Due to popular demand, here are some quick capsule thoughts on various TV shows that I actually did watch some episodes of this fall, but never got around to writing up full reports.
Easy Money
This show only lasted four episodes since it was buried on CW's Sunday night block. Lack of promotion plus bad network = less than 1.0 Nielsen rating and quick cancellation. It's too bad because the two episodes I watched were actually kind of interesting. Laurie Metcalf (of "Roseanne" fame) is the matriach of a family-run payday loan (loan shark) business. The family is a bunch of morally gray misfits, except for one of the sons, Morgan. He's the only competent employee and family member without whom everyone else would end up bankrupt or in jail, sort of like Michael Bluth in "Arrested Development". Oh, did I mention that he finds out that he isn't actually their son at all? This leads to internal conflict about whether he should stay and help the "family" business or strike off on his own in something that he can better put his talents toward. Unfortunately, I'm not sure anything gets resolved in just four episodes.
Where to Watch: Fancast
The Ex List
I was really looking forward to this light-hearted romantic comedy since it stars Elizabeth Reaser. Buried on CBS Friday nights in between "Ghost Whisperer" and "Numb3rs", it just never fit in and only lasted four episodes. I watched the first two, and found it mildly amusing but not necessarily something I would tune into watch every week. Based on an Israeli TV show, in the pilot Bella Bloom (Reaser) learns from a psychic that "the one" she's destined to be with is someone she's already dated, and unless she gets married within the next year she will be alone forever. So she compiles a list of all of the people that she's ever dated (quite lengthy apparently) and proceeds to track them down one by one.
Throughout each episode we get flashbacks of how the relationship went the first time to contrast with how it's working out in the present day. In general, we discover that if it didn't work the first time you'll probably have the same problem the next time. One problem with the show is that Bella isn't quite sympathetic enough. She's a little on the insensitive side when it comes to dating. For example, in the pilot we see her dump her folk singer boyfriend on his birthday for being too sensitive. In the present day, he's become a hardened punk rocker made bitter by the experience of dating her the first time around. As an aside, the weepy musician is excellently played by Eric Balfour ("24", "Six Feet Under"), one of my favorite TV actors who sadly will never be a leading man. And that's probably the biggest drawback. When you take a formula-driven show and add the fact that the best performance is turned in by a guest star, you get a show that's going to be wildly inconsistent.
Where to Watch: You can't anymore. CBS has gotten really stingy about what shows have full episodes on their website. Boo! They did shoot 13 episodes, so there's an extremely slim chance that this will turn up on DVD some day.
Fringe
Touted as the next "X-Files", Meaghan and I were really looking forward to this new Fox sci-fi show. We stuck with it for the first six episodes, but ultimately decided that it just wasn't worth our time. FBI Agent Olivia Dunham is enlisted by a secret government organization to investigate a series of seemingly random scientific phenomena known as "The Pattern". Her team consists of a mad scientist named Walter and his less than reputable estranged son, Peter. You can see why comparisons to The X-Files would be made. FBI agents investigating unexplained phenomena... that sounds familiar. Unfortunately, this show has a lot of problems.
1) J.J. Abrams - This is probably just a personal hang-up, but I haven't enjoyed a thing the man has touched. Sucks for me that he created this then, eh? I never cared for "Alias" and watched the pilot of "Lost" and it didn't hook me. I think my main problem with him is his seeming emphasis of style over substance. Fans will say that they love the way he doles out miniscule pieces of information over the course of many episodes that add up to a bigger picture, but as a fan of many long-form comics which share this technique I think I just don't like the way that he does it. Case in point...
2) The Pattern - There's no reason whatsoever that we can see that makes the events in the show a pattern of any kind. That's all well and good to some extent as I'm sure things will become more clear as time progresses, but there's a problem. If we can't see a pattern, that means that the characters can't see a pattern. If they can't see a pattern, why the heck are they running around calling it "The Pattern". Yes, some but not all of the phenomena are related to inventions and discoveries developed by a mysterious global technology company by the name of Massive Dynamic (not incidentally headed by Walter's old scientific colleague), but that's just not enough for me.
3) The Characters - Or rather the lack there of. Agent Dunham is both not a compelling character and woodenly acted. This makes for a brutal combination. Poor Peter (Pacey!) is just not given anything to do, and Walter is only amusing when he's saying something absolutely kooky. So if a few random mad scientist outbursts are enough to get you through each episode, maybe you'll have better luck than we did.
Where to Watch: Hulu
When to Watch: Once you've caught up, tune into Fox on Tue 8/7 Central.
