lewis and clark had a journal. you, beth-annie, have a diary.

Wednesday, September 29, 2004
Or, maybe today.
LOST (abc wednesdays)
Episodes watched:  1
Verdict:  Wow.  Not many shows make me say, "Wow" after just one episode.  Listen to me very carefully now:  you are getting very sleepy.  You will go home and watch this show tonight.  If you are not home tonight, you will tape it and watch it later.  And every Wednesday to come, you will do the same.  Capiche?  Good.  And, yes, you're welcome.

THE BENEFACTOR (abc mondays)
Episodes watched:  3
Verdict:  Quite entertaining.  Like "Apprentice," except much more haphazard and unpredictable -- in a fun way.  Mark Cuban is such a nut that you never know what he's going to do, whether something will impress the pants off him or make him roll his eyes.  And deciding who goes home by a game of Jenga?  Come on, it doesn't get any more awesome than that.

LAX (nbc mondays)
Episodes watched:  2
Verdict:  Not horrid.  Unless it gets significantly better or worse in the coming weeks, it's enjoyable if I have nothing else to do (it has a fairly unique setting, at least), but not exactly appointment TV.

JOEY (nbc thursdays)
Episodes watched:  3
Verdict:  Thank goodness.  I readily admit I was a "Friends" junkie, and the Joey character and smartish "Friends"-like writing is good enough to make this show worth watching.  Let me put it this way:  this is the only traditional half-hour sitcom on my viewing list, because it's just about the only one that's actually funny.
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Monday, September 27, 2004
Oh!  Oh!  Oh!  One more thing, of Brian Wilson.
So this is what you do:  you go to this part of the VH1 site, and you listen to the new Brian Wilson album, SMiLE, which is up in its entirety for a very limited time.  It's one of those rare records that is actually one complete thought (though a thousand different musical stylings), blending from one song into another in such a way that you often can't even tell when it happened.  And it is freaking brilliant.  It's like The Beach Boys on crack, if crack made The Beach Boys way, way, way good.  (Wait... did it?  Nevermind, you get my meaning.)
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Of oatmeal-like cereals, kicking it puzzle-style, and only a teensy bit of TV.
Why do I love Switchfoot's "Dare You to Move" so much?  I don't know.  My guess is it's just a good song.  But I don't like songs I dig so much to make it big on the radio for fear of overexposure.  So, stop it.

Maple & Brown Sugar Frosted Mini-Wheats are the best thing to come along in the cereal world since regular Frosted Mini-Wheats (not the FMW are my favorite cereal, but that's the only thing that sounded catchy enough in that sentence).

We had another 72-hole disc golf marathon weekend with moM and daD, playing four different courses: three in the Madison area and one in Kenosha, including two Josh and I had never played and one that cost a whopping $4 per person.  (For anyone who doesn't know much about disc golf, the vast majority of courses are free and the few that do charge only tend to cost a buck or two.)  BUT, it was easily the most well-groomed course I've ever played, and had a nice layout, a variety of types of holes, a real prettiness, and almost a kind of serenity that is very rare unless a course is pretty much deserted (which this one wasn't).  If we lived in the area we might actually consider plunking down the $80 it would cost to get an annual family pass.  But we don't.  So we won't.

We get on a puzzle kick sometimes, where we buy a bunch of cheap puzzles at Goodwill (who cares if a few pieces are missing... it's not the finished product, but the process, that's so much fun) and work on them, one after another, until we get sick of it.  We did it last year around the baseball playoffs (I only remember that because we were working on puzzles while watching so many of those Cubs games -- including the one where we were finally elminated, boo -- that the memory of the two things is completely intertwined in my mind.  Hey, maybe this year with us again working on puzzles again the Cubs will again make it to the NLCS again and lose again before making it to the World Series again.  Again.  Hey, it's better than not making the playoffs at all, right?  Heartbreak aside, any bonus Corey Time is bonus Happy Time.

