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

Wednesday, October 27, 2004
"We have family because we have to drive them to distraction, where there is a restaurant that we go to to be nice to people who don't have to love us."
We're finally going on the vacation I've always wanted to go on.  Well, actually, if it were really the vacation I'd always wanted to go on it would be a week in the Virgin Islands, but don't let's be picky, here.  I'll get to that one sometime, just like I'll get to Italy, France, Denmark, Africa, and Australia/New Zealand sometime.  It IS the Caribbean, however.  Whoops, another lie.  The Bahamas is not technically in the Caribbean, but it's close enough.  After talking about doing something like this for almost a year, we are finally officially officially going on a cruise (first one for both of us) from November 29 to December 3.  It's on Royal Caribbean and we'll be departing from Miami and visiting Nassau and CocoCay in the Bahamas and Key West (in Florida, of course).

We're combining the cruise with other cavorting around Florida before and after, and as flying and renting a car to do so would have been cost-prohibitive, we're driving there, $2.17/gallon gas and all.  In order to have time to do everything, we're looking at actually leaving on the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 24 and spending the Thanksgiving holiday driving and eating at a buffet probably somewhere in Tennessee.  Our plans aren't definite yet (we'll be making our hotel reservations hopefully by this weekend), but we're planning to spend some time at Universal Studios, the Everglades, Tampa, Miami, and St. Augustine, among other places.

So, why the "seaQuest" quote?  Why, I'm glad you asked (and quite impressed you recognized the source, well done!).  One-and-a-half seasons of My Favorite Show were of course filmed at Universal Studios Florida and at various other locations around the state, mainly in the Orlando and Tampa/St. Petersburg areas.  For about the last week I've been doing Extensive-with-a-capital-E internet research trying to find any little spot I can where "seaQuest" filmed.  It's been an unbelievably daunting task, as the biggest leads I was able to get from the internet alone were essentially that some part of one of 35 episodes was filmed somewhere on "x" college campus.  Great.  Better than nothing, but specifics just don't exist.  So I've had to rely mostly on Plan B, which is going through all 35 episodes on fast-forward and stopping at any part that obviously wasn't on the Universal set, meticulously inspecting the background and anything else I can see in the setting, and using the internet to try to figure out where in the heck in central Florida it could be.  It's a painstaking process, one I've literally spent hours and hours and hours (oh, let's face it, the time should really be measured in days as it's just about all I've done for a week) doing, and despite some miserable failures and mucho time spent on locations I never have been able to identify, I've actually had quite a bit of success, as well (and I'm not even done yet).

[Sample challenge:  a scene outside along a city block of some sort.  Spy a business named "McCrory's" on a corner.  Google "McCrory's Orlando" as first guess.  Building torn down within the last year, but find former address in downtown Orlando.  Find site with descriptions and pictures of a bunch of historic buildings downtown.  Look through them all, comparing them to freeze-frames of buildings in the episode.  Using street signs and buildings identified in the shots and their addresses (and Yahoo Maps), scribble out a map of the area with all the building locations marked and figure out the route the seaQuesters walked along the street and that the main business the action took place in front of was between the Hansen Building at 27 E. Pine St. and the Giles-Ellis Building at 35 E. Pine St.  Therefore the address is either 29 or 33 E. Pine St. in Orlando.  (Incidentally, for Liz, Marina, Kaly, et al, that's the VIRTUAL DREAMS business in "And Everything Nice," a.k.a. the evil Sandra episode.)]  Fun, no?

Once I figure out what all SQ locations we're going to so we can can make our final plans and reservations, I'll make up a neat-o itinerary thing like I did a couple years ago for our California road trip.

You know, way back when in my very third blog entry circa June 2002, I warned that I have a tendency to become obsessed with certain things.  You got a glimpse of my "Ed" Devotion with our insanity-filled 36-hour overnight drive to and from the show's tag sale in New Jersey earlier this year.  I think you're now getting a frightening glimpse at my "seaQuest" Devotion, which has been alive and well for over ten years now.  How lucky am I that I have a husband who is very willing to cater to my nutso whims?
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Tuesday, October 26, 2004
www.sixpence-ntr.com.
I confess I honestly never thought they'd get a new site up there, even with the "new album" coming out.  But you can listen to the tracks there, including the three sort of previously unreleased songs.  The best of those seems to be "Too Far Gone" ("Loser Like Me" seems fine but not terribly interesting, and as much as they want to call it that, "Us" isn't really a new -- or even unreleased, for that matter -- song to real Sixpence fans).  Two things, though:

One:  I hatehatehate it when songs end by fading out.  Always.  There is never an excuse for this.  Just stupid figure out a way to actually end it instead of wussing out like that.  Really.  Fading out has unnecessarily tarnished some otherwise brilliant songs.  Stop it, all of you.

