Farewell and good riddance to the Aughts

Here's the fourth installment of the year in review.  This time, we're saying goodbye to a decade ... my second full.  I'm not sad to see the "aughts" go.  There were generally more good than bad, but the bad moments were so trying and life-altering.


May the 2010 decade bring much happiness, prosperity, merriment and lots of posts!

Three Words to Describe 2009: Loss, Historic, Ripples

TV Show: Two way tie: Grey's Anatomy & Doctor Who

New TV Show: Gotta give this to a radio/cable tv show moment ... Danettes Dodge Ball Bets.  I would get DirectTV just for that (luckily, they are posted on YouTube)

Song: Not Meant to Be - Theory of a Deadman

Book: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Movie: The biggest disappointment I had when I finally got to see  ... Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.  Crappy Ending to a series that started out great!

Most Notable NFL Moment: The sign from Sunday: 75% percent of the world is covered by water, the rest is covered by Charles Woodson  (the person who thought that up is BRILLIANT)

I'll turn the channel when: any thing with Sarah Palin on! (Please, Please GO AWAY!)

Gift Given: Kelly's toys ... too, too fun

Best new tradition/habit: Ten Dozen Minutes with Jick & Skully internet-radio show. 

KoL:

Wine: 9 ~ Tomato Wine from my mom's coworker, maybe not the best as compared to "professional wines" but most interesting

Best Blog: Dooce.com

The hot tamale train is nearly at the station again

I love that Dooce loves So You Think You Can Dance?.

How exciting is it SYTYCD will be on this fall?

Even though I enjoy him, I hope Evan leaves this week. I think final two will be Kayla and Brandon -- with Brandon winning. (Even though I like Jeanine more than Kayla, but I think Kayla is the better dancer)

My predictions for final standings (I cannot believe the finale is next week!)

1. Brandon
2. Kayla
3. Jeanine
4. Ade
5. Melissa
6. Evan

With the exception that America is in love with Evan and he might make it to the final, leaving Ade going home tonight. 

This is it. It might all be gone tomorrow

This season of Grey's Anatomy is in the high form not seen since Prom Night of the Adulterous Sex, Denny's death and the night Snow Patrol was put on the map.

The magic is back.

The writing is quick and witty.  Each main character is rich and complex with story lines given the perfect amount of attention.

And it all started again with Izzy and Denny. 

I've always enjoyed Denny and his relationship with Izzy.  It was the beautiful fairytale with a Shakespearean ending.  It's iconic moment, Izzy in her fantastic pink prom dress laying on Denny's death bed, her forehead pressed into his neck.

A great majority of people will not be able to hear strains of Snow Patrol-Chasing Cars without picturing that moment.

But much has changed at Seattle Grace since.  That night was quite a turning point for our Interns.  That night things stopped being so simple.  So black and white.  They learned science cannot always save them and their choices have irreversible consequences.  You can't go back.

That night Izzy lost her way.  Her whole world changed, collapsed, and she really hadn't found her way back until this season.  Specifically, the moment she realized she was alone.

And then came Denny.

Not a lot of people liked that Izzy could see, talk to and ... with Denny.  I loved it.   This interaction brought back Izzy as she used to be: playful, vibrant. 

She lost her strength and compassion.  She lost her essence.  But Denny, our dearly departed Denny helped her find it again.

And it led her to the clinic and the Interns.  In teaching them she found a balance between the rockstar doctor and the sensitive-sometimes-over-the-line doctor.

She did such a good job engaging the Interns to take learning seriously--where everyone else had failed.  She also played a part in helping Alex heal after yet another train wreck (Ava), Christina find a heart, Meredith commit to an extravagant wedding (which helped her learn that all she really wanted/needed was a good marriage) and George the strength to stand on his own feet.

Izzy touched all the key players of Seattle Grace -- just like we affect everything around us, in so many ways we'll probably never know.

But, I think Izzy's purpose has been fulfilled and she should die. What is there left for her to do?  Because I can't see her growing old with Alex, and I realize there's plenty of more guys for her to sleep with, but really, been there, done that.  If you hadn't noticed, Izzy has been whoring around.  From Denny's death bed to a bathroom floor to destroying George's marriage to Alex on the rebound.

There's more left for George ... than there is for Izzy.

I've said it before.  Writers can do anything.  And I guess we'll just have to wait and see what the next season brings.

In the on deck circle

I'm copping out.  I'm posting about what I'm not posting.  But, on the upswing I hope to grow some ambition (like I'm growing my nails, that stuff from Avon really does work!) and actually start crack-a-lacking back to the writing.