Valentine
Yet another show that only lasted four episodes on the CW's Sunday night block, but this one wasn't very good. It was a campy concept about how the Greek gods are alive and well in present-day Earth. Aphrodite and her son Eros operate a match-making company that's struggling to compete in the new era of Internet love. This is a problem because the less successful they are in spreading their influence the weaker they become. Not incidentally, Ares the god of war is one of the stronger gods in the modern world. In order to revitalize their business, they hire a mortal romance novelist as a consultant with the idea that she knows what modern people are looking for in love. Undoubtedly, Eros's love arrows go awry at some point and hilarity ensues in each episode. Strangely enough, there was an awful lot of Greek mythology knowledge necessary if you wanted to fully understand the "battle of the gods" subplot that was brewing under the surface in the two episodes that I watched. It may have eventually gone somewhere, but we'll never know.
Where to Watch: Hulu
Still to come in drama: The Mentalist, Knight Rider, Eleventh Hour, Sanctuary
Still to come in comedy: Do Not Disturb, Little Britain USA, Somebodies, Spaceballs: The Animated Series, Testees, The Life and Times of Tim, Childrens' Hospital, Worst Week, Gary Unmarried, Kath & Kim
Still to come in kids: Martha Speaks, Sid the Science Kid, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, The Suite Life on Deck, Gogoriki, Making Fiends, True Jackson, VP, Turbo Dogs, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit, Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight
Phew! That's a lot... we'll see if I get to all of them. Post your requests below and I'll do my best to prioritize.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
From the Long Box: Shadow of the Batman #1, Part 1
In the first of what is hopefully a long series of posts where I get off my butt and talk about some of my favorite (and not so favorite) comics from my collection, I'm going to pay homage to The Dark Knight (in theaters again on 1/23/09) by starting with a classic Batman tale from yesteryear. Shadow of the Batman is a 5-issue miniseries from 1985 that reprinted 10 late-70s issues of Detective Comics. When first published, these issues were dubbed by some as the "definitive Batman" and served as some of the inspiration for both Tim Burton's Batman and Batman: The Animated Series. Is it really all that good? Let's just say it takes a little while to get warmed up.
Note: Click on any of the images to make them larger.
Shadow of the Batman #1
(reprinted from Detective Comics #469)
Writer: Steve Englehart
Art: Walt Simonson & Al Milgrom
Before I get into the story and art specifically, I'd just like to take a second to talk about the writing style used by Englehart in these comics. There are a few schools of thought people use when writing a comic. Some writers prefer to use thought bubbles so you can see what each character is thinking and how they're reacting to events. Others find that approach lazy and assume that the combination of dialogue and art are enough to adequately explain what's going on. Still others insert a narrator to describe the action and set the tone of the story.
Trends have changed over the years. Thought bubbles were popular in the 80s and 90s, but have since become passé. As a result, you'll rarely find anything other than dialogue in modern comics. Back in the 70s and before? The narrator still reigned supreme. Englehart serves as an entertaining narrator here providing a lot of the action that drives us through the story. Some of the word choices end up dating it a bit, but they only add to the fun of the experience. You just can't get away with lines like "Don't judge him too quickly, amigo!" anymore. It's a good thing he's entertaining, too, because the story in this first issue is sadly lacking.
This reprint series is notable for its format which includes wraparound covers and absolutely no ads. That makes me slightly sad since part of what makes 80s comics so great are the ads for really ancient stuff. I'll try to share some of those when I get to other series in the future.
The cover is drawn by the great Marshall Rogers whose work we will see on the interiors, too, starting with Shadow of the Batman #2. A grim-faced Batman swings through the rooftops of Gotham City and out of the cover as a freaky glowing skeleton reaches out for him. Maybe we'll find out who all these folks on the back cover are inside.
"...By Death's Eerie Light!"
It's not often that trouble comes right to Batman's door, but this story starts with a bang as Batman's butler Alfred unexpectedly passes out while bringing him a refreshment. I love the jarring angle of Alfred's legs sticking up in the air in this picture. Whatever knocked him out must have been a doozy to make him take a fall that bad.
Unfortunately, no ambulances are available in Gotham City as an unknown epidemic is sweeping through the city. According to the New York Times, as of 1987 the real life New York City had a fleet of 170 ambulances. I don't know how many of those were typically in use at any given moment, but it at least gives an idea as to the scope of the outbreak. After delivering Alfred to the hospital as Bruce Wayne, Batman learns from the medical staff that in the last hour over 50 people have been admitted with a mysterious sickness that "sweeps through the body like wildfire". A quick chat with Commissioner Gordon reveals that the police have received this ominous note from somebody named Dr. Phosphorus:
I'll talk more about this Phosphorous character later when he actually shows up, but for now I'll just state that I hope I'm never so furious that I have to underline random words for emphasis when writing an angry note. Righteous wrath, indeed!
Dr. Phosphorus
Yes, it's the freaky glowing skeleton we saw from the cover. Why writers feel the need to make up their own silly villains when they first take over a title I'll never know, but you see it all the time. I'm sure Englehart got the Batman assignment and thought, "Let's see... the Joker, Penguin, Riddler? Nah! I'll go with my own fantastic creation: Dr. Phosphorus!" There must be some egotistical need to feel like you've added something to the Batman mythos instead of just telling a good story with the tools you're given. Luckily, he strays back into more mainstream territory in future installments.
