Let's talk about TV. TV critics across the country are opining about the new fall season, so why shouldn't this Opinionated Person add her two cents worth? (Please don't answer the rhetorical question. Thank you.)
First let's back up a bit. It's first season is already over, but psych is pretty darn fun. I'm also happy to see two of my favorite actors, Dule' Hill (Charlie on West Wing) & Tim Osmundson (Sean on Judging Amy) on such a good show. Check it out when it returns in January. Same for Kyle XY, which appear cheesy but is actually a fascinating character study (with the added bonus of Nicholas Lea). Eureka is also a bunch of fun; the premise is far fetched, but the characters are rich and there's lots of good acting (especially the sheriff & his main rival).
The Amazing Race is the only reality show I watch. Period. To give you an idea how good it is: I actually got goosebumps watching the opening credits this year. Phil Koeghan and his arched eyebrow rule. The race this year started in Seattle (I kept exclaiming, "hey I've been there! I know that place!"); it was a brutal first episode, though, wiping out two teams instead of just one. Youch.
The best of the best returning shows: Veronica Mars, 24, Boston Legal, Law & Order: SVU (just when will an Emmy go to Christopher Meloni?!?), Grey's Anatomy (I got hooked on this one over the summer, dammit. The medical stories are often horribly unrealistic (what Izzy did to get Denny a heart? oh puh-LEASE) but the characters are compelling.), Lost, and last but sure as frak not least, Battlestar Galactica.
And an honorable mention to a show that no longer has first-run episodes: The Justice League. I'm still on the first season, but it's definitely not just a kiddies show.
Then the new shows that have me quite intrigued: Studio 60 (stellar cast, Aaron Sorkin, plus in the first hour they call Pat Robertson a bigot? What's not to love?!?), Heroes, and The Nine (John Billingsley & Chi McBride? I am so there!). If I discover any others I will, as part of my sacred TV advisory duty, let you know as soon as I do.
Happy couch potatoing!
Thursday, September 21, 2006
curses, foiled again!
Apparently you can tell if you had a good therapy session (e.g., hit some proverbial raw nerves on the head...or something like that) when the next day you have to go back to bed because of a headache. Bah.
Amongst other things...
Civilization can perform at least a small happy dance today: the White House "blinked" first vs. Senators Warner, McCain, Graham, & Collins & former Secretary of State Powell! The administration is backing off of "clarifying" the Geneva Conventions. How horrid is it that we actually have a president of this great nation who wants to torture people. Um excuse me, but Jack Bauer on 24 is fiction... yet the Great Divider seems determined to undermine our moral authority (what's left at this point) as well as expose our own soldiers to the disaster of "clarification" should they become POWs. The shame.
Amongst other things...
Civilization can perform at least a small happy dance today: the White House "blinked" first vs. Senators Warner, McCain, Graham, & Collins & former Secretary of State Powell! The administration is backing off of "clarifying" the Geneva Conventions. How horrid is it that we actually have a president of this great nation who wants to torture people. Um excuse me, but Jack Bauer on 24 is fiction... yet the Great Divider seems determined to undermine our moral authority (what's left at this point) as well as expose our own soldiers to the disaster of "clarification" should they become POWs. The shame.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
how's that ark coming along?
Rain. Pitter patter. Splish splash. Mixed with the occasional midnight deluge. Yes, rain is back in the Pacific Northwest. Not that I mind (yet). I don't have to worry about the outdoor watering schedule, the rain sounds quite peaceful, and I'm off the hook for any yardwork. (The gray...now eventually the constant gray will be maddening. But not yet.)
The only current drawback is with the dogs. I really had no idea just how much energy 2 young adults & 2 8-month old pups can expend! At least now that the majority of their play time is in the house. There is at least one disemboweled squeaky toy strewn about the living room. Muddy paw prints form a new mosaic on the kitchen floor. The cats all stay at least 3 feet off the ground. And... housetraining issues are exacerbated. I swear, I have never had this problem before with pups this age! Case in point: today the good news was that, for the first time, I saw Yoke lift his leg. The bad news? He did it in the den. Ack! I love my dogs, I love my dogs, I love my dogs. Yeah, that's it.
