Christmas? Bah-Humbug.

Happy Christmas to Murray, Leon, Bernie and dearest Duckie. :P

I haven't heard from Brother so I dunno if there's a cemetery visit in the works or not. I got up at 4am. I've been trying to keep busy. I just scrubbed the toilet and sink and mirrors and floor in my bathroom. The kitchen's cleaned up. I'm running out of stuff to scrub.

I've been avoiding holiday music and specials completely. I haven't done a lick of gift shopping. It's just that kind of mood. Kitty's napping in her lounge chair. We didn't put up the tree or anything.

I want a nap. Ugh.

It's now early afternoon. Still nothing from my Brother. I called his cell and got voice mail. If we're going to the cemetery we'll have to go relatively soon. It closes in about three hours and it's almost an hours trip.

I called the house. The SIL answered. Brother's out "running errands" because they didn't get a gift for the niece. Right. Ok. She said as far as she knew he wasn't going to the cemetery today because he's too busy running around and doesn't have the traditional mini tree to take. She said she thought he was going tomorrow but um they're closed tomorrow. Oy.

I think I can see Duckie laughing from here!

Another update. I ate. I used more of my few-months-passed "best by date" sauce. Mother would be proud of my dietary daring. Brother called me to tell me he was coming to pick me up. It was late, less than an hour til closing at the cemetery. I'm like uh... time? He's like "it only takes 15 minutes to get there" and I'm thinking "yous [sic] crazy." I barely had my pants on when he was ringing the bell. Kitty was nonplused, barely roused from her lounge chair, probably because I warned her we might have company.

He explained he never did find a mini-tree. The tree has been a tradition Mother started after Father passed away and I continued last year with Brother after she passed. No worries, I had earlier hacked a length of branch off a pine tree in my landscaping as a back up plan.

I didn't pay attention to the time because I knew that would only annoy me unnecessarily. This is progress. In the past I would've been obsessive about watching the time. Ok, I admit I was eyeing the radio in the truck but couldn't make out a time (if it even has a clock) but I should get points for not checking my watch.

The gates were open. We parked on the gravel and walked in. The sun was quickly heading into the day's oblivion on the ocean horizon. I took photos of the setting sun and Brother rambled to the cold stone with a slight patina of algae. We left.

I'd been thinking that his kids never had their grandpa's holiday candy. For a week or more I'd been kicking around trying my hand at it. He was amenable to the idea so we stopped at a grocery. I didn't have the recipe nor had I even looked it up so I went on memory. It was sad that Brother didn't really have an idea what went into the recipe. It turned out I got was right on all counts but did get margarine that I didn't need. I still swear Father used it even if it isn't in the written recipe. I've been pondering what else he could've made that would've called for melting butter in a large pot. Doesn't matter; it was on sale at only 83 cents per pound--shockingly inexpensive. Not everything was so affordable. The tiny bottle of real vanilla was $4, on sale, for the store-brand!

(more to come)

RIP Dan Fogelberg, singer-songwriter

Dead at 56 of prostate cancer.

"His best-remembered songs include his biggest hit, the affecting ballad "Longer" ... ; "Leader of the Band," a tribute to his bandleader father, Lawrence; and the evergreen seasonal standard "Same Old Lang Syne," which originally hit the top 10 in 1980." USA Today obit. They missed "Rhythm of the Rain."

"Leader of the Band" is one of the very finest of the tributes song genre. Gives me chills.

Rest well, Dan Fogelberg. Thanks for the songs.

A.D.D.

Amazon.com
iTunes

TV Season Winding Down

Spoilers ahead! Be warned!

With the TV writers still out on strike shows have been winding down. On "Desperate Housewives" Andrew (Shawn Pyfrom) moved out of the house which can only mean we'll see even less of him than now I guess. In the tornado episode Bree didn't touch base and we didn't see the gay neighbors at all. Two die. "One loses a husband and everyone loses a friend." I don't know if the second part will actually show this month or if it's being held for the shows inevitable return.

"Heroes" wrapped the second Chapter on Monday and I think I've lost interest in the show. I think they've jumped the shark. If the season wasn't bad enough with the "wonder twins" and the lame diversions with Claire at school and the other story in NOLA. Really my favorite story was Hiro and then, maybe, the Peter mystery but it all came to mean nothing. We know immortality and resurrection exists now in the show's universe so just where's the risk? I've been skeptical since they let Sylar survive in last year's finale and this year proved my skepticism justified. Sad.

January sees the return of "Kyle XY" with the second half of the second season. I don't know when other shows return yet.

"SVU" got me excited last week with the "death" of Eliot's wife. Unfortunately she was alive at the end of the episode. I've never liked that character. "Criminal Intent" is on a slim budget with the four detectives, switching off weeks, and the Captain. No ADA now. I never did find out how or why Jamie Sheridan was replaced. I can't stand the hair on the his replacement.

"House" has his new team. I'll miss "Cut-Throat Bitch."

TV is barely interesting.

"Break Another" on iTunes

Blake's single "Break Another" is now available at the iTunes Music Store.

I sent out iTunes emails to a few people and noticed the email said it's available Nov 20 but I bought it this morning.

Friday cancelled?

Wednesday night I looked at weatherbug to see the extended forecast for my area and here's what it gave me:

Halloween, Blake News!

His debut album, "Audio Dream Day - A.D.D." (Arista), is scheduled for availablity on December 4th and now for pre-order on Amazon. Blake's debut single hits radio today in the U.S. It is called "Break Another"; Blake co-produced. It's catchy! Listen over here

This is a different song than was previously announced as his debut single.

---

Happy Birthday to Duckie!

Meow!

Mins: G4-867mHz, G5, Intel. 512MB RAM. 9GB HD. DVD.

The Classic Mac OS 9 environment no longer supported with Leopard.

---

Yahoo! Messenger for Mac ßeta Updated.

Desperate Housewives, Desperate Writers

The new token gay neighbors moved in next to Susan. She repeatedly makes an ass of herself. On the upside Andrew was back again, scheming with his step-dad over a motor scooter Bree doesn't want them to keep. He declined a crab cake mini hors d'œuvres, maybe he doesn't do shellfish. The other stories were painful to watch and, frankly, I was not happy to see Rex's mother much less her finding out the truth about Bree's baby.

Beef. It's What's For Dinner

As seen on local TV news:



5 fires start overnight

Trek Casting, Prices, TV

We've an official update: Chris Pine is Kirk. Karl Urban is Dr. McCoy.



They join Zachary Quinto (Spock), Zoe Saldana (Uhura), Simon Pegg (Scotty), Anton Yelchin (Chekov), John Cho (Sulu) and Eric Bana as villain Nero. Original star Leonard Nimoy will also play Spock.

Apple's RAM prices continue to be far outside reality. You can get 2GB for $150 from them or 4GB at $175 from a reliable 3rd party provider.

We watched "Gossip Girl" and bits of some "Law & Order" repeats on Wednesday. It's a chilly night out. Some bills have already arrived. The water bill was estimated. I hate that.

TV. Weak.

"House" was preempted (@*#%! baseball!) so we saved electricity Tuesday and took a nap insead.

Many folks complained about it but I thought "Heroes" was more entertaining than it's been all season. I still hate Micah but we learned about Parkman's dad, Molly's boogeyman and the 'wonder twins' found a familiar body in the middle of the road. Saints be praised, Kristen Bell ("Veronica Mars") joins the cast next week.

Wednesday has something for us to watch. Right? Riiight.

Happy Birthday, Mrs. Fletcher

Angela Lansbury is 82.



She looked great at this month's AFI event where she introduced the screening of "Beauty and the Beast." Some of her other works include the stage musical "Mame," films "Bedknobs and Broomsticks," "The Manchurian Candidate," and "State of the Union" and, of course, TV's "Murder She Wrote."

Star Trek: The Casting (so far)

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Genius!

Duckie is a genius. I got email tonight that Brother is working this weekend so no air show. I got sick on Friday anyway. My intestines burn with hatred of their host body. Hopefully I won't need to see a doctor and I'll be good by mid-week.

TV was dull enough that it wasn't even worth writing about this week.

Blake's debut album has been postponed a week to December 4; re-mark your calendars.

Kitty has a fresh litter box and food is scheduled for delivery.

Kyle XY Renewal

A third season of Kyle XY has been ordered by ABC Family Channel according to Yahoo News. The second half of season two is in production. When we last saw Kyle he had just seen his female counterpart, Jessi, leap off a cliff after stealing information from Kyle.

TV Wrap, Save Electricity Edition

"Heroes" was OK last week, nothing monumental. "House" held interest although I wasn't thrilled to see Cameron. House told her she looked like a hooker as a blond.

Dale, the resident gay, came in second at "Top Chef" although from the tasting panel comments I felt he had a real shot at winning. Unfortunately, it was pretty obvious over the weeks they were setting up Hung, the Ego, for the win. Only 20% of the poll voters wanted Hung to win. Most voted for Casey.

I was disappointed in Casey's dishes and I think she was also. Dale had one 'bad' dish--his lobster course. Hung had one great dish and went safe on his last by doing chocolate cake which didn't fit with his asian-inspired dishes at all. Wednesday is the postmortem reunion show. I'll probably tune in to see what Tre, Casey and Dale have been up to.

I'm trying to figure out why they had the "live" announcement in Chicago rather than Aspen where the finale took place or back in Miami where the season was centered.

Bored, I watched "Desperate Housewives" on Sunday. Even Bree breaking-and-entering to steal a pie recipe couldn't prop up a show so clearly past its prime. Listed as "Also Starring," Shawn Pyfrom hasn't appeared yet. I tried to stay tuned for "Brothers and Sisters" but the political manure was getting too deep. I hate that show although I've liked Bat Getty, Emily Van Camp ("Everwood") and Rob Lowe ("West Wing") in past roles.