Brewing in my noggin' currently:
- The NFL Draft (this weekend) I haven't heard much about anything but Stafford but I'll throw my two cents in any way, we can always spill into general NFL -- like KC trading Tony Gonzalas (so, who actually plays there now?) or Kyle Orton and Jay Cutler switching teams ... OR Michael Vick getting out of jail and possibily being reinstated to the league.
- Grey's Anatomy and why Izzy should die.  No, I don't dislike Izzy.  In fact I loved the Izzy & Denny story line (yes, he's dead--but she saw him because she has cancer so don't you feel bad about bitching about the story line now?) I don't respect Katherine Heigel and would rather she leave the show, but I do like Izzy.
- Turning 26 shortly and the cliche that was my quarter life crisis at 25
- Blogs and sites I love, as proof of how I'm entirely addicted the Internet.

And now, it's nearly 10.  And I'm tired.  I'm going to listen to a little music, go to sleep and hope for better things tomorrow.

Good night and happy painting.

Best of the Year

My third annual year in review ... totally irrelevant, completely useless and purely Stacey.

My favorites ...

Three Words to Describe 2008: Change, Obama, Giants

TV Show: Three way tie: Grey's Anatomy, Doctor Who, Sarah Connor Chronicles

New TV Show:  (new to me) Dexter!

Song: You Found Me ~ The Fray

Book: The Lazarus Vendetta ~ Robert Ludlum

Movie (in Theater): I don’t think I went to any movies this year … how very sad

Movie (Rental): Capote

Biggest NFL Surprise: Miami Dolphins

Biggest NFL Disappointment: the New Orleans Saints

I'll turn the channel when: any thing with The Former or Sarah Palin on!

Celeb I'm sick of: The Former

Gift Given: Adele CD for Sarah

Gift Received: Get Fuzzy Calendar

Best new tradition/habit: Thursdays with Bob Ross

Commercial:  that Mercedes-Benz commercial with the guy with the sexy voice

Traveling: down that rocky road of adulthood

KoL: 10 million meat and the Boring Crimbo (not my favorite, but notable)

Wine: 9 ~ Moscato Asti, sparkling wine to toast the Giant’s Victory

Best Blog: Dooce.com

Other Notables: Finally! We have friendly cats … Sassy, George, Benny, Ava and Dexter (Ava and Dexter are gone, but we’re kept busy with the other three)

Here's to 2009 and GW out of office!

And lo she is dressed before 11 a.m. (by two minutes)

It is 11:02 and I'm watching my second episode of Curious George, drinking my first cup of fantastic coffee and contently reading (and laughing hysterically) dooce.com.  Ah the complete joys of vacation.

I have a confession that I'm not quite sure is so secret.  I LOVE PBS.  And all the children's shows that go with it.  Well, not all ... I'm not a huge fan of Barney or Super Why.  And I can only watch Sesame Street through flipping or if I'm in the right mood.  I think my love of PBS is because it opened my eyes to the world of imagination and learning. My favorite parts of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood was when he watched how something was made and the Land of Make Believe (it devastated me when I realized Mr. Rodgers was the voice of King Friday and others).

I've never grown out of PBS.  I enjoy their adult programming: cooking shows, home improvement, the occassional Broadway presenation and the like.  But I just can't shake those children shows.  Is it the cartoon aspect (oh yeah, I still watch Saturday morning cartoons--love me some Care Bears and Jane and the Dragon) or is it that these shows focus on the best value of entertainment--making the impossible or improbable happen every time--because they can and it's more fun that way. 

To that end, I've discovered Curious George.  I never was much interested in that little monkey as a kid (the books).  But he's so entertaining now.  On the show George and The Man in the Yellow Hat have two homes.  Their primary residence is in the city and they have a country home for weekends and summer. 

At the country home, one neighbor kid calls George a City Kid.  I am absolutely convinced that he DOES NOT KNOW GEORGE IS A MONKEY.  (Sorry for the caps ... it's from reading dooce).  For the record, as far as I can tell, all the other residents recognize George is a monkey. 

And what a cute little monkey he is.  So darn cute ... which is mostly why I watch it.  The narration is clever and so is George.  Monkeys often find ways to take completely normal situations, get into trouble and then must be clever to get themselves out of trouble--even after The Man in the Yellow Hat tells George to be a good little monkey.  I try that with my monkey-who-thinks-he's-a-kitty George.  I can't tell if it works.  But then again, I suppose it doesn't work too well with Curious George.

Need it like a High

Something has happened that I didn't think was possible.

Something that I never saw coming.

It's a feeling so energizing I am more aware of everything around me. It's all those cliches come true: colors are more vibrant, sounds ring crystal clear and truly resonate all through me. My heart beats a little faster, eyes are open a little wider and my soul is open. Plus, I'm letting out squeals of delight nearly every five minutes.

It's ...

So You Think You Can Dance? !!!!

I've been watching the show since the very beginning and it's never failed to leave me completely thrilled.

