Weekly TV Recap for April 30th

Last week, I did this post all at once, and my recaps were short and vague as a result.  This week, I did them within a day or two of watching them and spread it out over the entire week.  Can you tell the difference?

The Amazing Race - Well, the Cowboys are gone. As you know, I've been rooting for them to win pretty much the entire time. Although with how poorly they've been doing, I figured they'd be out sooner or later. What hurts is that they lost because everyone shared the correct distance with each other except the Cowboys. Does no one get that this is a race? The U-Turn? Yeah, I probably would have done that as well. It's part of the game, and I'd want to stay in it. And just to remind you why I love them so much, there's the classic line from the end. "I can't think of anyone I'd rather do this with. Except maybe my wife." Too, too funny and so them.

Dancing with the Stars - I do believe this was a first for me. I actually knew all but one of the songs they were dancing to. I guess that means that guilty pleasure songs are a lot more popular than people are willing to admit. The performances were lots of fun, and I'm going to say again how tight the competition is. Two people tied at the top and only 5 points separate the leaders from the bottom team. That's less than a point a team. There are a couple of weaker dancers in the lot, still. It was nice to see some on stage drama that didn't involve Kirstie this week, and it was nice to see her shine, too. Sorry to see Chris go this week, but I wasn't that surprised. I have a feeling that right now if you are in the bottom on Monday, you are pretty much toast.

Better with You - Yes, this show made a come back to my viewing life this week, but only because of Derek Hough's guest spot. His bit as the dance instructor (what else) was fun, and he was a decent enough actor. The show has it's charm, although it didn't make me laugh nearly as much as the rerun of Big Bang Theory I watched right after did. Nope, not sorry I took it off my viewing schedule, although it was nice to check in with the characters. I may keep a closer eye on what they are up to and try to catch the finale.

Survivor - At times like this, I do feel sorry for the producers. There was no drama with the votes tonight. We knew who would be going home before we sat down to watch. Frankly, about the only drama was the second challenge and no talking before the second vote. And even that wasn't that big a deal. Honestly, they've got to be thanking somebody that we've got Matt and Redemption Island. He is the most compelling thing on the season right now. While I feel sorry for him, I'm also glad he's over there so he isn't tempted to backstab and lie his way through the game. I'd like to see a Christian on the show keep his testimony, and it looks like Matt has the best chance to do that right now.

The Big Bang Theory - Another very funny episode. The whole girl's night out was a bit much for me, but I love the parts about the roommate agreement. Naturally, I knew it would be funny. And once again Sheldon gets the best line of the night. "You may have gone to Cambridge (or wherever it is Prya has gone), but I went to Starfleet Academy."

Nikita - Another box found and a box kept to possibly use against Division. I'd love to know what is in it. The story with the family was very heartwarming, which was a change of pace for this normally fairly bleak show. But what really got me were the last few minutes. Alex is in trouble now, and I don't know how they will get her out of this one at all.

Running 9 Miles

I keep building up toward the 10 mile Tough Mudder I've got coming up in a month (just about exactly from today).  As part of that, I ran 9 miles on Tuesday.

Instead of sticking around my neighborhood, I tried an out and back route that took me on the bike path through town.  This path is wonderful and often takes you away from the streets.  Unfortunately, the part closest to where I live pretty much parallels a busy street.

I finished in basically two hours, which means I was running about 13 minute miles.  I'm happy with that since I can't seem to run that fast when I'm running my 3 mile hill route.

That was one thing, this path was pretty much flat.  And it was smooth payment almost the entire way, too.

I was actually surprised at how far down 4.5 miles was from my place.  I never would have guessed.

Surpringsly, I haven't felt that bad as a result.  My knees barely bothered me and my legs were a little sore, but nothing out of the ordinary.  Either my legs are building up to the run or the flat, smooth course really helped with that.

Either way, I'm really encouraged and looking forward to breaking the 10 mile mark this next week.  I'm thinking it will be Wednesday, but we'll see how the weekend goes before I decide for sure.

Last night, I went to play ultimate Frisbee.  The first hour, I felt sluggish and was having trouble keeping up with people.  But then I found a new source of energy and actually felt like I was pretty fast.  I'm not sure where that came from, but I am very happy.  Hoping to go play some Frisbee again on Sunday.  Maybe I can be fast the entire time?

Word Association for 4/27

April's almost over?  Where does the time go.

Anyway, here's this week's word association:

1. Squid :: Octopus
2. Wife :: Husband
3. Promising :: Lead
4. Tingle :: Exctiement
5. Off balance :: Strange
6. Nice :: Pleasant
7. Honor :: Respect
8. Emphatic :: Strongly
9. Siren :: Fire Truck
10. Plated :: Gold

Great Easter Weekend

I had a great Easter weekend, mainly because it was calm and restful.

After being in Palm Springs for over a week, my parents were here in town for the weekend.  I took Friday morning off work (had the afternoon off for Good Friday), and they came over.  We went for a walk so I could show them my 3 mile run route.