Thanks to free downloads on iTunes I caught up to the pilot of "Gossip Girl" which features Kristen Bell as narrator. She was the highlight. I might watch this week. I also saw the vampire detective show "Moonlight" which has another "Veronica Mars" alum--"Logan." The show was painful and free was almost too heavy a price. I know "Piz" is on "Private Practice" but nothing short of a six-figure bribe will get me to watch.

Happy Birthday, Ashmore Twins

Shawn ("X2"'s "Iceman") & Aaron ("Smallville"'s "Jimmy Olsen"), 28:

Blake News!

His debut album, "Audio Dream Day - A.D.D." (Arista), is listed available 27 November December 4th and now for pre-order on Amazon. Blake's debut single which he co-wrote with fellow idol contestant Chris Richardson (also on backing vocal) is called "What You Got To Lose" and hits radio on Halloween, 31 October.

Update: On his MySpace, Blake describes the album as "a mix of all the great pop music that has inspired me since the 80's. Electro/funk/soul/pop I call it my 2080's album. One mix from the start to finish, like a great Electronic or Hip-Hop mix tape."

No TV Thursday (or Friday)

I didn't watch TV Thursday night. I just couldn't get worked up by any of the shows and I was not feeling well so I took a nap. Kitty woke me around 10pm. I got up and ate my green apple. I didn't even sever a finger slicing it up! The nap was ultimately more restful than any sleep I've had all week long.

JC Chasez has parted ways with Jive.

Update: I didn't bother with TV on Friday either. I got cereal (corn flakes) and cat food today. Brother was over with estate papers to sign. I think the end is near--it's about time too. Kitty was stressed and hid for almost two hours after he left. This evening she gagged a bit on hairball but seems in a good mood.

TV Struggles To Entertain

It's been a long-and-dull feeling premier week for me so far. I skipped the "Television Event of the Year." I wasn't feeling like torturing myself with the new "Bionic Woman" so I asked someone who happened to be watching in another time zone. Wondering if it was worth the electricity use, he replied, "absolutely not." Even a desire to savage it couldn't coerce me to tune in. Kitty did not complain when I promised we'd watch something later.

We watched part 1 of the "Top Chef" finale. The "Quickfire Challenge" involved some trout and a Coleman camping stove. Casey, my current favorite, won that challenge. The cocky cook that is Hung finished his dish with five minutes to spare but forgot to add lemon juice. Mother would have loved Brian's comment that in cookie, trout isn't even considered seafood! Preferring salt water fish, like sea bass, she did not like trout. Trout is pretty much all we ever fished for under Father's direction and probably the only fish I cleaned.

For the elimination round, they were challenged to cooked elk. The (not really) San Diego guy got axed. This left the last woman standing (Casey), the Ego (Hung), and the gay (Dale) to battle it out for the final victory next week.

Dale actually won the Elimination Challenge by playing on his strength of well received sauces. It was his first Elimination win. I'd like to see Casey crowned next week. Or Dale. Just as long as it isn't Hung. He's got great technical skill but his supreme confidence is often not reflected in the dishes.

The water meter got replaced. Garage access was needed. Kitty was not happy to have her afternoon nap interrupted. Took up hiding out in the closet for a couple hours until she felt confident the interlopers were gone. As it happens, four hours into sleep, I woke only moments before the doorbell rang. I need to catch up on rest. The energy expended running a marathon in my latest dream cannot be helping matters.

20 Year Anniversary

It was 20 years ago Monday that Jean-Luc Picard and pals debuted:



Earlier this year the six foot "Enterprise" miniature, used in the early special effects of the series, sold at auction for a quarter million dollars.

New Seasons Begin

I watched the openers for "Prison Break" season 3 and "Heroes" season 2.

I hadn't seen the second season of "Prison Break" but did watch the finale. iTunes had the premier of season 3 as a free download. The scheme this season is this: there's someone in the Panamanian prison who wants Michael (Wentworth Miller) to break him out and apparently arranged for his capture and incarceration at that facility. They've taken Lincoln Jr. and Sarah hostage. I can't say I'm eager to see much more of this prison where the convicts run the show and settle disputes in fights to the death in the courtyard.

The opener for "Heroes" was a disappointment. Someone dies and pretty much everyone in the finale was seen except the annoying Sylar and DL-Nicki-Micha group. We were introduced to a few new characters including a brother and sister on the run to the U.S. from Latin America. The other character is someone from the "company" who recruits Mohinder. This fellow's power is one of Midas demonstrated when he turns ordinary tableware into gold. He looks like Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer but with many Bill Gates' affectations. It annoys me a bit. I've seen in him other shows and never been a fan of the actor.

I looked at a few seconds where and there for "Journeyman" but it held no interest and once I saw Reed Diamond, Mike Kellerman of "Homicide," I gave up completely. I've heard "Gossip Girls" was really bad but haven't see it for myself. I'll try-out "Bionic Woman" on Wednesday only so I can give an informed opinion. "CSI:Miami" has some new guy in it. The crime didn't hold my interest and I gave up better than half-way through.

So far the TV season is off-and-running with a dull thud. It's early yet. These days there's always film or YouTube alternatives. I was momentarily nauseated to realized I can vote in a presidential primary in just three or four months. All the major party candidates make me grit my teeth.

Leon is back from holiday in Japan. Vacationing Murray is still invading Europe.

I changed the litter box a little while ago so kitty can be pleased with me. I'll have to get her food at the store very soon. I think I'll get ice cream when I go.

Saturday Sundries

I've had a battle with a cold or allergies most of this week. Friday I was feeling better. There was not one actual sneeze but I expect that's about to be broken any moment. I just changed the litter box so kitty can be happy another week.

Because I was under the weather, I ordered groceries. The only item that didn't come was the cat food. They were out of that item and I didn't approve a substitution. It's OK. She isn't out of food yet. I didn't get any treats like ice cream; no sales.

The damned delivery came on exact time again. I was just finishing up in the bathroom when I heard the refrigeration unit on the truck outside. I had the same delivery driver. The poor deep freeze could not hold another item. Well, there's the sneezing. I don't know if it's litter dust or the ceiling fan so I turned off the fan.

Duckie's been scarcely online this week. I got a couple birthday cards out into the mail this week. Muz has been on holiday for a week already and Leon is on the very of his Tokyo holiday this week.

TV has been pretty uneventful. Greek wrapped up it's first season with a record audience for the channel.

It's 9/11

I feel ghoulish thinking about that day. My flag is hanging outside.

Summer TV Winding Down

"Kyle XY" had its season finale on Monday. I can't say this was a great season. The show lost a lot of its appeal for me through the tortured Jesse XX story. I really can't stand the neighbor girl, Amanda, who Kyle has had a crush on. She's moody and an annoyance.

The finale ended with Jesse jumping off a cliff after she betrayed Kyle.

I don't really know if I care about any of the characters at this point. I think it's gone off the rails.

"Greek" has its season finale next week. I don't really know what I think of that show after one season. Perhaps I'll feel more certain after Monday's show.

Due to the "U.S. Open" tennis match, there's no "Burn Notice" for a few weeks.

I'm feeling rather numb about TV and entertainment in general these days. Hopefully something will come along and stir some excitement.

RIP Pavarotti

Tenor Pavarotti Dies at Age 71

Years ago I used to sing along with him in the car while waiting for Mother to do her shopping. I considered seeing him in concert when he came here for the last time but, for reasons I can't precisely recall, I didn't make the effort.

Murdered By The Media? RIP Richard Jewell, 44

Richard Jewell, the security guard falsely accused of being the 1996 Atlanta Olympic's bomber has died at 44 of natural causes. He recently was diagnosed with diabetes and kidney failure.

After twelve grueling weeks of investigation by the FBI, US Attorney's office and endless hounding by the press, Richard Jewell was ultimately cleared of being the bomber. He really was the hero he claimed to be:

"Jewell was working as a private security guard in Centennial Olympic Park about 1 a.m. on July 27 when he identified a suspicious unidentified package and began moving people away from it. The package turned out to contain the bomb, which went off, killing one person and wounding more than 100." CNN

Eric Rudolph confessed to being the bomber in 2005 and is serving four life sentences plus 120 years for bombings at the Olympics and three other locations including a gay nightclub. One of the bombings killed a police officer.

Bang-Up Day

I slipped on the stairs this morning and landed mostly on one knee. Yes, Duckie, there are pix.

Looks like Vegas is moving to The OC. He's there now house-sitting and has parted ways with the boyfriend.

I'm sipping lemonade and having a teriyaki bowl.

A Trek And A Tre

I strolled to the grocery and to the bank between 4 and 6am. I'm pretty sure that's the first I've left the community since early July. I hadn't planned to do a month's worth of grocery shopping but the urge overtook me. The night was clouded and felt warm, probably from humidity. Once again I managed to dump my groceries in the street thanks to a bungled attempt to avoid just that.

Along the way a few things tried to escape out bags and my new postage stamps flew from my pocket too. Yes, I finally got the new more expensive stamps. Even better, these are those "forever" stamps which means if he price goes up before I run out, I don't need to buy addition postage or wastefully double-up stamps.

I seem to remember the grocery kept stamps in the registers, even earlier this year, but someone had to unlock the service desk to get a book for me this morning.

I paid the rent. There's someone new in the office! She looks to be early 20s and only started yesterday. I hope that doesn't mean my favorite has left us. If she did, I hope she got a better gig.

There's a scent of wildfire smoke in the air from dual fires. One is in Mexico and the other in a county further north. Add in the fresh cut grass and humidity and I think I'll stay indoors the rest of the day.

Kitty is napping in her lounge chair and has been generally non-plussed at my comings and goings. Ok, she was hiding when I got back from my early morning errands but with all the noise I probably made dragging things up stairs, who could blame her for expecting the worst? I promptly shed my sweaty attire, filled a glass with ice and put on the A/C.

Last night we watched Flipping Out and Top Chef. I'm very sorry to see Tre eliminated on Top Chef. It was a surprise. He'd won three of the nine elimination challenges.