I'm not sure why it pulls me in. I have absolutely zero dance ability and no aspirations to be a dancer. But this show gives me the rush only Opening Sunday and Super Bowl Sunday can parallel.

We're two weeks in and there's at least one more episode of auditions. And rather than laughing at the horrible people, I'm more horrified for them and the others I'm willing to do well.

I still remember all my past season favorites: Nick, Travis, Donyelle, Hok, Ivan, Allison Dominic, Neil, Sabra. And I absolutely love when they use some of these past contestants as choreographers and assistants.

I've wrote before that SYTYCD is a great pulse on hot music. I heard Apologize from One Republic here first--months before it was released on the radio.

On Thursday I had two music moments. There was this really toned guy doing push ups like a maniac. He started his pre-interview piece somewhat normally: dance is his passion, it's where he feels the most at peace, etc. Then he said, "When I dance, it's divinity."

Okay.

He walks on stage, waiting for his music to begin.

The first chords sound.

And my heart jumps and then drops into my stomach.

Goo Goo Dolls, Acoustic #3

He's just standing there.

I turn up the volume.

He's still standing there.

"Well do something!" I yell at the television.

He begins.

I hold my breath. Make divinity and don't wreck my song.

*Squeal* Johnny's beautiful voice fills the auditorium.

Nigel cuts the music.

*SIGHS*

Now, I don't remember if Jeremiah made it straight through to Vegas or if he had to learn Travis Wall's *Squeal* choreography. But I do know he eventually made it to Vegas because I remember thinking that I hope he was selected to the Top 20 so he could dance his solos to more Goo Goo Dolls songs.

(and not be so incredibly odd, but I suppose that was just me calling the kettle black)

My other piece of music news isn't so dramatic. I think they played a AvA song (Angels v Airwaves, Tom DeLonge's new band post-Blink182), which makes me hope they play the better two-thirds of that former trio: +44.

And now, I have 1 1/2 pages left in this notebook. Whoohoo.

I foresee the dark ahead, if I stay

This blogger window sits in front of me ... empty and intimidating. Nothing exciting to write about.

Tempted by the sunshine outside. I hope it stays so I can get out and enjoy the fresh air.

I have a couple of things I brought home from work, but I don't know if I'll do any of it. The past month I've been bringing small projects home to do because there's just not enough time in the week to get to it all. I think I'm getting a little burned out from it. It still needs to get done though, so I'm not sure what my solution is.

Last night on Doctor Who was the last episode with Christopher Eccleson as The Ninth Doctor. Oh, it was such a good show! The new doctor looks funny ... but I'll miss Eccleson.

I'm kind of in a music rut too.

Oh happy days, is this spring fever or Sunday morning blues?

Over and out ... and hopefully, on to better things.

A bag of bricks made of chocolate

I had a chocolate craving, it hit me all of a sudden, like a bag of bricks ... made of chocolate. So I made a devil's food cake. And waited. And waited. And waited while it baked.

Now I'm not hungry anymore. Gah.

The pope is making a visit to the United States. I'm not Catholic, and I'm going to share my views about the religion or the church institution in general, at least, not in this post. But what is up with the Papel Stadium Tour? He's doing a Washington stadium tonight and tomorrow making an appearance at Yankee Stadium.

So what if you're a devote Catholic and a Red Sox fan? Ponder that.

And I swear, if Natalie IS NOT evicted tonight, I WILL NOT watch the rest of this Season.

The risk that might break is the one that could save

Okay, so it was a huge misconception that spring was here. Nothing like three days of snow and a total accumulation of around four inches to put a person back in their place. A miserable place with no spring in sight.


I think it's safe to say that this has been the longest winter in our recent memory.


A Green Living Update: I got my canvas bags and haven't used a plastic or paper bag for grocery shopping since. My next goal will be to use it in other shopping avenues. I've also tried soy milk. Very good, slightly more expensive than that from a cow. Much more drinkable though and the power used to process it is a renewable resource. I find it funny though that I buy soy milk but cream cheese and yogurt. Oh well, I suppose, baby steps.


On a completely different topic, I didn't realize Phil from The Amazing Race was Scottish. I always knew there was something different about his accent. He's doing a story on the sunday morning show, and while putting across Scotland, his brogue (is it a brogue from Scotland? or is it only a brogue if it's from Ireland?) is coming through.

My latest viewing addiction (in this post-writer's strike world) is Dexter. This series originally airs on Showtime, and by some television act of genius, they are re-airing cleaned up versions on CBS. I first was exposed to Dexter when Jeanne gave me a tape of Season 8's (the one with Evil Dick, was that 8?) Big Brother After Dark, the not-for-broadcast-television footage of drinking, swearing and sometimes raunchy behavior---though this 8 hour footage was awfully mundane.

