanks to my uncle and aunt for them.

Now, to be trained for the half. I plan to be six miles once a week between now and the end of March and start increasing my miles after that with my goal of Tough Mudder's 10 miles in July and then the half in September. It seems doable. Hopefully I'm still thinking that during the summer. After all, I'll have to work my runs around ultimate Frisbee.

Word Association for Jan 17th

2012-01-17T16:24:00.000-08:00

Here's this week's word association.

Red tape :: Complications
Crush :: Puppy love
Magical :: Romantic
Sticky :: Situation
Tile :: Bathroom
Doubt :: Worry
Inconsistent :: Behavior
Kiss :: Wedding
Inspiration :: Struck
Thanks :: You're Welcome

Weekly TV Recap for January 14th

2012-01-14T10:45:00.000-08:00

Once Upon a Time - It was so good to have this showback. I've really missed it. I thought I'd be intrigued to find outRumplestilskin's back story, but actually I was less intrigued after the firstflashback. I wasn't to know what wasgoing on in Storybrooke. But at leastthey've given him one. So, who is theeditor of the paper really? And theStorybrooke Daily Mirror? How perfect isthat. I had the episode pegged until Mr.Gold walked in at the end and said he'd planned the entire thing. Interesting twist. And I'm wondering if he's going to be friendor foe in the end.

Castle - Very fun episode. I expected Ryan's reaction to Jenny's secret. He did look so happy at the wedding (and how cool is it thatJenny is Ryan's wife in real life?) Plusthey actually had groomsmen and bridesmaids that weren't part of the regularcast. Novel idea. As for the murder, again it wound up no wherenear what I was expecting, but it was a very fun ride. Some week, however, I'd love for them to havethe killer be someone we've seen for more than two minutes. That would be a twist I wouldn't see comingat this point.

Wipeout - True confession time, I semi-watched the episodeand didn't blog about it right away, so my thoughts will be short. Wonder Woman has always been my favoritesuperhero, so I was rooting for her briefly. She made it further than I thought she would.

The Big Bang Theory - Both storylines were so funny. Yes, I love Shamy, so I enjoyed that onemore, but I do like Bernadette, so I enjoyed that story as well. But the best scene? Sheldon and Leonard talking while Sheldon waswalking through the video game. So manyclassic lines, although my favorite was Leonard turning down the virtual drinkbecause he was going to play Grand Theft Auto later.

Chuck - I've got to confess I didn't particularly care forthis episode. The sub-plot of Morgan andAlex cheating when they were broken up wasn't that great. And they cheated with Jeff and Lester just todrag that out another episode, although those moments were my favorite. Yes, it did introduce the last big bad, butthat's about all I can say for it. Yes,I laughed some, but overall it was very disappointing.

Nikita - This show, on the other hand, was awesome! So many plots moving forward. Wait, I think I said that last week. Well, it's true again this week. How the writers can draw so many thingstogether and make it so intriguing week after week just amazes me. I did not like the cliffhanger, and I hateeven more that I have to wait three weeks to see how it comes out. But it gives me something to look forward toon Fridays once Chuck is over.

New TV on DVD Reviews:

Royal Pains - Season 3 Volume 1

Running in 2012

2012-01-12T16:45:00.000-08:00

Once I got caught up on Christmas and New Years, I was going to blog about what I wanted to do in 2012 running wise. And I almost forgot until Steve did that today. (And can I say how happy I am that I'm not the only one just now doing this?)

I've been saying for at least a month that I was going to run a race in every month of 2012. But as the year is starting, I'm thinking I will revise that to 12 races in 2012 spread out as much as possible. No, these won't all be mud runs.

Why the change? Because it is surprisingly hard to find races in my area. The first one I have found is in March. I'd be willing to travel, but when most of the races start at 8AM and are an hour away from me plus you need to arrive early and I hate getting up in the morning.... Yes, it's a bunch of excuses, but I'm using them. Of course, my 2011 goal was 6 mud runs, and I did 9 plus three regular runs, so I think I'm safe here as long as I keep my eyes open and my schedule works out.

I do know of four races I am for sure doing in 2012, and I'm signed up for three of them. Not surpringly, they are mud runs, which will probably be the majority of my runs this year since that's what I enjoy the most.

Up first is Irvine Lake Mud Run on 3/31. This was the first mud run I ever did back in 2010, and I didn't race it at all in 2011, so I'm looking forward to getting back there.

Then on 6/9, I'm doing Camp Pendleton for the third year in a row.

As you can see from the side bar (I really need to get the other races added over there), I am signed up for Tough Mudder again. This time, they'll be here in July (February, too, but I'm not stupid). Hopefully, this means the weather will cooperate and I'll actually get to do it. I wasn't going to sign up again, but I want to do a Tough Mudder once. (Prices are too high to try for it every year.)

And the race I haven't signed up for yet? That's the Disneyland half marathon. Yes, you read that right. I'm signing up for a half marathon after swearing I'd never do that. Why? Well, it's two months after Tough Mudder and only 3 miles longer, so it seems like if I were ever going to do it, now would be the year. Plus my new friend Chris runs it every year, so I would definitely have someone else there, and he's really been encouraging me to do it. Of course, he still hasn't signed up for a mud run like I want him to do....

It's looking like I'm doing a 5K at Disneyland in a couple of weeks (which is very expensive, but darn it I want to do it). There are some other races I am thinking about, that would bring my total to 7 without trying that hard. I'm sure I can get the other 5 in without too much trouble.

Other goals? Well, I'd still like to get my sub hour 10K, and if I wind up doing a bunch of 5K's, a sub 30 5K would be nice. Right now, I'm right about 11 minute miles, so I'll have to work toward that. That means I need to do some runs that aren't mud runs since the obstacles really mess with your time, or at least they do mine.

And for the immediate future, I'd like to run six miles once by the end of the month and then make that distance weekly in February and March before building up to longer distances for Tough Mudder and the Half Marathon. It would be nice slow training and hopefully make me a stronger runner, so I hope I actually do it.

Word Association for 1/11

2012-01-11T16:32:00.000-08:00

Time for this week's word association.

Compute :: Calculate
Irristable :: Chocolate
Unacceptable :: Loss
Joy :: Happy
Noisy :: Crowd
Paid in full :: Bill
Desire :: Want
One word :: Happy
Huge :: Big
Motorcycle :: Horse

So I was just reading on a message board a poll on whether you'd ride a motorcycle or a horse. And then there's this.

New Year's

2012-01-10T16:55:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know. It's the 10th, and I'm finally blogging about New Year's.

My friend Jenn was in town for the long weekend and staying with Angelique. Since they are both zoo people, we spent one day at the LA Zoo. I'll admit I'm not that thrilled with zoos, but it was a fun day until we were ready to leave, or so I thought. I wanted to hit the road and try to beat the traffic, but they kept stopping to take lots and lots of pictures. But in the end, I beat the worst of the traffic, so it turned out okay. What was really funny was we ran into three families I know while at the zoo.

Saturday, New Year's Eve, I got up early and came to the college for a 5K put on by the cross country and baseball teams. I finished in 33 minutes, so I need to work hard to get my 10 minute mile pace back.

The rest of the day was a laze around the condo day. I wrote some reviews and I played some Wii. I got a couple new games for Christmas, plus I've been playing through Lego Star Wars.

That night, I stayed up until midnight not to ring in the new year (I was tired enough to go to sleep at 10) but to register for the Camp Pendleton Mud Run. Yep, I'm doing it the third year in a row. Signed up for the second Saturday again, too. Planning on doing it with Luke again, and he's got a couple friends talked into doing it with us.

I was up early the morning of the 1st to head down to Disneyland. Unfortunately, not the parks, but Jenn, Angelique, and I went to brunch at the Grand Californian. It was expensive, but so much fun, and their carmel French toast is so delicious.

The rest of the day was spent hanging around Angelique's. We did venture out late in the day to figure out what we were doing for the next day.

See, the whole reason Jenn came out was to do the Rose Parade, which was on the 2nd this year. Every year, I saw I'm going to go. Well, this year I did. It was an experience. We had tickets for seats, which really helped. It was very crowded with people everywhere. We took the MetroLink in, which was a great idea with how bad traffic was going both ways. In many ways, it was surreal since I know that part of Pasadena pretty well. Seeing it without cars but this many people just didn't seem right. And many shops that weren't planning to be opened boarded their windows up so they wouldn't be valdalized, which was sad. And all the garbage afterward was also sad.

Am I glad I did it? Absolutely. Next year? I think I'll enjoy it from home. It was fun and worth doing, but I don't see a need to do it every year.

I'll say this, we couldn't have asked for nicer weather. Since we were walking all day, I didn't want to bring my backpack. So I just wore jeans, a shirt, and a sweatshirt. I had the sweatshirt off by 9AM and honestly could have been wearing shorts by the afternoon. It hit the mid 80's that day. I love weather like that.

It was fun, but it was also exhausting. I made it home and crashed by 10 PM that night. And the next day it was back to work.

My December Reads

2012-01-08T18:30:00.000-08:00

I missed two books I read in November, so I'll start withthose. The rest were read inDecember. Not as many mysteries asnormal, but some good books.

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

THE KINGDOM KEEPERS: POWER PLAY by Ridley Pearson - 5

The Kingdom Keepers have had a breather since the leaders ofthe Overtakers were arrested. But a plotto free them finds our heroes in danger and making some shockingdiscoveries. Those discoveries reallyhelped make this book feel fresh and exciting and not just enough retread of afamiliar plot.

FORMULA FOR MURDER by Diana Orgain - 4

New mom and new PI Kate Connelly is in a hit and run, andwitnesses identify the car as belonging to someone from the Frenchconsulate. The consulate denies it, butit leads to a case for Kate when she sees a reporter leaving and the reporterturns up dead two days later. Was sheworking on a story on the French consulate that lead to her death? I love the characters, and the story wasinteresting. It did bog down a little inthe middle, but it picked up again for a fun finish.

THE ANIMATED MAN: A LIFE OF WALT DISNEY by J. MichaelBarrier - 4

I found this to be an interesting and balance biography ofWalt Disney. The author played mediacritic a bit too much, which bothered me, but in the end I walked away with aclearer picture of a true American success story.

THE END by David LaRochelle - 5

A fun picture book take on fairytales, this one starts at"Happily ever after" and works back to "Once Upon aTime." Along the way, we get somesurprises and laughs. Highlyrecommended.

HIDDEN MICKEY by Nancy Temple Rodrigue, David W. Smith - 2

While on a MouseQuest at Disneyland,Adam and Lance find what they think is Walt Disney's diary. A clue in it leads them on a quest throughhis life with a possible big prize at the end. This book is an example of everything that can go wrong withself-publishing. There are too many datadumps, the action is slow at times, and the characters are flat andunlikable. I'm enough of a Disney geekto enjoy parts of it, but it needed a good editor before it saw the light ofday.

KILLER ROUTINE by Alan Orloff - 3

Channing Hayes' is trying to help his almost sister-in-lawbegin a solo stand up comic career while he recovers from the accident thattook his fiancee. On the night of herbig break, she vanishes. Why? Can Channing find her? The characters were enjoyable, especiallyChanning, but the plot was a series of events with no real detective workinvolved.

IN SERVICE TO THE MOUSE by Jack Lindquist - 4

The memories of the man who rose from head of advertisingfor Disneyland in 1955 to become its firstpresident in the late 80's and early 90's. As a Disnerd, I loved this inside look at the park's history, althoughthe writing style could have been a little better.

PETER AND THE SECRET OF RUNDOON by Ridley Pearson and DaveBarry - 5

The final chapter in their Peter Pan prequel trilogy is thebest one yet. Just be sure you read theother two first because you'll pretty much be lost by everything that ishappening here.

Weekly TV Recap for January 7th

2012-01-07T08:05:00.000-08:00

Well, shows are starting to come back and there will be even more next week. I'm not sorry to have shows I love back, but I've enjoyed not having much to watch the last couple of weeks. It's been nice to come home with no real agenda. I need to make time for that more.

In the mean time, here's what I did watch.

Wipeout - Not only did I watch, I watched live. As usual, I loved the Johns. But Vanessa just isn't doing it for me. She isn't nearly as funny as Jill was. The obstacles are very intense right now, andthat's make it fun. I'll stick with itfor now, but might drop it at some later point.

Chuck - Laughed multiple times, especially as Sarahspiraling down after she warned Chuck about that multiple times. You never know when something will come intoplay, and I loved how they used those guns with the anti-friendly fire featureto save the day in the end. But whatamazes me most is Jeff. Make the mansmart and suddenly he's able to figure out the plot of the show in one episode. He even had "Intersect" on hisboard. That ending was very interestingand I can't wait to see how they play it out next week.

Nikita - It was wonderful to have this show back. So many stories moving forward soquickly. And twists and turns. The writers seem to be pulling together notonly things from this season but also season one. They even had the CIA agent back again. Great stuff. And, of course, I was having a 24 geek moment since Sarah Clarke (Ninain season 1-3) guest starred on the show her husband Xander Berkley (GeorgeMason in seasons 1 and 2) regularly stars in.

Christmas

2012-01-06T16:36:00.001-08:00

Christmas was different this year. Not saying it was bad, just different.

As usual, I headed to my parent's house. I'm so thankful I got two weeks off because I was able to head up there for a week without even thinking about it. My brother, sister-in-law, and niece were there early, so we celebrated Christmas on the 21st. Then we celebrated again on the 23rd with my uncle and aunt. Yep, we'd opened all presents before the 25th, so it was a bit different. In fact, when the news was talking about last minute shopping on the 24th, we were all wondering why people were last minute shopping still.

Since Christmas was on a Sunday, we went to church that morning. In the afternoon, we headed back to my uncle and aunts. My cousin and his family were there, and we had Christmas dinner together. They live in Washington, so I don't see them very often, and that was nice, especially since it was the first time I got to see his new son, who's over a year old already.

Of course, I got to visit my friends Donald and Heather on the way back down south. Saw Donald on the way north, too. We played two rounds of The Stock Market Game, and I won both of them. Couldn't believe that since he usually beats me. Also saw family friends while in Santa Rosa.

Word Association for January 4th

2012-01-04T16:36:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. I really need to post something other than Word Association and TV Recaps. I promise to feel guilty about that. Meanwhile, here's this week's Word Association.

Resolution :: New Year
Adorable :: Puppy
Fractions :: Math
Intensify :: Pain
Commute :: Job
Job :: Work (I swear, I was typing Job before I saw this was next)
Advance :: Forward
Audit :: Auditors
Highlight :: Hair
Disallow :: Illegal

Weekly TV Recap for New Year's Eve

2011-12-31T09:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the week between Christmas and New Years. The only reason I have anything to post aboutis because NBC is trying to burn off Chuck before the end of January. So let's talk about the last two episodes.

I didn't much care for the Christmas one this year. First of all, I thought Chuck killed Shaw,and I kept waiting for that explanation. Guessed I missed it somehow. AndI really don't like the darker episodes, so that bothered me as well.