Since we're stuck with him for now, let's see what makes the good doctor tick. Body of "living phosphorus"? Check... whatever that's supposed to mean. Its main side effect is that he burns when exposed to air making hand to hand combat difficult for his opponents. It also means that he was able to poison the entire city in one fell swoop by soaking his toxic body in the reservoir. Why would he want to do that? It's not entirely clear. It seems that he's seeking vengeance for some unnamed act: "I am sworn to destroy it, as it has destroyed me!"
Batman brawls with him for awhile, burning his hands in the process until he realizes that wrapping his fists in his cape provides better protection. Apparently the cape is made of tougher stuff than the standard issue Bat-gloves. When Dr. Phosphorus comes to the realization that neither of them is going to win the fight, he runs away with the age-old excuse of not wanting to kill Batman in their first encounter claiming that it would ruin "the thrill of the game". Yeah, yeah, we've heard it all before. I guess there's probably not a lot you can do in a world where it's difficult to kill anyone permanently.
Our story concludes with Batman standing... defiantly? I'm not really sure what that stance is supposed to say, but for a story featuring such dynamic art it sure goes out with a whimper in the end. We're also left with some questions. Who is this Dr. Phosphorus guy and why does he want to destroy Gotham City? How the heck does Gotham plan on filtering all of that phosphorus out of the drinking supply? Will all the people (Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, etc.) who've fallen into a coma and suffered liver damage pull through? Do we really care? Eh...
All in all, it wasn't an auspicious debut. Englehart introduced a silly villain and told a straightforward action story. My definitive Batman has more subtlety than this, so we'll hope for better in future installments.
Note: Click on any of the images to make them larger.
Shadow of the Batman #1
(reprinted from Detective Comics #469)
Writer: Steve Englehart
Art: Walt Simonson & Al Milgrom
Before I get into the story and art specifically, I'd just like to take a second to talk about the writing style used by Englehart in these comics. There are a few schools of thought people use when writing a comic. Some writers prefer to use thought bubbles so you can see what each character is thinking and how they're reacting to events. Others find that approach lazy and assume that the combination of dialogue and art are enough to adequately explain what's going on. Still others insert a narrator to describe the action and set the tone of the story.
Trends have changed over the years. Thought bubbles were popular in the 80s and 90s, but have since become passé. As a result, you'll rarely find anything other than dialogue in modern comics. Back in the 70s and before? The narrator still reigned supreme. Englehart serves as an entertaining narrator here providing a lot of the action that drives us through the story. Some of the word choices end up dating it a bit, but they only add to the fun of the experience. You just can't get away with lines like "Don't judge him too quickly, amigo!" anymore. It's a good thing he's entertaining, too, because the story in this first issue is sadly lacking.
This reprint series is notable for its format which includes wraparound covers and absolutely no ads. That makes me slightly sad since part of what makes 80s comics so great are the ads for really ancient stuff. I'll try to share some of those when I get to other series in the future.
The cover is drawn by the great Marshall Rogers whose work we will see on the interiors, too, starting with Shadow of the Batman #2. A grim-faced Batman swings through the rooftops of Gotham City and out of the cover as a freaky glowing skeleton reaches out for him. Maybe we'll find out who all these folks on the back cover are inside.
"...By Death's Eerie Light!"
It's not often that trouble comes right to Batman's door, but this story starts with a bang as Batman's butler Alfred unexpectedly passes out while bringing him a refreshment. I love the jarring angle of Alfred's legs sticking up in the air in this picture. Whatever knocked him out must have been a doozy to make him take a fall that bad.
Unfortunately, no ambulances are available in Gotham City as an unknown epidemic is sweeping through the city. According to the New York Times, as of 1987 the real life New York City had a fleet of 170 ambulances. I don't know how many of those were typically in use at any given moment, but it at least gives an idea as to the scope of the outbreak. After delivering Alfred to the hospital as Bruce Wayne, Batman learns from the medical staff that in the last hour over 50 people have been admitted with a mysterious sickness that "sweeps through the body like wildfire". A quick chat with Commissioner Gordon reveals that the police have received this ominous note from somebody named Dr. Phosphorus:
I'll talk more about this Phosphorous character later when he actually shows up, but for now I'll just state that I hope I'm never so furious that I have to underline random words for emphasis when writing an angry note. Righteous wrath, indeed!