Anyways, as I was fast-forwarding through the commercials (and the less interesting parts of the show), I caught glimpse of Darla (Julie Benz) the immortally evil vampire, sire of Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She played that role so well I still get a shiver down my spine when I see her. I stopped and backed up a little, but it was just a montage of the different series on Showtime. It only showed her and a guy.

But as luck would have it, the next commercial block had more. It showed the average looking man who appeared with Darla, narrating his average looking life ... and here's the twist ... he's a serial killer. Oh yeah I read something about this show, a crime series told by the perspective of the murderer. Interesting.

Dexter, our favorite serial killer, is a blood-analyst at a Florida police department/crime lab. He's the best at what he does, and has killer instincts when it comes to habits of the criminals the detectives are investigating.

We learn Dexter was adopted after surviving (and possibly witnessing) a horrible event. His adopted father, a detective, recognized Dexter was different from other children. He taught Dexter how to act normal and control his urges to do murderous things. Soon, Dexter lives by the code he was taught, only killing people who deserve it--people who escaped punishment from the justice system.

Dexter nicks the cheek of each of his victims, saving a drop of their blood on a slide before he dismembers their bodies and dumps them in the ocean.

But Dexter finds himself admiring the work of another serial killer who drains the blood before he dismembers bodies. And this killer--dubbed the Ice Truck Killer--soon takes interest in Dexter. It's cute mutual admiration with breaking and entering, cut up barbie dolls, kidnapping and mutilation.

This show works because other than the urge to kill people and social awkwardness, Dexter is an all around decent and nice guy.

The opening credits are great too. It's just Dexter getting ready in the morning: shaving, eating, tying his shoe, flossing his teeth. But they show it in such a visceral way that it makes it look like he's in the act of killing someone.

Top two photos: Easter eggs this year. I played with putting wax on to get different colors. I tried to do stripes and polka dots but just couldn't control the wax enough to make it work.

Last photo: A picture of the start of my omelet this morning. It looked so much like a yin-yang that I had to take a picture. Now it also reminds me of Dexter's breakfast scene, but this is much more peaceful than his.

My apologies, we're all out of time ...

The black hole month of the year is finally over. This February, compared to most, was okay, but I'm happy it's over nonetheless.

I got a much needed haircut on Thursday, and am quite happy with the results. I'm growing it out a little. Back in the day when my hair took three hours to dry, it didn't seem like a big deal to grow hair. Now it's a painfully slow task. There were many awkward hair days in this growing out period.

Thank goodness for the person who learned how to "thin out" and layer hair. I love him/her. I truly do. And oh happy day, I'm still able to use my hair wax with this new cut. That's another marvel of mankind I enjoy. The day after look is always enjoyable too. Nothing like hair standing straight up to start the morning.

What else, what else. Sundays are so empty without football. I thought the joy of the Super Bowl would last me until at least April. Don't get me wrong when I hear Super Bowl Champion Giants and 18-1 Patroits my heart soars. But it also feels eons ago that it all happened. At least the free agency period has started (Dear Randy Moss, Green Bay maybe?) and the draft will be here in April .... oh but then the long summer months until August preseason. *Sigh*

On ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike in the Morning, Greenberg suggested that the ultimate wide out pairing would be Moss & Owens (order purely alphabetical) in Dallas. Whoowee. Can you imagine? Here, I'll wait a sec, try to imagine it.

...
...

Wow! That's truly mind blowing stuff, isn't it? Other than the fact Dallas would become the new Patriots (and I'd be afraid to draft either in fantasy football, because with that much ego looking for the ball, I'd be nervous that neither would get it, but of course I'd also be sick to pass up on any of the action) I would pay some money to see the drama.

Last night they had a Jimmy Kimmel celebrates Jimmy Kimmel (three year, nine month anniversary show). I think it was previously aired ... so that leads me to believe that the only reason it was on was to further push the phenom that is the Sarah Silverman-Matt Damon-Jimmy Kimmel-Ben Affleck video hype. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, hop on over to You Tube and search it. Watch the Matt Damon video first. Truly hilarous. I favor the Matt video, but I am a biased party.

If the powers that be aired that show last night to push the hype, I applaud them. Because I watched that hour for the last four minutes---and it was entirely worth it. I knew what joke was coming, how they would play it out, and I probably could have imagined it, but it was still worth it. I don't think I'd go as far to say the whole farce is comedic genius, but Kimmel (plus Matt & and now all the celebrities who are playing along) get uber points for sticking with it and being so committed.

Well, that's about all I have for this morning. Thanks for stopping by.

Happy New Year!

Here is another edition of a year in review ... for purely entertainment, non-historical purposes.

My favorites ...