Monday Mutterings

Here's an image from "High School Musical 2"'s "What Time Is It." Troy (Zac Efron), Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) and Ryan (Lucas Grabeel) are in the front row:



I changed the litter box so kitty can return to being nice to me. I hope. The station has gone off the air for a top-down reorganization. I've been asked to stay on to assist with the shifting of deck chairs. Duckie refused to advise me saying he knows I'll do it anyway. He's probably right. That's why I keep him around.

My fingers are doing better. Monday means Greek and Kyle XY on TV for me and kitty.

I've been having bizarre dreams. Last evening I dreamed of doing groceries with Mother (deceased). I remember the car vanished from the parking lot. Father (deceased) had run off with it and the groceries. I've had a few grocery shopping dreams over the past few days especially some involving perusing delis. I'm a little vague on recalling the details for now. It isn't grocery time yet so I'm not sure how the dreams fit in.

The so-called "Queen of Mean," real estate tycoon Leona Helmsley, has died at 87. She became most well known during her tax evasion trial in 1989s. The $5 billion holdings of she and her husband included managing the Empire State Building in NYC and two dozen luxury hotels. According to trial testimony, she allegedly told an employee only the "little people pay taxes," a statement she denied making. She survived a collapsed lung caused by a stabbing during a home robbery in 1973 and donated millions to New York-Presbyterian Hospital and related institutions.

High School Musical 2

Well, more than a few people watched "High School Musical 2" on Friday. It was a record cable viewing audience of over 17 million. Kitty and I were among them.

The first one was better, this one seemed more forced as a story. My real concern, as I watched it, was the message that somehow hanging out with your pals constantly is more important than setting up your future.

Since his family can't afford college, the friends should've supported Troy's chances to cultivate a possible scholarship opportunities rather than getting down on him. Even his girlfriend decides to turn away and returns his necklace.

As the climax approaches he's guilted into spiking his chances but--never fear--his friends have set him up with a rouse and it all works out. His opportunities still seem open, his friends forgive him and his girlfriend love's him again. In real life, some friends would support him while those who did not, would just write him off.

For me, other than "What Time Is It?" and "I Don't Dance," the musical numbers are generally uninspired and songs pretty forgettable. "I Don't Dance" features a baseball game with the villainess' brother and presumed gay character, Ryan (Lucas Grabeel), and Troy's best friend Chad (Corbin Bleu) battling it out as pitcher and batter.

A young Rob Lowe look-alike, Troy (Zac Efron) is very fit while shirtless in several scenes and does his own singing this time.

The most annoying part, for me, was how evident the studio effects were in the over-dubbed music. There's at least one ballad which starts on screen with voice and piano only and suddenly it has a drum kit thumping away with no on screen source. That works for big production numbers but seemed bizarre with the spare ballad. PerhapsI should assume the resort's grand piano is enhanced with electronics like Elton John's concert pianos?

Riiight.

Worth a look but don't expect a whole lot from the plot. I'd hope a rumored third film will be a return to form but they may need to infuse the franchise with a new villain.

Beware of Glass...

...it bites! Glass from a picture frame slipped out of my hands while cleaning it. I got two cuts and lost a wedge of flesh to the edges.

TV Renewals

USA Network's "Burn Notice" has been renewed for a second season of 13 shows. It's a fun show. If it comes to your country, give it a look.

GRΣΣK has been picked up for another 10 shows.

GRΣΣK's doing ok but it isn't as strong story-wise as it could be. Still, it's a bit of light entertainments and I like Cappie. OK. How many characters do you need to like to watch a show anyway?

KYLE XY was good on Monday. It's moved the main plot about Kyle ahead. Next week Kyle reveals to Jesse there's more in common to them both than they knew.

Nick In A Bow Tie!

Clipped from promotional photos for the next BSB CD.

Damn. SoCAL Icon Passes...

The fantastic Hal Fishman passed away last week. I grew up watching Hal anchor the "News At 10" on KTLA out of Los Angeles. In fact, with 32 years anchoring KTLA's news, Hal's the longest running anchor in TV history. He was no non-sense and always looked smartly dressed. He was "old skool" in his delivery cadence and it worked.

Quite appropriately, he was in Spider-Man 3 as the anchorman during the climactic battle with Spider-Man and the villains. I noted his delivery style was a little different--more modern--but it was Hal.

Hal was also famous as a private pilot with a number of altitude and speed world records.

There are some echo-worthy comments about Hal in the piece from "The L.A. Times". He died of cancer; it was diagnosed just over a week before he passed on.

You presented what I came to believe the news should be. RIP Hal Fishman.

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Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune creator and all around entertainer Merv Griffin Dies at Age 82 of colon cancer.

There I Was, Minding My Own Business...

... when I saw this posted on a website:

Published August 6, 2007

Redmond, Washington—Microsoft today kicked off the greatest holiday lineup in videogame history by announcing...

What The!? H-O-L-I-D-A-Y!?! It's frigging August!

Bah humbug!

So Far, So Good?

Well, I'm still awake. I went up to the office but it was closed. Summer hours so it opens at 9am, not 8. Fine. So I came back here and raided the garage. I found a 2 liter bottle of cola I didn't know I had and fished out another fish dinner. Not the repulsive fish sticks I had last night so maybe this will be edible. On the down side there's no brownie. I ambled over to get my mail which, of course, is mostly advertising. There was an odd piece though since I could feel what seemed like a credit card. It seems my ATM card expires the end of next moth. How nice of them to remember for me. I didn't realize it even had an expiration date.

I checked the few remaining items in the pantry. The oatmeal is still good as if the corn bread mix--I think. I think my stuffing mix is good through October and that about covers it. I went up to the office dreading it would be occupied with the absent-minded one in need of retirement. I know Duckie will be crushed but she wasn't there. Instead it was the woman who lives on-site. She doesn't seem the sharpest tool--she was the one who couldn't find my rent check a few months ago--but I was able to get a photocopy and she signed it. I had to ask for the photocopy. I missed my usual cat chat. Maybe next month.

I returned and checked my email. Look! It's an email from the power company. It says my bill is available. Due mid-late August. Well, it seems I checked the site on Sunday before all bits of it got caught up with amounts and dates. See earlier entry for that stresser.

Someone had carelessly tossed a lotion bottle in the new plants, just passed a set of dumpsters. It was there when I went up to the office at 8am and not there before 10am. Someone actually picked it up and, seemingly disposed of it! Amazing. I don't know if it was one of the maintenance folks or dog walkers. Doesn't matter, really. There were no cookies in the office and the community kitchen is out of Splenda. There were some yogurt bars so I picked up one of each flavor. Maybe I'll like them.

As I think about it, really, everyone should be able to live like this. I mean, generally, it's a pleasant place. The staff are fine and the residents pretty much keep to and police themselves. It's this last part that makes me like living here. Sure, there were the unruly folks in the pool that one night and the angry guy storming off another but that's two incidents in seven months neither of which amounted to more than noise. In both cases, had I been sleeping like a normal person, I'd probably been completely unaware. Ok, I forgot the garage "break-ins" a few weeks after I moved in but that was addressed with changes to the side doors and it was more pranking than anything as nothing appeared to have been taken other than a box of diapers.

It's more pleasant than living at the house where I had to listen to obnoxious children, pets and face the dread of the ringing doorbell. Kitty has taken up her usual haunt for an afternoon nap, her chair in the lounge. I might turn in soon.

End of Month Routines...

I was doing bills Sunday evening because there wasn't much else going on. I looked at the power bill online and it say "due July 17." So, of course, I gasped! I paid bill online right away! Then I looked to see why I didn't get email about bill. Email came June 27. Well, maybe I forgot about email when it came? Then I look at billing history and it says payment made June 27! Hmm. I look at bank statement. Yes, I gave money on June 27 to power company! It is same amount as was due July 17! I had paid! That is different amount from what I just paid which is a little higher so I'm guessing the stupid system hasn't updated its due dates yet. Very annoying.

My statement from health care says they did not get payment. It also says they will send a courtesy statement from now on. So, I guess, they just decided on their own I didn't need statements which is why I wasn't seeing them in the mail. Instead I had to provide my own envelopes to make payments. I need to see if they cashed check but it won't appear until my next statement for the period that ends the 31st. I looked online but there is no billing info for the health care online. This is just stupid. I guess I will call. I am not paying double! Grr.

I heated two hot dogs today. I put them in buns and one decided to fall over, roll out and off the counter onto the floor. Since food is low in the apartment and I was feeling daring, I picked up the dog, rinsed and dried with with a paper towel twice, then microwaved it 30 more seconds and put it back in the bun. I was not going to let it avoid being eaten! If I end up with botulism that is how I got it. I blame hunger and a conversation I had the other night about my germ phobias for this daring feat.

Tonight I had the door for the deck wide open to air out the stuffy air inside apartment. I forgot I left it open. When I finally remembered and dashed to see if it was open, kitty was sitting neatly on the inside "welcome mat" guarding the doorway and soaking up the breeze. She is a good kitty!

Sleep has stayed the same but it is still an improvement over last week. What else did I do? I cleaned the toilet. I was bad and skipped cleaning it last week. My "Osama look" scares the office lady so I did some trimming. Duckie approves. He is online so I will post this and annoy him awhile!

My cable internet introductory deal ended so it's gone up $10. Why does 5Mbps/768Kbps cost $50 in Southern CA when 10Mbps/1Mbps costs $52 in Texas?

GRΣΣK

Here's a look at three of the characters on GRΣΣK:



Rusty is the main character, a frosh engineering student who joins Cappie's laid back frat. Calvin, the gay character, is a new friend of Rusty's and belongs to a rival house.

Rusty's sister attends the same university and is an ex-gf of Cappie. A sorority girl herself, she's the current gf of a prominent member of Calvin's frat.

It's on cable's ABC Family, Mondays after Kyle XY.