Two:  I miss the days when Sixpence would actually dare to put some real meat into their songs musically (a.k.a. rock out).  They've always been part pop, but why'd they have to completely abandon anything significantly heavier than that?  It's a shame, because they were so good at it.  I know we weren't likely to ever get another This Beautiful Mess again anyway, but it's sad to now know for sure we never will.
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Friday, October 22, 2004
Why, indeed.
There is a brand new, apparently very good documentary called "Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?" that examines the Christian rock scene in a way it never has been before.  It looks at the underground/indie scene and how it differs from the mainstream Christian music arena, the relationship (and sometimes blending) with the secular music world, and just the whole thing as this huge subculture that many people in this country don't even realize exists, or at least don't realize the extent of it -- as well as the stereotypes and misconceptions that often go along with such "ousiders'" views of the industry.  Or, at least that's what they tell me it's about; I haven't seen it yet, though Josh and I are intrigued and are planning to attend a screening at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago next month.

It was made by two non-Christian filmmakers, but they apparently treat their subject matter with the utmost respect and mostly let the artists speak for themselves (artists such as Duvall, Danielson Famile, Pedro the Lion, Steve Taylor, Supertones, Larry Norman, Cool Hand Luke, and even The Detholz!), and much of it was filmed at various Cornerstone Music Festivals.  A documentary dealing with this subject that has been heaped with critical praise from everyone from the Christian media to a producer of the uber-liberal Fahrenheit 9/11 (who said it may be the second best documentary of the year... you can draw your own conclusions on what he might have thought was the first), I figure is probably actually pretty good.  If nothing else, it should be ridiculously interesting.  I'll let you know when I've actually seen it.  Until then, you can read more about it at rightrightright.com, and especially listen to the interview with the filmmakers in the Press section:  it probably gives the most insight into the project.
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Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Happy* Songs of the Week (a.k.a. songs Beth-Annie is particularly loving right now).
I haven't done this in a while, so I shall now foist some yummy songs upon you which you can then ignore per usual.  But, hey, I share because I love.

Elloitt Smith  --  "Color Bars"
Death Cab for Cutie  --  "Tiny Vessels"
Viva Voce  --  "Brightest Part of Everyone"
The Postal Service  --  "Against All Odds" (yes, the Phil Collins song)
Starsailor  --  "Four to the Floor"
Jet  --  "Hold On"
Eels  --  "Flyswatter"
Ryan Adams  --  "Wonderwall" (Yes, the Oasis song.  And much better, too, if I may say so.)

*Disclaimer:  Some of these songs are actually not particularly happy.  But they are good.
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Beth-Annie Quote of the Week.

"Our water tastes like irony."

--After taking a sip of water from the tap and getting a distinct taste of iron.  So, maybe it should actually read: "Our water tastes, like, irony."
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Monday, October 18, 2004
Email pet peeves.
1.  Yahoo Mail does this thing where they take you directly to the next email in your inbox, say, if you delete or move something to a folder after reading it, BUT they take you to the next email DOWN when they list them consecutively going UP.  So instead of taking you automatically to your NEXT message, it actually takes you to your PREVIOUS message.  You people with a Yahoo address know what I'm talking about.  Why can they not fix this?

2.  Forwards.  Well, not all forwards, just some aspects of them.  I could say, like the ones that aren't actually funny, but humor is such a subjective thing that I can't necessarily blame someone for sending me something they think is funny when I don't, really... afterall, they did, so they probably assumed I would, too.  Not really any harm in that.  And it would be a shame to miss something really good because I put on my blog "don't send me forwards," so I'm not saying that.  Forward away.  Just keep in mind what I DON'T like:

-- Leaving a million previous headings in the body of the message, so I have to scroll down for miles before reaching the few lines that are actually meant to be read.  Highlighting and deleting worthless, space-munching text is a wonderful tool, and it's so easy!  Please, please, please, DO IT!!

-- Any type of chain letter thing.  You know, "send this to five people in the next ten minutes or bad luck will befall you," or "make a wish and then send this to ten people in the next 24 hours and your wish will come true, I promise, it really, really will!"  Ugh.  No offense to people who dig that kind of thing, I think (actually, I KNOW) I'm friends with a few of you, I just really hate those things.  Not the people who send them, just the things themselves.  Just so you know.  :-P
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Friday, October 15, 2004
Random happiness.
Dr. Michael Burton of "Ed" fame unexpectedly showed up on "Joey" last night, and my heart's cockles were warmed. Between that, Michael Ian Black guest-hosting "The Late Late Show" and Tom Cavanagh on "Scrubs" this week, I almost feel like "Ed" wasn't even cancelled. Almost. Well, sort of almost. Actually, not really at all. I still cry myself to sleep every night.
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Uoy ot yadhtrib yppah, Yhsoj raed yadhtrib yppah, uoy ot yadhtrib yppah, uoy ot yadhtrib yppah.