TV Show: Three way tie: Grey's Anatomy, Family Guy and CSI:NY
New TV Show: Pushing Daisies
CD: +44: When Your Heart Stops Beating
Song: No It Isn't ~ +44
Movie (in Theater): Bourne Ultimatium
Movie (Rental): Big Fish
Football Player: The Ever Impressive: Brett Favre
Football Player I'd like to watch more: Big Ben Rothelisberger
Biggest NFL Surprise: Green Bay Packers! & the Cleveland Browns
Biggest NFL Disappointment: the New Orleans Saints
I'll turn the channel when: any thing with the Patriots is on!
Celeb I'm sick of: Tiki Barber
Gift Given: new MP3 Player for mom
Gift Received: Lap desk
Best new tradition/habit: Get Fuzzy! 365 days a year
Commercial: Dallas Yawn ~ Pepsi Max
Traveling: to New York City for a week ~ with 7 inches of rain! Theatre Tour: 5 shows, Comedy club, Regis & Kelly ~ Starry Night at the MoMA and RENT!!!
KoL: Roll out of NS13, a less than 2 week run, 3 million meat (whoohoo!)
Wine: 17 bottles, Wollersham Winery, Domaine Reserve

Other Notables: CSI teased that Sara Siedl was going to die. When she didn't, i refused to watch the show again.

Best Blog: Grey Matter~blog of the writers from Grey's Anatomy, new post after each show, unforunately cut down because of the writer's strike.

The walls will fall before we do

Friday night was the season finale of The Next Great American Band. Now if you've seen this show (or promos for it) you'll know why it glued me to the television.

Yes, Johnny Rzeznik, frontman for The Goo Goo Dolls (only my absolute favorite singer and band) is a judge.

What a treat to see John every week and gleen a little more information about him. Oh. Yeah.

The first two weeks of the live shows he had some trouble handling the crowd boo after his comments. I'll cut him some slack on that since I'm sure it was an adjustment to go from artist to judge. He had a little too many "you guys are great, what more can I say?" type comments, but when he did give criticizm it was thoughtful and right on (in my opinion).

But now my weekly indulgence in Johnny is over. The Goo Goo Dolls performed Black Balloon on this finale show, far outshining the performance of his fellow judge Shelia E and the actual contestants of the show. I, of course, am biasis on this matter.

I was nervous about the series (what if JR acted like a loser or real jackass?) or what if the network execs hated it and pulled it from the airwaves before it finished the competition? But it didn't disappoint. The actual music was too country/folky for my tastes. I did enjoy Dot Dot Dot and Rocket (I totally agree with Johnny, the lead singer of Rocket need to work on her singing).

I'm hoping it's picked up again and more importantly, Johnny is still a judge. The host did say We'll see you again next year... so here's hoping.

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I want to complain about certain aspects of Christmas cards, but don't want to piss people off who do what I don't like.

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Last week on American Dad's Christmas Show, Stan Smith died and met God--who was voiced by Seth MacFarlane. "It's true! I knew Seth MacFarlane is a god!"

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Our 13 day wait for the arrival of Crimbo themed adventures was slightly unbearable. The wait was worth it, I'm enjoying adventuring in the Sinister Dodecahdron for the 12 days of Crimborg. This holiday season was festooned with references from Star Trek's Borg & the Collective as well as many Terminator references. I'm quite satisfied, this Crimbo season has been as enjoyable as the others I've participated in.

I'm frustrated by the stat scaling---I wasn't used to having to hit an enemy more than once, so I'm sure NS is going to be a bitch to defeat. I think I'll give her a try tomorrow.

It's such a huge disappointment that I won't be able to use all these items in a run for my main adventurer The long run has enabled me to reach Level 16 as a Seal Clubber, so I was able to gain pulverize the new nuances to this skill have been interesting/exciting/frustrating.

I've spent most of my time in the Toy Factory, collecting as much material as I can I'll keep each of the items Uncle Crimbo makes and sell the rest. I know, I'm such a mall whore. I've lost count of how many doll hives I have so I'm swimming in Tiny Plastic Series 2.

And from my visit with Rudolph the Red, I think Father Crimbo may come back, oh what a plot twist we could be in for!

(Non-KoL related babbled): I've started reading Wicked but I'm not very far because there was so many other holiday related things to get done. I'm going to try to read more in the new year.

I've been playing a lot of free cell solitare lately--do you think that makes your brain function better like crossword puzzles are supposed to?

It's been snowing and blowing all day, so I might have to draw a picture for dad's tractor instead of taking a picture. The BackStory: Dad wanted a compact tractor (but didn't want to spend his own money for one) so mom and I combined our money and bought him one. It cleaned out my mad money for shopping and entertainment that I had saved. So that's going to be his Christmas, birthday, Father's Day gift for the next 12 years (I'm not kidding, I did the math).

Are Hat Tricks Unlucky if they're Green?

There's a saying that bad luck come in three's. And I think I've achieved my own hat trick with my car.