Random Items

Cisco is killing the LinkSys brand. I'll miss LinkSys. Non-US readers probably won't care.

Cisco is apparently going to do yet another branding change. They did one in 2006 to a crappy logo sometimes compared to eye brows or toddler toys.

Casting for the new "Star Trek" film is going OK. The guy who plays the villain Sylar in Heroes (Wiki), Zachary Quinto, is cast as the younger Mr. Spock while Leonard Nimoy has come out of acting retirement to put on his pointed ears one more time. Nimoy has been notoriously difficult to involve in Trek revivals and films. That they got him involved is a huge boost to the film's potential to not completely suck.

Still, I remain quite skeptical at the underlying premise and return to the Kirk and Spock characters and exploration of their early years.

I've been scheduling my meds a bit further apart and it seems to be helping with sleep. I hate waiting for the scheduled time rather than taking them "early" but my dreams are a little less vivid and sleep a less disturbed and thus a bit more restful.

I still need to grocery. I'm in my usual end of the month funk. I hate the act of paying bills so I put it off although I know I feel better once they're paid. I miss having a bill payer.

Dan decided to stay on holiday a week longer which meant a bit of scrambling with the radio gig. I did an extra show and negotiated who would fill when. I might do the show Monday if I get other things done (read as groceries and bills). He's called a meeting for week's end. At this point in life, the very mention of the word strikes terror. No time or agenda is known. Yet.

J, moving from Tues to Fri on air, is now working part time on remodeling a Wal-Mart in addition to his firefighter gig. He needs to slow down, or at least relax. I worry about that boy. Ok, he's 25 but I'm allowed to worry like he's a younger brother, right? Duckie is exchanging his indentured servitude err, I mean he's changing jobs. He needed to climb out of hell err to find a less thankless work situation.

No trip to Comi-Con this year. Brother's decided it's too much of a "zoo" and so that tradition is dead. We were supposed to take my niece for the first time this year. I've been wondering what I'm missing behind the curtain. Go to the films? Nope. Go see the kids play ball? Nope. Host the SIL's surprise bday party? Nope. Connect on Mother's Day? Nope. Mother's birthday? Nope. Close the estate? Not a word. Father used to say I'm paranoid and, well, he'd be right. Of course I am and I probably got it from him. I resist the urge to see conspiracies and plots but, as they say, "my spider-sense is tingling."

Recent dreams have featured my grandmother who passed over 15 yrs ago. I'm not sure where that fits in. Kitty is doing fine. We've been watching "Kyle XY" (Wiki) which has had a bumpy season, the new shows "GRΣΣK" (Wiki) and "Burn Notice."

"Burn Notice," (Wiki) a "dramady," is five weeks in and is the most entertaining of the three we're watching. That said, I've probably just hexed it. I like it so it's doomed.

"Kyle XY" introduced a female counterpart, Jessie XX, and the mystery and exploration of Kyle has taken a bit of a back seat. This past week was an cringe worthy "after school special"-like episode cramming nearly all things gay into the show. We had the drunken homophobic slurring guy, the girl with two mommies, the banning of same sex couples from a school dance, the protest, the alternative dance, the son wigged out by the idea of male couples, straight girls who kiss to show support and the token background gay males who only dance in a three-party group with a girl. None of the principle or supporting characters is gay. It was too heavy-handed.

More as inclination inspires.

RIP Tammy Faye

Tammy Faye Messner dies at 65

I was going to blog about her Larry King appearance but had put it off. :(

Exercise in Frustration.

Doing IT from 9000 km away is a quick way to destroy your disposition and mental health.

I haven't seen duckie in day. I think he's hiding from me. No, I've probably just passed out too early. I'm feeling better today. Thursday I had a very sore and stiff neck, ear and headache issues. Yes, it's the evil left ear again. I think kitty must run her tongue down my ear while I sleep.

I've had a few weird dreams. I had been on a field trip of sorts. I looked at my watch and saw it was too early to go home but really too late to return to school. I asked this other student, Peter, what he thought and the bus scheduling. Long story short, the appropriate bus wouldn't be coming for a couple hours. I remember fumbling with my cranky cell phone. I was going to call Mother to pick me up and asked Peter if he'd like a ride home rather than wait hours since, in the dream, he lived only several blocks away. I knew Mother was at Brother's place but couldn't remember the phone numbers. I also remember having to stuff things back into my pack. Anyway, it's weird.

Obviously Mother's deceased, the car I imagined she'd be picking me up in was the early 1970s station wagon I've mentioned before. It was resold about 20 years ago. Peter, well, I don't even really know where he lived and I'm fairly sure I didn't see him after primary school. I certainly don't know why he, of all people, appeared in my dream except as a stand-in for someone of like name or appearance.

The other weird dream I had involved clothing. I was picking out clothes to wear and Mother wasn't ... OK, there was yelling and because I'm nosey I went outside to my porch. I couldn't see but did hear some things. I threw on some clothes, took the misdelivered package and strolled north on a walk around the complex. Someone left their garage door up but there were two autos part inside so I moved along and headed around the backside of the community center. I did find the noise. It's 2am, tis not the usual time to frolic in the pool and yet that's where the loud voices were.

Coming around to the complex entrance I dropped off the package that belongs in the sister complex and followed the path around to the pool. Suddenly there was hushed voices with one of the women telling a guy to be quiet. I just kept walking and pretended not to see or hear them. Returning to the apartment, I picked out a few things from the deep freeze and returned up stairs. My walk seemed to have served its purpose, it's quiet once again. How no one nearer the pool called in a noise complaint I don't know. It isn't as if I'm immediately adjacent. Anyway, I just heard a couple walk by.

I stumbled outside to notice our rent-a-cop drive in and make an early U-Turn with another couple from the pool right in front of him. I could see him down in the car and imagine he's well over 300 lbs. Why ruin a good night by getting out of the car?

Anyway, they were a young attractive couple. I half suspect they belong to the apartment with the open garage door. I wonder if they climbed into the pool area because when I tried one morning to deposit my rent check, the second lock had been secured and so I couldn't get into the area without resorting to gymnastics.

OK, curiosity got to me and I went back to the pool to see if the gate had been double-locked. It was. No Dr. Pepper for me tonight. On my way back I noticed there was bark on the sidewalk in one spot. A look at the ground showed at least one large indentation as if a heal sunk in. It seems like a good place to exit because you won't land in plants. Walking on, I noticed sandal prints on the high voltage box which is more than half as high as the fence. That's not a bad way to enter. And, just for final giggles I looked and, sure enough, the open garage was now closed.

Kitty is hiding in the bedroom behind her chair. I'm going to have some pasta and loiter around the internet. The pasta cooked badly--that fits the day I've had.

Mmm Nicky...

"US Magazine" had a feature on Nick Carter's weight loss through exercise and counting calories. Supposedly he's 224 in the left photo from 2005 and now around 180 (trying to reach 175). Video here.



Personally, I'd like to see him add back 5-10 lbs. Any more loss and he'll look like a bobble-head.

Doing Better?

Well, Mother's birthday was this week. Or would've been or however you talk about those things after someone's passed away. As I'm sure Duckie won't be surprised to know, I heard nothing from my Brother. Kitty and I had a nap as substitute for actual sleep, and once it was clearly too late in the day for my Brother to invite me on a cemetery visit before work, I went online.

I did something I normally wouldn't do. I employed the axiom, "When you're winning, shut up!" For once in my life I didn't point out that the "1st Amendment" freedom of speech doesn't extend to private entities, only gov't in its many forms. We'll see if there's any improvement in basic civility of the oversight ahead. Let's hope so.

I have to wonder folks reading late always seem so damned loud. Could it just be relative noise? I'm very curious about ambient background news during daylight as compared to night. Just how much is there ignored by the brain yet sensed by the human ears?

Hmm, I just ate some macaronis and I'm still feeling hungry. That's an annoyance!

I'm tired, too. I just noted it's Thursday so Duckie will be very late due to clubbing so it perhaps isn't worth battling sleep too much nor indulging cravings either. If I had ice cream, I'd be diving in right now.

Mumble, mumble...

Let's see, I did three fill-in shows this past week. Vegas had a birthday, Duckie quit his job. I just changed the litter box and now I'm out of breath. I hate warm weather. Hmm. Safarai is way behind as I type this.

Not sure what I'm doing with the rest of my day other than trying to keep from overheating.

Burn notice was better this week than the second week. I watched the pilot for Greek. It had many of the expected cliches. I still might watch it in the regular time of Monday nights. That is, I'll tune in if I remember it's on.

Friday Comes!

It is Friday, about 5am. The Duckie has taken me off block. I am sorting songs. I am doing a fill-in today! I just found out. :/ It will be 2.5 hrs this time. Kitty does not seem interested in helping me. And that is the thanks I get after cleaning litter box! I even put a new filter in. Oh well.

We've watched a bit of a new show called "Burn Notice" , an action comedy series. It's OK. We'll probably watch next week too.

Did I mention I am IT staff for station too? Another development. *sigh* I keep getting bugged about doing a regular show but resist.

Have You Ever Wondered...

What would happen if you bought 25 bottles of nyquil?

If you didn't laugh, why are you here?

Hollywood Sucks

Alvin and the boys have gone Hip-Hop????

I Should Be Sleeping...

Instead of sleeping I'm putting up a blog entry. Let's see... kitty was a bit less neurotic yesterday. She actually returned to her usual lounge chair for the afternoon nap. However, when I got back from the grocery she was hiding in my closet again.

Yes, that's right, I got up to the grocery. I hadn't been in a month and food was getting near critical. It wasn't nearly as hot on the 4th as it had been even the day before. This was fortunate for me as I made a rare day-time trek to the grocery.

I haven't heard anything from my Brother or SIL. Mother's birthday is this month. Perhaps I'll hear something and, too, there's the ComiCon at month's end. I recall he wanted to take the niece there at some point. She's coming up on 7 (surely not!?) so now's as good as any time.