I much preferred this week's episode. I wonder how this fits into the whole Saraand Bryce part of the early seasons. AndSara wasn't originally going to be Chuck's handler. But those inconsistencies aside, I did likeit. Plus it was fun to see Peter Burkefrom While Collar as a bad guy (the mirror of his character on that show, butlike Neal is the mirror of Bryce Larkin). Plus they ended things with a happy note and no cliffhanger leading intothe next new episode. That surprisedme. And it looks like they've workedthrough the Alex/Morgan issues, which I knew they would, but I liked howthey've handled that aspect of things.

Word Association for December 26th

2011-12-26T10:33:00.000-08:00

Since I missed this last week, I thought I'd get in this week's word association while I'm thinking about it.

Elves :: Santa
Holiday :: Christmas
Candles :: Light
Family :: Friends
Insight :: Understanding
Sleigh :: Ride
Party :: Fun
Weather :: Sun
Presents :: Gifts
Misfit :: Toys

Weekly TV Recap for December 24th

2011-12-24T08:05:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Eve!

It was a light TV week, although I missed this week's Chuck since I'm out of town. Just gives me something to look forward to come my return home.

Survivor - So, apparently a few apologies make up for lyingand backstabbing your way through the game, especially after you super secretpinky swore. Come on, really,Coach? You are a hypocrite of the firstorder. The sad fact is, it seems thatthe only way to make it through to the end is to lie your way through. Honestly, I may have found another show toeliminate from my schedule. And after 23seasons of never missing an episode, that's saying something. I just can't put up with people like Coach whoclaim they are going to do things one way and then wind up breaking everythingthey claim they stand for and then trying to justify themselves. As much as some of their villains drive me crazy, at least they are honest about what they intend to do.

Terra Nova - I am but I'm not surprised that they killed offthe son's girlfriend. That free him upto fall for Skye, which they've been teasing all season. Honestly, I'm glad to see both of them haveredeemed themselves by the end. AndLucas is like the villain in a horror movie, he just won't die. I'm curious what the ship's figure head isand why the bad guys rushed out there right away, but if the show doesn't comeback, I won't care. It's fine for meeither way. I did feel sorry for Mirawho just wanted to get back to her daughter. That was a harsh ending for her.

My Fall Into Reading 2011 Wrap Up

2011-12-22T13:35:00.000-08:00

I'm on Christmas vacation. Can you tell by how little I've posted? But today is the first day of winter, so it means it's time to wrap up this year's Fall Into Reading challenge.

So, here's what I got read during the fall. The link takes you to my review of the book, although I haven't reviewed the last two books on the list yet. (A * denotes a book not on my original list.)

Quickstep to Murder by Ella Barrick
Joanne Fluke's Lake Eden Cookbook by Joanne Fluke*
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Heat Rises by Richard Castle
A Case of Hometown Blues by W. S. Gager
NERDS 3: The Cheerleaders of Doom by Michael Buckley
Naughty in Nice by Rhys Bowen
Darkwing Duck: F.O.W.L Disposition by Ian Brill
Dog on It by Spencer Quinn
No Place Like Holmes by Jason Lethcoe*
Thrown Out: Stories from Exeter by Jennie Coughlin*
Kingdom Keepers IV: Power Play by Ridley Pearson
Formula for Murder by Diana Orgain
The Last Musketeer by Stuart Gibbs
The Albuquerque Turkey by John Vorhaus
The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney by Michael Barrier
Hidden Mickey: Sometimes Dead Men Do Tell Tales by Nancy Temple Rodrigue and David W. Smith
Killer Routine by Alan Orloff
In Service to the Mouse by Jack Lindquist with Melinda J. Combs

Books from my list I did not read:
Peter and the Secret of Rundoon by Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry
The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling

Based on number of books, I hit my target exactly. However, I still have about 1200 pages I didn't get read, and those substitute books are maybe 250 pages combined, so it's not like I really read the correct number of pages. I saved all the big books for the end, didn't I?

However, I did finish up all the books from last fall and this spring, so that makes me happy. And I am 10 pages in the Peter Pan prequel, so I'm continuing on with my list even if Spring is over.

I think that's it for me this fall. Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Weekly TV Recap for December 17th

2011-12-17T13:32:00.000-08:00

Once Upon a Time - Maybe it's time I avoided spoilers. I knew how that episode ended and so prettymuch guessed how the episode was going to go before it started. Okay, so a few of the twists along the waydid get me. I wonder who else the queenhas captured with their heart. Andexactly what is the secret that Snow White blabbed that led to all this? And when will Emma wake up and realize thatit is indeed all true?

The Amazing Race - I was still so disappointed that thesnowboarders weren't in it that I really didn't care who won. Cindy was pretty arrogant when she wastalking about people she didn't want to lose to, however. I was rooting against them for a while,although the way they were talking at the finish line made me like themagain. Now, for the snowboarders to geta second chance and actually win this time.

Terra Nova - So Skye was found out, and it looks like she isat least partially forgiven. And thecolony is preparing for war. Yes, it wasa much needed episode since it sets things up for next week's finale, but itwas definitely a place holder. I hopethat next week's two hour finale delivers on the promises.

Psych - I could have done without the Henry sub-plot, butthe rest of that episode was so funny. Great lines and situations that were truly milked for their comicpossibilities. My favorite scene wasprobably at the beginning where Shawn and Gus were reading each other'sminds. Too funny. The ring Gus found at the end certainlyexplains why Shawn was so upset over his missing DS. I wonder how that is going to play out. And how funny that the thieves missed it whenthey were robbing them.

Survivor - If I hear one more person go on and on aboutbeing a Christian man, blaw, blaw blaw. Please. Of course, it makes iteasy to watch because I just fast forward through Brandon and half of Coach to get away fromthat nonsense. I believe this is thesecond time that the person with individual immunity gave it up and both timesthey immediately got voted out. Obviously, that is a stupid move. And anyone who has watched the show would know that based on how peoplehave acted in the past.

Burn Notice - Who would have predicted that I would everside with Fiona over Michael on something. Even so, how heartbreaking was that final shot? Actually, this is a surprise because Ithought they'd figure out a way to take down Anson before this was all over,but he's still out there and free to rebuild the group. Frankly, they didn't tell us for sure thatJesse got to the lap top in time to save Pierce and the others from beingburned, so I wonder if that will factor into next season or not. Summer is going to be a very long time off.

Chuck - There were some funny moments, but that was a veryintense episode. It's always nice to seeBeckman again, and even without the Morse code, I figured she was trying towarn them. And Ellie and Awesomethinking the limo was the surprise they other had for them was funny. But overall, I was actually concerned foreveryone, probably because they've been hinting that all might not make itthrough this season okay. Oh, and Icompletely predicted that Alex would see Morgan's PANTS and see something ofher in there. I hope they get those twoback together.

FiR Question 12

2011-12-14T16:57:00.000-08:00

Here we are at the last Fall into Reading question, at least for this year.

Christmas is quickly approaching. What book- or reading-related gift would you love to receive for Christmas?

As always, I included books on my list. Gayle Roper, a favorite author going back years, has a new book out that is on my list. And I have several books by authors I'd like to try out on my list.

Gayle is an exception. Usually, books by authors I like are bought within a couple of weeks of them coming out. I just found out about her new book a couple months ago and knew I wouldn't get it read before Christmas (it wasn't on my Fall into Reading list, after all, and I already had made some additions), so I figured it would be a good Christmas list item. Honestly, I'll be a little surprised if I don't get it because my parents know how much I like her books.

Word Association for December 13th

2011-12-13T16:50:00.000-08:00

And here is this week's word association.

Dedication :: Ceremony
Dream destination :: Disney World (again)
Games :: Play
Hard as :: a Rock
Convict :: Prison
Submit :: Authority
Alcohol :: Drunk
Clippers :: Hair
Hormonal :: Imbalance
Diet :: Exercise

Christmas Concerts

2011-12-12T16:52:00.000-08:00

This last weekend, I participated in my first Christmas concerts as a member of the choir at church. This meant a busy weekend for me since I we did the concert both Saturday and Sunday nights. But I loved the songs so much that it wasn't an issue for me.

It also meant Friday I had to sneak in a trip to Follow the Star. One of the churches in the area puts this one very year. They use members of their congregation to reenact scenes form Jesus' life, mostly His death and resurrection. It's a drive/walk through attraction, so most scenes are on 15-30 second loops, but it's very powerful. I love going every year.

Anyway, the concerts went well. I struggled with two songs, the same two both nights. I kept wanting to singing it too high. I'm not sure what range I was even singing in half the time, but I knew it was wrong, so I'd drop out and mouth the words.

One highlight for me was the song where the guys played chimes while the women and children's choirs sang. Most of the guys struggled with that song, but I felt right at home because of the years I spent in the handbell choir. In fact, it made me wish we had a handbell choir for me to join again.

Another favorite song was "'Tis a Wonderful Thing." It had a very jazzy feel and was a blast to perform.

But my favorite song of the concert wasn't one we did. I was introduced to "Mystery" by Selah thanks to the people who did it as a duet. Talk about powerful lyrics! It marvels at God becoming man in the form of Jesus so He could die. Nothing new, necessarily, but the way it is expressed just blows me away.

However, it was very bittersweet. Back in September, they laid off our music minister due to budget cuts. This was his last horrah at the church. He was very pleased with how it went, which is good. But there are lots of us who are really going to miss him. He was very invested in all of us, so it is going to be a huge loss personally, plus his musical expertise is going to be missed. Those will be hard shoes to fill.

Weekly TV Recap for December 10th

2011-12-10T11:42:00.001-08:00

The Amazing Race - Augh! The snowboarders got eliminated. Yes, they made a mistake when they left that last place (one I probablywould have made, too), but what killed them was the fact that the other taxidrivers were sharing information. If itweren't for that, two of the teams would have gone wrong and there would havebeen time for them to figure things out. I'm not at all happy. Yes, I'llwatch next week, but I'm not that excited about it.

Once Upon a Time - I was conflicted about this episode. I know we're supposed to be rooting for MaryMargaret and David to get together as they are in the fairytale world, but Ihave a hard time rooting for someone to leave his marriage. So I'm glad he is going to try to work onfixing his marriage, but I know I shouldn't be because he really belongs withher (and is married to her in the fairytale kingdom). Augh! Meanwhile, I guess that is wasn't Charming's brother who Cinderella married. I wonder who that was. And how exactly does he get out of marring Midas'daughter? And does Mr. Gold rememberabout the curse? So many questions, solong to wait for the next episode.

The Sing-Off - Yeah, I watched the holiday special. (Boy, they never did say Christmas once, didthey?) Okay, maybe watched is too stronga word. I listened while Christmasshopping on line. But there were somegreat songs here, and it was very fun to hear everyone singing together fromall three seasons.

Prep and Landing 2: Naughty vs. Nice - The first onesurprised me with how much I wound up liking it. This one not so much. It was as predictable as the first, but Ididn't get the same happy feeling at the end. It felt forced, probably because they were trying to create asequel. Won't be watching it again if itgets rerun.

Castle - How much fun! So many great lines, and seeing Castle and Beckett working together sowell at the end was great. Plus Laneyand Esposito bickering was great. Iloved the Captain's response. "Whathas Castle gotten her into now." When he had nothing to do with it. And the way this show can take an unusualpremise and still put together a solid case that gets solved is the sign of thegreat writing staff they have.

Covert Affairs - First vacation since joining theagency? I thought the Niagara Falls episode had a similarpremise. That aside, I did enjoy thisone. The scene in the house was intenseand creepy. And I loved how Daniellefound out that Auggie is really CIA. Idon't know what they are doing with her and her husband, but that's the onestoryline I absolutely hate. And I'mcurious where they are going with Jai next, too.

Psych - They actually managed to make it more of a mysteryat the end, but for the most part, the show was very much comedy and very lighton plot, even for psych. Lassiter at thecommune was pretty funny, however.

Survivor - Can we get Brandonoff the screen now? Pretty please? Honestly, that's about my only comment asonce again the results of the episode weren't that surprising.

Big Bang Theory - I knew Penny was going to wind up being abully as soon as that scene started. Plus the clothes thing was pretty predictable. But it was also very funny. And Penny's expressions in the first scenewere perfect. The A story with Leonardand the bully was fairly predictable as well, but I was laughing at quite a bitof the episode. See, predictable canstill be funny.

Wipeout - Boy, I missed Jill. But Hensen's sweaters were funny, and the newobstacles were actually kind of cool again. I wish they weren't coming back in January because I enjoy the show ifit isn't on 9 months out of the year.

Burn Notice - For a show that tackles the serious criminalsthey do, they usually keep a light tone. This time, the show got very serious in the last act. But everyone played it perfectly, and it wasa great episode. I'm very worried aboutnext week, especially after the previews. Can't wait to see how they wrap the Anson storyline up.

Chuck - Two episodes in two days that have communes inthem. Couldn't have done without thenudity, even if it was pixilated. Didenjoy watching Chuck do the hacking. Andnow that Decker is gone, who will this lead them to next? Plus Casey and Lester in jail together was anabsolute hoot.

Word Association for 12/9

2011-12-09T16:31:00.001-08:00

If it's Friday, it's well beyond time that I posted this week's word association.

Flannel :: Shirt
Chairs :: Table
Sporadic :: Pain
Difficult :: Person
Amusing :: Story
Collapse :: Wall Street
Hurtful :: Words
Thump :: Bang
Frugal :: Wise
Collectibles :: Hallmark

FiR Question #11

2011-12-07T16:31:00.001-08:00

Although December always feels like winter to me, we still techinically have a couple weeks left in Fall, so here's this week's Fall into Reading question.

Share a special memory relating to books or reading — something you’ll never forget.

The first things that pop into my mind are related to author interactions. When authors remember me from one year to the next, it always thrills me. Yeah, by the time I've been to several of their signings, I'm not that surprised, but when they remember me right away it makes me feel special. I wish I were better with faces and names.

Then there was the first time that Joanne Fluke included me in the acknowledgements of her series (Peach Cobbler Murder) just for being a super fan.

The letters I've traded back and forth over the years with Sandy Dengler are something I will always treasure, along with a couple of the special books she's signed for me.

And I can't leave out my Trixie friends. We've all met on the internet on message boards devoted to the Trixie Belden series of kids' mysteries that we all love. Over the years, we've met up at "camps" as we call them to hang out in person. I know you can create friendship over the internet, because these are definitely friends of mine. (True, few are as close as friends you see in real life, but they are still good friends.) I've got lots of memories with them. They only relate to books in a superficial way, but there is that connection.

My November Reads

2011-12-06T09:02:00.000-08:00

And now we are up to date with November.

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

NO PLACE LIKE HOLMES by Jason Lethcoe - 4
A kid's mystery that focuses on Sherlock Holmes' lesser known neighbor who might finally get his big change when he nephew comes over from America for the summer. I found some of the characters stuff predictable, but overall I enjoyed this fresh take on the Holmes universe.