| After some quick detective work, Batman comes to the realization that the sickness is spreading through the city's water system, but he's not quick enough to save Commissioner Gordon from slipping into a coma, too. If we stop for a moment to use our own deductive skills, we might come to the conclusion that someone's putting phosphorus into the water system. It's flammable, it glows green in the dark, and it's highly toxic when ingested. Anything involving the phrase "smoking stool syndrome" seems like a bad thing. Will Batman be able to save the residents of Gotham City in time? He rushes to the city reservoir to find... |  |
Yes, it's the freaky glowing skeleton we saw from the cover. Why writers feel the need to make up their own silly villains when they first take over a title I'll never know, but you see it all the time. I'm sure Englehart got the Batman assignment and thought, "Let's see... the Joker, Penguin, Riddler? Nah! I'll go with my own fantastic creation: Dr. Phosphorus!" There must be some egotistical need to feel like you've added something to the Batman mythos instead of just telling a good story with the tools you're given. Luckily, he strays back into more mainstream territory in future installments.
Since we're stuck with him for now, let's see what makes the good doctor tick. Body of "living phosphorus"? Check... whatever that's supposed to mean. Its main side effect is that he burns when exposed to air making hand to hand combat difficult for his opponents. It also means that he was able to poison the entire city in one fell swoop by soaking his toxic body in the reservoir. Why would he want to do that? It's not entirely clear. It seems that he's seeking vengeance for some unnamed act: "I am sworn to destroy it, as it has destroyed me!"
Batman brawls with him for awhile, burning his hands in the process until he realizes that wrapping his fists in his cape provides better protection. Apparently the cape is made of tougher stuff than the standard issue Bat-gloves. When Dr. Phosphorus comes to the realization that neither of them is going to win the fight, he runs away with the age-old excuse of not wanting to kill Batman in their first encounter claiming that it would ruin "the thrill of the game". Yeah, yeah, we've heard it all before. I guess there's probably not a lot you can do in a world where it's difficult to kill anyone permanently.
Our story concludes with Batman standing... defiantly? I'm not really sure what that stance is supposed to say, but for a story featuring such dynamic art it sure goes out with a whimper in the end. We're also left with some questions. Who is this Dr. Phosphorus guy and why does he want to destroy Gotham City? How the heck does Gotham plan on filtering all of that phosphorus out of the drinking supply? Will all the people (Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, etc.) who've fallen into a coma and suffered liver damage pull through? Do we really care? Eh...All in all, it wasn't an auspicious debut. Englehart introduced a silly villain and told a straightforward action story. My definitive Batman has more subtlety than this, so we'll hope for better in future installments.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
How to $pend a Sunday
12/20/08-12/21/08
1) Gaze out your windows as a "significant" 3.6 inches of snow falls.
2) Rest easy in the warmth of your house on one of the coldest weekends of the year.
3) Go to retrieve cat food (if cat food is not available, any item will suffice) from your car Sunday afternoon.
4) Discover that your car is not where you left it Thursday night, even though you just saw it 3 hours ago when you were shoveling snow.
5) Get a little mad at the city of Minneapolis when you realize that they've called a snow emergency, unbeknownst to you since the amount of snow that fell in your neighborhood was no more significant than a storm that blew through 2 weeks earlier when you actually did check to see if there was a snow emergency (there wasn't).
6) Go to the impound lot. Feel like a criminal.
7) Wait in line outside in -10 degree wind chills for 2 hours with hundreds of other people.
8) Wait another hour inside the impound lot office. Watch a Simpsons rerun on the token "isn't waiting in line fun?" television.
9) Pay towing charge of $138 and get receipt that will give you your car back.
10) Collect ticket ($34) for illegally parking during a snow emergency.
11) Wait in new line for another hour so security can take you to find your car.
12) Ride around lot for 15 mins looking for car.
13) Clean snow off car.
14) Drive home.
15) Go to bed.
Gosh, I miss my driveway. We'll have to make it a priority to have one of those when we go house-shopping in a year or so. I'll also apparently have to check for the existence of a snow emergency every time it snows since there's no apparent guideline about what a significant amount is. You learn something new every day...
1) Gaze out your windows as a "significant" 3.6 inches of snow falls.
2) Rest easy in the warmth of your house on one of the coldest weekends of the year.
3) Go to retrieve cat food (if cat food is not available, any item will suffice) from your car Sunday afternoon.
4) Discover that your car is not where you left it Thursday night, even though you just saw it 3 hours ago when you were shoveling snow.
5) Get a little mad at the city of Minneapolis when you realize that they've called a snow emergency, unbeknownst to you since the amount of snow that fell in your neighborhood was no more significant than a storm that blew through 2 weeks earlier when you actually did check to see if there was a snow emergency (there wasn't).
6) Go to the impound lot. Feel like a criminal.
7) Wait in line outside in -10 degree wind chills for 2 hours with hundreds of other people.
8) Wait another hour inside the impound lot office. Watch a Simpsons rerun on the token "isn't waiting in line fun?" television.
9) Pay towing charge of $138 and get receipt that will give you your car back.