I got new tires (not bad, but it was an inconvenience to be without my car on a work day--and if we're going to quibble over the merit of bad, the bill was a couple hundred dollars, so that's bad enough in my book).

When it was getting new shoes, they discovered a wheel bearing was out. Before it could go in again, I noticed it was really pulling. So I asked the mechanic to take a look at the alignment. That wasn't it, but guess what he found: A Nail in my new tire.

After I got it back my windshield wipers split apart. I got my three bad things, I should be good for awhile.

Last weekend, I watched the last episode of MASH. I've never seen it before.

When it got right down to it, I really didn't want to watch the episode. Just like the Harry Potter series, I didn't want it to be over. I've been watching MASH since I was a kid and even though it ended the year I was born I still absolutely loved it.

It took years for me to realize Hunnicutt and Trapper weren't the same person and then more time to be able to remember the right name.

About two years ago, I started buying the collection and it was such a treat to watch it in broadcast order. I'm sad that little era has ended: I'll never see another new MASH episode. But it'll still remain a favorite.

So back to the final episode. I cried. Yeah, of course I did. Crying at fiction is a great release. It's a pay off to an emotional investment but also a good cleanse of the soul. This is true especially when you can cry without being worse for the wear other than your hydration level.

Last night I was flipping through the channels and i stumble on Bob Dylan singing "Mr. Tambourine Man." I pause and listen to a little bit and move on to the next channel. At least 10 minutes later I come back to Bob Dylan ... singing the same part of the song that he was at when I flipped it the last time.

I just had to laugh.

As an aside, his son Jakob is smoking hot and has a soulful voice.

Why is green such a persecuted color? From Kermit lamenting about how hard it is to be green, Shrek, the Grinch, the Wicked Witch of the West, envy and it's the color of money which spawns greed...

Yepper this was a random blog.

Who knows ....

Driving home on a 70+ degree October day I saw a man in small shiny blue short runnning down the sidewalk. Bronze. Glistening. Didn't know whether I should be disgusted or rear end the car in front of me.

Earlier that same day i had pulled up to a light and an expensive, white sporty looking car pulled up next to me. I glanced at the plat for some reason to see ExPaid4. I questioned what type of person would flaunt it like that.

I love the Mercedes-Benz commercial where there a shot of the car and a simple voiceover "Why did/do we ..." and a sandy blond steps out from in or behind the car "Because we promised you a Mercedes-Benz, that's why"

I LOVE his voice and the way he says that!

Who would have thought? It figures.

The Simpsons should not come on at 7 p.m. What the hell is FOX thinking? The season premiere started at about 7:15 because the Giants-Redskins game and the following FOX post game coverage didn't end in time.

I didn't see the opening sequence, but didn't think anything of it because I was flipping the channels. A laugh here, a chuckle there and then the closing screen pops up. What?! That was it? How unsatisfying. I didn't realize I didn't see a full episode until I glanced at the clock: 7:30. Oh look: King of the Hill.

Click. (that was the sound of my remove flipping the channel to NBC)

On the other side of premiere Sunday and not a disappointment: Family Guy: The Star Wars Episode.

I was nervous about what it might be like, but it was freakin' sweet. I can't believe Lucas Films let them make half of the jokes--especially "the force" references and everything involving Obi Wan Kanobi/Herbert.

The whole thing made me want to watch Star Wars. And I couldn't help but marvel at the artful animation.

Yes, Seth MacFarlane continues to be my hero. Brilliant, genius, witty. (Seth's first downfall is that he doesn't like Rent)

My second hero is Shonda Rimes, creator and resident writer of Grey's Anatomy. Last season she dismantled our beloved Seattle Grace hospital staff--even those we love to hate. So flash back to the hospital--17 days later. It truly feels like we're back from summer vacation. The first episode was full of twists and turns--everything we've come to expect. We still want to keep Der-Mer together, knowing there will be those ups and downs. Curious at the prospect of Izzy and George. And if Karev can soften there's hope for all of us. Finally when everything gets just a little too heavy we always have McSteamy to cheer us up (even if it's just the memory of him stepping out of that shower).

But enough of my Grey's gushing.

CSI. I'm never watching it again. Mark my words. They teased me over the summer with the hope of Sara's demise. I flipped back and forth Thursday, just waiting to watch her die. But of course that never happened. No long, slow, painful death. While the impact of my loss of viewership may not break their hearts--they lost my loyalty nevertheless.

I stopped watching when they revealed Sara and Grissom were involved. And one season later, I haven't missed them in the slightest. I am never watching CSI again.

If I could, I'd only want to make you smile

I don't have any organized thing to blog about, so I'll just chat with you. It's like the Fireside Chats ... except there's no fire by my side and I'm not-so-presidential.