That night was the Good Friday service at church (obviously), and the choir was doing 4 songs.  I was fairly comfortable with one of them - the one where the Basses had the melody most of the time.  I managed to fake my way through the others without people knowing when I was singing and when I was faking it because I couldn't find my note.  This whole singing harmony is hard, especially if you aren't used to doing it.

Saturday we went down to Glendale Centre Theatre to see Big River.  Met up wtih Angelique down there.  This play is a musical version of Huckleberry Finn.  I'd seen it once before, but it had been a long time.  I really enjoyed it, once it got going.  I'm not sure Mom was super impressed with the play itself.  As always, they did a great job.  I love seeing plays there because it is so intimate - you feel like a part of the action.  Sadly, the matinee we went to was hardly full at all.  If the last couple of plays we'd seen there hadn't been packed, I'd be worried.  I think it was just the holiday weekend that kept people away.

Sunday was church and a great service.  My church is finishing up a series on Mark, and our pastor planned things out to naturally be in Mark 16 that morning.  Actually, the study we've been doing for the past few months on the trial and crucifixion made this last week much more meaningful to me.  After church, it was lunch at Souplantation and then games at home.  We even Skyped with my brother, sister-in-law, and niece.  Okay, so my niece was on the screen most of the time, but we talked to all three of them.

Weekly TV Recap for April 23rd

The Amazing Race - I would have been really sorry to see Gary and Mallory go, so I was glad this was a non-elimination leg.  And the Cowboys had better get it together and stop coming in so close to last place.  Being on the same plane as everyone else would help.

Chuck - They seem to be doing as many stand alones as story arc episodes in the second half of the season.  Not to say I didn't like this episode.  I was cringing yet laughing at how out of control Chuck and Sarah's lie got.  And I liked seeing her dad again.  Casey's secret it finally out in the open as well.  I'm curious where they will go with that.  But my favorite scene was watching Awesome with his daughter.  So incredibly cute together.  It's the characters that have always made this show, and once again those little moments made me smile.

Dancing with the Stars - Another interesting theme week, although this one seemed better suited for dancing to me.  All the dances were fun.  We seem to have a very talented cast at this point.  There were comments Monday about there being no clear front runner, and I would definitely say that's true.  And Kristie kept it together this week, too.  Sorry to see Petra go, although I'm not sure I agree with Len that there are worse couples in the competition.  It's pretty fierce.

Survivor - So, Phillip, if you are indeed a merged tribe (as you claim), then how come you have two shelters and are not interacting at all.  This is the worst merged tribe I have ever seen.  And after how you've treated the other tribe, of course they are going to make you deal with the rice on your own.  What did you expect after treating them like dirt?  As to why Steve called you crazy, maybe it is because you have been acting crazy since the day it all began.  Honestly, you and your tribe have no one to blame but yourself for what went down tonight.  (And please, don't bring race into it unless it really, truly belongs there.)

Nikita - Wow, that was a good episode.  Adding Alex wanting to use the mission to fake her death adding a nice level of complexity to things that made all the twists and turns that much more interesting.  Of course, I knew something would change her mind and she wouldn't want to leave Division after all.

New TV on DVD Reviews:
Scarecrow and Mrs. King - Season 2 

Word Association for April 22nd

Happy Good Friday.  Let's do some word association to celebrate.

1. Director :: Movie
2. Operation :: Doctor
3. 30 minutes :: sitcom
4. Bald :: Shave
5. Calls :: Phone
6. Distant :: Education
7. Lightweight :: Jacket
8. Difficult :: Decision
9. Half dozen :: Eggs
10. Boss :: Work

RIP Madelyn Davis

Well, I had planned to come over here today and talk about last night's 8 mile run.  But then my plans changed when I saw this come across Twitter.

"Lucy" Scribe Madelyn Davis Dies

As the title suggests, Madelyn Davis was one of the writers on I Love Lucy.  She worked for almost the entire run of that show and did some other work on Lucy's later sitcoms.

To the best of my knowledge, this means we've lost the last of the cast and writers responsible for the show.

I Love Lucy remains my all time favorite sitcom.  It doesn't matter how many times I've seen certain episodes, they still crack me up.  While some references to thinks like party lines are antiquated today, there is a timelessness to the situations and jokes that still makes this show laugh.  That's the sign of a true classic.  As much as I love Friends and even Big Bang Theory, I don't think they will hold us as well as this gem.  (And don't even get me started on Seinfeld topping lists of all time best sitcoms over Lucy.  Please!)

A few years back, Madelyn wrote her memories called Laughing with Lucy.  Laura Levine, a former TV comedy writer turned to humorous mysteries, got an autographed copy of that book for me.  I read it and truly enjoyed it.  While I know that I Love Lucy had problems behind the scenes, Madelyn focused on the good and presented a picture of a happy life spent figuring out how to make others laugh.  I'll never forget her discussion of coming up with Vitameatavegimin (or however it is spelled).  She wrote great scripts that made it easy for Lucy and the rest of the cast to make us laugh.  Everyone made it seem effortless even though it wasn't.