10) Collect ticket ($34) for illegally parking during a snow emergency.
11) Wait in new line for another hour so security can take you to find your car.
12) Ride around lot for 15 mins looking for car.
13) Clean snow off car.
14) Drive home.
15) Go to bed.
Gosh, I miss my driveway. We'll have to make it a priority to have one of those when we go house-shopping in a year or so. I'll also apparently have to check for the existence of a snow emergency every time it snows since there's no apparent guideline about what a significant amount is. You learn something new every day...
Friday, December 5, 2008
"New" Car!!
I'm proud to announce that we're now the owners of a fantastic 2003 Dodge Neon SXT with ~94,000 miles on it. Sure sure... we've had the car for the last 5 1/2 years, but now we own it. That means something, right?
If you want it, KBB tells me it'll cost you $4270. I'll listen to offers. I have to warn you though, it may have a tendency to spontaneously combust at some point in the future. I use MyCarStats to read up on recall and complaint notices pertaining to my cars, and there are no less than 40 complaints that read something like these:
"WHEN I USE MY HEADLIGHTS FOR 15-20 MINUTES, I BEGIN TO SMELL A BURNT PLASTIC SMELL AND NOTICE THE LEFT SIDE OF THE STEERING WHEEL GETS VERY WARM. AFTER 20-30 MINUTES OF HEADLIGHT USE THE LOW BEAMS JUST GO DEAD, IT "AUTOMATICALLY" SWITCHES TO HIGH BEAMS IMMEDIATELY. IF I TRY TO TURN IT BACK DOWN TO LOW BEAMS, EVERYTHING GOES DARK (*VERY* DANGEROUS AT NIGHT!). THEN I AM FORCED TO USE HIGH BEAMS AND BLIND EVERYONE ELSE FOR THE REST OF MY TRIP, OR I HAVE TO PULL OVER AND LET THE APPARENT CAUSE (THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH) COOL OFF FOR AN ETERNITY BEFORE RESUMING MY TRIP. I'M HIGHLY UNCOMFORTABLE KNOWING THAT MY CAR HAS PLASTIC BEHIND THE STEERING WHEEL ON THE VERGE OF ERUPTING INTO FLAMES WHEN I USE MY HEADLIGHTS. I ALSO CONSIDER IT EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS, NOT ONLY FOR THE FIRE RISK, BUT ALSO THE LOW BEAMS DYING SUDDENLY."
"I HAVE A 2003 DODGE NEON AND THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH FOR MY HEAD LIGHTS HAS FAILED TWICE. IN BOTH CASES I NOTICED A PLUME OF SMOKE COME OUT OF MY STEERING COLUMN AND WITH IN TWO WEEKS I LOST MY LOW BEAMS AND THEN MY HIGH BEAMS FAILED A WEEK OR SO LATER."
"WIRE HARNESS FROM UNDER STEERING COLUMN CAUGHT FIRE FOR NO REASON WHAT SO EVER. CAR HAS 77000 MILES ON IT. NO COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO MULTIPLE CARS AND DODGE IS NOT COVERING REPAIR ON THIS ITEM."
I'm no car expert, but I think that anything involving burning smells, smoke, and/or flame is probably a bad thing. If anyone happens to have some pull with the recall department of Chrysler you might want them to look at this issue. Ours hasn't flamed out yet, but I have noticed lately that the fog lights come on for no apparent reason from time to time. I'll have the shop look at it next time I take her in.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Deep in the Hearta
Last week, Meaghan and I went down to Texas to celebrate Thanksmas with her family (sans her sister). If you know her, you'll know that just about every time Meaghan sees her family she comes back with crazy stories about their zany antics. This time? Not so much.
Sure, people got cranky from time to time, but it was pretty much a big lazy get together featuring two holidays, food, shopping, TV, and games. For starters, I was introduced to a couple long-running TV shows that I'd never seen before, Ninja Warrior and Doctor Who.
Ninja Warrior is more or less a serious version of the Japanese show lampooned in MXC. In each competition (there have been 22 so far), 100 athletes and/or celebrities attempt to make it through a series of physical challenges in a quest for honor and glory. We watched competition 20, in which American free runner Levi Meeuwenberg makes it the farthest, but fails in stage 3 of 4. I don't think I get G4 under our current cable plan, but if I did this might prove a pleasant distraction from time to time.
The Doctor Who episode I saw was from the season with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor. Despite this show being such a big deal with so many people, I had no idea it would be so funny. In the one I saw, our three main characters are teleported to the far future where they're forced to participate in sadistic versions of popular TV shows like Big Brother and The Weakest Link. Who's behind it all? The Daleks, of course. I don't intend to go too crazy with this, but it seems like something I can safely add to my Netflix queue and get to at some point.