I did a radio show Friday and on Sunday. Nothing regular, just filling in. Now it seems I'll be doing a bit of IT stuff. Just as long as it doesn't become like the last IT work I did, things should be OK. The last time it was a living, all consuming hell. I'm only assisting another poor soul so hopefully we can keep it under control. We both seem to have experience in wrangling cats. :)

I've got a headache, perhaps eye strain. I'm without my glasses--they're in the bedroom. I didn't have my cell phone today, I'd unplugged it and the battery discharged before I noticed to plug in back in. It might be time to get a new battery anyway. I'll have to keep watch.

Oh, we watched the finale of "Hidden Palms" and it wasn't a surprise who really killed Eddie. However, the finale did leave some unresolved threads. Johnny *knows* who did it but everyone else is convinced it was someone else. It's also unclear if there was another murder or murders involving the characters. The finale kind of sucked. No, it did suck. But since the show was cut from 12 to 8 episodes during production it isn't surprising the finale seemed haphazard.

1 July!

( Good excuse to post Alpha Flight art. ;P )

"The CW" Hates Its Viewers

No, only the viewers. The network that killed "Everwood" in favor of lower rated programming, which killed "Veronica Mars" in May announced the next episode of "Hidden Palms" is the series finale. The show is only seven episodes old (or will be). Ever the masochist, I guess I'll tune in at 8pm anyway. I was going to sleep but I can wait another hour.

I've felt remarkably good today. I'm sure it's a fluke.

It's Only Monday?

It's going to be a long week. Look, it's JUST A PHONE!

The breaking news is the first shipment of iPhones have landed on US shores under armed guard.

No, really.

You'd think this was Osama being extradited from Pakistan!

In other news, Paris is almost a free bird.

I've had enough. I'm going to sleep.

There's KYLE XY tonight on ABC Family, 8pm. I'll probably catch it later on.

I miss Apple Computer, Inc.

iFoaming for iPhones...

It's that time! iPhones coming. Zombies drool. Cult members fall into line. Hope spring eternal that July will bring a return to Mac news at tech sites as the frantic lust for the holy and unblemished iPhone is sated. International readers are lucky.

Last week, or something on that order, Kitty and I decided a compassionate deity would not compel you to live but a single lifetime trapped by the limits of that life be they physical or environmental. Everyone should have an opportunity to sample the true variety of experience of living. Straights should experience a gay life, the poor and infirm that of the well-to-do and robust while the mentally ill get a taste of living as the mentally balanced.

It's Monday.

Saturday Was Quiet

Kitty and I caught up on sleep. Someone was outside tearing up root systems. I told her, "Better him than me." I did that last year and don't miss it.

Dream was odd: I was naked because I was so tired I hadn't noticed I didn't put on clothes. Oops.

Kyle XY is back already! In fact, there've been two shows! That was earlier than I'd read online it'd return and even more annoying was the thing came back on the major ABC network and not the "ABC Family" cable channel it debuted on last year. I only know Kyle was back because I saw part of the second episode last night while I was looking to see if there was any news about yet another fire. (Aside: the fire was supposedly hot spots from the other day, not anything new.) So, anyway, I'll catch up with Kyle online.

I made food but don't have an appetite. I want to return to bed. *sigh* I told kitty to let me know when she wants to put me to bed and I won't argue.

Freaky Friday?

At 7am, the tree killers were back. Yes, they've taken down some trees in the complex and parked the wood chipper in front of the apartment. It wasn't as obnoxious as it was yesterday because I already had the windows closed. Kitty wasn't dancing but didn't hide.

Early this afternoon, I was listening to a streaming radio show and she was sleeping in her bedroom chair. Suddenly the apartment shook and I was shocked by the sudden noise. Nerves unusually rattled, I looked outside; all was still. I went outside to look around. Nothing. I checked online and saw no significant quake activity.

Later this afternoon the local news answered my mystery. Shuttle Atlantis had landed safely at Edwards AFB in California and its approach brought it over San Diego. What I'd felt and heard was its sonic boom. Very cool. Military jets, which I'd grown up with, have nothing on *that*. Awesome, let me tell you.

The SIL had a birthday today. I never did hear anything about the surprise party Brother was going to have for her. Kitty and I sent an e-card. Mother would call and leave a message. I'm not Mother.

I sense time for sleep fast approaching.

Next Time You Look In The Mirror...

Remember, you could look like this guy! Stop feeling sorry for yourself:

Apple Inc. Discontinues Mac Line*

After 13 years, Apple Inc. has decided to end the Macintosh brand. Computer offerings from the company will immediately be rebranded iPhone Brick, iPhone Portrait, and iPhone Cheesegrater.

The coming release of the former Mac OS X Leopard shall be known as iPhone OS X LeapingLizards.

(* not really)

VLC 0.8.6c Released

It is a free cross-platform media player and can be found at VideoLAN. This release includes some security updates.

Flag Day

The flag is out. I closed the windows for kitty because there was mowing going on. More if I feel like it.

SIX MONTHS!?

If I'm to believe my calendar I moved in 6 months ago. That seems hard to believe. Duckie was talking to me then. Seems a life time ago.

Windows folks having the worst problems with Safari 3 ßeta are non-English users. The Mac version is quick and doesn't seem too fraught with instability. I'm a little skittish over it replacing the webkit used by all apps though. We'll see how that turns out.

I need to sleep. I closed the windows because kitty was nervous over the garbage truck. Now it's getting stuffy.

"Worst Keynote Evar"

That was one chatter's opinion. I don't know yet. I have to watch the stream. I listened to an audio feed and I've seen the promo bits at Apple.com. The translucent menu bar is just crazy. That they made the menu's less translucent has to say something. In fact, I think the Mac OS X menus have become more opaque since 10.0. Anyway, I wasn't blown away because eight of the ten features shown at the keynote were shown at WWDC in 2006. Has the iPhone sucked up that many resources at Apple?

I've read the Safari 3 beta for Windows runs on W2K as well as XP & Vista. I'll have to try it out there. I will say it's dramatically faster on Tiger than Safari 2 or the "webkit nightlies" I've used until Camino 1.5 hit the streets. Clearly there's been a lot more performance available on older hardware but software just hadn't been sufficiently tuned. I will say Apple's been pretty good at that. Each Mac OS X major update has improved performance. I was among those disappointed there were no hardware updates.

I was fill-in DJ last night. My song choices got good reviews. I wasn't totally happy with two or three but overall it worked out. There were some technical hiccups early and then about three quarters through the show there was an encoding incompatibility which blew things up for a bit but nothing I couldn't handle. This was a good thing since I was the support staff for my show.

Picking songs for others entertainment is more difficult than for your own and the licensing scheme brings legal limitations about how often an artist can be played, not using multiple tracks from a single album, the hour delay before playing requests... and so forth. It's been an interesting experience and taxing in different ways.

I want to thank Leon for tuning in during work although he sacrificed chance at a lunch other than ramen to do so.

Since I didn't sleep much yesterday, I'm exhausted. However, I'm loathe to turn in just yet. My eyes ache with tireness so I may not have much say in the matter of staying up a few more hours. I still need to double-check on the meat recall expansion. Grr. That can wait for another day.

Time To See Leopard's Spots...

It's that day! The WWDC keynote begins in just over 1 hour and we're promised a "feature complete" look at Mac OS 10.5 Leopard. Only Mac users would go so far as to obsess over keynote speeches and even create a bingo game. Get your bingo card-generating app here.

Friday Fun

It's 4:35AM. It's been two weeks of no Duckie. I hope he's well. There's been some bad flooding in NSW I'm told. I'd hate to think seven years of friendship is being tossed away. I'm trying to stay calm and my mind on other things. This month's calendar image is Brisbane's King George Square which is apparently being dug up for tunnel work.

Kitty was just having a bite to eat. Go kitty!

The Paris Hilton "reassignment" was Thursday's big story. Murray was embarrassed Aus has been so interested in it. The UK seems less so thus I declare there's a sliver of hope for civilization. Obviously the big deal with the Paris development is the unequal treatment under the law. She did three days in prison but got credit for five because she arrived just before midnight and left around 2am, she got credited with those few hours as entire days in prison. That's just silly. The judge specifically excluded house arrest as an option in his sentencing order. The entertainment value here is over the L.A. Sheriff's dept. attempting to explain its way clear of a potential contempt citation. For me, this is a local story about fundamental issues of equity.

The meat recall was expanded. I need to look up the details. I took out my garbage and picked up my mail for the first time in a couple days. Wow, I had enough ads to revive a rainforest. Some of them were even addressed to me! I had at least one each for two prior residents. I mailed a bill too. It was very still tonight, not even a hint of breeze. For awhile I ran the ceiling fans. The windows have been wide open tonight to air out the apartment. Kitty seems to be doing OK.

My neck in pained so I took a nap earlier.

I have not found anyone who has tuned in for CW's "Wild Palms" yet but I'm still asking around. I saw portions of an episode on Wednesday. I also happened to watch an episode of "The Traveler" which has the most ridiculous casting I've seen in ages. It's as if a sea of secondary players decided to gang up and do a show. There's a reason these folks haven't been leads before. Oh well, it keeps costs down. The story isn't as compelling as you'd think a story of a pair of college grads set-up as patsies for a terrorist attack on an art museum could be.

ABC finally axed Isaiah Washington from "Greys Anatomy." In another line of work he'd have been fired on the spot for slugging Patrick Dempsey on the set. T.R. Knightly, the "faggot" on whom Washington was picking on, will be back with a pay raise. I always thought Isaiah was homely. I wonder if his career is over or if he'll make a come back like Rob "underage sex tape" Lowe, or Marv "the biter" Alpert. Time will tell.

Next week is the Apple "World-Wide Development Conference" (WWDC). We'll finally get a look at the "feature complete" Leopard. I'm not keen on the rumors of color anodized aluminum enclosures for upcoming iMacs. Netscape is back with a 9.x beta (Windows & Mac OS X). I tried it for a few minutes. It's like Firefox but has added Netscape.com-specific junk and its very tacky looking.