THROWN OUT: STORIES FROM EXETER by Jennie Coughlin - 4
Four short stories set in a small, college town in Massachusetts that focus on the characters who live there. I really enjoyed meeting them and look forward to getting to know them better in the novels she is also setting there. NOTE: I was sent this book in exchange for my honest review.

THE CHOCOLATE CASTLE CLUE by JoAnna Carl - 5
Lee Woodyard finds herself in another case when a reunion of her aunt's old high school singing group leads to a murder. As always, I love these characters and the plot moves forward very quickly. The definition of a light but fun mystery.

THE LAST MUSKETEER by Stuart Gibbs - 4
Greg Rich finds himself sucked back through time to early 1600's Paris where he must unite teenage musketeers to save his parents. A kids book that combines elements of fantasy with historical fiction, I enjoyed it, although I did find the set up a bit too long.

THE ALBUQUERQUE TURKEY by John Vorhaus - 4
Conman Radar Hoverlander isn't sure if he can trust his dad, who has walked into his life after over 20 years and saying he desperately needs money to pay off a man in Vegas. Once again, this is a wild ride that seems a bit too complicated and leaves the reader in a dark a bit much in the name of twists. Still, it was a fun ride

My October Reads

2011-12-06T09:01:00.000-08:00

And here are October's books.

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

THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN by Mark Twain - 4
A fun trip down the Mississippi with Huck Finn and run away slave Jim. It's very episodic in nature, but still a fun read.

HEAT RISES by Richard Castle - 5
The third Nikki Heat book finds Nikki investigating the case of a priest found murdered in a bondage club. I found the tie ins with the TV show to be the funniest so far and the mystery was quite good. Yes, the book is still overwritten at times, but this was the best in the series so far.

A CASE OF HOMETOWN BLUES by W. S. Gager - 4
Reporter Mitch Malone goes home to against his better judgment, and that night his high school crush is killed. Why? And might it tie in to other tragedies from his past? The plot is compelling, although a bit uneven at times. Still, another good read. Again, I got this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

NERDS 3: THE CHEERLEADERS OF DOOM by Michael Buckley - 4
Matilda is ordered undercover to find out who is robbing other dimensions and stop them before the space time continuum collapses. The problem? She has to become the thing she hates - a cheerleader. A fun sci-fi/spy book for kids that was weaken by a climax that felt too abrupt.

NAUGHTY IN NICE by Rhys Bowen - 4
Lady Georgiana manages to get invited to winter in the French Riviera in exchange for finding a snuff box stolen from the queen. But then another robbery and a murder complicate matters. As is usual with the series, the plot took forever to get going, but once it did, it proved to be lots of fun.

DOG ON IT by Spencer Quinn - 4
Chet and Bernie attempt to track down a girl that has been kidnapped. Unless she ran away. What makes this series unique is that it is told from the point of view of Chet, a dog. That was mostly cute, although occasionally it fell flat. The plot could have used some rearranging as well, but overall I enjoyed it.

My September Reads

2011-12-06T09:00:00.000-08:00

I am months behind on reporting what I have read, so I am going to catch up now. First, up is September.

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

HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE by J. K. Rowling - 4
Now that the last movie is out, I decided to reread the series. (Still haven't made it to year two, however). A slow start but still magical even if have read it before.

PIPSQUEAK by Brian M. Wiprud - 2
Taxidermist Grant Carson thinks he's found a great piece of his childhood - a squirrel puppet from an old TV show. But within moments of finding it, it is stolen and he finds a dead body. The book is a wild ride, but the plot was too far fetched to be believable much of the time. It was supposed to be funny, but it really wasn't. And the characters were mostly flat. I did care by the end, but this isn't an author I'll go back to.

A CASE OF ACCIDENTAL INTERSECTION by W. S. Gager - 4
Reporter Mitch Malone's day off ends abruptly when he stumbles on a fatal accident. But the pieces don't add up, and Mitch soon begins to suspect that it wasn't an accident but murder. It took a while for me to warm up to Mitch, but I loved the supporting players right away, and the plot was very interesting. Note: I was sent this book in exchange for my honest review.

WHERE YOUR DADDY? by Sue Ann Jaffarian - 4
The third in the Holidays from Hell e short story series finds Zelda visiting her not so lovable grandfather in hopes of finding out where her dad currently is living. It has the usual mix of humor and more tender moments, although the humor didn't quite work for me here.

QUICKSTEP TO MURDER by Ella Barrick - 4
Stacy Graysin is the prime suspect when her professional and business partner/former fiancee is found dead in their ballroom dance studio. I really enjoyed this new cozy series debut and look forward to finding out what happens to Stacy next.

JOANNE FLUKE'S LAKE EDEN COOKBOOK by Joanne Fluke - 5
Yes, mostly recipes, but there are a few scenes with the characters from the series that are fun. All the recipes from the early books plus some new ones to enjoy.

Um Thanksgiving?

2011-12-05T16:35:00.001-08:00

Wow, I've been back for a week and still haven't blogged about Thanksgiving?

As has been the case for the past few years, we went to Dallas to visit my brothers, sister-in-law, and niece. She's now two years and so cute. She was so thrilled to see all of us, and she loved it when we were all together.

The highlight for me came on Thanksgiving day. She and I were alone in the living room and she came up to me and said, "I love you." So cute. I was flying for the rest of the day.

We also got to see a production of A Christmas Carol we've found there. Hadn't gone for the last few years, but it was great to see it again. They always do an amazing job.

Other then that it was lots of play with my niece and games with the rest of the family when she was asleep. They decorated for Christmas on Friday, so I got to sleep by their Christmas tree after that (I got the couch). My bro preached in church on Sunday, which was a treat to get to hear.

It really was a great trip.

Weekly TV Recap

2011-12-03T09:44:00.000-08:00

Time for this week's TV recap.

The Amazing Race - So the grandparents never really seemedto have a chance to get back in it. Theywere always in last. Meanwhile, thesnowboarders came back for a rather convincing first place finish. While everyone else seemed to struggle, theydidn't have that much of a problem. Hopethat holds true for the next couple of weeks. It would be great to see a nice team finish first.

Once Upon a Time - All I know about Jiminy Cricket is fromthe Disney version of the story. So Ifound this take on his origin and the idea that he and Gepetto are good friendsinteresting. And it turns out Henry wasright. He had almost found something atthe bottom of the old mine. Was it theentrance to the fairytale world? That'scertainly what it looked like to me.

Terra Nova - The mole is Josh's friend Skye? I can't say I saw it coming, but it didn'texactly surprise me either. I take itthe rest of the colony thinks her mom is dead. I feel sorry for her. I hope theycan find a way to write her out of this. Meanwhile, Taylor and Mira having to work together to survive was acliched story, but at least they used it to show us more of both characters.

The Sing-Off - Urban Method didn't win!!! Penatonix wasn't that much of a surprise asthe winner since the judges loved them so much, but I really did think thatUrban Method would wind up winning. Iwas thrilled to be proved wrong.

Covert Affairs - I'm really not sure where they were goingwith the Augie's girlfriend storyline. That's her last appearance, at least this season, and I was left feelinglike it was a bit of a waste. Maybethey'll move things forward next week. And I'm also confused by Danielle's husband. After not appearing all season, suddenly he'sbeen on a business trip? And those haveto be new girls playing her daughters because they didn't look familiar atall. And they looked too close inage. Nit picks aside, I did like themain episode. I hope they bring that guyback now that he's a full fledged MI-6 agent.

Ringer - I really didn't want Gemma to be dead. And I really did think they were going tosave her. Man, that upsets me. I was expecting more of a cliffhanger thanthat when I hear they wouldn't be back for six weeks. Oh, and I'm wondering if the teacher reallyforced himself on her or if she is lying because he humiliated her. I told my roommate you don't go into asituation like that one on one. Youalways want a witness for this very reason.

Survivor - Well, after all this time, we finally saw Cochrango. I'm not sure whether to feel goodbecause he kind of deserved that for switching sides or if the other teamshould have done more for him. Honestly,I saw it coming weeks ago. Now we'll finallytruly get to see the other side turn on each other. Well, maybe, they do still have one moreperson to go. Just don't tell me Coachis going to win. If so and they do thisagain another couple times, the person who comes back from before is going tobe history fast. (Frankly, I hope theydrop the person from before. I'm so sickof that already.)

Burn Notice - Anson is truly evil. Killing Michael's father? And do we really know the end game yet? I think that Michael's mom is being a littletoo harsh on him, but I can see where she is coming from. As for the case of the week, how cool was itto bring in someone from the prequel movie?

Nikita - So that ending is going to shake up Alex. I kind of like the fact that they completelyleft everyone in motion. Michael showingup like he did was a bit of a cheat, although at least Owen had called himearlier. So, why are the guardiansmeeting up? Lots of fun when it startsback up in a month.

Word Association for December 1st

2011-12-01T18:04:00.001-08:00

Here's this week's word association.

Program :: Christmas
Business :: Proposal
Nerve :: Pinched
Pipes :: Organ
Man :: Woman
System :: Works
Roses :: Red
Gong :: Show
Heartfelt :: Emotion
Strolling :: Park

FiR Question 10

2011-11-30T16:29:00.001-08:00

Yikes. Just about three weeks left for Fall into Reading 2011, and I think I've got about 5 more books to go on my list. Not going to make it, but that's not exactly a surprise since I never do.

Anyway, here's this week's FiR question:

In what ways do you encourage others to read or support their reading habits? How do you share your love of reading with others?

I think the most obvious is my reviewing. By posting reviews at Amazon and Epinions, I hope I am helping people find new books they will enjoy. That's my point, anyway, since I have always talked non-stop about what I am reading and enjoying, hoping to get others to share it with me.

For people in my life, I loan out books people might be interested in, and I'm always willing to give recommendations. I also love to talk books, and I'll listen to others as they talk about the books they have read and enjoyed. I'd like to say I borrow books from people, but it never quite seems to work that way. My list of to be read books is always too long.

Weekly TV Recap for November 26th

2011-11-26T09:27:00.000-08:00

Amazing, isn't it, how a holiday sends lots of shows into reruns. I like that because it's so easy to catch up when I get back into town.

Amazing Race - Yes, that was me you heard yelling when Ifound out it was a to be continued episode. I wanted to know who would get eliminated. I'm guessing the older couple gets eliminatedassuming there is an elimination since I didn't see them in the scenes fromnext week. I'll be sorry to see themgone, but at least the snowboarders are still in it.

The Sing-Off - I pretty much figured that Urban Method wouldmake the finals back in the first episode. Not too surprised Pentatonix is there as well. I think the only reason we got a normal grouplast season was because we didn't have any of these groups with tons offlash. I guess that means I'm pullingfor the college group, although they weren't my favorite of the season either.

Terra Nova - So, that's the back story behind thecommander's son. So I'm wondering ifhe's telling the truth now or what exactly the other side of the story is. Because the Sixers sure have implied thathe's out for himself, but he sure talks a good story about how he's out for thefuture of humanity.

Castle - That was intense. Of all their serious episodes, this was the best. The acting was incredible. Watching Kate go through all that wasuncomfortable for me, but she nailed every moment. And the new Captain was actually working withCastle at one point. I hope that's asign she is softening a little.

Covert Affairs - All that training, and Annie doesn't get todo the marathon. Watching her try todeal with the two sisters really showed off her character. The episode itself was okay, but thecharacter stuff was interesting.

Word Association for November 25th

2011-11-25T10:43:00.000-08:00

Here's this week's word association.

Crushed :: Disappointed
Thanks :: Giving
Steam :: Hot
Bulletin :: Church
Budget :: Cuts
Value :: Appreciate
Aquarium :: Fish
Logo :: Corporate
Information :: Dump
Lend :: Borrow

FiR Question #9

2011-11-23T10:35:00.001-08:00

Looks like it is time for this week's Fall Into Reading question.

What else do you do while you are reading? Eat? Drink? Household tasks? Or do you usually put aside absolutely everything to focus solely on the book at hand?

Honestly, I pretty much read, and that's it. Most of my reading is done at lunch time in my car or right before I go to bed. If I'm reading during the day, I will most likely have my bottle with water next to me, but I usually don't drink from it. I find I enjoy stories best if I concentrate on one thing and one thing only. I've even cut down on how much surfing I do while watching scripted TV shows.

Wait, do you counting napping? I often do that while reading. It's one reason I only got through 9 pages on my lunch hour yesterday.

SoCal Spartan Race 2011

2011-11-22T16:33:00.001-08:00

Saturday was my last mud run of the year - the Spartan Race. And boy was it cold. November is always a gamble whether it will be warm or not. I lost. It was 45 when my friend Luke and I started the race at 8AM. I was actually pleasantly surprised at just how quickly I warmed up, however, since I was wearing shorts and a T-Shirt instead of my normal long running pants and sweatshirt like I wore when I went running this morning.

And they started us right off with cold water. It had to be just a matter of yards into the race, and we went through a double dip of waste deep water. But then it was up and running up hill.

Let me tell you, the hills were steep and there were lots of them. Even this guy who normally runs up a hill found them long and tiring.

The obstacles were varied and fun. They had monkey bars. They had walls to climb over. But they also had walls you had to roll under or go through. At one point, they had buckets of concrete you had to pull up a pully system. And there was a wall with small hand holds you had to try to cross.

Of course, what I didn't like was if you failed any of these things, you had to do 30 burpees. Maybe it was just the fact that I'm used to trying something and moving on if you don't do it. Maybe it's the fact that I can't do most things like that. But I think I did about 10 burpees over the course of the race and moved on instead of the 120 I would have had to do for the things I didn't do.

And then there was my spill. Maybe half a mile into the race, I completely lost controll going down a very steep hill. Yes, I should have taken it slower. Yes, I am fully aware it is my own fault. I was proud of myself because I made it around several people on the course and I made it basically to the bottom before I crashed. But boy did I land hard. My leg is still all scraped up. At least it doesn't hurt any more when I transition from standing to sitting. Heck, it was hurting no matter what I did Saturday night. Right now, it is just tender when I touch it.

Actually, this wasn't a mud run in the traditional sense. The only real mud they had us crawling through was water over dirt under 18 inch barb wire. And yet I think that's the muddiest I've gotten without actually trying at a mud run. That barb wire when on forever. I would have much preferred half the length twice along the course. I actually stopped about 2/3 of the way through and walked the rest. Even then, it took me a good 20 minutes to get as far as I did.

After ward, I got to meet Carrie, who I've only known from the internet to date. That was fun.

So, the only race I have on the calendar right now is Tough Mudder in July. Of course, I think there will be several more between now and then because that is a long ways off. And I want to keep my running up so when I need to start hard core training for that race, I won't die.

Weekly TV Recap

2011-11-19T10:04:00.000-08:00

It really is amazing how just a couple hours of TV out of my life makes my life easier. Fall season is winding down. I think I can do this. At least, I hope I can make it another week or two. Next year, I won't get involved in so many shows. (Yeah, I'm laughing, too.)