On the games front, specialty card games were the games of choice. I finally got people to play Bohnanza with the dreaded Auftrag (Job) cards. It turned out to be much ado about little as they didn't change the game as much as some (cough, Meaghan) had feared. So it looks like we'll be using them more in the future. The big winner, though, was Killer Bunnies.
Meaghan and I have been playing this more and more lately as it's one of the few "strategy" games we own that works decently with only two players. She tends to prefer lighter fare, so it cuts out a lot of the more hardcore options that are out there. The big surprise was how much Meaghan's family enjoyed it. Her brother, Jimmy, liked it enough to give us the first two expansion sets (red & violet) for Christmas. I can't really imagine playing a game involving over 500 cards (all the expansions), but I'm sure it'll happen at some point. I'm happy with what we have for now.
On a personal note, it's with regret that I announce the conclusion of No-Shave November. It was all over 15 minutes after settling in front of the mirror Monday morning. Some pictures were taken down in Texas. I'll see if I can track some of those down if anyone is interested in seeing me at the zenith of the growing season.
Sure, people got cranky from time to time, but it was pretty much a big lazy get together featuring two holidays, food, shopping, TV, and games. For starters, I was introduced to a couple long-running TV shows that I'd never seen before, Ninja Warrior and Doctor Who.
Ninja Warrior is more or less a serious version of the Japanese show lampooned in MXC. In each competition (there have been 22 so far), 100 athletes and/or celebrities attempt to make it through a series of physical challenges in a quest for honor and glory. We watched competition 20, in which American free runner Levi Meeuwenberg makes it the farthest, but fails in stage 3 of 4. I don't think I get G4 under our current cable plan, but if I did this might prove a pleasant distraction from time to time.
The Doctor Who episode I saw was from the season with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor. Despite this show being such a big deal with so many people, I had no idea it would be so funny. In the one I saw, our three main characters are teleported to the far future where they're forced to participate in sadistic versions of popular TV shows like Big Brother and The Weakest Link. Who's behind it all? The Daleks, of course. I don't intend to go too crazy with this, but it seems like something I can safely add to my Netflix queue and get to at some point.
On the games front, specialty card games were the games of choice. I finally got people to play Bohnanza with the dreaded Auftrag (Job) cards. It turned out to be much ado about little as they didn't change the game as much as some (cough, Meaghan) had feared. So it looks like we'll be using them more in the future. The big winner, though, was Killer Bunnies.
Meaghan and I have been playing this more and more lately as it's one of the few "strategy" games we own that works decently with only two players. She tends to prefer lighter fare, so it cuts out a lot of the more hardcore options that are out there. The big surprise was how much Meaghan's family enjoyed it. Her brother, Jimmy, liked it enough to give us the first two expansion sets (red & violet) for Christmas. I can't really imagine playing a game involving over 500 cards (all the expansions), but I'm sure it'll happen at some point. I'm happy with what we have for now.
On a personal note, it's with regret that I announce the conclusion of No-Shave November. It was all over 15 minutes after settling in front of the mirror Monday morning. Some pictures were taken down in Texas. I'll see if I can track some of those down if anyone is interested in seeing me at the zenith of the growing season.
Friday, November 21, 2008
zzz... Wha? Huh?
Hi, my name is Brian and I'm a low-down dirty no-good blogger. I'll continue to try better in the future. Honest. I just need to figure out how to make this part of the routine. Wish me luck.
So a whole lot of time has gone by, and there's been loads to talk about that I just haven't gotten to. So at the risk of taking the easy way out, let me give you some of the highlights.
- Meaghan & I celebrated our 3rd anniversary back in September. The traditional/modern gifts for that are leather & crystal. Ugh, it's becoming more of a challenge to find something useful for each other every year as the gift types become less practical. I opted for a nice pair of leather gloves (with slippers soon to follow -- shhh... don't tell Meaghan, she doesn't read this.) while she got us a new set of luggage giving us more than 2 pieces that look the same for the first time in our adult lives.
We also went on a secretly planned camping trip to the North Shore, specifically to Cascade River State Park. Meaghan had gotten us a hike-in campsite, so we were nice and secluded out in the woods. They gave us a bear box to keep our food safe and everything. We enjoyed the waterfalls and some hiking then went to dinner at Chez Jude in Grand Marais. If you're ever looking for a reasonably priced fine dining experience up that way, I'd recommend it.
- This experience reminded us that we have State Park passes on our cars (thanks MPR), so we've started going to Fort Snelling State Park right here in the Big City on a semi-regular basis. The trails there are even dog-friendly, so Zelda gets a nice "wilderness walk" from time to time. Now that it's cold out, we're eagerly awaiting the snow. The plan is to actually try XC skiing and snowshoeing this year.
- For my birthday, we went to a fabulous little restaurant a few blocks away from where we live called Cafe Levain. They have a prix fixe menu on Sunday nights where you get a 3-course meal for $25. I added the wine pairing (it turns out I do like wine as long as I don't have to decide what to get) for only $12 or $14 more. I highly recommend it if you're looking for great food away from the hustle and bustle of downtown. The next time we have money set aside for a nice night out, I'm going to try to get us to go there again.