It's gone to the trash can already. Camino, a Mac-native, browser which uses the same rendering engine as Firefox is up to 1.5 this week. Compared to Firefox, Opera, Webkit nightly, it's very frisky on older Power PC-based Macs. Good work. In the olden days, I think Camino was started by the guy who Apple hired to lead the Safari / Webkit project.

Researches powered a light bulb wirelessly. I should find that link and add it later.

Funny that...

Back in the day, Father got a "Boost" energy drink with his meds before bedtime. Somehow with all those drinks this never happened.

I'm confused and disappointed that I've heard nothing of the Duckie in two weeks. Kitty continues to purr and share the sofa when she gets her TV shows. One out of two isn't bad, right? I'm sure down the road we're going to have a meeting about putting Duckie's likeness on a milk carton.

It's 10am and I'm sleepy.

They Gotta Do Better Than That!

There is a beef recall and it's the brand I purchased. However, unlike the peanut butter, I don't appear to have bought the contaminated lot. See the detailed info at the USDA website.

Kitty barfed on her water dish. Poor thing. She also licked my hand although that was later. I think I'm addicted to dark chocolate-covered almonds. We're about halfway thought the third season of "Wonder Woman" and, so far, I find the episodes particularly weak compared to the prior season.

There are a couple of continuity gaffes. One is huge. Diana parks her Mercedes behind a huge delivery truck outside an airport, when they cut to the shot of her exiting the car the giant truck is gone. It was so obvious I had to go back and make sure my brain hadn't played a trick on me. Honestly, I'm not sure how she even knew to go to the airport right then in that episode.

Her boss, back in D.C., says "right here in L.A." while talking to her on the phone. It's probably me but Ms. Carter doesn't seem as into her roll as she was the prior season. This wouldn't surprise me, the stories aren't exactly grabbing me. There are a few involving aliens coming up. Maybe the best moment in the season so far was a guest starring actor who played Darren's boss, "Mr. Tate," in "Bewitched."

Sunday Silence

It's a quiet day although a bit warm tonight. I just changed the litter box. I should've done it before eating instead of after. Kitty is hiding in the bedroom behind her chair. I'm not sure what that's about. Sunday radio wasn't as interested as I'd hoped so I tuned out after an hour.

Is It Really June?

She and I finished up watching "Wonder Woman" season 2. It wasn't too bad. There was really just one episode that annoyed me substantially. It was about a girl from the other-dimensional "Islandia." It was bad. Really bad. Worse than the alien two-parter or "Radar" from M.A.S.H. as a janitor.

On the production end, I winced every time the ATHENA missile appeared on screen because now only could you clearly see the two wires but it was casting a shadow on the sky behind it at times. It was near the end of the season, they were probably low on funds! I'm a little curious about the change from the solidly circular headpiece thrown early in the season to a very obvious metal boomerang Lynda Carter has to pretend to reshape for placement on her head. I noticed, however, the head-piece itself looked better later in the season. It was smoother. I don't recall noticing other costume changes. I may have mentioned noticing she actually wore panty hose under the shorts of her costume which was a bit of a surprise.

These are the kinds of things DVD viewing can bring out that watching over-the-air broadcast TV back in 1977 just wouldn't show even on a comparably-sized screen such as the Zenith we had in those days. We'll move to season 3 next although we already watched a few of those episodes. I think the kitty enjoys the show since she is always on the sofa to watch.

More as the mood strikes me.

The Days Sneak Onward

It's already Thursday the end of May. I didn't sleep well. I thought I had my door closed when I turned in but when I woke up there was a cat at my feet. She's been acting oddly throughout the afternoon and evening. There was lots of hollering.

Calmed down, she napped while I watched the "Shear Genius" finale. I actually thought Ben, the shaved-head and tattooed guy, should've won. He did place second though. The actual winner was Anthony so Tabitha would be happy her friend on the show came out on top. None of the final styles were remotely interesting.

The most interesting thing I saw on TV was during flipping. I saw a bit about an oil tanker explosion in L.A. during the 1970s. What was interesting was a mid-section of the ship had been blown into a parking lot. Pretty amazing, I thought.

I've mostly done reading today and will probably turn in early. I still need to do a couple bills though. I either paid one early and forgot I had or don't recall the statement arriving. That's always the fun part! Uh-oh, the cat is awake! Time to hide!

Tuesday Torment

The computer gremlins struck again. I assume all will be OK after I rebuild the hard disk. My dreaming storyline was bizarre. There were tsunamis. Normally such water volume is my bladder trying to push me out of bed but that wasn't the case here. I don't really know where the subconscious has been going with recent dreams.

I watched "On The Lot" for its first elimination show. Wow, I thought I'd packed filler into its results programs but this was beyond Secrest's work. They did, of course, retain his trick of getting down to two people and announcing results will come after yet another ad break.

The season finale of "House" was more interesting for unanswered questions about potential cast changes in the new season (if any) than the case itself. Tonight's "The Shield" took my loathing of Shane to new depths. He's such a fool. Next week's preview of the season finale suggests Shane threatens Vic's wife with a gun. A compromising camera photo of the (now) councilman has just fallen into Vic's hands. Now the question comes, does he use it to save his job or does he keep looking into the mysterious Mexican businessman financing the councilman's exploratory committee for L.A. mayor?

Mail brought an expected bill. I'm tired but sure kitty is up to something evil. She's being too quiet. I must investigate!

Random Items

Kitty had a hard day yesterday (Sunday). One of the neighbors, a shirtless Marine, was installing steal racks on the ceiling of his garage. I saw him when I checked my mail. As readers may know, my apt sits over the row of garages. In other words, it sounded like he was coming through the floor.

I did my grocery shopping. I don't know what was going on with me. I knew if I was going to get it done, I better go right then. The going wasn't much of a problem, I listened to a mix CD on the way. As you'd expect at 1am, the story was mostly empty except for employees. I did see youthful pair of brothers come in just as I'd started shopping. I didn't get a sustained enough look to tell if they were twins or just looked an awful lot alike.

The ends of most of the isles had caution tape up. This was to keep customers from the staging area for new stock. That's great except it keeps you from the dairy case. Not deterred, I wandered under the tape as needed. I wish they'd restocked the bread already though. I have damn few choices left in regular sandwich-type bread.

I splurged a bit, reminded by echoes of Mother to "live a little." I also picked up a few things we didn't need just yet like cat food. I stocked up on paper towels. It was interesting to see the range of count across rolls: 50 to 60. Predictably the super-cheap towels had the lowest count. I wanted more, damn it, forget the price. The store-brand was actually more expensive than a major brand on sale. That's a bit unusual. Often they'll put their own brand on sale too. I ended up with the special PINK breast-cancer awareness designs.

Monday was a holiday, Memorial Day. I put the flag up at 5am. It was probably a technical violation of the uniformity of the apartment appearances policy of the complex but I figured I could round up the Marines if needed. They aren't completely uniform anyway. Several have plants visible on their decks, for example. My immediate neighbor has red curtains. No one complained and I took it down after 6pm. Kitty was in her lounge chair when I went to bed and when I awoke she'd begun taking over the bed.

We missed the first hour of "On The Lot" tonight. They finally began showing the full film clips and voting began too. I didn't vote. I just don't have that much invested. There's one guy who is called a "VFX wizard" and his film was pretty cool, done in one continuous take. The guy needs someone to tell him to look at the camera and not to smile. He looked very handsome in the candid footage and a bit freakish in the stage lighting. At times Carrie Fisher, one of the three judges in lounge chairs sits like Mother did. I can't really explain it precisely, it was just something I noticed. I have something in common with the once Princess Leia: neither of us like flatulence humor in films. I had my "dry run" as an internet radio DJ. It went OK except when the streaming service kept looping my station announcement. No idea when I'll be on next. (Thank you, Leon, for tuning in and enjoy your holiday in Japan this weekend!)

I'd been days since I've seen Duckie. Kitty thinks he's avoiding me. I think he's just busy.

Is It Friday Yet?

Yesterday, I thought it was already Friday afternoon and put the radio on to listen to a trivia segment. I paid the rent today. I had planned to finally go up to the grocery but I'm tired and kitty was apathetic.

I attempted to watch "On The Lot" but my schedule said it came on at 9:30 and yet it was already in progress. I was disappointed that we didn't get to see more of the two minute short films. The first they showed was funny, and another, while impressing for 24hrs work relied a little too heavily on visual effects. I think there were a dozen teams. I remember maybe three were shown.

I could see if they posted them online but I can't be bothered. I think the regular time slot is on Monday. Apparently we'll be able to vote either starting this upcoming week or the following.



A "Blake Lewis EP" with five studio cuts of his Idol performances is now on iTunes. You can also get the other five songs. The EP contains "You Give Love A Bad Name," "Time of the Season," "I Need To Know," "Love Song," and "When the Stars Go Blue." These are supposedly his best selling performances on the Idol site. I still haven't warmed up to "When the Stars Go Blue" because even on the studio track it sounds as if he's out of tune on the "Ooo's."

Kitty was in hiding for a few hours. One of the smoke detectors briefly went off inexplicably around 1am. I jumped in my chair. Neither of us need that kind of shock! She's resting in her lounge chair, her usual day-time haunt. The litter box got a cleaning while I waited for food to cook. More later. It's half-passed noon. Since I skipped sleep, it's time for a nap.

30 Years Ago Today...

"...A Great Adventure Took Place"

Happy Birthday* + Congratulations...

...To Tabitha on "Shear Genius!" She was chosen as the $10,000 viewer favorite. You go girl!



Boogie got axed. Finale next week.

* Belatedly, Tab's birthday was the 17th but I didn't know until the cast reunion.

Shameless

Blake had to sing the Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There" with Jordin. The opening line? "She's just 17." BARF.