Tonight.  9pm Central Daylight Time.  Our appointment with last week's "Gilmore Girls" season premiere.  And it's about dang time.

Tomorrow.  Beth-Annie's blog.  A post about several more new shows and whether or not they suck.
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Tuesday, September 21, 2004
"You know, we're not the only ones destroying trees. What about beavers?  You call yourself an environmentalist, why don't you go club a few beavers?"
"Arrested Development" won Best Comedy, Best Writing, and Best Directing at the Emmys, and fans of smart comedy the world over did one big happy dance (after they picked their jaws up off the floor).  Okay, so David Hyde Pierce won for Comedic Supporting Actor (great quote from him, though:  "Not the way I would've gone, but... okay"), Kelsey Grammer won for Comedic Lead Actor (what, AGAIN?), and for Dramatic Lead Actress the Emmy goes to... Allison Janney?  Please.  And, blah, blah, blah, not everyone has HBO, so who gives a rip about "The Sopranos" or "Angels in America" (never before have so many Emmys gone to film actors who wouldn't go anywhere near most television).  But "Arrested Development" won three biggies, and it deserved every single one.  Of course, Jason Bateman, Jessica Walter, and Will Arnett (and while we're at it Michael Cera and Tony Hale, too) deserved acting nominations they didn't get, but let us not quibble.  I seriously wonder when the last time such a low-rated series won for Best [Insert Show Type Here], if ever.  I hope this is a wake-up call for the public, and for any of you who haven't given the show a try yet.  Yes, it IS strange, it IS off-the-wall, and it is so different from all the other drek on television (especially in the sitcom arena) that it usually takes several episodes to adjust and "get it."  But if there's anything that's worth a chance, it's this.  If you try out several episodes and just don't like it, well, maybe it's not for everyone.  But at least try.  As creator Mitchell Hurwitz epiphinated (ooh, new word alert!) to the Emmy crowd as he accepted for Best Comedy, "You know what?  Let's watch it."  Yes, let's.

A brief respite from the TV talk.
We spent last night at The Metro in Chicago at an Eisley/Snow Patrol concert.  (Sidebar:  Why can there not be some concert venues that are smoke-free?  I love going to concerts, but I hate getting sick from the cigarette smoke every single time.)  I came away from it liking Eisley a bit more than I had (they're more Josh's band than mine), and with a new favorite song of thiers, "I Wasn't Prepared."  Snow Patrol was about what I expected, a nice mix of high energy and moodier, quieter rock.  Their performance of "Run" especially blew me away.  Despite its being their obligatory "ubiquitous song," it was also their best and most powerful performance of the evening.  (See a similar, if a bit shorter, performance of the song on Letterman.)  The highlight, though, may have been their cover of Beyonce's "Crazy in Love."  Keep in mind, this is a Brit-alt-pop-rock band whose style of music is about as far from Beyonce as you can get -- at least within popular music.  It was wacky and wonderful.  Overall much better than that weird and somewhat painful Evanscence concert last year, despite the smoke.

Aaaaaand... we're back.
This is the best and worst time of the year in some ways.  Best because I get to try out a bunch of new shows and all my returning favorites are... returning, but worst because there's just TOO MUCH all at once.  Take tonight, for instance.  The finale of "Big Brother" is on at the same time as the season premiere of "Gilmore Girls," which is THE SINGLE SHOW I've been most looking forward to seeing new episodes of.  Cruelty, pure and simple (plus we have to be gone to bells rehearsal during both -- aaargh!).  Now, this is exactly what we have two VCRs and a Replay for, but, still.

Mini-rant:  I HATED, that's H-A-T-E-D what happened on "Big Brother" Friday night.  Just ask Josh how much of a pissy mood I was in that night after the show.  Drew has long been my favorite person in the house, but Diane has been my favorite player.  When he kicked her to the curb, reluctantly as it seemed to be, I screamed "NOOOOOOOO!!!!!" at the TV at the top of my lungs.  Diane was far from perfect, but no one deserves to have their heart broken on national television like that.  The poor girl was completely blindsided, and it was a crap move on Drew's part, both as a human being AND as a strategic move in the game.  I swear, if he were up against anyone but Cowboy, I would root against him.  Drew, you done let me down.  Diane SO deserved at least second place, AND you could've easily won against her.  What were you thinking?  Aaaargh!!!
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Friday, September 17, 2004
Oh, and are you sorry you asked...
Other TV.  Here we go.

