I Really...

Have nothing to talk about. Of any importance anyway. Life here in this hot smoggy city is much the same every day. Wake up, feed cats, coffee, computer, clean cat boxes, computer some more, mess around in the workroom, computer some more, maybe cook dinner, feed cats, clean cat boxes, a little more computer, then since Keith has to go to bed early and the computer is in the bedroom, out to the living room and watch some tv.

This is the first season of tv that I'm actually paying some attention to the new shows. When I was working at that horrible place (walmart) I had such weird hours that I didn't watch much tv, and then when I worked overnights at that horrible place (walmart) the evenings were my mornings and it just seemed wrong to watch tv in the morning and there were too many other things to do before I went off to work each night. Now I actually have time for the ultimate time waster itself, tv.

We finished watching the first season of Life on dvd, so that show is a must watch for me (premiers next week!), and then I had to watch Heroes since I just finished the first 2 seasons on dvd, and then of course I absolutely have to watch The Office, but so far those are the only 3 shows that have really interested me. I'm sorry but I just can't handle most reality shows, like Dancing with the Stars (or Dancing with the Has-Beens, as the case may be). The only reality shows that I am embarrased to admit I like are Street Patrol-a clone of Cops, and Jail. I really wonder at those people who allow themselves to be shown on tv in all their jail going glory, though. I guess people will do anything to be on tv.

Sometime I wish we had cable if only so that I could watch the current season of Mad Men, but I'm not willing to pay for cable, so I'll just have to wait until it comes out on dvd a long time from now. We watched the first season on dvd and are hooked! I'm going to write more about Mad Men some other time, it's a whole blog post in itself.

What else is going on here? Nothing!

Sounds Like

We just got back from Tortilla Soup night at Spencers Restaurant. Good soup and free cookies!

They have 2 big TV's on the wall that are always on with the closed captioning thing going. Now, I don't know if a human sits there and types or it's some kind of computer program, but tonight it was telling me about Martin Luther King's 'I Have A Drink" speech.

Clean Kitchen

Yesterday we went grocery shopping and had to take the Big Dog aka Big Blue aka Keith's big ass truck, (which has no air conditioning) since my car is in the shop because the new timing belt broke. So, a hot un-air conditioned ride to the store and then even with some meal planning and a list a huge amount of money was spent. It helps if Keith comes with me because then he can get what he wants for his lunches, but at the same time it is similar to taking a small child with you to the store. They want everything. Everything that doesn't fit into the meal plan and usually ends up rotting in the fridge or on a shelf in the pantry.

But, anyway, we got all the stuff home and I was worn out from the ordeal, so I just stuffed everything in the general direction of where it belongs and said 'I'll clean the kitchen tomorrow.'

And, son of a gun, I did clean the kitchen this morning! High five! And I even put all the stove parts in the sink to soak and halfheartedly clean later.

I even cleaned out under the sink, which should be called the lost land of cleaning products that you buy, use once, and shove under the sink and forget about. Oven cleaner? When's the last time I used oven cleaner? Our oven is 'self cleaning' not that I even bother to do that. And four different kinds of all purpose spray cleaner, each with that last inch or so in the bottom that won't spray out? And some of those little scrubby pads with the soapy stuff in them that I bought to use when I clean all the stove parts and forgot were in there. And a bonus- a half full bottle of liquid soap that I emptied into the soap dispenser on the counter.

I'm glad the Olympics is finally over, now maybe I won't park myself on the couch until midnight each night. The closing ceremonies were very odd and kind of boring, I thought. I wasn't too impressed with the double decker bus nonsense, and what was the point of having David Beckham come all the way to Beijing to stand there like an idiot and throw the soccer ball? Did they have to pay him hundreds of thousands of dollars for that 2 second appearance? I hope not.

Another reason I'm glad the Olympics is over is that now I can finish watching season one of Heroes, get season two when it comes out tomorrow, and watch that really quick so that when season three starts I know what the heck is going on. I'm not that much of a TV watcher, but this show has managed to get me hooked. I think Hiro is the main reason, without him the show just wouldn't be as interesting.

So, now I have to go wash the stove parts and put them back on the stove.