Jordin's AI6. Both get new Mustangs from a desperate Ford. Bette Midler was out of tune. Sanjaya got a solo performance. From what I read, and other's comments, I can safely ignore the finale and find something else to occupy those two hours. Yay me.

So what's going to happen on "Shear Genius" tonight? Will Anthony win? Boogie? Neither? Will Tabitha be the "fan favorite"?

Can I care less about tonight's TV shows?

Maybe I'll sleep or have a game of chess with kitty.

In case you wondered, here's the lyric to the song of the damned, I mean the American Idol winner. Just how lucky is Blake?

This Is My Now

There was a time I packed my dreams away
Living in a shell, hiding from myself

There was a time when I was so afraid
Thought I’d reached the end
Baby that was then
I am made of more than my yesterday’s

[Chorus]
This is my now, and I am breathing in the moment
But I look around
I can’t believe the love I see
My fears behind me, gone are the shadows and doubts
That was then, this is my now.

And I have the courage like never before, yeah
I’ve settled for less now I’m ready for more
Ready for more

[Chorus x2]

Seasons And Series Endings

"Veronica Mars" had its "Season Finale" last night. It was two new episodes back-to-back. "The CW" hasn't official announced cancellation but I suspect that's cowardice more than anything. The finale was a cliff-hanger. What happens to Veronica and the gang? Who wins the election? It left all manner of questions wide-open. As good as it was, I couldn't believe that's how it's left. The network technically has until June 15th to make a decision but no one is expecting a reprieve.



I've read "Chris Lowell," Piz, is already on the "Grey's Anatomy" spin-off for the fall so he probably couldn't be a regular on "Veronica Mars" in the fall anyway. Although he'll be playing a receptionist it's a major career move to a top network and a "hot" property.

Kristin Bell is providing narration voice overs for a new fall show on "The CW" from the creator of "The OC."

I watched "The Shield" which was pretty good and has another two shows left of its season. I still hate Shane. I haven't a clue how Vic is going to deal with him. I still want Vic killed in the line of duty rather than prosecuted. I'll need to wait and see how things go before knowing if the did jump the shark this year.

I already mentioned the "Heroes" finale on Monday but that's a show which is definitely on my "jump the shark" watch list over the fates of certain characters.

The ending of SVU suggested someone might be leaving the cast but I don't recall reading anything about that. "House" wraps up next week. It was preempted for the premier of a reality show called "On The Lot." Amateur film-makers compete for a chance to make a real film. I watched bits of it because Carrie Fischer is one of the judges. Another episode airs on Thursday. Maybe I'll check it out. I flipped between that and bits of the latest Jesse Stone novel-turned-telefilm starring Tom Selleck.

Speaking of Tom Selleck, there's a film reimagining of "Magnum P.I." in the works. The putrid Matt McConaughey is cast as Thomas Magnum. To add insult to injury another of my last favorite actors, William H Macy, has been cast as Higgins!

I didn't get my ice cream. I baked cookies and ate the whole batch. I didn't really eat much else. Kitty's been pestering me for hours to get to bed. Time for me to go have another weird dream. Maybe it'll be about grocery shopping in L.A. again. Duckie was in that dream but he wouldn't want to know details--it's probably a banned topic.

It Ain't Over (but Jordin Wins)

Ok, I got that out of the way. Jordin Sparks will be declared the sixth American Idol at the end of tonight's two hour finale. She's 17, in case you haven't heard. We heard it at least three times last night.

I voted up until 1am. No, really. I voted in a finale for the first time, I think, since season 2. In my heart and head I knew it was futile. Jordin's 17 after all.

That feeling was only reinforced with the shameless pimping. Is that you, Randy Jackson?

I'm sure Jordin's tearful ending on her last performance helped make up for the shrieking, clunker notes, her mannequin-like delivery and even flat vocals. Certain judges' comments told me they were ignorant, deaf or liars.

Moving on, Blake slipped up a bit on the very first performance, "You Give Love A Bad Name," when he was carrying the mic stand but in other more subtle ways it was an even better performance than a few weeks back. His vocal on Maroon 5's "She Will Be Loved" was near perfect. In fact, I told the kitty if he didn't like it Randy was an anatomical orifice. He managed to have kind words for Blake.

The song-writing contest winner, "This Is My Now" was HORRENDOUS. That said, I liked that Blake made it more intimate and personal instead of the bombast of 17 year old Jordin's effort. Jordin's ridiculously over-sung version is just what was intended, however, and so the song put Blake at surely unfair, and perhaps calculated, disadvantage.

The results don't matter, tonight Blake's my "American Idol." Melinda should've been on that stage instead of Jordin. This just in: Jordin is 17!

I'm irritated at the sound problems early in the show. That's what dress rehearsals are for. Besides someone forgetting to turn Paula's mic on at one point, the overall audio didn't sound as good as at the Idol stage. Maybe it was the mics, maybe it was echo of the theater coming across or something else. The finale takes place at the 3,000+ seat Kodak Theater and not on the Idol sound stage.

I'm not proficient in the art and just don't know precisely how to describe it. It was almost as if I was hearing too much of the room and I didn't sense the warmth more usual in the voices.

The first time I got a vote through, I was excited there was a recording of Blake thanking us for our votes. I can't remember if they've done that in the past. I remember the reality show "Fame," hosted by Joey Fatone, had contestants provide a recorded message. As an aside, Joey came in second to Apolo Anton Ohno on "Dancing With The Stars." Apolo gets a mirror-ball trophy.

Back to Blake. He's got nothing to regret after Wednesday's results.

Dial-Idol and ZabaSearch predict the Jordin (17!) win. Yawn. "American Idol" is not really a "singing competition" although Simon claims it is. It's ultimately a piece of theater.

Odd Stories, Finales, and Idol Pre-Game

Monday night was "Heroes" finale. It was good. I wasn't blown away (Oh! A shameless pun!) but it was good. They took a few too many liberties with who lives and who (maybe?) dies and the group confrontation with Sylar was very pedestrian. Still, it was worth a look and set up a very entertaining premise for next year.

I stayed around and watched the season finale of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" which had everyone except the intolerable D'Onofrio appearing. It focused primarily on Logan. This was the best finale I've seen this year. Unexpectedly the franchise finally referenced the passing of Jerry Orbach who played Logan's ex-partner "Lenny Briscoe." It was touching, not remotely out of place and just the perfect tribute.

The local news was depressing. A 15 yr old girl gets to bury her last brother. Her oldest brother died two-and-a-half years ago. He was beaten to death in the street at the age of 20. There was never a conviction. Her 18 yr old brother was just stabbed to death in the street after a party.

Beyonce may be headed to Broadway. I want to claw my eyes out. She may be taking the role of Maggie-the-Cat in Tennessee William's "Cat on the Hot Tin Roof." It's my favorite modern play. If you care, Shakespeare's "Hamlet" is my other favorite play.

The finale of "Dancing With The Stars" is on Tuesday as well. Joey Fatone was in second place on the leader board behind Olympian Anton Ono. Lance Bass and Joey will not be doing the "Odd Couple" comedy series remake after all. Sure, he's made some appearances, but I'm not sure any of Lance's projects have come to fruition since 2000.

DNA shows one child, two dads match. They're identical twin brothers who both had sex with the child's baby mamma. The one she named on the birth certificate sued to avoid child support. The courts have decided he's on the hook anyway, essentially trusting the mother's testimony that she can narrow down the moment of conception. Truthfully, I agree with Dr. Bob Gaensslen a forensic scientist quoted in the article. He said both men played so they should both pay. Since neither can prove the other is the uncle in true fact, it should be a 50/50 split. They're a pair of morons and she's no saint.

---

Tonight is the Idol final performances. Both are singing a song from the song-writing competition but also get to choose two others.

Blake has picked "You Give Love A Bad Name" which was exactly the right choice for him. I know some fans wanted "Time of the Season" instead but his Bon Jovi week performance was the one that rose above the pack and was a water cooler moment. He held nothing back. His new song is "She Will Be Loved" from Maroon 5, probably a good choice for him.

Jordin will torment me with "Broken Wing"--a song beaten to beath. As her final "new" songs Jordin picked "Fighter" by Aguilera. It's a song I don't know that well. Yet.

I've been listening to different studio recordings of Idol contestants and Jordin's vocals are just boring. There's no emotional content. Her age may be the cause but I can't let her off since knowing she's got touring and other experiences. Besides, season 3 finalist Diana DeGarmo was 16. I really like Lakisha's tone and Melinda is fabulous in the studio. Either of those ladies should be in Jordin's place.



I still suspect Jordin will win the title. TV Guide's cover has her in the middle done up in a very Diana Ross look flanked by Melinda who looks about to be nudged off the cover and Blake, unnecessarily partially covered by the magazine's logo, looking like the conniving manager. Notice the "Crazy! Sexy! Cool!" caption? Well, inside its Blake who gets the "Sexy" label, while Melinda is still "Cool."

Sunday Sundries

It looks like Nick Carter has at long last found true love.



OK, OK. He's actually doing some "Save the dolphins" thing.

Simon Cowell describes Blake as a "brilliant entertainer" and has no prediction for the win this week on Idol. Weeks ago I described Blake as an "entertainer" so I'm a bit hyped to see Simon use the same term.

Blake won the coin toss but let Jordin choose whether to open or close. She chose to close on the finale so Blake will be signing first. A gentlemanly thing to do, sure, but possibly bad strategy if you want to win.

Duckie is being grumpy. That is not allowed! Kitty thinks he put me on block. It makes me wonder whether my trip to Oz will be full of personal drama or a chance to unwind and enjoy myself. I'm hoping for the later.

I still want to pick up some ice cream for the Idol finale viewing. I was sick today. I'm OK now, just hungry.