TALK SHOWS:  Love The Daily Show with Jon Sewart, David Letterman, and Craig Kilborn (I'm so, so sad that he's gone.  Seriously.)  Like Regis & Kelly and Good Day Live (Steve Edwards deserves a medal).  Like Conan himself and his humor in interviews, hate his "bits."  Hate Leno.  So sorry.

Ebert & Roeper and Hot Ticket are on our must-list every weekend for movie reviews.  And we usually try Saturday Night Live, but it's typically about 8% funny, 92% unfunny, and 37% offensive.  If we're lucky.

Austin City Limits, Soundstage, and Mountain Stage (all PBS) depending on who's performing (though I actually missed the Counting Crows episode of Soundstage, which was just the stupidest thing ever.  The missing it, not the episode).  Jason Mraz was brilliant on ACL last night, by the way.

One Cubed -- the few minutes each week Christian music videos are broadcast.  We usually end up fast-forwarding through much of it, though.

ALWAYS WATCH:
Celebrity Poker Showdown (Bravo).  I find it ridiculously enthralling.
The Joe Schmo Show (Spike).  Funniest reality show out there, because it's fake.

OFTEN WATCH:
Best Week Ever (VH1).  Ah, cracking wise...
Reno 911 (Comedy Central).  Sort of like a parody of COPS.  Except sillier than that sounds.
House Hunters, Designed to Sell, Curb Appeal (HGTV).  I love this stuff.  Josh can't stand it.  Especially HH.  I have no idea why I love it so much, but I do.
Trading Spaces, While You Were Out, What Not to Wear (TLC).  Sometimes I love it, sometimes I get a little tired of it.
The Kumars at No. 42 (BBCA).  Fake British Indian family has somewhat real interviews with celebrities on "talk show."  Can be awfully funny.
The Dive (FUSE), Subterranean (MTV2).  Underground/indie/alternative music videos.
Movies.  There are good movies on cable all the time.  It sucks.

SOMETIMES WATCH:
Dinner for Five (IFC).  Um, celebrities having dinner with Jon Favreau.  Edited, but uncensored.  Often quite interesting, but I usually have to have an interest in one of the dinner-eaters to watch.
The Office, Changing Rooms, What Not to Wear (BBCA).
TRIO's Brilliant But Cancelled, Late Night with David Letterman reruns.
Lingo (Game Show), Family Feud.

RERUNS:
Northern Exposure, Friends, The Simpsons, Now & Again, Early Edition, as well as the occasional Cosby Show, Quantum Leap, MacGyver, Magnum P.I., Mad About You, Designing Women, Everybody Loves Raymond, 7th Heaven, King of Queens.  But WHY OH WHY is no one showing reruns of Murphy Brown??  Other than seaQuest and Nowhere Man, that's the one show I'd really like to see again.

And I can usually stand to watch just about anything on the Food Network (I especially like 30-Minute Meals), HGTV, or the Travel Channel.

That is all.  Except for the stuff I inevitably forgot.

Like sports.  Which is basically the Cubs, the LPGA, and the Cyclones.  But you already knew that anyway.  Oh, and curling.  :-)
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Wednesday, September 15, 2004
"Let's take a look at our Cubs Pepsi defense."
No Cubs game could make me happier than the one last night. Down to the sucky Pirates 2-0 in the bottom of the 8th, and my Corey hits a 2-run homer to tie the game. Extra innings. Bottom of the 12th: my Corey hits another homerun to win the game. Now THAT is what I'm talking about!