Last week I ascended--my first since NS13 roll out. I should have counted how many times I had to go back and get healing items. It wasn't pretty. So much for my "Defeated in One Try" wand of Nagamar collection.

I'm been in a huge M*A*S*H* phase lately. Almost every night I watch one or two episodes. In June I started from the beginning, and am at Season Six. Now we finally have all the seasons. I'm not sure if I ever saw the last episode.

I checked out Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix from the library last week. I want to read it and 'Half Blood Prince again before I read 'Deathly Hallows (hollows?). I think I might get them in. But it might be close. I reserved my copy of the new one about two weeks ago, and I'm number 47. For whatever reason they had two lists, and the other one was 141. I just need to finish the Robert Ludlum book I'm reading and get to Harry.

Last week Hok got kicked off So You Think You Can Dance?. Oh well, I guess. There are still the other ones I like. Wade hit on the head with Lacey, she's very talented and a good performer. But she's also one-dimensional. With her and Danny, I think the judges (at least Mary) won't kick them off, unless they really mess up. Mary said when Danny and his partner were in the bottom three, "You're not going home this week." If I was Nigel I would have kicked her under the table. You can't say that until they do their solo...because that's what you're supposedly judging them on.

Each time when I log into blogger, the dashboard gives me an overview of my writing history. X posts, last edited on such and such day. This morning it told me that I've made 130 posts. I've been blogging for two years, so that's about five posts a month. Which is about right. I wish i would have way more than that, but it's lack of inspiration and lack of typing time that limits me.

What have I been doing with myself? Writing, reading, working, watching M*A*S*H*, working on my tan ... yup. Oh yeah, and adventuring.

Let me see that 1, 2 Step

As I have mentioned before, one of my summer viewing pleasures is So You Think You Can Dance?. I don't remember watching it the first season (and now I realize I did, after checking wiki). The popularity of Dancing with the Stars may my propelled my interest, because I didn't miss an episode last season. There were so many dancers I enjoyed--Allison, Ivan, Travis, Donyelle (Travis and Donyelle are probably tied for my favorite). Benji was okay... but he didn't excite me as these other four did.

But this year marked the return of Hok (Hokutu Konishi). He tried out last summer, and would have went far if he would have had a work permit instead of just a student visa. The episode they told Hok he had to go home, scolded him even, was heartbreaking for him, the judges ... and me. There's something about him that's charming and captivating. Born in Japan, Hok was raised in Oxford, England and is going to school in Santa Monica for graphic design. (As a side note: his accent is amazing! Not quite British, almost sounds a bit Australian ...)

He's a hip hop, B-Boy--break dancing, but so much more than the 80's spinning on your head. These boys (and girls) and pop, lock, contort, flip and spin like no one else. It's truly entertaining to watch the really skilled b-boys. And Hok has those magical qualities. I can't wait to watch him perform each night. Even when he's not taking on his own style, he brings that magic to the other genres.

He nailed his jazz number in Week 3, but is struggling with the ballroom dances. While, I didn't notice any issues with last week's waltz, Mary Murphy didn't have many positive comments. As far as I can tell his carriage is great, but it's his footwork that needs work. I plead with the dance gods to have Hok practice ballroom to perfect that technique until he has blisters! If he doesn't, it will be his ultimate downfall.

My other favorites are Neil Haskill (contemporary), Sabra Johnson (contemporary) and Dominic Sandoval (hip hop).

Benji's sister Lacey is a contestant and Travis' adopted brother Danny is also on the show. Lacey is striking and very energetic, but she doesn't hit me the way the others do. The judges love her, so I'm sure she'll go far. And other than Danny's technique, he's not very fun to watch. From the beginning, the judges have tried to put their fingers on what it was that put people off about Danny. I think it comes down to, he dances--but doesn't connect with the audience. I don't think he feels what he dances. He just doesn't have the it factor, no magic.

I also love watch what the choreographer are going to pull out of their hats. My favorites are Shane Sparks (hip hop), Wade Robson (jazz/contemporary--and maybe the most talented, innovative, groundbreaking choreographer on the show) and Mia Michaels. I'm sure I missed one or two, but I haven't seen them on the show yet.

The last reason I love the show is that it's a good cue for what's coming on the music scene. KT Tungstall's song "Suddenly I See" was the farewell for the show last year. So by the end of the summer I knew those bars by heart. I didn't even hear it on the radio until the fall. And Fergie's London Bridge was performed live on the show a week before I saw it on Yahoo! Music Videos.

STUDIO 60 IS BACK! and the villagers rejoice

May has gone by so quickly. It feels like I was just in New York City and yesterday it feels like it was my birthday. But now it's Memorial Day Weekend.

I was generally unmotivated to write/blog this May, but I think I'm breaking out of it. I don't know what's worse: Being uninspired (not being able to write or write well) or or unmotivated (having ideas but not being interested in putting thoughts on paper/screen).