- My parents were also gracious enough to use my birthday as an occasion to help fund a couple larger expenses that we'd been saving toward. As a result, I'm currently sitting in the comfort of a nice leather office chair while listening to The Beatles on our brand-new turntable. I can finally work in comfort. Ahhh... Thanks Ma & Pa!
- Our tour of the nation to visit people we know continues. Back in September (it was apparently a busy month), we went to Connecticut for Meaghan's cousin's wedding and then to Omaha for a college friend's wedding. It's always good to see people that you haven't seen for awhile, especially when talking to them is like you just had lunch together yesterday as opposed to, say, 8 years ago. The journey continues next week when we go to Texas for Thanksmas (seemed less offensive than Christgiving) with Meaghan's parents and brother. Trips like this wouldn't be possible if we didn't have awesome friends like the ones at HarrisWorld and the House of Huebert to watch after our pup. Thanks everyone!
- Speaking of the fine folks at HarrisWorld, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Meaghan & I were named godparents of this little guy back in October. Thanks for the honor, Mike & Kim. We'll do our best not to lead Nathan too far astray. I think that officially means I get to talk in a funny voice, make people kiss my ring, and whack guys I don't like for the rest of my life, but I confess to not having read the handbook yet.
- I'd be even more remiss if I didn't give an update on our nephew Soren. We haven't seen him since his christening (yes, they actually broke a bottle over his head -- truly frightening) back in the Spring, but he's beginning to turn into quite the fun little guy. We're looking forward to seeing him again at Christmas and doing our duty by lavishing him with gifts.
- In case anyone is interested, I have actually been keeping fairly up to date on my effort to watch at least an episode of new TV shows. I just haven't been blogging about them. I've even cast my net wider than my last update to include fantastic shows like NickToons new Making Fiends, based on a web series of the same name. I'll get back to that in future posts, regardless of whether my statements are culturally relevant.
- Hey, which reminds me... we have a new President-Elect, but not a new Senator (yet). I don't really intend to get into politics here, but I thought this was worth mentioning since we seem to be on the dawn of the most web-centric incarnation of our government yet. If you haven't checked it out yet, Change.gov is a harbinger of things to come with its daily blasts from the Office of the President. It'll be interesting to see how transparent things become.
I think that's all I have for now. I hope there's more to come in the not too distant future.
So a whole lot of time has gone by, and there's been loads to talk about that I just haven't gotten to. So at the risk of taking the easy way out, let me give you some of the highlights.
- Meaghan & I celebrated our 3rd anniversary back in September. The traditional/modern gifts for that are leather & crystal. Ugh, it's becoming more of a challenge to find something useful for each other every year as the gift types become less practical. I opted for a nice pair of leather gloves (with slippers soon to follow -- shhh... don't tell Meaghan, she doesn't read this.) while she got us a new set of luggage giving us more than 2 pieces that look the same for the first time in our adult lives.
We also went on a secretly planned camping trip to the North Shore, specifically to Cascade River State Park. Meaghan had gotten us a hike-in campsite, so we were nice and secluded out in the woods. They gave us a bear box to keep our food safe and everything. We enjoyed the waterfalls and some hiking then went to dinner at Chez Jude in Grand Marais. If you're ever looking for a reasonably priced fine dining experience up that way, I'd recommend it.
- This experience reminded us that we have State Park passes on our cars (thanks MPR), so we've started going to Fort Snelling State Park right here in the Big City on a semi-regular basis. The trails there are even dog-friendly, so Zelda gets a nice "wilderness walk" from time to time. Now that it's cold out, we're eagerly awaiting the snow. The plan is to actually try XC skiing and snowshoeing this year.
- For my birthday, we went to a fabulous little restaurant a few blocks away from where we live called Cafe Levain. They have a prix fixe menu on Sunday nights where you get a 3-course meal for $25. I added the wine pairing (it turns out I do like wine as long as I don't have to decide what to get) for only $12 or $14 more. I highly recommend it if you're looking for great food away from the hustle and bustle of downtown. The next time we have money set aside for a nice night out, I'm going to try to get us to go there again.
- My parents were also gracious enough to use my birthday as an occasion to help fund a couple larger expenses that we'd been saving toward. As a result, I'm currently sitting in the comfort of a nice leather office chair while listening to The Beatles on our brand-new turntable. I can finally work in comfort. Ahhh... Thanks Ma & Pa!
