Tuesday, September 19, 2006

late evening

Good TV, Cheesy TV, and Expected To Be Good TV

Okay, I’ve spent enough time being oddly vindictive, so now I’m going to talk about my first true love, television.  Leigh-Ann and I had to make an agreement to not get involved in too many new tv shows, as we also have lots of returning favorites.  Tonight, we watched two of the four we were allowing ourselves - “The Class”, which reunites members of a third grade class for a party; and, “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip”, which is basically a behind-the-scenes look at a show like Saturday Night Live.  We liked them both, a lot.  In fact, if there had been two episodes available from each show, we would’ve plowed right through those two.  “The Class” is a bit odd, a bit funny, a bit sad, a bit nostalgic (I’ve had contact with two friends from elementary school in the last month), and quite addictive.  “Studio 60” is the new Matthew Perry show.  I loved the writing - it’s smart, it’s serious, it’s funny.  The Amanda Peet character, as the new head of the network, is awesome.  I hope they keep her character the same as in the first episode - calm, cool, collected, and smart.  It’s nice to have a female boss on a show who isn’t a bitch.  The other two new shows we’ve allowed ourselves haven’t aired yet - “30 Rock”, the Tina Fey/Alec Baldwin show; and, “Ugly Betty”, that seems to be some worldwide phenomena.  They’ve both gotten excellent reviews and I’m really looking forward to them.

Now for the cheese - omigawd, have you seen any of “Celebrity Duets”?  It’s the ultimate in reality cheese.  Semi-famous people (Jai from Queer Eye, Hal Sparks from Queer as Folk, Lucy Lawless, Carly Patterson (Olympic gymnast and terrible singer), Cheech Marin (nice funny dude with a lousy voice)) pair up with current and has-beeny singers for duets.  Wynonna sounds great.  Jefferey Osbourne sounds great.  Dionne Warwick sounded like she’d been smoking some dope backstage.  The big surprise for me - Dennis DeYoung from Styx was pretty awesome.  Beware, this show definitely requires TiVoing because fastforwarding through the dull parts is a necessity.  Oh, and the judges are Marie Osmond (okay, although a bit snarky), Little Richard (totally wacked out, but funny) and David Foster, who is surprisingly nice and fairly constructive, but he so needs to shave that old drunk man stubble.  He doesn’t look drunk or dirty, but the stubble is icky on him.

More reality - the new “controversial” Survivor isn’t the least bit controversial, but I enjoyed the first episode a whole lot more than I’ve enjoyed most first episodes of Survivor.  It’s easier to tell people apart, and the Asian guys are totally hot.  Also, they voted off the most annoying person (so far) on show first.  That almost never happens.

Nip/Tuck has returned and is just as warped as it’s always been.  Still, mighty compelling tv.  Sean and Julia having fits about having a “handicapped” child is incredibly stupid.  It’s not as though the kid is going to have brain damage.  The baby will have Ectrodactyly, which affects the child’s hands & feet - anecdotally known as lobster claws.  As lousy as it is, it’s not the big deal that Sean & Julia are annoyingly making it.  Bree Walker made a guest appearance on the show and you know what looked gross about her?  Not her hands, but her face.  She has gross plastic surgery face.  Weird balloony lips and a bad facelift.  When will women realize that unless you’re Angelina Jolie and you naturally have those lips, they just make you look like a circus freak.  Plastic surgeons should refuse to do that to people, or they should be sued for malpractice.

“Weeds" has been pretty fabulous this season.  Fewer problems with the annoying Botwin boys, the cool DEA agent, etc.  My only complaint is that Celia is more mean, less funny this season.  If they can fix that, I’m pretty happy with how the season is going.

Whoo hoo, and Veronica Mars is coming back soon.  If there’s any show you watch this season, make it Veronica Mars.  Or, The Amazing Race.  I love that show.  Vicarious travel is just the kind of travel I like.

See, isn’t that better than me whining about a hockey player who has retired?  My apologies for that, it won’t happen again, although I’m not deleting it either.

Sunday, September 17, 2006

early evening

Oh, ‘Twas a Sad Fantasy Weekend For Me

I lost by two points in fantasy football, even though if I’d played any team but Leigh-Ann’s, I would’ve won...by 20 points.  To add injury to insult, in my fantasy baseball semi-final, I tied.  I was leading most of the week, but it ended in a damned tie.  And, a damned tie (or Voldemort), means that I won’t be in the championship game because the GoPirates finished the season ahead of me in points.  Sadly, I’ll now be duking it out for third place.  Woe is me <--- say it like Jon Stewart imitating Joe Leiberman.  C'mon, you know you wanna.