The only current drawback is with the dogs. I really had no idea just how much energy 2 young adults & 2 8-month old pups can expend! At least now that the majority of their play time is in the house. There is at least one disemboweled squeaky toy strewn about the living room. Muddy paw prints form a new mosaic on the kitchen floor. The cats all stay at least 3 feet off the ground. And... housetraining issues are exacerbated. I swear, I have never had this problem before with pups this age! Case in point: today the good news was that, for the first time, I saw Yoke lift his leg. The bad news? He did it in the den. Ack! I love my dogs, I love my dogs, I love my dogs. Yeah, that's it.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
OUCH
So I am finally on my "permanent" work schedule (now that one doctor is back from her maternity leave), and I think I will like it very much. I work Sunday & Monday nights (6p - 9a) & Friday day (8a-6p). Although Tuesday day is pretty much spent sleeping, it still gives me 3 days off in a row. Plus Saturday.
Now if life would only cooperate with my new schedule. The good news is that B is now back to a normal appetite (keep those drugs a comin') & no longer hiding. But of course I still spent Tues & Wed stressing about it & so didn't accomplish a whole bunch other than a couple loads of laundry. (In my defense, he didn't get back to normal until last night, at which point I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I would have hugged him, but of course B doesn't do hugs.)
So today (Thursday) was supposed to be Run All the Errands Day. Did I mention I actually went an entire 36 hours or so without needing any pain pills for my back? I had nary a twitch, it was wonderful. Not that I was going to make the garbage dump run or any other heavy duty project, I knew better than to trust my back that far. But I'm out of bagels(!), which of course requires immediate correction; a Costco expedition was primed and ready to go. Or so I thought.
The door bell rang late this morning, and I went to get up to answer it. But I did not get up. I could not get up. Each time I tried, my back (figuratively) hollered so loudly that I (literally) could not stand. Sonofabitch! (So my apologies to whoever rang my door bell, I did not mean to be rude.) A few minutes later I did manage to sort of rise & get to the bathroom & the Vicodin, then straight back to bed. So no Costco trip today; not only would I be unable to haul a 36-pack of pop, but I doubt I could even comfortably drive 3 blocks.
So no bagels. No returning the catalog order to JCPenney. No mowing the front yard (yeah like I'm shedding tears on that one). Yes it's inconvenient, but looking on the bright side: it's not a drastic crisis such as occupied so much of the past 3 years, it's manageable with drugs, the critters are happy with mom home for 3 straight days, and there is that mild Vicodin buzz. Now as long as I can make the drive to work tomorrow, the rest will be easy. Gulp.
Now if life would only cooperate with my new schedule. The good news is that B is now back to a normal appetite (keep those drugs a comin') & no longer hiding. But of course I still spent Tues & Wed stressing about it & so didn't accomplish a whole bunch other than a couple loads of laundry. (In my defense, he didn't get back to normal until last night, at which point I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I would have hugged him, but of course B doesn't do hugs.)
So today (Thursday) was supposed to be Run All the Errands Day. Did I mention I actually went an entire 36 hours or so without needing any pain pills for my back? I had nary a twitch, it was wonderful. Not that I was going to make the garbage dump run or any other heavy duty project, I knew better than to trust my back that far. But I'm out of bagels(!), which of course requires immediate correction; a Costco expedition was primed and ready to go. Or so I thought.
The door bell rang late this morning, and I went to get up to answer it. But I did not get up. I could not get up. Each time I tried, my back (figuratively) hollered so loudly that I (literally) could not stand. Sonofabitch! (So my apologies to whoever rang my door bell, I did not mean to be rude.) A few minutes later I did manage to sort of rise & get to the bathroom & the Vicodin, then straight back to bed. So no Costco trip today; not only would I be unable to haul a 36-pack of pop, but I doubt I could even comfortably drive 3 blocks.
So no bagels. No returning the catalog order to JCPenney. No mowing the front yard (yeah like I'm shedding tears on that one). Yes it's inconvenient, but looking on the bright side: it's not a drastic crisis such as occupied so much of the past 3 years, it's manageable with drugs, the critters are happy with mom home for 3 straight days, and there is that mild Vicodin buzz. Now as long as I can make the drive to work tomorrow, the rest will be easy. Gulp.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
mish mash
A sunny day, but not hot. Gotta like that. Little bit of a Vicodin buzz, which is nice of course but then there's the reason(s) you had to take it in the first place, which pretty much negates the whole buzz thing.