The Amazing Race - Well, my guys weren't U-Turned. But sadly one of the groups that was U-Turneddid go home. The only team I really wantto see leave is Jeremy and Sandy, who came in next to last. The father son team were definitely cool anddidn't seem like they had something to prove to each other, which was a realnice change from the normal on that show. I'm sorry to see them go. Meanwhile, I can't see why the one woman is obsessed with winning atleast one leg. The only leg that reallymatters is the last one. Why soinsistent?

Once Upon a Time - That was an interesting twist withCinderella, having her dealing with Rumplestilkins. And I wonder how that fit the time line sinceSnow was obviously there at Ella's wedding. I like how that played out in Storybrook as well with Mr. Gold havingbought the baby. I wonder what favorhe's going to want from Emma now. And dowe know who the sheriff is yet? BecauseI'm thinking the Huntsman, although I could be wrong there. We definitely know why he is so willing to dothe Mayor's bidding.

Terra Nova - I'm so glad Josh confessed. That took a lot of guts. Meanwhile, the investigation into thescientist was fascinating. I like thetwist and how they played that murder out. Much better than last week's murder.

The Sing-Off - Well, there goes the group I was rooting forthe most. I'm sure the winners will bethe Urban group, although I think I might be rooting for Penatonix now. I must admit I've lost some interestsomewhere along the way. I think theyhad too many groups and it was too spread out. I much liked it when it was on for a few weeks in December. I think this also means I would never lastwith American Idol, not that I was planning to start watching it.

Covert Affairs - It must be the accent, but I spend theentire time that Ohed is on screen trying to understand what he is saying. He really needs to stop mumbling. And why is it I can never really remember anyof these guest stars they bring back. It's like I can't remember what is happening on this show unless itinvolves the main characters. Rantingaside, I did enjoy this episode and Ohed's character. Jai surprised me at the end, taking thecredit/blame for the bad guy being shot. I wonder what that was all about.

Ringer - Gemma isn't dead??!! The ending got me. I so wanted her to be found. So who is John and why is he working withShabon. And it looks like the affair isgoing to come out. What will that do toBridget since she's the one who isn't guilty? Since the episode in two weeks is the fall finale, I'm expecting somepretty big shocks to the system. I'lljust be curious how it all plays out.

Psych - Another very funny episode. I figured out the real killer part waythrough, but it was so funny with so many great lines. It's a classic.

Survivor - This episode was completely predictable. Ozzy won at Redemption. Shocking. The other two people from his tribe got sent to join him. Again, shocking. Next week will be much more interesting asthey have to turn on each other. I'mafraid that Coach is going to win. Ihope that's not the case, but it sure is looking that way.

Big Bang Theory - So, Sheldon and Amy have made itofficial. Sure looks to me like thingshaven't changed between them at all. Itwill be interesting to see if things changed between them at all. Meanwhile, the bits with that expansion packthe guys were playing looked way too familiar, especially Leonard having to getthe special edition even though he already had the regular one.

Burn Notice - Wow was that an intense episode. I knew they'd get the guys out of thefactory, but I was still very much on the edge of my seat to see how. And more Madeline. I love it when they really get her involved,but I felt so sorry for her this time around. I loved Michael trying to save Bernie at the end. That last scene was just so intense. The scientist they were trying to rescuelooked so much like Morgan from Chuck, I spent most of the episode trying tofigure out if it was him or not. Turnedout to be his older brother.

Nikita - Another intense episode, but I wasn't that happywith this one. Burkoff being torturedsure wasn't any fun. I'm interested tosee how this all goes down with Alex in Russia. And will Nikita get her hands on another blackbox?

Chuck - I promise, you only have 9 more episodes to listento this whine. I can't believe this showis ending. I laughed so hard at this onetonight. Jeff as a responsible adult hasactually brought some life to the Buy More gang and made that part of the showfun. Casey playing with Morgan over thethings he liked was great. That lastscene would have made me very happy (until they arrested Casey, of course) as aseries finale shot. A perfect episode.

Word Association for November 17th

2011-11-17T16:52:00.001-08:00

Here we go again. This week's word association.

Help :: Danger
Close :: Open
Start over :: Do it Right
Dirt :: Mud!
Kilometer :: 5K or 10K
Speedy :: Fast
Shop :: Spend
Trumpet :: of Jesus
Dog :: Cat
Canoe :: Fun, River, Water. Take your pick

FIR Question #8

2011-11-16T16:46:00.001-08:00

It's Wednesday, which means that Catrina over at Callapidder Days is asking another Fall into Reading Question.

Where do you love to read? Do you have a favorite chair, a favorite room, a favorite place…somewhere that inspires you to put everything else aside and pick up a book?

Honestly, the answer to that question is yes. I will read anywhere and everywhere. It comes from a childhood spent using books to get me through boring shopping trips. (Let's face it, every shopping trip outside a toy store is boring when you're a kid, even if it's for you.)

Based on where I read the most now, I would say my favorite places to read are:
1) My car. Don't panic. I don't read while driving (although I have been tempted upon occasion). But I will go out to my car and read on my lunch hour. Yes, I often take a nap as well, but that's a favorite spot, and when it is too hot or cold to do that, I'm disappointed.
2) My bed. I always snuggle in at night and read before turning out the light. Unlike some people, I find reading relaxes me enough to put me to sleep. Whenever I have a chance to read at home, this is my default location since my roommates are usually out and about other places in the condo.

Given a choice, I will also read in the easy chair in the living room, although that's less common.

As I said, I will read anywhere and everywhere I can. As long as I can support at least some of my weight, I will get lost in a book. Yes, I have read standing up before.

Weekend Wrap Up

2011-11-15T16:24:00.001-08:00

It must be time for a weekend wrap up post.

I'm going to start with Friday, when I finished watching all my TV shows for the week. That's right, I didn't have anything I had to watch over the weekend! That was a first in a long time, although it looks like things will be getting easier as it goes along now since some shows are dropping out for the Fall. Of course, come February, everything will be back, so I'll have to juggle it all then.

Saturday morning, I did not play ultimate Frisbee. Instead, I met up with Angelique to see Puss in Boots. It was fun, but it wasn't a rush out to see type of movie.

I came home and had a couple hours to myself, but then Daniel came over for a round of The Stock Market Game. I managed to pull off a win, although I didn't think that was going to happen this time around.

Sunday, the choir sang in church. This was interesting since I've been fighting off the last of a cold. I had hardly any voice on Saturday until afternoon. I was able to fake my way through most of the songs all three services, although I was certainly ready to be done by the time we finished.

Then my new friend Chris came over and I introduced him to ultimate Frisbee. Now, the field we normally play on is often muddy in spots, but I have never seen the field that muddy. It was more like a swamp. Now, you know I'm always up for a good mud run, but this went a bit far, even for me. Anyway, we had a good time.

After he left, I headed over to my nightly TV/movie night with friends. We're starting to watch Alias, which is new to everyone but me. I'd forgotten just how good the first season was.

And this was my quiet, stay at home weekend of the month. Man, it was busy.

Weekly TV Recap for November 12th

2011-11-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, I finished everything on Friday night. Feels good not to have a bunch of TV to go on a weekend. And yes, I've taken a couple shows off the list. I think I'm going to tough it out two more weeks and then things will cut back. Since some shows won't be back in the Spring, that will help and I don't have to figure things out again until Fall.

See, still the most indecisive person.

The Amazing Race - The brother and sister duo have neverbeen one of my favorites, so I wasn't sorry to see them go. I didn't feel that great with how they lost,however. I always feel badly when onemember really struggles with something and that is what costs them. I find it funny that the only team who gotU-Turned had already passed the check point. I can understand the confusion, but it's still funny. Looks like my team is going to get U-Turnednext week. Hope they can work throughit. And can I just say how stupid it isto use an express pass to win first instead of using it to stay in therace. Unless it was the last leg I coulduse the pass, I'd be saving that for some time when I thought I was going homeinstead of some time when I hoped to get first.

Once Upon a Time - I am so under this show's spell. I'm wondering who Prince Charming's ex/wifeis in the fairytale universe if anyone we've heard before. Emma's scenes with the mayor are absolutelyamazing. And I'm wondering just how SnowWhite ruined the Evil Queen's life.

Terra Nova - So, the son is still alive, and somehow thesixers are working with him. That's aninteresting development. The charactersgot some development, and I think that was the biggest point of the episode.

The Sing-Off - I wouldn't have called myself a country fan,but I enjoyed those performances more this week than the rock performances thatstarted the show. I'm quickly losinggroups to root for since they seem to be keeping the more urban groups, and I'mnot as big a fan of that style. Yes,even though they'd done it before, I was sorry to see Delilah go this week.

Castle - Considering the build up of Castle and the guys in Atlantic City as an earlybachelor party, this episode focused much more on the mystery than I thought itwould. I enjoyed it, although it didn'thave the clever twists of last week.

Covert Affairs - Seeing Peter out of the office was fun,although he and Annie sure met up lots if she was trying to keep her covertstatus hidden. Interesting show,although not that many twists or turns. I knew about his past relationship with the asset from the beginning -it was that obvious. I like how theyseem to have repaired Peter and Joan's relationship, however. It feels like they are working on giving thema good marriage, which I always like to see.

Ringer - The story moved forward, although I think the mostinteresting development was Bridgette meeting Shoban's new boy toy. I wonder if she suspects what this means orif she thinks it was all in the past. Ididn't realize he worked for Mr. Martin (blanking on first name), however. I'm not sure how much more complicated thingscan get, but it looks like they are about to have some secrets come to light.

Psych - The opening scene was hilarious. Decent mystery although it seemed a bit allover the place, even for this show. Still, Shawn and his dad fighting over the call made the entire episodefor me.

Survivor - For now, Cochran is okay with the other team. It'll be interesting to see how that worksout for him when the rest of his team is gone. Ozzy is back on redemption. Infact, they had two tribal counsels. I'mready to see how things go at the challenge next week. Oh, and I'm so ready for Coach to gonow. I'd love to see someone who hasn'tplayed before win this season.

Burn Notice - So, we're a step closer to taking down thesecond half's big bad. The question is,will Michael be unable to undo the damage once they do. Or will that be the plot line for seasonsix? The story about taking down thefriend's killer was fine, but it wasn't one of their better episodes.

Charlie's Angels - And I think that's all she wrote. Once again, I enjoyed the episode. It wasn't great television, but it wasentertaining and had a couple of twists to it I enjoyed. RIP, Angels. I'll miss you.

The Big Bang Theory - Hilarious. Neither story line was unexpected, but theway they played out was very funny. Penny and Leonard going at it, getting all their annoyances off thetable, Sheldon suddenly loving that bird. Played absolutely wonderfully by all concerned.

Nikita - I'm glad they are doing more with Michael and hisson. Never expected that she was reallyBritish intelligence. And Nikitabreaking up with him was so hard to watch. A great thing I really respect, but so hard to watch. So, now that the one guardian has beenbrought up for his secondary mission, what is he going to do?

Chuck - I am so going to miss these characters when the showis over. They'd better give them a happyending. Anything else would not be inthe spirit of the show. Casey trying todate Gertrude is absolutely hilarious. Their fight scene was brilliant. And then Morgan dodging those darts Matrix style was perfect. I'm glad they got him back to normal. And Jeff acting normal, too? I'm normally not a Buy More fan, but this hasreal potential. But I think my favoritething tonight was Sarah working hardest to get Morgan back because she knewwhat that friendship means to Chuck. That's a sign of how far she's grown as a character.

Wednesday's Bowling

2011-11-11T16:35:00.001-08:00

I believe I've mentioned that one of my roommates has started organizing a bowling night on his day off. One of the local bowling alleys has a deal where for $10 you get three hours of bowling and your shoe rental - minimum three people per lane. It's a fun way to hang out with friends and rather cheap, too.

This last week, for the first time that I've gone, we only had three of us - my roommate Spencer, my former roommate Daniel, and myself. All three of us are around the same level of play, and we try to get as many games in as we can.

We managed to get 8 games in, although I think they let us go a couple minutes past closing. They sure shut it down the instant our 8th game was over.

To show how evenly matched we are, Daniel and I won three games each, and Spencer won the other two.

And Daniel and I broke 1000 points by the end of the last game. Not by much. I was the point leader for the night, and I hit 1045.

I realize that the 130.6 average isn't that big a deal to those who bowl regularly, but we were all happy with it. Now, we just need to increase our scores so we can crack 1000 on normal nights when we play 5 or 6 games.

FIR Question #7

2011-11-09T17:00:00.000-08:00

It's Wednesday, which means it's time for another Fall Into Reading Question. Actually, we get two this week.

Is there a book that has had a tremendous impact on your life? One that made you look at life in a whole new way, or caused you to completely change something in your life?

As a Christian, the easy answer is the Bible. And it has made me reexamine my life at various times when I have run across a passage that convicted me of something I was doing wrong or encouraged me that I was right about something.

However, that seems to easy for me. Then again, I'm not sure about any book I've read that really changed my life that much. That is one downside of reading mostly fiction, I guess.

And now, for the bonus question.

How is your Fall Into Reading coming along? Are you on track? Ahead of schedule? Falling behind?

It's funny this came up today (we're about half way through the season, although it feels like winter out there). I had 20 books on my original list, and I've made it through 9 of them, so I'm not too far off track. However, I've read a couple of books that weren't on my list originally, so I've read 11 so far. Granted, both of those books were very short, but I'm still counting them. I have some longer books on my list still, so we'll see how I did in the second half of fall. I'm hoping to at least get the books from Spring read.

Word Association for November 8th

2011-11-08T16:48:00.000-08:00

Here's this week's word association.

Distress :: Upset
White lie :: Still a Lie
Costume :: Actor
Stampede :: Cowboy
Unappealing :: Ugly
Idtiot :: Stupid
Correction :: Fact
Resignation :: Job
Insipid :: Bad
Celebration :: Happy

Running the ROC Race

2011-11-07T16:38:00.000-08:00

This weekend was the ROC race. That's Ridiculous Obstacle Challenge. I ran it with Sanjay, whom I hadn't seen since May. And we had a blast.

This techincally wasn't a mud run. Having said that, there were some definitely muddy spots, and a couple of them were designed that way. But they were never more than a few inches deep and we didn't have to crawl through any of them.

We did, however, have to navigate some water. I completely failed the monkey bars, and that meant some water. There was a slip and slide at one point. They were using hoses to wet us down at another. And there were water pits under a rope bridge and a rope swing, the final two obstacles.

I was ridiculously pleased with how well I did climbing up a few things that were rather steep and had a rope to help us climb over. I'm wondering if I gave up too soon on the wall at the Gladiator Rock n Run.

One of my favorite obstacles was the giant inflatable slide. Yeah, this was run with some obstacles like that.