Saturday, September 16, 2006

late evening

John Ensign (R-Nev) Thinks Torture Is Yummy

Ensign said U.S. interrogators should be allowed to use the toughest techniques short of “torture” and should be legally protected from war crime accusations.

Ensign said he does not consider sleep deprivation to be a “torture” technique, nor “waterboarding,” in which a subject is dunked under water to near-drowning.

I have a proposal for our esteemed senator from Nevada.  Police officers in training are both tasered and shot in the face with pepper spray, so they know exactly what they’re subjecting others to when using their weapons.  If all of the senators who are in favor of these “techniques” that are not “torture” are willing to be questioned (about, say, cheating on their wives, accepting money from Jack Abramoff, lying about WMD, etc.) and be subjected to sleep deprivation and waterboarding, and then still are in favor of these “techniques” being used on prisoners, then I’ll allow them that vote without question.  Until then, the United States should be bound by the Geneva Conventions, like every other country in the world.  If we torture prisoners, that opens the door for other countries to torture our captured soldiers.  If that isn’t the epitome of not supporting the military, I don’t know what is.  Funny how the Republican senators who are NOT in favor of torturing enemy combatants all served honorably in our military.  Did John Ensign serve?  Of course not. 

early evening

Happy Belated Birthday, Helly

I can’t believe I didn’t remember your birthday and our first friendship anniversary.  Normally, I wouldn’t remember a “friendship anniversary” (it’s, uh, kinda gay), but since it was your birthday, I remember it, I do.  How often do you get to bond over Voldemort (we’ll call him that until he’s proven innocent) and fantasy hockey and the hatred of Donald Brashear?  Not often, I tell you, not often.  We have almost nothing else in common, and are, in fact, almost complete opposites.  But still, we get along, even in person.  So, when are you coming back to Vegas?  The Wranglers have been asking for you and Alan by name.  It’s the ECHL, they have that kind of time - they travel by bus.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

evening

Physical Therapy - Day Two

On Tuesday, physical therapy was kind of fun and relaxing.  Today, it started out nicely, then they added new exercises for me on an exercise ball, which totally kicked my butt.  I think the squats at the end really pushed me over the edge.  I felt fine until I got outside the building, and then my thighs started getting all wobbly and I could barely walk.  It was funny, until I realized that I couldn’t drive in that condition.  I walked it off a bit in the parking lot before I tried to drive.  My legs are still really weak when I walk up and down the stairs, but I guess that means that I actually did some real exercise finally.  What’s nice is that I’m learning what exercises I can continue to do at home because we already have a treadmill and an exercise ball.  I bought an exercise ball when I’d read something about people using them as computer chairs to help their backs.  I tried it for a little while, but it was too hard and uncomfortable.  Then, I read a couple other articles after that recommending they not be used as chairs.  So, I’ll use them for their intended purpose, exercise.

I have a small hospital bill rant before I toddle off to bed.  I had my surgery at Valley Hospital - they overcharged me by five hundred billion percent on the basics, like meds and anti-embolism stockings and such.  I got them to reduce my part of their bill by more than 50%.  Last month, I made payment arrangements, paying them $160 on August 9, then having them take $100 out of my checking account every month for eight months.  So, as of today, I’ve made two payments equaling $260.  In the mail today, I received two bills from them, in two different amounts, mailed on the SAME day.  They’ve clearly gotten my payments because the total was reduced by, yes, $260.  The first letter stated, “THIS ACCOUNT IS NOW SERIOUSLY DELINQUENT.” The second (remember, postmarked the SAME day) said, “WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED PAYMENT IN FULL ON THE ABOVE REFERENCED ACCOUNT.  FAILURE TO PAY THE BALANCE DUE WITHIN 10 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS LETTER WILL RESULT IN REFERRAL TO A COLLECTION AGENCY.” So, I call them up, reminding them that I took care of this more than a month ago, and all the woman says is, “Oh, I need to put the code in.” No apologies, no nothing.  I am so damned tired of these crappy bills.  Even when I pay them, they don’t record it properly.  I paid off the crappy injection doctor in full, then of course get another bill after that.  The hospital manages to take my debit card number and take money out of my account, but can’t manage to record that I’m paying the bill.  Grrr, arrrgggh.