Corey is my hero.
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Bees are on the what now?
It's not every day that I see both Third Day and Tony Vincent on... VH1 News? But apparently it is this day. Total weirdness. As for Tony, who is one of my absolute favorite vocalists in the world, after his very successful inaugural run as the lead in the Queen musical "We Will Rock You" in London, he's also heading the first American production of the show in Las Vegas. And with most of the places we've been thinking of vacationing (wow, that word makes us sound all snooty-hoity-toity, doesn't it?) having been hit or about to be hit by hurricanes, including Florida, the Caribbean, and believe it or not now even New Orleans, I would almost think about just tripping it to Las Vegas instead and seeing Tony's show... if only tickets didn't START at a whopping $80. Ouchihuahua.
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Tuesday, September 14, 2004
I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry.
Over the next couple weeks I'll be edumacating you all on the correct opinion of some of this year's crop of new television shows:  mine.  Then the two-and-a-half of my readers who actually watch television can respond with their own right or wrong opinions while the rest of you snooze.  Yup, sounds like fun to me, too.

First, a very boring rundown of what I am planning to give a chance.  [Bonus:  this will also give anyone who cares (no one) a rundown of the returning shows I already watch, which I suppose could provide some insight into what I like, and will also give most of you a good opportunity to gasp aloud at how much television I watch and gloat about how much better you are because you don't.  Enjoy!]

MONDAY
Already watch:  Everwood (wb), Las Vegas (nbc).
Will try:  LAX (nbc), The Benefactor (abc).

TUESDAY
Already watch:  Gilmore Girls (wb), Scrubs (nbc), Judging Amy (cbs), [24 (fox)].
Will try:  Father of the Pride (nbc), Clubhouse (cbs), Veronica Mars (upn).

WEDNESDAY
Already watch:  Smallville (wb), The Bachelor (abc).
Will try:  Lost (abc), Hawaii (nbc), The Mountain (wb), Kevin Hill (upn).

THURSDAY
Already watch:  Survivor (cbs), The O.C. (fox), Tru Calling (fox).
Will try:  Joey (nbc), The Apprentice (nbc).

FRIDAY
Already watch:  Joan of Arcadia (cbs).
Will try:  Complete Savages (abc), dr. vegas (cbs).

SATURDAY
Already watch:  The Amazing Race (cbs).
Will try:  Nada.

SUNDAY
Already watch:  The Simpsons (fox), Arrested Development (fox), American Dreams (nbc), [Alias (abc)].
Will try:  Jack & Bobby (wb), Desperate Housewives (abc).

So far:

FATHER OF THE PRIDE (nbc tuesdays)
Episodes watched:  2
Verdict:  Nope.  There's nothing worse than a comedy that's not funny.  Unless it's an uber-expensive comedy that's not funny (although on the bright side hopefully that'll mean it'll get cancelled faster).

HAWAII (nbc wednesdays)
Episodes watched:  4
Verdict:  It's... fine.  Entertaining enough if nothing else is on, but once Smallville and the very-promising Lost premiere in the same timeslot, I see this losing out big time on my priority list.

JACK & BOBBY (wb sundays)
Episodes watched:  1
Verdict:  Affirmative.  Intruiging premise (following the teen years of a future U.S. President), impressive pilot and promising outlook.  It's a shame that no one watches the WB, because they put on some seriously high-quality shows.