Then again, they took advantage of the cold snap we had over the weekend to put some ice/snow on the tire mountain and in the tubes we had to crawl through. That was very cold. Ironically enough, the polar plunge was warmer than I expected.

Fortunately, we caught a break in the weather and it was sunny and warm enough for the wetness.

As I said, it was lots of fun. There were about 20 obstacles over the 5K, so it wasn't a road race with a few obstacles. There were definitely lots of obstacles. Plus it was at the LA County fairgrounds. I've never been to the fair, and I enjoyed watching all of that.

And since it wasn't a mud run, just rinsed off my shoes and hands after the race and we were good to go. It had been warm while we were running, but I think trying to clean off at the end would have been too cold!

Weekly TV Recap for November 6th

2011-11-06T15:27:00.000-08:00

So, you'll notice that I'm a day late with this post. That's because I just finished watching TV for the week. I've got to figure out a way to cut out some shows. If I have the nerve to do anything other than watch TV, I fall this far behind. It's not good.

Anyway, here's what I did watch this week.

The Amazing Race - I'm so glad it was a non-elimination leg,although to be honest, there's really only one or two teams I want to seego. I want the snowboarders to win, butI still like most of the teams and hate to see anyone go. I'm just glad the grandparents didn't wind uphaving to leave because they didn't pay their driver. I would hate to have anyone go out that way.

Once Upon a Time - It's official, I love this show. And this is coming from the guy who didn'twant to get caught up in another serialized show. I just hope that these guys are show runnersdo a better job than their bosses did on Lost of telling a complete story. The scenes between the Mayor and Emma wereelectric. I hope Emma has indeed comearound, although that's probably too early. And I'm wondering who remembers what from their old lives. I think that Mr. Gold knows, but I'm stillwondering about the Mayor.

The Sing-Off - The team saved from the bottom two last weekis gone this week. I hope that Urbanwhatever the rest of their name is goes next. I'm really not a fan of their style of music. It was fun to see Committed again. But I really got a kick out of the group thatdid Queen's music tonight, especially since they did "Somebody toLove." One of the lead singers indownhere, a band I love, has done a YouTube cover of that song that has goneviral, so it was fun for me to hear someone else cover it.

Terra Nova - Yes, a mystery. You know I have to critic that. It was actually okay. Not thebest mystery I've ever seen, but still pretty decent. I was glad the married couple wound up beinginnocent and living happily ever after.

Castle - Sooner or later, every cop show seems to think theyneed to do the main character held hostage in a bank episode. And this one had some of the same predictableplot points, although I fell for it just like I do every time. The actors made those moments so real that Ibelieve them. The ultimate reason behindthe bank robbery was wonderfully put together. I never would have guessed that. Itredeemed a cliched plot and made it feel wonderfully creative. And it was fun seeing the robbers using TVdoctors as their code names, too.

Dancing with the Stars - I've hardly given this show muchtime this season, but I think I'll be giving it less. David was the only reason I was"watching." I'm not saying itwasn't his time to go, but I'm not that attached to anyone else at this point.

Covert Affairs - Jai suddenly seems to be a man ofmanipulation. His whole sub-plot gettingthe new assignment is going to be very interesting. Using his friend and then his dad, however,doesn't win him points with me. I feltsorry for Annie innocently making a friend and then having to use him to getmore information. That whole thing waspretty hard to watch.

Ringer - So Gemma is indeed dead. Yet the new sponsor is actually thekiller? Yikes! And since when did Shabaan go from Bridget isruining everything to wanting Bridget's secret safe. Meanwhile, with the old sponsor in New York, will the truthcome out? And now everyone is going toknow that Bridget isn't pregnant, especially after that scene about how muchthe baby means to the husband. This justgets more complicated every week.

Psych - The scene with Mantis fighting in the warehouse withall the Batman words was hysterical. Aswere both Shawn and Gus' superheroes. Also didn't see the final twist coming. All in all, it was another fun episode.

Survivor - So, Ozzy gets back in the game only to haveCochran turn his back on everyone and switch sides. I am interested to see how he is going to tryto spin this. But the real question is,will everyone now be gunning for him, or will the other side take him on theirteam, at least until they get down to seven. I think he's just cut his own throat, but we'll see.

The Big Bang Theory - Amy has some weird ideas on things,but this was a pretty funny episode. I'mjust wondering what they are saying about Leonard behind his back.

Burn Notice - If I didn't trust the writers in this show to comeup with a way for Michael to defeat this latest big bad, I might actually beworried. Until then, I'm going to enjoywatching him squirm as the stakes have never been hirer for him. I am wondering how this will lead into nextyear. And so many great lines in theepisode. I just love this show.

Charlie's Angels - I think my biggest disappointment withthe fact that this show has been canceled is the fact that we will never knowwhat secret they were hinting at with Charlie. That certainly intrigues me along with the fun of the individualepisodes.

Chuck - I was very confused when Morgan didn't recognize theIndy reference since I was thinking it myself. But then they made it a plot point. Wow, Morgan is definitely changing, and not for the better. Again, I trust the writers and I think theywill fix things by the end. (At least Ihope they will. Some of those interviewsmake it sound like they want to end things at least somewhat badly. But that's never been the show. It's always been about fun.)

Nikita - I knew it! Iknew that Ryan couldn't really be dead. How his working with Amanda to take down Oversight is going to work out,however, I have no clue. Meanwhile, thewriters, who I assume are here in So Cal, need to learn that Camp Pendletonis a Marine base, not a Navy base (although I'm sure there could beoverlap). And Alex basically a prisonerof Division even if they are "protecting" her? This season has officially gotten very good.

Grimm - This is an easy cut for me to make from my watchlist. After two episodes, I'm not reallythat engage either with the characters or the story they are trying totell. I'm curious how they will continueto build on fairytales for each episode, but not enough to watch week afterweek.

Concentration - That Is Key

2011-11-03T16:49:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, I said I hadn't been able to concentrate much. Then, I was blaming a sugar hangover from the candy I ate Monday night. Tonight, I have no excuse, yet here I am unable to concentrate on much of anything. It's been that bad almost all week, and I'm not sure what is causing it.

It might be my lack of sleep that is making me jittery. I've been going to bed late, even for me, almost all week. Tuesday and Thursday, I got up and went for a run before work in spite of all that, too.

I definitely think it is partically adrenelin from waiting to hear if a new friend will sign up for Tough Mudder with me. I so want to do that race with someone else. And we're even thinking of trying to talk some members of a band we both like to join us. That prospect is really making me jittery. I am finding myself checking every few minutes to see if he's responded, even though his responses are pretty consistent and come in like clockwork once a day. Yeah, a guy can hope, can't he?

And I've got the ROC race this weekend. That's Ridiculous Obstacle Challenge. The weather's supposed to barely hit 60, so it will be a little cooler than I want, but it looks like so much fun. I can't wait.

Plus I'm trying to decide what to cut from my TV list while still trying to watch everything I am recording. I can't keep it up much longer. I know that I've got a few weeks until some of my shows end for the season (they're only fall shows), but I don't know if I can wait that long to cut back.

This will be interesting tonight since I have choir. Will I be able to concentrate for two hours. Plus, to add to the nervousness, I think I am going to audition for one of the solos. I've been praciting hard for the last couple of days for it.

Here's hoping I actually go to bed and feel more like myself tomorrow. I have too much work I need to do to go on like this.

Fall Into Reading Question Six

2011-11-02T09:38:00.000-07:00

It's time for this week's Fall Into Reading Question.

When it comes to fiction, are you more of a “plot person” or a “character person”? If you had to choose, which concept would win out when it comes to picking and loving a book: plot or character?

I am finding that I truly do enjoy great characters. In fact, spending time with interesting characters has helped some slow plots be more palitable to me. However, eventually, you'd better have an interesting plot or I will zone out and struggle to finish the book.

So ultimately I am a plot person, but I can be distracted by fun, well drawn characters through the slow parts.

Word Association for November 1st

2011-11-01T16:52:00.001-07:00

Since I have the attention span of...What's that?...tonight, let's do this week's word association.

Class :: School
Shopping :: Bag
Bitchy :: Unplesant
Consulting :: Job
Texts :: Phone
Sigh :: Long
Office :: Work
Develop :: Pictures
Boardwalk :: Monopoly
Prime :: Rib

Weekly TV Recap for October 29th

2011-10-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

Just finished up the shows for the week, even though I had fewer shows than I have. Something about two new shows on Friday night along with a night where I wasn't home and a busy Saturday. But anyway, here are my thoughts on the week of TV.

Once Upon a Time - I hope that people were watching because I sure did like that pilot. Okay, so the premise seemed to steal quite a bit from The Sisters Grimm books I like (and the rest will be stolen by Grimm, I'm predicting right now). But the execution is pretty good and there are some very interesting places they can take the story. Heck, I'm wondering if Snow White really remembers her past or not. Frankly, it looks like a fun show, and this is coming from someone who doesn't want to start another major arc story. Hopefully they get enough episodes to truly show us where the story might lead.

The Amazing Race - I feel sorry for the twins, they never appeared to have a chance to catch up to everyone else. And it is amazing how the teams seemed to get switched around based on how their taxi took them in Bankok. That was the only real place switching we saw. I felt sorry for the father/son team when they found out they could have kept to their original bus, but at least it didn't cost them anything other than two tickets. But back to the twins. I greatly respect them not begging but finding drivers to give them rides for free. That shows a maturity level that I really like.

The Sing-Off - Since I've been a fan of one of the members of The Collective since she started her career, I've been rooting for them all along. But based on the judge's comments, I've been expecting them to go by the mid way point. Guess I was right. I did enjoy the hip hop more than I thought I would, well at least most of the performances. And it is interesting that there doesn't seem to be a clear front runner or two coming out of this season, at least not yet. Maybe as we get closer it will become more obvious who they are really rooting for.

Castle - They broke up Espanzito and Laney? Say it ain't so? I really liked them together as a couple. I hope they work them back together. Meanwhile, it looks like they are going to break up Ashleigh and Alexis. I don't have feelings about that either way, I must admit. Oh, the case? A very good haunted mansion mystery, and I love those when there's a logical explanation at the end. The killer was a bit random, even for that show, but I enjoyed the episode over all.

Dancing with the Stars - So I watched the dances only from Monday night and then watched some of the recap on Tuesday. So that's when I heard Maks comments about how he built the show. Really? Someone has a serious ego problem. And I'm sorry, but Hope's dance last night wasn't nearly as good as many of the others there. This is coming from an untrained fan, Maks. You might want to think about that. Meanwhile, I called it last week, it was Chaz and Lacey's turn to go. I was fast forwarding through, but what was Carson still doing around. Dude's gone. Deal with it and move on.

Last Man Standing - One good laugh, that's all this episode had. And the stuff with the wife and the neighbor? Completely unfunny. I'm still on the fence with this show, but I think I'm about done with it.

Psych - Another really funny episode. Yes, the killer was a bit of a last minute character, although not quite as bad as I thought since he had shown up in one scene. But the jokes were so funny. I was laughing the entire time.

Survivor - That is either the boldest move or the worst possible move ever. If Ozzy doesn't win, he's going to feel stupid. But if he does win and come back in, it might be the game. What's really funny is that Christine would have been loyal to his tribe because she hated her own. But now that they are lying to her, she might get so angry with them. Next week is going to be very, very interesting.

The Big Bang Theory - An episode without Amy. I think that's a first since they introduced the character. It was very funny, too. The plot with Leonard was predictable if somewhat sweet. But what was really funny was the part about Sheldon trying to scare the other guys in the group. It was so hilarious.

Nikita - Even from a cell, Percy is still a force to be reckoned with. Setting up Nikita with her father to track her down and kill her? The twists and turns in this episode alone were worthy of a full length movie. And does this mean Alex is going to be working with Nikita again? I hope so. Although if Alex can't shake Percy's threat, it won't last for long. And I guess Michael, Nikita, and Berkhoff will being finding a new place to live. And how is Michael finding out about his son going to change things?

Chuck - I can't believe this is the final season. How I have missed these characters. It still felt like it was missing the humor of the old Chuck, but I love how they are handling Morgan as the intersect and what that means for Chuck. And I love Sarah and Chuck as a married couple. I believe it and I love it.

Grimm - The title was sure right on this one. I suspect there is more to this than we've seen so far in the pilot. But I'm not sold yet. This one is going to have to grab me quickly or it is going to be gone.

New TV on DVD Reviews:
Chuck - Season 4
V - Season 2

Last Friday's Downhere Concert

2011-10-28T16:43:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I forgot to talk about this earlier this week. Especially since I had a great time.

I've been a fan of the Christian Canadian rock band downhere since, like forever. Okay, I probably found them about a year after their debut came out, and I've been following them ever since. They have an unfortunately small following, although that may grow thanks to lead singer Marc Martel's recent viral video entry in the Queen tribute band contest.

Anyway, I've seen them three times in concert over the years, twice here in town. Last Friday, I got to see them a fourth time here in town. This was probably the first time I've caught them in 5 or so years.

The concert appears to have been part of a fundraiser for a local Christian school. Honestly, I didn't care. It was a chance to see downhere in concert.

They only did one song that I recognized from the earlier concerts I've been to. Everything else was from the discs they've released since then, which doesn't really surprise me. What did surprise me was just how many of the lyrics I still knew. I was expecting to know a small fraction, but I was able to sing along to them all. Quite often, I couldn't remember which song it was until we hit the chorus.

After the concert, I hit the autograph line and was able to get their latest discs autographed, so I still have a complete collection of autographed discs. They are truly nice guys who were chatting with everyone who came through the line. I was near the end, and I left about an hour after the concert was over.

They're hoping to be back this spring with their tourmates, Aaron Shusts and Jason Gray. I'm fans of both of those artists as well, so I hope that happens. I'd love to spend a night with all three in concert.

Word Association for October 27th

2011-10-27T16:39:00.000-07:00

Here's this week's word association.

Inhibitions :: Free
Sprint :: Holy
You :: Me
Shop :: 'Til You Drop
Priority :: Top
Testify :: Trial
Guys :: Dolls
Phone call :: Received
Removed :: from Circulation
Produce :: Grocery

Fall Into Reading Question 5

2011-10-26T16:36:00.000-07:00

If it's Wednesday, it's time for this week's Fall Into Reading Question.

Do you skim? Or are you faithful to read every word?

My first reaction to this is always, "Of course I read every word." And I think I read about 90% of them.

But I confess that there are times I get caught up in the action and my eyes start skimming over things. This is especially the case with dialog between only two characters. I'll just read what they are saying and skim over the tags. And if the descriptions get long and boring, I skim them very quickly.

However, it's never my intent to skim. And I feel like I read every word on the page. It think it's more a case of my mind filling in stuff for me, and so my eye skips to the next part it doesn't already know.

I think it would be interesting to see how much I read versus how much I think I read versus how much is on the page some time. That may be the only way I ever truly know.

Another fun, busy weekend

2011-10-25T16:44:00.000-07:00

Like you'd expect anything less from me, right?