- Our tour of the nation to visit people we know continues. Back in September (it was apparently a busy month), we went to Connecticut for Meaghan's cousin's wedding and then to Omaha for a college friend's wedding. It's always good to see people that you haven't seen for awhile, especially when talking to them is like you just had lunch together yesterday as opposed to, say, 8 years ago. The journey continues next week when we go to Texas for Thanksmas (seemed less offensive than Christgiving) with Meaghan's parents and brother. Trips like this wouldn't be possible if we didn't have awesome friends like the ones at HarrisWorld and the House of Huebert to watch after our pup. Thanks everyone!
- Speaking of the fine folks at HarrisWorld, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Meaghan & I were named godparents of this little guy back in October. Thanks for the honor, Mike & Kim. We'll do our best not to lead Nathan too far astray. I think that officially means I get to talk in a funny voice, make people kiss my ring, and whack guys I don't like for the rest of my life, but I confess to not having read the handbook yet.
- I'd be even more remiss if I didn't give an update on our nephew Soren. We haven't seen him since his christening (yes, they actually broke a bottle over his head -- truly frightening) back in the Spring, but he's beginning to turn into quite the fun little guy. We're looking forward to seeing him again at Christmas and doing our duty by lavishing him with gifts.
- In case anyone is interested, I have actually been keeping fairly up to date on my effort to watch at least an episode of new TV shows. I just haven't been blogging about them. I've even cast my net wider than my last update to include fantastic shows like NickToons new Making Fiends, based on a web series of the same name. I'll get back to that in future posts, regardless of whether my statements are culturally relevant.
- Hey, which reminds me... we have a new President-Elect, but not a new Senator (yet). I don't really intend to get into politics here, but I thought this was worth mentioning since we seem to be on the dawn of the most web-centric incarnation of our government yet. If you haven't checked it out yet, Change.gov is a harbinger of things to come with its daily blasts from the Office of the President. It'll be interesting to see how transparent things become.
I think that's all I have for now. I hope there's more to come in the not too distant future.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Go Ahead, Try to Make Me Laugh - Part 1
A bit of housekeeping first. Despite my lack of posts, I have actually been keeping up with the viewing portion of the TV gig. I've watched at least one episode of everything new except for Sons of Anarchy which I'm still planning on doing once Meaghan has some time for it. If there are shows that you're still watching, feel free to drop comments in that show's post. I'll do the same and we can keep up a running conversation of sorts about them. For instance, my spies have informed me that Kelly's kid on "90210" belongs to Dylan. What a shocking development!
I've also updated my initial post with links to all of the shows' websites as requested, and have also added a few shows that escaped my grasp the first time around. Have fun checking those out if you want to know more about any of them in particular. Back to your regularly scheduled programming...
After stumbling through a whole lot of writer's block regarding how to deal with 30-minute comedy shows (do people still watch these?), I think I've come up with something that'll work for me.
Z Rock: Sundays on iFC, 11:30/10:30 Central
How does one even get the iFC (Independent Film Channel), and who knew that they even had original programming? Whatever the case, they should probably look into getting some more if this is an example of the quality they can produce. "Z Rock" is a hilarious semi-scripted comedy about a Brooklyn-based rock band ZO2 that moonlights as children's entertainment group the Z Brothers to make money. The band and its side project are real, but the situations depicted in the show are not.
This is beyond cable TV so the level of nudity and language is easily at HBO levels here, but it's the land of sex, (no) drugs, and rock & roll so you can't expect less. The humor of the show is a bit hard to explain, but most of it borders on the absurd with a bit of raunchiness thrown in for good measure. I'll let this clip do the talking for me. Make sure you listen to the song's lyrics.
ZO2's straight forward rock music doesn't really do it for me, but the show itself is a winner. I've watched all six episodes that have aired to date, and there are only four to go.
I've also updated my initial post with links to all of the shows' websites as requested, and have also added a few shows that escaped my grasp the first time around. Have fun checking those out if you want to know more about any of them in particular. Back to your regularly scheduled programming...
After stumbling through a whole lot of writer's block regarding how to deal with 30-minute comedy shows (do people still watch these?), I think I've come up with something that'll work for me.
Z Rock: Sundays on iFC, 11:30/10:30 Central
How does one even get the iFC (Independent Film Channel), and who knew that they even had original programming? Whatever the case, they should probably look into getting some more if this is an example of the quality they can produce. "Z Rock" is a hilarious semi-scripted comedy about a Brooklyn-based rock band ZO2 that moonlights as children's entertainment group the Z Brothers to make money. The band and its side project are real, but the situations depicted in the show are not.
This is beyond cable TV so the level of nudity and language is easily at HBO levels here, but it's the land of sex, (no) drugs, and rock & roll so you can't expect less. The humor of the show is a bit hard to explain, but most of it borders on the absurd with a bit of raunchiness thrown in for good measure. I'll let this clip do the talking for me. Make sure you listen to the song's lyrics.
ZO2's straight forward rock music doesn't really do it for me, but the show itself is a winner. I've watched all six episodes that have aired to date, and there are only four to go.
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