Emoc ew ereh, Esuohdaor Saxet!
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Wednesday, October 13, 2004
This is why we always keep our doors locked, even when we're home.
On Monday only a couple miles from our house and a couple BLOCKS from our friends' house, a man fleeing from police ran into some random house and killed the mother and daughter who were home. Huh. So, like, did I mention we wouldn't mind moving back to Iowa?
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Tuesday, October 12, 2004
So I promised Josh I wouldn't talk about what we do in bed on my blog, but he's not the boss of me.
We do this... thing.  We go to bed already later than we should (for instance last night around 12:30), and then somehow get talking about some bizarre subject and can't seem to stop.  Last night, it was U.S. Presidents.  We laid in bed in the dark and talked about U.S. Presidents, from William Henry Harrison to FDR to Carter, until after 2am.  Why did we do this?  I don't know.

But it brings up an interesting wonderment I wondermented last night:  how different would this country be today had we never had the stock market crash of '29 and subsequent Great Depression?  Would we as a country be different from a psychological standpoint?  Would our financial system be significantly different?  And what about all the New Deal public works programs put into effect as a result that built so much of the infrastructure of this country, road systems, bridges, buildings, etc.?  Or do you think some sort of collapse and rebuilding with new systems and programs was inevitable because of how things were different back then?  Hmmm...

This non-television post has been brought to you by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Oh, except be sure to watch "Scrubs" tonight, because it's just good and also because Tom Cavanagh is on it.  And also watch "Veronica Mars."  I know they're on at the same time, but that's what VCRs were invented for, isn't it?  Yes, it was for exactly this.  Mr. VCR Inventor thought to himself a few decades ago, "You know, in 2004 'Scrubs' and 'Veronica Mars' are going to be on at the same time on Tuesdays, so people will need some way to watch them both... hmmm, how ever could they do that... how to solve the conundrum to beat all conundrums...  ...  ...EUREKA!  By jove, I've got it!  I'll invent a video recording device that will enable consumers to record a television program while watching a different television program.  I think I'll name it something catchy like a Video Cassette Recorder.  Whoa.  I'm a total genius."  Yes, sir.  Yes, you are.
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Thursday, October 07, 2004
Double-u-being.
This was the week "Smallville" and "Gilmore Girls" started their syndication runs on ABC Family, and to kick it off they've been airing a "Backstage Special" for each show featuring clips and cast interviews.  Should be interesting, no?  Well, no.  I mean, I suppose there were a few interesting things I learned in the "GG" interviews, especially the ones with cast members we never get to hear from, like Yanic Truesdale, Keiko Agena, and even Sean Gunn, but there were many many problems (first among them that they asked these low-on-the-food-chain actors maybe one question before they were wisked away during a commercial break).  Brooke Burke was the most insipid host I could imagine, and a just plain bad one, at that.  She stopped interviews very abruptly, came on to anyone she considered even remotely "hot," and asked innumerable dumb girl questions about how the characters felt when this or that happened on the show.  Um, honey, I get way into the stories on my favorite TV shows, but even I know these people aren't real!  Scott Patterson has no more insight into how Luke felt about Max than we do, because Luke didn't feel anything!  Yeesh.  There were WAY too many (and too long) clips shown, obviously targeted at those people not terribly familiar with the show -- which is fine, I guess, but are those people really going to be interested in a "backstage special" of a show they don't already watch and can just start watching from the beginning now anyway and get filled in on all the backstory that way?  And they showed the clips right there in front of the actors and then expected them to have some major reaction to what they just saw, when most of the time they didn't really know what to say -- and who can blame them?  The whole thing just came off a bit clunky and awkward, but we DO have it on tape if any of you non-cable-having "GG" fans really want to see it, even if just out of morbid curiosity.  Let us know.

The "Smallville" one (which I of course wasn't nearly as interested in) was slightly less clunky, but maybe that's because Brooke had more hotties to fill her time flirting with.  The one nice thing about that one was Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor).  He is the funniest guy in the world off the show, and even Ms. Burke couldn't ruin my enjoyment of the interview with him.  I wuv him.  As far as the current show goes, which has been wavering in holding my interest over the past season especially, all I can say is thank goodness for Lois Lane.  The casting (and writing, for that matter) of her character was absolutely top-notch, and a stroke of genius on a show that had been falling a little flat of late.  Too bad she's not likely to stick around very long.  Here's to hoping the show doesn't fall back into its old ways once she leaves.  I'm not sure I can take another "freak of the week" episode...