I actually got to play ultimate Frisbee twice this weekend. I headed out to my new game Saturday morning. Then I played again with the other group here in town on Sunday afternoon. It felt wonderful to have plastic in my hands again, and it's only been a month. Remember those years when I only played for St. Pat's Hat and summer league? Every so often, I do wonder if I should stick to pick up and forget leagues, but I think I love the sport too much to do that.

Meantime, I spent time catching up on TV, including the Sing-Off I hadn't watched when I posted Saturday night.

And Saturday night, I went to see And Then There Were None (aka Ten Little Indians) at a theater in North Hollywood. It was a small theater, but very well done. And it was nice because you could see everything, too. My friend Angelique went, too, and we really enjoyed it. Glendale Centre Theatre is mostly likely going to do it next fall, and I can't wait to see it again there.

Of course, Sunday morning was church. But I didn't get to go hang out with my normal Sunday night crew due to sickness and late soccer games. I haven't seen them for several weeks now, so hopefully we can connect this weekend.

Weekly TV Recap for October 22nd

2011-10-22T18:05:00.000-07:00

So close. I'm caught up on everything but The Sing-Off. Won't get to that tonight, so I'll have to try to work it in over the next couple of days. I just don't see myself watching it all at once, but we'll see what happens. Meanwhile, here's my take on the new stuff from this week.

The Amazing Race - I'll admit, I wasn't only half watching the race this week. Again. Even so, I wasn't at all surprised that the snowboarders came in first on this leg. As soon as I saw the tasks at the detour, I knew it was theirs to lose. I hope they keep it up because I like them. They just need to avoid mistakes like they did at the airport.

Terra Nova - For a while I was thinking they were leaving the dinosaurs out of that episode, but one did make a cameo. Interesting ideas they are forming about the leader of Terra Nova. I'm wondering what the real story is. And I'm wondering what that devise the girl was sent to retrieve is.

Castle - "I don't take things that belong to other people." Talk about a great line. And I really like how they played with Castle and Beckett's relationship. Plus I can't believe that Ryan and Sharpay Evan's mom was the killer.

Dancing with the Stars - So, apparently I'm the only one who thought it was beyond time for Carson to go. He's fun, don't get me wrong. But he's not a good dancer. For him to stay while a better dancer left wouldn't have been right. And yes, I've figured that out without watching the entire performances the last two weeks.

Last Man Standing - I'm torn on this show. In all three episodes, it seems like we're supposed to be mocking Tim Allen's character, who is ultra conservative. But he happens to be right, at least some of the time. Are we going with an Archie Bunker thing here or are they going to prove that maybe he's not so bad after all more often like at the end where his daughter was defending him?

Ringer - Watched the two episodes I hadn't seen back to back. So Shaban had Gemma killed for some reason? What was it? And why did Bridgette make sure her prints were on the evidence? I knew they wouldn't find Bridget's sponser since they had tipped off the bad guys. So how long will he be their prisoner, and did he give Bridget up? This show gets more intriguing every week.

Psych - The Hangover didn't interest me. Royal Pains did an episode based on the premise that was okay. So I wasn't expecting much from this episode, but it was lots of fun. The mystery was pretty good as well. And the ending had me in stitches. Much better than last week's premier.

Survivor - Ozzie wasn't quite as bad the whole way through, but I can understand his reaction at being blindsided. And yes, some weeks I think people are over reacting. But when you think you are in charge of things and they vote out your closest allie, it's going to hurt. Meanwhile, at the other tribe, Brandon is indeed a lose cannon, but keeping secrets from him, especially when you are going to keep talking about being honest, is just going to make the situation worse. Yes, Coach, I'm looking directly at you. And speaking of which, threatening to punch someone for using your real name? So over the top I don't even know where to start.

Charlie's Angels - I'm really sorry this show has been canceled. The pilot was by far the weakest episode. The rest have been fun. No, it's not amazing or spectacular, but it's escapist fair, and that's all it was trying to be, really. And I felt it fit the original pretty well, not that I've watched the originals that recently.

The Big Bang Theory - I'm not a huge fan of Sheldon's mom just because she is usually an excuse to mock Christians based on stereotypes. Even so, I found the episode very funny. I laughed so hard at this episode. It's nice to find a batch of decent episodes on the show again. They seem to be finding their groove in season 5.

Nikita - Last week was some more back story on Nikita as we finally saw the mission where she escaped Division. This week, we got a little bit more on Michael, and it was interesting. I expected Alex to figure out that Nikita was around, so I liked the fact that she never did. This may be my favorite episode of the season so far since it feels like the story is beginning to move forward again.

Word Association for October 21st

2011-10-21T17:01:00.000-07:00

Running late, so I guess it's a good thing that I'm just posting this week's word association today.

Neglected :: Forgotten
Sirens :: Police
Coordinate :: Avoid Duplication
Mellow :: Relaxed
Oscar :: Winner
Facebook :: Friends
Whoop :: Excitement
Affluent :: Rich
Battle :: War
Kisses :: Love

Fall Into Reading Questions 3 and 4

2011-10-20T16:30:00.000-07:00

Since I was internet less last week, I'm going to do questions 3 and 4 from Callapidder Days this week. (Why didn't I do this yesterday? Because I just plan ran out of time.)

On what devices, if any, do you read books? Or are you strictly a “physical book” reader?

I do have some reading apps on my iPod Touch, specifically Kindle for iPhone and Barnes and Noble's reading apps. But I've read one story and one book on them, I think. If that. I am very much a physical book person. Which leads into this week's question.

How large is your personal/family collection of books? And where do you keep them?

Large. I don't know how many books I actually have. I have some boxes down in the garage. And I have bookcases in the condo overflowing with books. I should probably weed through them and cut some of them out, but I hate to get rid of books, even giving them away. If only I could fit more physical books into my crowded condo (along with my DVD's).

So, the Trip

2011-10-18T16:54:00.000-07:00

While my parents and brother, sister-in-law, and niece all met up in Colorado Springs late in the week, I wasn't able to join them until October 9th. I had to work and had a choir day working on Chirstmas music on that Saturday. Turns out it was a good thing I wasn't trying to fly that day because it actually snowed that Saturday.

And it turned out perfectly because Mom's birthday was on Sunday.

We spent the week camping in a state park just outside of Colorado Springs. Bro and SiL stayed in their tent, while the rest of us slept in Mom and Dad's trailer. We would do day trips to such places as Garden of the Gods and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, then come back to the trailer and let my niece take her nap. The rest of us would shower, play games, or shop while she was doing that.

Fortunately, the weather mostly cooperated. It was cool at night, but in the upper 60's or low 70's during the day. We didn't make it up Pikes Peak because of the snow that fell on the 8th and winds, but we were able to do everything else we wanted to do.

On Sunday, we got to visit with one of my mom's counsins and his family, most of whom I'd never met. Then Thursday, some family friends came down from Denver for a few hours.

We had a fantastic time. My niece is so cute! A highlight for me was seeing her face light up in a big smile when she saw me at the airport. I was a little worried that she'd be sticking to me more than anyone else, but she was equally willing to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa, which saved my life I'm sure.

And did I metion she's very cute?

A definite highlight for me was visiting Focus on the Family's visitor center. We've long supported their ministry and listened to that and Adventures in Odyssey. The downstairs area where they have Whit's End and various store fronts from Odyssey was a real hoot for me. They even have a Narnia room, so I finally got to walk through the wardrobe. And their ice cream shop serves a WodFamChocSod. We all got one of them. Not the best thing I've ever had, but you have to buy one while you're at Whit's End, right? (For those who haven't heard the episode "Our Best Vacation Ever," it's a World Famous Chocolate Soda.)

Friday, bro and his family drove home, and we started back to Southern California. Mom and Dad went out of their way to drive me home. We went through Santa Fe and Albequerque on the way. It was the first time I'd been in New Mexico, so it was fun from that aspect.

We got back early evening Sunday night. Now, I'm desperately trying to play catch up on a week's worth of TV. It's a bit discouraging because just as I get something watched, this week's episode airs. We'll see how far I've gotten and what kind of recap I can do this week.

Where Have I Been

2011-10-17T16:56:00.000-07:00

You'd think I was away from civilization. That wasn't true, I was just off the internet. I was on vacation with my family in Colorado Springs last week. I'll blog more about it later when I have more time, but for now the short of it is we had a wonderful trip.

Weekly TV Recap for October 8th

2011-10-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Amazing Race - I really can't believe that Ethan and Jenna are gone. How horrible for the first ever double elimination to take out someone I wanted to see last for a long time. Why couldn't the brother/sister team go? Yeah, I found the gay couple annoying and honestly I didn't think they'd last long, so it's no real surprise that they are gone, too.

The Sing-Off - I often say I don't know how the judges do it, and this week was a good example. Every group had at least one strong performance. Okay, so some of them also had weak performances mixed in there, but how do you cut one of those groups? This season is just amazing.

Castle - Another very fun episode with lots of great funny lines. And I like that they are giving Alex a several episode storyline again. Hopefully they don't drop it like they did Ashley for most of the season last year. The captain is proving to be a fun foil for Castle, so that's great.

Terra Nova - So, everyone is here in Terra Nova because of the wife's ex-boyfriend. That won't be awkward. I was glad to see the teens acting responsible this week. A continuation of the repel/rule breaker would have grown tiring quickly. And I think some of those scenes were specifically inspired by The Birds. How could the one where the birds kept multiplying on the wires not be directly taken from the movie?

Dancing with the Stars - Yeah, I was shocked when the couple leaving was announced. Most of the couples really did step up their game, but there are some obvious couples that need to go first. Let's get to it, America.

Ringer - They weren't kidding when they said that they weren't going to drag things out indefinitely. The friend figured out that Shobian was the one having the affair with her husband, and to keep her quiet, Bridget told her the truth. My jaw dropped several times in the course of that episode. Meanwhile, what is Shobian up to back in Paris? I can't wait to see the next episode.

Survivor - Brandon needs to learn to shut his mouth. I'm getting tired of listening to him whining. And I'm tired of those who are voted out acting so bitter and angry. Then again, I wouldn't have taken a hug from Coach or anyone else after being voted out. And I felt sorry for her since she was the last one on her team at the challenge.

Big Bang Theory - A relatively clean show, and a pretty funny one. We found out something interesting about Raj, although I kinda suspected that all along. It's a shame his romance was destined to be a one episode thing but I actually thought it was rather brilliant. But I loved the sub-plot with Sheldon letting the dice decide his life. In fact, I would have preferred more of that.

How to be a Gentleman - I really thought I'd stop watching the show after this episode, but I've got to admit I kind of like it. The main character reminds me a bit too much of myself, and I think that's probably why. Of course, it's getting bumped and will probably we canceled in a week or two, so it's not that big a deal. And I'll be the first to admit it's not the funniest comedy.

Charlie's Angels - Now here's a show I'll admit to being much more upset about when it gets canceled. It seems to be getting more fun every week. Of course, I'd like it if the mystery of the week told us something about the other Angels for a change. And yes, I'm even getting used to Victor Garber as Charlie. This one could still turn out to be pretty fun, poor dialogue and all.

Nikita - That was a bit more serious than I was expecting from the outset. Wasn't really worried about Michael, but it was still an interesting twist at the end. And was it me or did Alex take that shot? That will make for some changes next week. This week's was certainly better than last weeks, which still left me feeling like they are setting major things in motion. Again, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't nearly as gripping as most episodes were last season.

New TV on DVD Reviews:
Melissa & Joey - Season 1 Part 2

Word Association for October 6th

2011-10-06T16:43:00.000-07:00

Here's this week's word association.

Quivering :: Scared
Eclectic :: Unusual
Superimpose :: Over the Top of
The best :: The worst
Aches :: Pains
Vinyl :: Records
Hot and cold :: Our weather this week
Girls :: Boys
Wall :: Painting
Baby :: Cute

Fall Into Reading Questions - Week 2

2011-10-05T16:53:00.000-07:00

It's time for this week's reading question, found here on Callapidder Days.

How often do you re-read books? What does it take to make you re-read?

I don't reread as often as I'd like to. I've reread the Narnia books a couple times in the past few years. I haven't even reread my Trixies in several years. I am working on rereading Harry Potter right now.

I would love to reread more books. It's a chance to revisit old friends and enjoy spending time in their company. Usually after a couple of years, I don't remember all the details of the plot, so even if I remember the general direction the plot takes, I still enjoy my time with the characters. So I guess it's great characters in a fun story that make me reread a book.

Why don't I more often? I just don't have the time. The list of new books I haven't read yet but want to read, like the latest in series or new authors to try, is always so long that I feel I am struggling to keep my head above water. Of course, when I get caught up on the "must read immediately" list, I start to panic about not having anything to read, so it's a catch 22. Anyway, I do too much else (witness my weekly TV recaps and running) to have time for all the reading I want to do, much less have time to reread old favorites.

Double Dose of Book Signings

2011-10-04T16:54:00.000-07:00

You think that doing a 10K mud run was enough excitement for one weekend? Well, you'd be wrong. I also made it to two book signings at Vroman's in Pasadena this weekend.

Actually, that part worked out well, especially on Saturday. The friend I did the mud run with lives near there, so I just hung out with him and his girlfriend until it was time for the book signing.

Saturday was Joanne Fluke. Yeah, I know I had just seen her on Sunday at the launch party, but since that bookstore sold out of books and I needed more copies to give as gifts, I had to catch up with her at some point again. This was the time that would work best (since when she's here in town I'll be busy). Actually, I bought all the books for the book signings Friday night, so there was no chance I wouldn't get them that way. Had a good time, and I got more of the Lime Balls and Triple Fudge she had at the launch party. Yum!

I did drive home Saturday night since I had to be at church Sunday morning. But Sunday afternoon found me heading back to Vroman's for Michael Buckley. He was back promoting his new NERDS book, but there was lots of talk about his Sisters Grimm series as well. He's a nice guy and remembered me from two years ago. Of course, it probably helped that last time I was one of three people there and this time I was the only adult there because I'm a fan and not with kids.

Of course, that meant I was hardly home all weekend. It's one reason I took Friday off, so I could do laundry and other stuff since I was in Pasadena so much. I grabbed dinner with my friend after the signing, then came back to hang out with the usual Sunday night crew and meet one couple's new son.

So yes, it was a very busy weekend. But I enjoyed every minute of it.

Gladiator Rock n Run - Rose Bowl

2011-10-03T16:40:00.001-07:00

So, when I found out this summer that Gladiator Rock ‘n’ Run was coming to the Rose Bowl, I had to try to go. This was their third race, and the third one I’ve done. Plus it was close, and running through the Rose Bowl sounded like fun.

I signed up with my friend Luke, who lives in Pasadena. That worked out well because I got to spend Friday night with him.

We had an option of the 5K length or a 10K length. Naturally, we went with the longer run and then questioned our sanity. Turns out I’m glad we signed up for the longer race.