When the book came out, she was at the LA Times Festival of Books to sign it.  Before Laura sent me the book, she had Madelyn sign it for me, but I still wanted to go down to see her.  Sadly, she was only there on Sunday, and I wasn't able to go both days, so I missed her.  Honestly, I still regret not getting to thank her in person for all the laughter she's given me over the years.

Palm Springs Weekend

My parents are in Southern California for about a week and a half right now.  Their first stop was Palm Springs.  There's a trailer park there they love because the pools are fed from hot springs.  The water is always bath water warm - absolutely perfect.

So I took a couple days off work to join them.  Actually, on Friday, I drove by the location for Tough Mudder on my way.  So it added an hour or so to my drive, but I feel much better knowing where I will be going in five weeks.

Saturday, we headed up to Yucca Valley to visit with my friends Stephen and Natalie and their kids.  It's been a couple years since we did that, so it was great to see them.  We ate lunch at Sizzler and were there for quite a while.  Then we headed over to their house for a little while to play some games.

Sunday we just hung around the trailer swimming and playing games - mostly Rummikub since that is Mom's favorite.  It was a nice relaxing day.

But the wind started coming up Sunday night.  It howled all night Sunday and was blowing strongly when I left on Monday.  Once I out drove the wind, I actually hit a little rain before I made it back.  It had been in the 90's Saturday and Sunday, and wind also brought cooler temps with it.

All told, it was a good visit.  They'll be here this weekend, and we've got lots of fun stuff planned as well.

Weekly TV Recap for April 16th

The Amazing Race - Finally, Ron is off my TV. Too bad he had to take Christine with him. Of course, I knew sending him to do a task where you are looking for something/one was a bad idea. Then again, I'd probably be just as bad at it as he is.

Dancing with the Stars - I almost skipped it this week, but then I remember it was Classical week. And what a good week it was, too. I can understand why these dances would be harder, but they still managed to do a great job. Yep, a theme week got me to tune in, and I'm glad.

Chuck - So, we're finally back to the Volkaves, and what an episode it was, too. The comedy seemed scaled back a bit, but the storylines advanced quite nicely. Can't wait to see where they are going with Ellie. That lie at the end of the episode caught me completely by surprise.

Castle - I feel like I should have seen that ending coming, but it caught me completely off guard. Lots of fun tracking the killer down as always.

Survivor - When I heard there would be a double tribal counsel, I was expecting two people voted out at one time. That would have made things very interesting. However, two tribal counsels in one episode wasn't that big a deal. While I understand David's frustration with just waiting to be eliminated, I don't understand his comment about the other team not wanting to play the game. You play a game to win, and if you stay together when you have the numbers, you win, pure and simple. On the other hand, Rob is overreaching. He's now worse than Russell ever was. Seriously, what's so wrong with eating fish?  And this season is so much more enjoyable when you fast forward through Philip talking.

Wipeout - Well, I didn't do so well picking contestants this time around. First, I was rooting for Mr. T. Eliminated second round. Then it was Scarecrow who went in the third. Fortunately, I picked Bucket List, and I made it to a win with her. And has anyone else noticed that the "Coin Toss" at the end switches directions after you fall once?

Nikita - Wow, didn't take Nikita and Michael long to hop into bed, did it? I'm trying to remember at this point how many black boxes there were to begin with. Two down, but several more to go. Assuming the show gets picked up for another season, of course.

Sunday's Ultimate Frisbee Game and Running 7 Miles

No, no.  I didn't do both in the same day.  But I do want to talk a little about my running this past week.

As I mentioned earlier this week, I played ultimate Frisbee on Sunday.  We'd been playing an hour and a half.  Some people had left, so we were dividing up the teams again.  They decided to switch me over to a different team.

So far, this isn't that out of the ordinary.

The reason why?  Because I was fast.

I was shocked.  I have never been called fast in my life!  I'm wondering if it was that my speed has improved or that I still had energy when most everyone else was tired.  Either way, I was thrilled, obviously, since I'm still talking about it.

Tuesday night, I went for a 7 mile run, my longest run to date.  Gotta train for the 10 mile Tough Mudder I've got coming up.  I probably pushed it too far since I haven't run much beyond 3.5 or 4 miles in the past couple of weeks.  However, I finished it with energy to spare.  In fact, when I started my walk for the cool down, my legs were still pushing me forward at a much faster rate than normal.  It was like they wanted me to keep running.  I wasn't sure about mile 5 if I had two more in me, but that last mile a runner's high must have kicked in or something because I felt great.

And I finished in under 1:41.  Don't know for sure when I left, but it was around 6.  When I got back, after my cool down, it was 7:41.  Normally, it takes me longer than that to run anything.

Maybe there is something to me being fast.

The down side is that my knees were killing me on Wednesday, especially my left knee.  They've bothered me off and on for years.  Ultimate Frisbee used to set them off, but it doesn't any more.  I knew they were bothering me a little bit about half way through the run, but I thought I was doing okay.  And I was for the run.  Not sure what it means or how to keep it from happening.  They feel fine today.  In fact, they started getting much better while I was cleaning the condo last night.  We'll see how they do with the 3 mile run I am planning for tomorrow morning.