In the wee dawn-breaking hours this morning, I awoke to my classical Vicodin scenario: yes, the dreaded Early Morning Migraine. (That plus my new cell phone's battery was beeping for my attention.) If left unchecked it would have been a doozy, too: a half hour post pills, it was still gripping my head. (The headache, not the phone. In case that wasn't obvious to the non-Vicodin influenced crowd.) Fortunately I fell asleep shortly thereafter and awoke 8 or 9-ish no longer with a vise clinging to my head. Not that it's over, mind you...I know my body well enough to have already taken a follow-up pill. I can still feel it hovering (the vise, not the pill), especially as I look at my Benjamin. Which, I realized at 5 am whilst waiting for the vise to loosen, is the reason this thing struck in the first place.
I brought B home from the hospital yesterday. Three years ago I diagnosed him with kidney disease, and until now he has done fantastically well. But last Friday he wouldn't eat his breakfast & looked fantastically puny; I hauled him to work w/me & discovered his kidney values had shot sky-high. So the vet had to hospitalize her own cat, hooking him up to IV fluids to flush the toxins out of his system. He was well behaved for everyone (yeah sure he was there, here at home is a different matter). Hopefully the only major "hassle" will be administering his fluid injections & new meds. Although I'd feel much better if he would have lapped up his milk a few minutes ago with his usual gusto; as it was he just took a sip. (Did I mention his superhero name has always been Dairy Cat?) So we'll see if a few injections help his tummy. And me, heh. Meanwhile he's gone back to his nap on top of the fridge. Get your appetite back, dang you.
And here I thought I was done with Vicodin for awhile. Not because of the Current Crisis or from lack of headaches until now (although I am of course grateful for that), but because I had to pop a fair amount of it last week. Do you ever end up with an injury of some sort and wonder what the heck you did? I do that all the time, especially with bruises and the like. This time, though, it was my entire lower back. I have no clue what I did, but lordy I could barely move! So I crawled (or something like that) to the walk-in clinic and was prescribed naproxen (prescription-strength Aleve) & Vicodin. Darn this 40-something body falling apart! Oh well, at least I can move again.
And, of course, a farewell "crikey!" to the Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin. You know, I never watched his TV shows but I certainly appreciated his enthusiasm and respect for the Animal Kingdom. His sudden departure seems to have hit hard for many of us; we can only hope his outlook inspires a whole new generation of conservationists. RIP, Steve.
In the wee dawn-breaking hours this morning, I awoke to my classical Vicodin scenario: yes, the dreaded Early Morning Migraine. (That plus my new cell phone's battery was beeping for my attention.) If left unchecked it would have been a doozy, too: a half hour post pills, it was still gripping my head. (The headache, not the phone. In case that wasn't obvious to the non-Vicodin influenced crowd.) Fortunately I fell asleep shortly thereafter and awoke 8 or 9-ish no longer with a vise clinging to my head. Not that it's over, mind you...I know my body well enough to have already taken a follow-up pill. I can still feel it hovering (the vise, not the pill), especially as I look at my Benjamin. Which, I realized at 5 am whilst waiting for the vise to loosen, is the reason this thing struck in the first place.
I brought B home from the hospital yesterday. Three years ago I diagnosed him with kidney disease, and until now he has done fantastically well. But last Friday he wouldn't eat his breakfast & looked fantastically puny; I hauled him to work w/me & discovered his kidney values had shot sky-high. So the vet had to hospitalize her own cat, hooking him up to IV fluids to flush the toxins out of his system. He was well behaved for everyone (yeah sure he was there, here at home is a different matter). Hopefully the only major "hassle" will be administering his fluid injections & new meds. Although I'd feel much better if he would have lapped up his milk a few minutes ago with his usual gusto; as it was he just took a sip. (Did I mention his superhero name has always been Dairy Cat?) So we'll see if a few injections help his tummy. And me, heh. Meanwhile he's gone back to his nap on top of the fridge. Get your appetite back, dang you.
And here I thought I was done with Vicodin for awhile. Not because of the Current Crisis or from lack of headaches until now (although I am of course grateful for that), but because I had to pop a fair amount of it last week. Do you ever end up with an injury of some sort and wonder what the heck you did? I do that all the time, especially with bruises and the like. This time, though, it was my entire lower back. I have no clue what I did, but lordy I could barely move! So I crawled (or something like that) to the walk-in clinic and was prescribed naproxen (prescription-strength Aleve) & Vicodin. Darn this 40-something body falling apart! Oh well, at least I can move again.
And, of course, a farewell "crikey!" to the Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin. You know, I never watched his TV shows but I certainly appreciated his enthusiasm and respect for the Animal Kingdom. His sudden departure seems to have hit hard for many of us; we can only hope his outlook inspires a whole new generation of conservationists. RIP, Steve.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