And Now It's Time For A Word From Our Sponsors

Commercials. Does anybody like watching them at any time other than Super Bowl Sunday? No? Well, me neither.

We were watching TV last night, Dateline Mystery or whatever it's called and were flabbergasted at a couple of the commercials that came on.

First, a woman who looks good on the outside but doesn't feel good on the inside. Vagisil-for that itch you just can't scratch. EEEEEWWWWWW!!

And then, a man shaving where he puts on the shaving cream and the camera goes deep down into his beard and you see all these scantily clad women with what looks like super soakers spraying white creamy stuff on his face. EEEEEEWWWWWW!! I know sex sells, but that was just gross!

And we've noticed that when you are watching the nightly news with Brian Williams all of the commercials are for drugs for things like restless leg syndrome or the once a year osteoporosis pill. But on daytime shows like Jerry Springer the commercials are for bail bondsmen and check into cash and turning your gold into cash. Interesting.

TV Review Day

First off, it's tax day, so get ALL your money together and send it in to Uncle Sam! Right now!

Now on to TV review day.
I don't watch much regular network TV and we don't have cable, so there are no 500 channels of TV crap available at our house. I get really irritated by commercials and stupid shows, but I do like to watch shows that I've heard about on DVD.
I recently got the first season of The New Adventures of Old Christine because I'd read good reviews and I think the show got some sort of awards at some sort of awards show on TV, award shows being another thing I dislike about network TV.
Anyway, I like Julia Louise Dreyfuss from the Seinfeld days, so I thought I'd give this show a try. Well, she's funny and a good comedic actress, but that kid on the show kind of ruined the whole show for me. He was just trying too hard to be cute and precocious and I can't stand cute and precocious child actors. Give me the kid from Two and A Half Men, kind of funny looking and chubby and not obviously 'acting'. I want to see a kid like the one that Meredith brought to work on The Office-one who's been suspended from school and calls Dwight Mister Poop. Now there's a real kid. Give me Little Miss Sunshine with her glasses and chubby belly and her hair in a scrunchie doing a strip tease at the beauty pageant. I want realism when I watch a show with a kid on it, boogers and all.
So, while there are a few laughs in this show, the box set is currently in the Going to the Goodwill bag, not something I'd ever watch again.

Mmm...Coffee and Getting Sucked into the Void

I'm enjoying my second cup of coffee this morning. I've always loved coffee with splenda and sugar free french vanilla creamer but had quit drinking it and opted for tea-with splenda and sugar free french vanilla creamer-for quite a while. We just bought a new coffee pot and now I fill it up after dinner and put the coffee in so Keith can flip it on at 4:30 am and have some coffee on his way to work. He convinced me to try Dunkin Donuts brand coffee, and you know what? Beats Starbucks or any other brand I've tried hands down. We get the breakfast blend which has a nice mild flavor and doesn't give you the jitters or that coffee stomach like some brands do. Yummy stuff!

Now, I used to be an avid TV watcher and had my favorite must see shows, but in recent years I all but quit watching regular TV. We don't have cable because we are cheap and don't want to spend all that money for 100's of channels only to find out that there's still NOTHING ON TV!!!
I do buy shows such as The Sopranos and Six Feet Under on DVD so I can watch them when I want to, not when the TV gods say that I must watch. I just recently got Dead Like Me and am getting hooked on that one. Dexter is great, too, and of course, Nip Tuck. What did I ever do before the DVD was invented?

Well, I watched crap like American Idol. I saw the promo for it on Tuesday and before I knew it I was sitting on the couch at 8pm being sucked into the American Idol wastelands. I CAN'T STOP! Last night I was ON THE COUCH AGAIN for the second installment. Two nights wasted on this drivel. Four hours out of my life being sucked away.
What is it about this show that makes me want to sit on the couch like a slug and stare fascinated at the TV screen for two hours a night? It's like a train wreck, a bloody accident on the other side of the road, you just have to look.
And watching that poor chubby little 16 year old with the sick mom trying to sing and then those tears running down her face just about broke my heart. Even though I know it was probably all in the script. I guess American Idol is the modern equivalent of the old Freak Shows at the carnival-yes I want to see the Geek who bites the heads off chickens or the Fat Lady or the Two Headed Boy-you betcha!