So, who can help me get a job as a television reviewer/columnist?  Pretty please?
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Monday, September 13, 2004
Oh.  And.
I realize that the Cyclone football team lost to the Hawkeyes on Saturday, which we watched with about twenty other ISU fans at Friday's Front Row Grill at Miller Park in Milwaukee, probably the only place in the state of Wisconsin that was showing the game (UW was playing at the same time -- 'nuff said).  BUT, considering that Iowa is a ranked team (12th or 16th, depending on which poll you look at) and were huge favorites going into the game, we put up one heck of a good fight, only losing by a touchdown and even having a chance to tie it up late in the fourth quarter.  Our defense was actually quite decent, and we never let the Hawks get too comfortable.  All things considered, it was a great game and watching it proved a quite enjoyable way to spend a Saturday afternoon, despite the loss.
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La réponse.
We bought this. Which is this plus a new entertainment center, as the old one wasn't anywhere near big enough (and also was a free piece of junk from back in our college days and didn't look that great, even after I attempted to paint it). So it's not quite a home theater (we already had most of the components for something like that, topped off by the quite wonderful quality surround speakers we picked up for a steal at the "Ed" sale last March), and there's no big-screen TV or projector. Basically what we did is upgrade from a 27-inch to a 32-inch, from a curved screen to a flat screen, and most important, from a regular old standard definition TV to an HDTV. Scary.
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Saturday, September 11, 2004
A hint for the whiners.

Yes, we (er, Josh) used every single one of those cords. And then some.
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Friday, September 10, 2004
Things that annoy me...
...Chick apparel, whether it be t-shirts, handbags, or the bum of a pair of shorts, that proclaims, "Princess," or "Angel," or "Goddess," or WHATEVER.  Starting to be replaced by messages like, "My boyfriend thinks I'm studying," or "Your boyfriend's cute, want to trade?"  Pardon me while I throw up a little bit.

...Those commercials where someone's being confronted about something, and they say "Thank you."  And all of a sudden everything's okay.  Say it with me, now:  "HUH???"

...Bush-bashing.  Look.  I'm not the biggest Bush fan in the world.  But if I hear or read ONE MORE stupid celebrity -- whether an actor, musician, movie director, etc. -- talking about putting the smackdown on the Bush Administration, I'm going to go home, and I'm gonna bite my pillow, is what I'm gonna do!  Seriously.  Enough already.  Enough with Michael Moore and his ubiquity.  Enough with the not one, but TWO "Rock Against Bush" compilation CDs.  Everyone has a right to their own opinion and to vote for whoever they want, but it irks me beyond belief how celebrities can relentlessly shove this crap down our throats JUST because they're celebrities and have a forum to reach the entire American public with their propaganda.  We get it.  You're DEMO-CRATS.  Sorry to burst your bubble, but not everyone else is.  And just because someone may be a fan of your movies or your music doesn't mean they're going to jump on your political bandwagon.  Some of us are too smart for that.

Beth-Annie out.
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Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Update:  We did NOT, in fact, get anything productive done this weekend.
At least not in the way of laundry, yard work, and those types of things.  What did we do?  Well, maybe I'll tell you.

Okay, you've twisted my arm.

A.  I got a wicked sweet Howie Day very-limited-release EP with three of my favorite songs recorded live at the same concerts the live Guster DVD/CD came from (he opened for them), plus one new studio track.  I lovelovelove it and have listened to it over and over, and it makes me very happy.  Kaly, you'll be getting yours next time I see you.

B.  Josh is a substitute for the Milwaukee Area Handbell Ensemble (or whatever it's called).  He said he could have done better on his audition, but I blame the fact that he hadn't touched a bell in three months (and he neglected to mention this to the director, as well).  It's also possible that the fact that we live an hour away might have hurt his chances of becoming a regular.  Even if his audition didn't reflect it, I know he's good enough to play any position in that group.  But at least now I'll actually get to see him before about 11pm every other Monday.

C.  We disc golfed in Madison.  And we almost lost for good my irreplaceable Pasadena disc on #18.  But then we finally found it.  Whew.

D.  For the second straight time, we missed out eating at Maid-Rite in Madison because it was closed.  Who knew they weren't open on Sundays?  Well, I did, because I made a special note of it in my brain the last time we were there, but that part of my brain was apparently not accessible this weekend.  Also, it apparently is not a Maid-Rite anymore.  We freaked when we saw it had a different name, but peered in the window at the menu and saw that everything looked exactly the same except that instead of "Ranch Maid-Rite" or "Pizza Maid-Rite," it now said "Ranch Something-Or-Other-Else" and "Pizza Something-Or-Other-Else."  So next time.  Next time we shall have Non-Maid-Rite-Something-Or-Other-Elses.