Lots of items have flowed through my mind lately. Imaginings of the future, really. Dating, not dating, lines of work, lines of education, places or ways of living. The nature of life and death. I don't see how I can be blamed for being depressed around Mother's day. She's barely been in the ground a year. I'm not in denial, more still shocked. When it comes to mind, I feel as though I'm on my first gasp after some terrible thing. I know from experience it takes years to get used to a parent's death, even one expected. Mother's was not.

There's been a lot of death on the outskirts in the past week or so too. Friends on-line with severely ill parents or grandparents or relatives passing. I had bad news about an acquaintance's cancer. Live is ugly. And stressful.

I'm tired--no, I'm very tired some days. These past few years have been a wringer making me even less interested in putting myself out there for a wife or boyfriend or even just someone to hang out with. Social interaction, relaxation, takes work for me. Somehow I feel guilty if I'm not doing something useful or productive and that keeps me from being more free with my time and energy. If you need help with something I'm happy to oblige and feel useful doing so. I'd like to work that in somewhere rather than just take a menial make-work job. Such a job would not pre-occupy my mind enough. I would simply be depressed and feel 'dead-ended.' I can't help the depressed part. It is what it is. "Be yourself," they say. As if!

I have tentatively concluded it was a (financial) mistake to live here, close to the house. I had hoped I'd have more interaction with the very last of my family but it hasn't worked that way. It isn't that I haven't tried. My interest in the kid's baseball, projects at the house and just taking my nephew to see Spider-Man had been shot down. It is what it is. I need to mull this over further. I have some ideas how to improve this.

I'm not interested in hook ups. The idea of someone touching me, at least as the aggressor or dominant character, makes my skin crawl. I'm more in need of simple affection. I could hire a lap dancer or stripper but I imagine it and can't sense any fulfillment for me. I have never been to a strip joint, a club, or a bar for that matter. I'd not go alone. It's a bit like traveling. Why go alone unless you know someone there already?

I happened to be reminded of a statement from Steve Jobs years ago about the journey being the reward. I like journeys more than destinations. I sense a path to happiness in there somewhere. It's something for me to meditate upon further. My ex-girlfriend once accused me of writing to avoid having children as my legacy. It's a thought I hadn't mulled in a lifetime. Perhaps she was only half-crazy after all?

My point in all this is I'm not getting younger. The directions I take will basically layout whatever time left of this life I've got. I'm not saying it'll be rigid and immutable but it will set a tone going forward. Essentially I put my own life on hold over the past... well, ten, maybe fifteen years. That means I have lots of pent up notions, random interests, unsatisfied wild impulses. They need sorting.

Speaking of sorting, I've been ruminating about whether to travel out of state in the next month or so. It's isn't the travel but who to contact, if anyone, while I'm there. I'd call it travel on personal business. There's still more information to gather but I want to go before July. It would only be a couple of days.

Weekend Bits

I've heard some comments about Eurovision before but I didn't expect this: Ukraine (video).

YouTube has Tickle Me Emo which I'm sure Duckie would say is me. This is doubly amusing because Father bought a "Tickle Me Elmo" for the SIL one Christmas because she was obsessed with having one. That may have been the Christmas Mother got nothing but dish towels and I was the only one who didn't laugh. That stuck with her. I got her dish towels because when we were shopping she picked some out thinking no one would've thought to get them.

Post holiday, we ended up jewelry shopping instead. She was very pissed. The mere thought of the stone on that ring frightens me even today. Where was I?

Bill Clinton's pal Lanny Davis is defending eHarmony against ads by a competitor highlighting their rejections of non-heterosexual applicants looking for mates. Read more in Wash. Post Lanny is an odd guy, not the usual true-blue flack. Since eHarmony's matching process is based on psychological studies of heterosexual couples it makes sense they wouldn't try to fit the square peg in the round hole and stick to candidates for whom the data is applicable. Duckie has no worries, I'm sure I'd be screened as not happy enough. I'd be more likely to sign up if their founder didn't talk in the ads with the soft, non-threating voice of a cult-leader. *shudder*

The Axes Fall

There was a surprise elimination last night on reality tv. I'm talking about Tabitha (along with Tyson) on "Shear Genius." The team elimination challenge was wedding party hair.

Tyson had won last week's elimination challenge and when he was instructed to assign teams for the short-cut challenge this week he (wisely) chose my girl Tabitha. They won that easily and got to pick their wedding party for the elimination challenge.

It was Tyson's work that really sunk them but add in their long-going rivalry and I think the judges felt they had to ditch them. More than half the judges looked horrified when Tabitha openly spoke ill of Tyson. To her credit, Tabitha took it in stride. She was satisfied because she knew Tyson was going home too.

Next week there's a one hour cast reunion after what I assume is the finale. One thing that held true was whoever wins the prior elimination challenge and gets their work on the "wall of fame" gets axed next. Tyson won last week and was out this week.

I thought the team thing was a complete co-opt.

OK, moving on. Melinda is out on Idol. I know the judges pretended that Melinda will have a successful career but I'm not so sure. A voice isn't enough. Personality plays a huge part. Even after all these weeks Melinda still exudes a shy lack of self-confidence when her performance ends. Reminds me of the SIL telling me I had no personality.

"Veronica Mars" comes to an end. "One Tree Hill" will fast forward four years when it returns in the spring.

Idol and Things

"Roxanne," "This Love" and "When I Get You Alone" were Blake's songs tonight. It's an uphill battle for him to be in the final two. The show judges want Jordin and Melinda. Comments online about Blake's performances have been generally positive.

We found out on Jay Leno last night that Melinda didn't audition to compete. She and her friends auditioned because they thought it was required to see the "funny people." Will she be the accidental Idol?

Jordin admitted to getting no where when she auditioned in L.A., eventually trying again in her state and being sent for another audition in Seattle. She's 17.

Rumors are running strong that "Veronica Mars" will not be back in the fall. I've put a crash cart on standby for Duckie. I really, really want ice cream. There are lame MacBook updates. I'm not in the market right now.

Melinda's songs were "I Believe in You and Me," "Nutbush City Limits," "I’m a Woman." Nutbush is a Tina Turner song and probably selected after some thought there was a bit of Tina in Melinda's Bon Jovi week "Have A Nice Day" performance.

"Wishing On A Star," "She Works Hard for the Money," "I Who Have Nothing" were Jordin's (17!) songs.

I changed the litter box. Kitty seems unmoved. By the clean litter box anyway. I can hear her. She's eating. I'm missing the large, black trash bags I use to line the litter box. I have more but can't find them. I stole one from the garage. My armpits itch. I hate deodorants!

Congrats to Apollo Anton Ono, Ms Ali and Joey Fatone making the finals on "Dancing With The Stars." Apollo, who I have expected to win it all, was almost eliminated tonight but Ian was sent packing instead. Voters got this elimination right.

Scatter-shot Tuesday

ABC did its upfronts today. "Desperate Housewives" is back. Let me pause to yawn over the rest of their schedule. Y-A-W-N. Ok, now I feel better.

Come on, they're making a series out of those annoying cavemen commercials!

Too many vitamins my increase prostate cancer risk. I guess your multivitamin does more than make you urine more yellow.

Televangelist Jerry Falwell is dead at 73. Amid contemporaries caught up in scandals, he seemed to walk the walk. Good for him.

Sleep's dream involved flower and plant shopping. And crossing streets at night. Among unknowns in the dream, there was also local TV man covering pedestrian risks, Lance Bass shopping for greenery and Mother being recapped on my adventure.

My help to find what flowering plant was sought seemed under-appreciated. This probably manifests some of my waking reflections on personal history of how I've never been the guy to have fun with, just the one to turn to for help. I might explore this in an upcoming post.

TV feels bleak tonight. Where's my enthusiasm for Blake? My goose-bumps for "The Shield"? Maybe a meal will help out. I sense my own bitterness. Bah.

Got ads and an auto-pay bill today. Kitty seemed unimpressed. It's cool and cloudy for a change.

It Was Only Monday?

I watched "Heroes." We got our two bodies.

I watched a bit of "Dancing with the Stars" and saw Lance Bass was again there with Alfonso Ribeiro to support Joey Fatone. Joey got a perfect 60/60 for his two semi-final performances. Last week he was top of the leader board but ended up bottom two with the voters. It's anyone's guess what will happen tomorrow. I'd like to see Apollo Anton Ono and Joey in the finals. I guess they do a final three. I don't like Ian from 90210. Mohammed Ali's daughter annoys me a bit. I'd probably rather have her there than Ian.

Monday was a very odd day. I took a nap this afternoon. But when I got up, I just haven't felt like eating. I don't feel bad, just not like eating. I feel peculiar. It wasn't the usual boiling emotions. I feel a little numb and disconnected today. My ears feel a bit constricted. Maybe I've got an illness coming on.

Kitty hung out with me on the sofa.

NBC announced it's schedule for the next season. "Heroes" stays on Mondays at 9pm and will get a six episode spin-off series during its hiatus called "Heroes: Origins" running during the usual hiatus periods. This is in hopes of avoiding viewer drop off that happened this season when the show was in repeats for weeks. Seems like a good idea.

The original "Law & Order" moves to Sundays from the Friday grave yard. It will return mid-season after football ends. SVU stays on Tuesday.

The other show, CI, appears off the schedule but I'm not ready to celebrate just yet because I saw an ad for the "season" (not *series*) finale.

I've seen the 1 minute preview of the "Bionic Woman" remake. It looks awful. "ER" returns although it should've been axed years ago.

NBC is a bad shape. I don't see next season being much of an improvement.

U.S. Stamp Prices Rise to 41 Cents TODAY

WASHINGTON (AP) - A reminder: Extra postage needed on those letters and packages. For a first-class card or letter the rate taking effect Monday is 41 cents for the first ounce, a 2-cent increase... Associated Press

Details on the new rates are available at http://www.usps.com or call 1-800-275-8777.

Naturally I have plenty of the "old" 39 cent stamps I haven't used and will have to buy some 2 cent stamps to make up the difference.

The post office are greedy bastards.