I guess we started out too fast because I was dying early on. We stopped and walked a couple times in the first half since I was so tired. Keep in mind that I ran 5.5 miles on Tuesday, and actually ran them all.

We started by running through the player’s tunnel into the Rose Bowl, and then up and down the stairs three times before leaving the stadium and hitting some obstacles on the streets. The 10K portion actually took us up into the hills behind the Rose Bowl, which was really neat. I couldn’t believe how in nature we actually were a couple of points so close to such a big landmark and city.

When we rejoined the main course, I was afraid we might hit lots of crowds at a few of the obstacles, but most of the 5K racers (who started after us) must not have hit the second half of their course yet because we didn’t have long waits at the two last obstacles. Just 15 minutes after we finished, the lines were huge at the obstacles I couldn’t do, the one where you have to use a rope to climb a wall with no braces on it. I actually surprised myself by making it to the top, but that’s when my feet started to slip. A couple of people tried to provide braces for my feet to I could push up and over, but I’m not sure that would have worked. I didn’t try, but now I’m kind of wishing I could have tried.

Anyway, they had a mud pit with a tunnel early on and one to crawl through near the end. Plus what was supposed to be ice water to walk through, although it felt great since the weather was hot that day. We ran through a creek in the back section. This mud run always has giant wooden spools we have to get over, and usually I struggle with them, but this time I sailed right over both times we saw them. I got more of a running start than normal. Maybe that’s the secret.

Anyway, we had fun. And I kept the mud out of my eyes for a change, which really helped with how they were feeling the rest of the day. When we went to clean up, there weren’t long lines at the hoses, but boy the water pressure was low. That’s really my only complaint on a day that was lots of fun.

But the aftermath! My calves have been killing me since the race. All I can figure is the stairs were too much for them. I am hobbling around, and really struggling when I have to go down stairs. Not sure why they are bothering me so much, but I hope it goes away soon.

Weekly TV Recap for October 1st

2011-10-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

You'll notice Nikita is missing from the list. I'm not in town tonight, so I doubt I'm going to get it watched until Sunday at the earliest. That's the problem with Friday night episodes, at least as far as my Saturday recaps. But trust me, the show isn't off my watch list.

The Amazing Race - How lucky was that team? Someone found their passport and got it to them at LAX? I really was worried they'd not be able to go. Then the grandparents were saved by a non-elimination leg. I was happy about that because they seem nice. And the clue in the billboard was freaking impossible! But the boats look like lots of fun. I would have loved to do that.

The Sing-Off - I know we're still getting to know the groups, but again I was amazed by how well all of them did. Wasn't that surprised by who went home, and I think I see a few others coming soon if they don't blow the judges away, but they are all impressive.

Terra Nova - I almost turned this one off part way through the first hour because it was moving so slowly. But I kept going and I'm kinda hooked. I'm intrigued by the rock drawings and wondering what all that means. There are lots of different avenues they can explore, and I want to know what is really going on. We'll see how I'm feeling in a couple of weeks, but for now I plan to keep watching.

Castle - How fun was that? I knew that a superhero episode would provide plenty of fun, and I was right. The twists were fairly good, too. Certainly kept me guessing. The new Captain just doesn't get it yet, but there is hope. If they play it out too quickly, it will just ruin the point of bringing in someone who doesn't like Castle, but I do like the fact that we've seen some hope for her to thaw.

Dancing with the Stars - I really thought it was David's week to go, which would give me less reason to watch. I was really surprised he remained. I definitely feel like the judges were right on Chaz. That was by far the slowest Quickstep I've ever seen.

Ringer - It was nice to see more of Shibaun than just those few seconds at the end. Now she knows her own secret. That's going to make things interesting. I feel so sorry for Bridget's sponsor who was questioned by the bad guy and shot up with drugs at the end. Talk about a true and loyal friend. Boy, I did not recognize the best friend at all. And Bridget? Using the FBI agent like she did was brilliant.

Survivor - I still do not understand why people take getting voted out so personally. That's the point of the game! (And the reason I am not on the show. Well, one of the reasons.) Brandon is definitely part crazy, but I absolutely feel for him. And I'm thinking Ozzy chose the wrong person to trust with the knowledge that he found the idol.

Charlie's Angels - There were still some cheesy lines and moments of poor acting, but I felt this week's was better than last week. I even had a better time accepting Victor Garber as Charlie. But what I couldn't believe is that the one angel who tackled the guy into the drink looked so dry after we came back from commercial. And I wasn't a fan of the shorter opening credits, but back when they did the original, there were fewer commercials. Still, fun. We'll see what I think next week.

Big Bang Theory - Definitely better than last week. Sheldon and his trains were very funny. Howard, Bernadette, and his mom were making me cringe, however. Still, that whole train bit was too funny.

How to be a Gentleman - Okay, I caved and gave this one a try. I can see potential, but I didn't find the pilot that funny. I'll watch next week, but if it doesn't blow me away, I'm out of there.

New TV on DVD Reveiws:
Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries - Season 1

Word Association for September 29th

2011-09-29T16:41:00.000-07:00

Time for a little word association today.

Clay :: Pigeon
Eggs :: Scrambled
Dress :: Gown
Games :: Board
Drummers :: Band
Proud :: Achievment
Hoisted :: Flag
Feuding :: Families
Itching :: Skin
Remain :: Stay

Fall Into Reading Question 1 - Reviews

2011-09-28T16:49:00.000-07:00

Every week during Fall Into Reading, Katrina will be asking various book and reading related questions, and I'll be answering them here. (At least assuming I remember to answer them.)

This week's question is: How much do book reviews influence your decision to acquire and/or read a book?

Since I write reviews, I'd better answer it's always important, right?

Seriously, they really only influence me if I am debating about a book. I'll look over reviews and skim the good and the bad. If it sounds worthwhile, I'll get it. If the reviews don't really convince me either way, I usually skip it.

Of course, a recommendation from someone I trust is enough to push something from the "Not even considering it" list to the "Must buy and read right away" list.

What about you?

And as a bonus since this is Banned Book Week, take a moment to read my thoughts on the week.

Survivor Mud Run

2011-09-27T16:54:00.000-07:00

If you will remember, at the start of the year, I said I wanted to do six mud runs in 2011. This last Saturday, I did mud run #6.

As soon as I saw the Survivor Mud Run, I knew I wanted to do it. It looked way too cool with lots of mud. Turned out most of the mud was bunched up together, but it was still lots of fun.

I did this one with my friend Josh. We left town about 9AM to get there in time to get our bibs and stuff like that. But getting our bibs took forever. The lines were very slow, especially since people weren't paying any attention to the signs and getting in which ever line. But we got everything situated just in the nick of time for our wave. This was the only bad part of the day.

The first mile or so had a few obstacles, but nothing too much to break up the running. The big hill we had to climb had tires on it, an interesting twist on things. We were just commenting about how much we wanted to hit the mud when we got to the first mud pit.

On the way there, we'd been talking about how much fun it would be to be at a mud run with super thick mud. And that's exactly what we got here. This is now the thickest mud I've been in. It was so thick I had a hard time getting my feet to the bottom. I wanted to float in it, yet it was hard to get through it swimming.

While we walked through the two pits you were supposed to crawl through, they had pits with logs over the top. And then there was a mud pit with monkey bars over the top. I tried to cross it. Really, I did. But I slid off and landed back in the mud. Oh well.

As you can see, we got very muddy.

Fortunately, Josh spotted a volunteer with an iPhone along the course who agreed to take that picture for us. We were much cleaner than that by the time we hit the finish line.

See, in the second half of the course, we got in the edge of Lake Elsinor. In fact, there was a giant, inflatable slip and slid we rode into the shallow part of the lake. That was a blast. I actually dunked under a few times to clean up, especially on my face and in my hair. Heck, it took a day to get all the mud out of my ears.

We actually ended in a baseball statium going around the outside. If we'd had people there to cheer us on, it would have been very fun to have them waiting for us. There was a final mud pit, but it was very watery. Yes, we got muddy again, but it wasn't thick like that, so we didn't take a picture at the finish line.

We both had a blast. I'd be very willing to do it again if they came back next year.

And don't think now that I've met my goal I am going to stop here. I am signed up for two more mud runs (one this coming Saturday) and the Ridiculous Obstacle Challenge, which doesn't officially involve mud, although it sounds like the water gets pretty dirty.

Weekly TV Recap for September 24th

2011-09-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

Yep, the fall TV season is in full swing. Apart from Monday, it's not too bad right now, although it will get more crowded when the USA Network starts airing some shows in the coming weeks. Actually, I've got two series I want to check out that start in October, too. So I guess this is just the calm before the storm.

The Sing-Off - I do not envy the judges. All those groups are good, and it is so hard to eliminate someone so soon. In the first group, I wasn't sure who was going to go. In the second, I knew it would be the group from Branson. My roommate, a music major, was watching with me, and he pointed out the third group was out of key several times. Yet the group from Branson was too showy, and the other group has too much potential for great TV/story. It's a same, because I loved both the groups that left.

Castle - Not the light cases we're used to seeing, but such a good episode. The writing for all the characters was perfect. I know there's been lots of controversy over the new captain, but I think I actually like her. She's going to bring a new tone to the show for sure, but I think it could work. It will be very interesting to see how they play out that, the search for Kate's mom, and the fact that Kate remembers what Castle said in last season's cliffhanger. This is going to be an interesting season.

Dancing with the Stars - Okay, I caved. I had to see David Arquette dance at least once. And I'm thinking I may watch the results show every week and only watch the performances if I really need to. They recap everything you need to know, so I can probably do this show in 30 minutes a week. I just can't give it up cold turkey. Lots of new pros this season, and I'm not surprised one of them left first. The pros are bigger stars than most of the stars this year. Not surprised they left Chaz until last since they knew everyone who tuned in tuned in for that performance. No real opinion on who went home and who stayed.

Ringer - I think I may be hooked. I'm definitely intrigued. The body in the chest reminded me way too much of Hitchcock's Rope, which I think was intentional. SMG's acting still doesn't seem even, although it was less annoying this week. And suddenly, I'm wondering if Shibon is the one who ordered the hit on her sister. With a missing body, color me intrigued for next week.

Survivor - There is a time and a place to make your move. Unless you are the leader, the very first tribal counsel isn't it. Take your time, build up some good will with the others. Then you can push your suggestion a bit more. I wonder just how much Brandon's power play is going to hurt him. And once again, the two returning members have put themselves in positions of power thanks to the awe from the others. I don't think Coach was wrong to push Christine out after she opening called for him to go barely 5 minutes into the game, but I think she was definitely heading in the right direction with the idea of sending him packing early.

The Big Bang Theory - Well, they aren't off to the best start this season. I didn't find either episode especially funny. Plus they were overly crude. Sheldon's bits were the best, with Amy a close second. Hopefully, they go for the funny joke instead of the easy joke and really start to build in future episodes.

Charlie's Angels - I'd heard some very poor reviews of this one before I watched it. And I'll confess the acting was uneven and the writing wasn't the best. But I actually enjoyed it. It didn't have quite the charm of the original, but I'm willing to give it another chance. My biggest problem is with "Charlie." I have a very hard time listening to Victor Garber doing that voice. Plus he doesn't seem to be that into it. If the reports are true, he just signed on for the part, so I'll cut him a little slack that this one was rushed and hope he improves in future episodes.

Nikita - The last few episodes of last season spoiled me. Don't get me wrong, this wasn't a bad episode. It just wasn't quite as action packed as they had been last season. Then again, the stakes were very clearly defined and very high last season at the end. Right now, they have to establish what has been changed, lay the groundwork for this season, and I think they did that quite admirably. I do wonder why Nikita had to shot Alex after breaking her arm. That seemed personal and overkill. I think they set things up well for the new season.

New TV on DVD Reviews:
Castle - Season 3

Fall Into Reading 2011

2011-09-23T16:52:00.000-07:00

Is it already time for fall to start? Can't believe it, especially since it's 100 degrees out today. But the calendar says it is, and Callapidder Days is ready for people to sign up for her Fall Into Reading 2011 challenge, so let's get to it.

As always, I'm going to start off with books from previous challenges I still haven't read.

Fall 2010 Unread Book:
Dog On It by Spencer Quinn

Spring 2011 Unread Books:
Formula for Murder by Diana Orgain
Killer Routine by Alan Orloff
The Albuquerque Turkey by John Vorhaus

I'm very tempted to just leave the list there and make sure I got through those, but I'm not going to do that (although I do want to make it through these books). I'm trying not to get too carried away with the rest of my list, but I have a feeling that won't happen.

Fall also coincides with a reviewing challenge I host every year at Epinions, the website where I write reviews, so you'll see some Disney titles in the list. (Here's my profile page on Epinions. As you can see, I review lots of stuff other than books.)

Other books I want to read this Fall:
Quickstep to Murder by Ella Barrick (about half way through this one right now)
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Naught in Nice by Rhys Bowen
Heat Rises by Richard Castle
NERDS: The Cheerleader of Doom by Michael Buckley
Darkwing Duck: F.O.W.L. Disposition
The Last Muskiteer by Stuart Gibbs
Kingdom Keepers IV: Power Play by Ridley Pearson
Peter and the Secret of Rundoon by Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry
The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
The Chocolate Castle Clue by JoAnna Carl
A Case of Hometown Blues by W. S. Gager
In Service to the Mouse by Jack Lindquist
The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney by Michael Barrier
Hidden Mickey by Nancy Temple Rodrigue and David W. Smith
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowlings (a reread)

I do reserve the right to add a couple more titles to this list once I get home and look at my shelves. I know there is something I planned to include that I'm forgetting.

Which is very scary. I was going to cut down on the number of books I included in the challenge so I could finish my list for a change. Instead, I've got 20 listed. Okay, one is a comic book, so that I can read in an hour. But the kid's books on here are relatively long and will still take some time to read and enjoy.

Looks like I've got my work cut out for me.

Running

2011-09-22T16:29:00.000-07:00

I've made reference to it a couple of times on the blog, but I am running again. After ultimate ended and choir began I had no choice since I'm not lucky to play ultimate once a week instead of three times a week. And boy do I hate the change.

I could tell I hadn't been running distance much when I started up again because my three mile hill run just about killed me. But I quickly gained that much back until I got derailed by shin splints. Honestly, I'm not sure what caused them since I have basically brand new shoes. All I can wonder is if it is the shoes themselves. Anyway, took it easy a bit and worked my way back up again.

I went for a six mile run last night, and my shins seemed fine, so I'm hoping that is a sign that they are fine.

But boy did it take it out of me. I mean, all I wanted to do was sit down when I was done. It's amazing how quickly you lose the ability to run like that. The outside of my left foot is rather sore, and I'm not completely sure why.

However, it feels wonderful to run a distance like that. Yes, it is work, but the feeling of accomplishment when I was done was priceless. It still amazes me that I can actually run a distance like that. Yes, it takes lots of work and conditioning, but I can get it done.