With May comes season finales. Apolo's the top dancer, Jordin gets the singing contract and everything but the damn hospital burned down in Grey's Anatomy. CSI:NY and Ghost Whisperer were suspenseful and exciting and Close to Home they were dropping like flies.

Lost ... Lost was completely confusing--I guess I should have watched more than that one episode this season.

OH! And I was disappointed with The Simpsons' 400th episode. 399 was great, but 400 was sub par--in fact because of the hype, it was so bad that it bombed.

Now that all the network shows are done they're moving into the various summer series--and I'm excited. I enjoy So You Think You Can Dance? and Last Comic Standing and all the other misfits that come about during our warm months.

NBC also brought back Aaron Sorkin's Studio 60: On the Sunset Strip. I love this show and was upset when it went on hiatus to showcase the dumb and pointless "Black Donnelley's."

Studio 60 is a spin on the behind the scenes of the late night variety sketch comedy show. Oddly so is 30 Rock. (I might do an Alec Baldwin rant sometime soon). DL Hugley and Matthew Perry are the most notable names on the show, but it's a great ensemble cast.

The show is about Matt and Danny two former writers of Studio 60 who are re-hired as Executive Producers after their iconic boss was fired. They lose most of the cast because they viewed Matt and Danny and traders, usurpers who couldn't make it in Hollywood so they came back and took (or stood back and let the network take the role of their former boss).

Matt has epic love pains for their star Harriet. They forever are the on-again off-again couple. She's too catholic, he's too liberal and on and on.

Danny lost his last job (director of a movie) when he was caught doing heroin and checked himself into rehab. He has fallen in love with the new and newly pregnant Network executive Jordan.

The writing is quick and witty. Very current with today's issues and relevant.

For some reason or another, low ratings, etc. etc. Studio 60 got the boot. I was devastated. It was the best new show of the season, the reason I looked forward to Monday nights.

When I went to New York, we stopped by NBC and I bought a Studio 60 coffee travel mug. If nothing else I would always have that.

I also heard that critics were complaining that the writing was too much about current issues and politics. They said they should do more jokes and less commentary about the world.

But that's why Studio 60 is so wonderful. Sketch comedy shows are about the world. I recently watched the 90's look into that *other* sketch comedy hit. One of the former cast members said the beauty of the show was it took everything going on in the world today: good, bad, ironic and funny ... and said the things about it that everyone is thinking, but no one wanted to say. Making fun of the president, trading kidneys for gas money and everything else we are subjected to on a daily basis.

Thank You! Studio 60 for telling the truth and bringing this witty, intelligent comedy when smart jokes are few and far between on other more blue collar comedy shows.

I hope others discover this gem of a show and tune it, so it's kept on the air!

NYC Trip: A brush with semi-fame and the Endless Wait

So we got up at 6 a.m. or some other ungoldly hour. We hailed a cab and got the slippy, sliddy experience of whipping through traffic. When we reached the studio there was two lines, we were about in the middle of the first one. One line was for people who had tickets and the other was for walkins. Finally the doors opened and we got to go in. We had to go through security and then wait some more. I’d say we waited for at least 1 hour and 45 minutes. But I’m not sure anymore. It was forever. We were tired and you couldn’t bring beverages in, so we were without coffee.

It was so good to finally sit in the studio chairs. Gelman came out and welcomed us. Told us how important we were (which I think they should have been telling us all along when we were standing in line like cattle) and he taught us how to clap loud and when to clap.
The guest host was Jeff Probst. (Yay!) and the guests were Diane Sawyer, some guy teaching us how to live green and Avril Lavine. It was cool how Kelly came to the audience and talked at each commercial break.

As we were leaving we saw Avril get in her car and be hassled by the paparazzi. We walked back to our hotel and stumbled by Avril’s hotel. They barricaded the streets from all directions to let her get in with some peace.

We window shopped a little, then went back to the hotel to rest. We did a little shopping on 51st Avenue and ate lunch at Familia’s Famous Pizzeria. Then we stopped at Ben and Jerry’s. I had a chocolate cheesecake and coffee.

Our matinee was A Year of Magical Thinking. It was okay. Probably better as a book. We were exhausted, so I guess I’d need to see it again to give it a fair shot (hopefully in my home, on pbs, with popcorn and a blanket).

As we were walking around between the shows we walked by half the cast of A Chorus Line. Whoo!

We ate supper at Pigallea’s and I was craving red meat so I had a skirt steak with fries and steamed veggies. The pear/bleu cheese salad looked amazing, but that steak hit the spot.

Company was pretty good. It had some twists I didn’t see coming.

We walked back to the hotel, happy to sleep.

Thursday we woke up, ate, went to the airport, waited, flew, ate, waited, flew and came home. To Grey’s Anatomy. Whoo.