E.  We bought something that is so horrifying (read: expensive and not really necessary) that I still can't believe we did it and I can't bring myself to tell you what it is.  And don't ask, either, 'cause I still won't tell.  But it was something that is big enough we could not fit it in our car and have to have it delivered on Thursday.  And something that caused us to have to buy something else not cheap just to be able to use it properly, and then that caused us to start searching for another something to buy because of the second thing, and it's becoming a snowball effect thingy that's cool but horrifying at the same time.  Oy.

F.  We need help finding something.  We're looking for a bookcase kind of thing, no more than about three feet wide and four feet tall, but preferrably wider than it is tall, or square.  It could have doors, glass or solid, and doors would be preferrable if the shelves were just each one long shelf, but if no doors then we would like the shelves to be vertically divided into more squarish-shaped cubbyhole-type things, except big enough to hold most upright books.  The finish needs to be either cream, black, or paintable (like unfinished wood), and it needs to look decent enough to look okay in a living room.  Oh, and we'd like it for no more than about $120, and preferrably under $100.  We went to IKEA this weekend and found many things close to what we're looking for, but not quite right, like this, except it's way too big, or like the bottom half of this, except when you put all the pieces together it starts to get a little expensive, plus we'd still have to paint or finish it.  Or like this, except not $599.  I actually like the little sheves sticking out on the ends of that one, to put a few more decorative things.  Anyway, we're having a tough time finding what we're looking for, so if anyone has any store suggestions or anything, we could use the help.  That was long.

G.  Happy birthday to my dear mother, even though she doesn't read my blog.  :-)

H.  Ignore unless you're Lizzie or moM:  Go DREW!  That's all I have to say about that.

I.  Ignore unless you're Ivan:  Go away.

P.S.  What do you do when you've watched all of Season 1 "Gilmore Girls" on DVD and all of Season 1 "Northern Exposure" on DVD?  Yeah, I don't know, either.
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Thursday, September 02, 2004
I really am not THAT much of a sports nut...
But everyone's favorite Cubs center fielder, Corey Patterson, has been articled about due to his potential Gold Glove-worthiness.  I will not rest until everyone loves Corey at least one third as much as I do.

In other sporting news, we had of course considered going to one or both weekend days of the LPGA State Farm Classic in Springfield, IL this weekend, but due to the longish drive, the absence of my two favorite players, the fact that we're trying to save money for other things, and the fact that we're both getting over colds (this would be a separate thing from my two-week sicky -- I figure I'm now due to not get sick at all this winter, since I've already had more than my fair share this summer) and walking miles and miles in the hot sun all day isn't something that sounds mucho fun when you've been a bit low on energy, we're going to pass this year.  We might go to Madison sometime this weekend to play disc golf and eat at my wunnyful Maid-Rite, but other than that we're going to be sticking close to home and relaxing this holiday weekend -- for once!  Maybe we'll get some productive stuff done around here, too, but I hope not.

In other non-sporting news, I AM still planning to write/post pictures from the rest of our Virginia visit.  Sometime.
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Wednesday, September 01, 2004
It's been a while since I've forced my musical tastes on you.
I'm a little late in this yet again, but for those of you dear readers lucky enough to live in the greater Chicago or Richmond metro areas, you can still catch Guster's beautimous 25-minute performance on PBS's "Austin City Limits" this Friday evening.  Hooray for you.

And hooray for the US of A.
Wrestling (real wrestling, not WWF/E fake-wrestling) isn't exactly my favorite sport, but when Cael Sanderson, NCAA undefeated wrestler from Iowa State, is wrestling in the Olympic Games, you'd better believe I'm going to watch.  And you'd better believe he's going to win a gold medal, too.  Which he did.  Win a gold medal.  And I watched.  Just like I said.  The gold medal match.  And he won.  Which he did.  Which I watched.  And it was neato.  Which it was.  Neato.  Yay.
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