Heck, I complained earlier about how hard that first 3 mile run back was, but you know what? I finished it. That's a major accomplishment in my book. How long did I think that 1.5 miles would kill me? Running 3 miles was out of the question. Now it's my default run distance. That just blows me away.

Word Association for September 21st

2011-09-21T16:49:00.000-07:00

This week's word association.

Earrings :: Ears
Tomorrow :: Sun will come out (You can thank me now)
Soft :: Hard
Idiots :: Stupid
Portraits :: Picture
Handicap :: Parking Spot
Collar :: White
Blouse :: Shirt
Wool :: Lamb
Statistic :: Class

That's a Quiet Weekend?

2011-09-19T16:36:00.000-07:00

I was planning on a nice, quiet weekend at home this weekend. Okay, for the most part, that's what I got, too. But it was rather busy.

Friday, I was surprised by a phone call not too long after I'd gotten home from work from an old friend I hadn't seen in years. He came over for a couple hours. Even brought pizza. It was nice to chat and catch up with him.

I actually got up early and got my car smogged first thing Saturday morning. I realized this was my last chance to do that for at least a month, and I needed to get it done before then. From there, I met up with the Saturday morning group for some ultimate Frisbee. (I'd always played Thursday night.)

Then I went home and tried to get a bunch of stuff done like laundry and paying bills and watching some stuff I have out from various libraries. I also had a ton of reviews I wanted to write. I got to three of them, but that's it.

Sunday was supposed to be a trip down to Santa Monica to play some beach ultimate, but that idea got nixed since I was going to start hanging out with Joe and Josh earlier. Okay, so it wasn't as early as planned by the time we all were ready to go. I was debating whether I really wanted to go down or not. Still don't know if I wanted to play ultimate or not. It would have made three times in four days, which is a good number, although not a perfect four for four. Instead of that, I took a nap before heading out.

Yes, there was quite a bit of time at home, but it felt like I was always pushing to get the next thing off my to do list. That's what happens when you overbook yourself, I guess. Not that I can think of anything I want to cut out from my schedule in the coming weeks.

Weekly TV Recap - September 17th

2011-09-17T08:55:00.000-07:00

Summer shows had final episodes, and my first shows of the fall aired this week. Next week let the madness really begin.

Wipeout (Tuesday) - You know, I am glad this show is ending for a while. I'll take it up again next summer most likely, but for now I'm getting bored with it. You can only see someone fall so many times before you lose interest. And the blatant advertising is obnoxious.

Ringer - I'm not quite sold on this one yet, but I'm not turned off by it either. Okay, so SMG's acting wasn't up to par at all. But the plot seems to have promise. Hopefully they will pull off the potential as the story progresses. And yes, I realize this is me getting hooked on a serialized story, but we'll see how it goes. It's definitely fun to see a show with several actors I know in it. That alone makes me want to continue.

Necessary Roughness - I think it's a testament to how much I have come to care for these characters that the cliffhanger upset me that much. I was actually yelling at the TV. Yes, I will be tuning in next season to see where everyone goes from here. They have really matured TK and made him into a decent guy.

Melissa and Joey - It was so nice (and funny) to see Ryder standing up to his girlfriend in the first episode. And the second was quite interesting. I was wondering how they were going to get Joey back in the house, and the twist with them thinking he was close to Ryder and Lenix to help them out was pretty good. Plus that lawyer was a riot. They have done a great job playing up the romantic tension, and that final episode was good. I'll be interested to see where this goes when they get back.

Survivor - Has Coach calmed down and learned his lesson? The two returning players will certainly be interesting people to watch this time around. And Russell's nephew is going to have a lot to live down. I would want to keep that secret as well. But I am rooting for Cochran. So glad he wasn't the first to go. The poor lady who was voted off took it hard. I can't say too much because I would probably take it hard as well, but I felt like she was too bitter. She did lose the challenge for them after all. That's pretty much a ticket to go first.

Wipeout (Thursday) - Two hours is too much of this show. I was so ready to be done at the one hour mark. I've been waiting for this episode because I met some people who were contestants on this episode. I met them at a mud run in May, and they had filmed it several months before that. And I think I remember who they were, but I'm not completely sure. In fact, I think they couple who won was two of the three. But I just met them briefly and wouldn't swear to it. Anyway, I hope they wait until next summer to come back. I need a break from the show.

TV on DVD Reviews:

Big Bang Theory - Season 4

Bowling

2011-09-16T16:47:00.000-07:00

So, I've gone bowling twice in the last week and a half. One of the bowling alleys here in town has a deal most week nights where for $10 a person, you get unlimited games and shoe rental from 9PM until midnight. You have to have 3 people per lane minimum. Still, it's a good deal.

What has surprised me is how I seem to get better as the night progresses. It used to be I peaked around game two. But both weeks I've barely broken 100 for the first game and made it there easily all the others. I broke 150 last week for the high score, although Daniel got 192 this week for the highest score of the night.

We're talking about making it a regular Wednesday night event. I don't know that I will make it every week, but I hope it is fairly regular because I really do enjoy bowling and the time with friends.

Word Association for September 14th

2011-09-14T16:46:00.000-07:00

Here's this week's word association.

Submission :: Story (submitted for publication)
Lucy :: I Love Lucy
Feather :: Bird
Magnetic :: Strong
Bowling :: Tonight
Stress :: Releaf
Sweetly :: She said sweetly
Creamy :: Delicious
Awaken :: from Sleep
Beaten :: Eggs

Murrieta Mud Run

2011-09-13T16:50:00.000-07:00

Yes, I finally got back in the mud on Saturday. I left Friday to drive out to Murrieta for a mud run first thing Saturday morning.

This was different from most of the others I have done in that it was in town. In fact, the start was pretty much at city hall. But they had us run down a street to a field, and that's where the mud and obstacles were. Another field held the rest and then we ran around to a final mud pit.

I signed up for this one because my friend Stephen Jones had decided he really wanted to do one, and this was the best one I found that was equa-distant from both of us. We spent the night with a pastor friend of his in town, which was a very pleasant evening.

The obstacles on the website didn't turn out to be accurate for what they had for us. We were supposed to have tunnels to crawl through, but that never happened. We only had one place of hills and mud pits, not that I'm complaining because I always have a hard time getting up those hills since they are so slick. And things were in a different order

But we still had lots of fun, and we were filthy by the end. They actually put the tires for the tire obstacle in the mud, which is something I've never seen before, and I loved that twist on things.

The weather turned out to be perfect. It had been very hot last week, but the prediction was that it would cool down that day. We awoke to fog and temps around 60. I was afraid that we'd be too cold, but since we ran a ways before the first mud pit, we warmed up enough that the mud didn't feel that cold. The sun was just coming out as we were ready to leave, and I think if the sun had been out earlier, we would have been much warmer.

The waves were supposed to be 15 minutes apart, but I think they were 8 to 10 minutes apart max. We were done much earlier than we thought we would be. After grabbing an early lunch, we headed our separate ways. Stephen has promised we'll do another mud run again. (Well, there may have been a possibly in there some where, but I don't remember that part of things.)

All in all, it was a good chance to hang out with a friend I don't see nearly enough any more and have some more fun in the mud. So it was a great day.

Weekly TV Recap - September 9th

2011-09-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

Necessary Roughness - I really think I'm starting to warm up to this show. Yes, the main storyline is still pretty formulaic, but they make the sub-plots interesting. I think I've actually come to care for the characters. I'm even liking TK. It all changes when Dani's friend moved away. I guess I hated her more than I thought. Either that or the scenes with her made Dani out to be too childish.

Melissa & Joey - So the ruse of Joey working in her office was doomed to fall apart at some point, but I really did think it would be later. And I don't see why the two teams still couldn't have played ball just without Joey. Meanwhile as much as I don't like Ryder's girlfriend, the story with her was actually pretty funny this time around. And the second episode with John Ratzenberger was fun, too. Not too many surprising twists to the plot, but still rather funny.

Burn Notice - Did they really kill Larry? That would be surprising since they seem to love to bring him back at least once a season. He makes a great psycho, too. The problem with Pierce sure went away quickly, which is a surprise in some ways but it allowed them time for another plot, too. But that twist at the end. What is that guy going to want from Michael?

Suits - I called it weeks ago, the season would end with someone finding out about Mike's secret. Okay, so we don't know that Trevor told on him, but we'll find out in 9 months. I don't want to have to wait that long for new episodes! Meanwhile, can I just say I love Jessica? Smart and strong. Do not mess with her. People have rightly pointed out that the USA Network is a little male heavy, but she is their best female character by far.

New TV on DVD Reviews:

Nikita - Season 1

Cheers - Season 1

No Ordinary Family - Complete Series

Books Read in August

2011-09-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

I completely forgot to post this earlier this week, and then I never got back here to post it.

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

YOU'RE NEXT by Gregg Hurwitz - 4

Mike Wingate grew up in foster care, not even knowing his real last name. But as an adult he's going to need to figure out his past quickly because someone is out to kill him for it. What secret does his family hold? I felt this thriller was pretty slow getting going, but once it did, it was another roller coaster ride of action.

PAMPERED TO DEATH by Laura Levine - 5

Jaine Austen is off to a spa thanks to neighbor Lance. Only when she gets there, she learns it's really a fat farm. When another of the guests gets murdered just before Jaine is going to escape, she decides to find the killer so she can grab some real food. This is another funny adventure for Jaine, and I laughed my way through it from start to finish.

THE REAL MACAW by Donna Andrews - 4

With four month old twins, Meg is finding life unpredictable and crazy. And that's before her father and grandfather show up with a bunch of animals rescued from the local shelter. When their "get away" driver is found killed, Meg keeps finding more information that leads to some shocking discoveries. I found the plot of this book very interesting, and I can't wait to see how it plays out in further volumes. The usual cast of characters are present, but they don't provide the laughs they used to. They are still amusing, and fun to be around, which will keep fans of the series happy.

DEATH ON TOUR by Janice Hamrick - 2.5

No one is too upset with the tour group busy body is found dead on the groups first day in Egypt. But Jocelyn soon begins to suspect that the death wasn't an accident. As the trip continues, strange things seem to happen wherever they go. What's going on? I enjoyed the tour parts of the book, although they did seem to slow the book down. That's not necessarily a bad thing because it is painfully obvious what is happening very early on. Add to that characters that aren't always likeable, and you've got something that could have been fun but winds up only average.

A BAD DAY'S WORK by Nora McFarland - 5

TV shooter Lilly Hawkins gets the scoop of the year, footage of a murder scene. But when she returns to the station her tape is blank. She thinks it is just bad luck until someone starts threatening her to get that tape. What has she stumbled into? The plot of this book is a little thin, but the action more than makes up for it. I also really liked how the characters developed over the course of the novel. I am very anxious to read the next book in what looks to be a great series.

Word Association for Sept. 7th

2011-09-07T14:13:00.000-07:00

Here's this week's word association.

Cavern :: Cave
Pharmacy :: Medicine
Local :: Attraction
Group :: Dynamic
Brunette :: Blond
Chain link :: Fence
Priority :: First
Intensify :: Suspense
Foster :: Child
Secluded :: Cabin

Weekly TV Recap for...Um

2011-09-05T20:45:00.000-07:00

So, obviously, I didn't get this posted Saturday like I normally would. I've been busy, and when I was busy, I was lazy. In fact, I just wrote these thoughts up before I posted this. Not the best, but here goes.

Royal Pains - Looks like Divya's secret is about to come out. What an ending. I have a feeling that those final scenes will impact the rest of the season. Not that the poor guy will be sick that long, but Divya's relationship with Hank and Evan. I was glad that the situation with Paige's family seems to be taken care of for now, or at least I hope it is. We'll just have to wait until January to find out.

Necessary Roughness - Another episode I actually enjoyed. I may wind up giving this show another chance next season. I was sorry to see Dani's new boyfriend leave already. But I actually like TK in this one. Yes, he should have called the cops before rushing over there, but he still did the right thing by going to make sure the kids were okay. And Dani thanking him for it was good.

Melissa and Joey - Since I was a Boy Meets World fan, I was happy to see Matthew Lawrence again. Poor Andy not getting to play a brother in the second episode, however. They are really playing with the romantic tension, and I like it. That's probably the biggest thing the episodes last season were missing.

Burn Notice - You knew that was coming eventually. I just didn't figure that Michael would be arrest for Max's murder just as he was about to solve everything. Man, I don't know how they will get out of that next week, but it's gonna be good.

Suits - Why does Gary Cole always play a bad guy? As soon as he showed up, I knew it would be bad news. Unfortunately, I was right. Looks like next week will play off this week's. And how can they be at a season finale already when Necessary Roughness still has more to go? Unfair!

Word Association for September 1st

2011-09-01T17:12:00.000-07:00

Here's this week's word association.

Bells :: Whistles
Germs :: Disease
Athlete :: Fit
Voice :: Mail
Diamonds :: are Forever
Hoarse :: Whisper
Tempest :: in a Teapot
Hurricane :: Irene
Bumps :: Bruises
Jazz :: Music

Gee, my answers were boring this week.

Losing a Roommate

2011-08-31T16:50:00.000-07:00

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.

Hot Wet Weekend

2011-08-30T16:46:00.000-07:00

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.

Weekly TV Recap for August 27th

2011-08-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

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.

Word Association for August 25th

2011-08-25T17:04:00.000-07:00

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

Summer League Tournament

2011-08-24T16:50:00.000-07:00

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.

Weekly TV Recap for August 20th

2011-08-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

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 was awesome with his fake out. I knew he wasn't serious, but that was still a great scene.

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:

Hey Dude! - Season 1

Three Nights of Ultimate in a Row

2011-08-19T16:33:00.000-07:00

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.

Double Feature Weekend

2011-08-17T16:46:00.000-07:00

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).

Last Week's Game

2011-08-16T16:35:00.000-07:00

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.

Word Association for August 15th

2011-08-15T16:54:00.000-07:00

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

Weekly TV Recap Aug 13th

2011-08-13T08:58:00.000-07:00

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 was the last thing I expected. Holy cow it's going to be a long wait until the next episode. With the cat of the treasure out of the bag, too, I wonder what will happen between Neal and Peter. I was glad to see Neal confess that he liked his life and wanted to stay. Obviously, we'd seen that all along, but it was so nice to hear it.

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 was right at the end, he's not the kind of guy to take the credit and not share it when he knows he needs to. And as a TV geek, I was happy with the guest stars, Bill Buchan from 24, Claire from Women's Murder Club, and Tuvok from Voyager. Mike's storyline was only okay this week, although the hacker discovering his lie so easily did make it more interesting. I'm thrilled this show has been renewed for next season. I love it.

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.

What I Read in July

2011-08-10T21:51:00.000-07:00

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.

Word Association for August 10th

2011-08-10T16:46:00.000-07:00

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

Wonderful Weekend

2011-08-09T16:57:00.000-07:00

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!"

Weekly TV Recap for August 6th

2011-08-06T13:56:00.000-07:00

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