Now, last one, I promise.  The "Everwood" soundtrack is being released this month, and the list of artists is absolutely riduiculous:  Jars of Clay.  Guster.  Leigh Nash.  Jason Mraz.  Stereophonics.  Toby Lightman.  Travis.  Jump Little Children.  There is no way I can not buy this.
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Wednesday, October 06, 2004
I didn't watch the Vice Presidential Debate.  So ha.

The best twenty bucks I ever made, even if it was New Zealish and imaginary.
Most dreams, ones that you remember, are either nightmarish (be it blandly or truly horrifyingly), weird and nonsensical, or just kind of there.  It's rare, for me at least, to wake up from a dream and just say to myself, "Wow, that was freaking AWESOME!"  The other night, I had one.  Like most dreams, with time a lot of the details have leaked out of my brain, but the basic idea and feeling of it are still pretty vivid.  I know you'll laugh when I tell you what it was that so filled me with joy, but I'm prepared for that.  Two words:  Phil Keoghan.  Okay, let's put aside the fact that his disarming good looks, charm, and New Zealand accent do me in every time, this isn't about that (well, it's a little about that ;-)).  He just rocks, is my favorite reality TV personality -- he's hosted every season of "The Amazing Race" -- ever (even beating out Anderson Cooper and "Survivor's" Rupert and Jeff Probst, who I love, though if I'm perfectly honest he probably wouldn't beat "Big Brother 3's" Jason... ah, let's just say they tie, shall we?), and a terribly interesting person off "TAR" as well.

In my deeply wonderful dream, Kaly and I were in New Zealand and we were meeting Phil, who showed us around for several hours.  We talked a lot.  And there was a building, I think, that we were in toward the end, that I think Phil had an office in or something.  And when we were standing just inside the door of the building saying goodbye to Phil, he hugged each of us (I swear, Josh, that's all ;)) and gave us some New Zealand money out of his own wallet.  It was this sweet, brightly brightly colorful (in a way money never actually would be) piece of paper in the shape of a cruise ship (as money never actually would be) and bearing the same image, and on both sides.  I remarked how cool it was and said I would never spend it, I'd just keep it.  When I asked him how much it was worth, he said $20, and I asked if that was as much as $20 American.  He said, roughly, yes, and I said I couldn't accept it if it was worth that much, because it was his own money.  He said yes I could.  So I did.  Then we left.  And it was freaking awesome.  :-)
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Tuesday, October 05, 2004
Newsies.

VERONICA MARS (upn tuesdays)
Episodes watched:  2
Verdict:  Ah, such sweetness.  I moved this post up from tomorrow to today just so I could entice y'all to watch this show tonight.  It's part high school drama, sure, but it's a much bigger, fatter part mystery with a nice kick of smart comedy and sass.  One of only two new shows this season (along with "Lost")  whose first episode left me seriously wanting more, right now!  A main character so rarely feels as multi-dimensional this early on as Veronica does, and all I can say is I'm terribly intrigued.  Bring it on.

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (abc sundays)
Episodes watched:  1
Verdict:  Kickin'.  A weird and clever little show that seems part suburban family drama, part twinpeaksesque mystery, and part screwball comedy, with a bit of tongue-in-cheek thrown in.  This is a show that is not to be taken too seriously, not to be analyzed for what it's trying to say about feminism, or relationships, or morality -- which is absolutely nothing.  The point is to be entertaining, and daggonit if I wasn't entertained out my ears.  If I could choose to continue watching only three new shows this season, this would be one of them (along with "Veronica" and "Lost").

CLUBHOUSE (cbs tuesdays)
Episodes watched:  2
Verdict:  Ugh.  And that's not a good "ugh."  The pilot was a bit painful, with way too much plot crammed in, but I tend to give pilots a bit of a break as they often suck.  Episode deux was... perhaps marginally better, but... it's just not good.  Not the writing, not the characters, not the whole feel of the show.  As something I read somewhere (don't remember where) put it, show me a series that's a sappy-heartfelt-uncool-teenager-family-baseball-drama and I'll show you a show with no audience.  Yeah, and show me that show done poorly and I'll show you a cancellation.  Boo hoo.

It shows a real showiness when you show the word show so much in describing a show that won't likely show itself as a show much longer, showing that maybe the show-watching public isn't as stupid as they've shown themselves to be with shows in the past.

Oh, and for my fellow "Lost"-watchers out there:  I'm making a call right now that the Asian guy is trying to poison people with his sea urchin or whatever it is.  He told his "woman" not to worry about any of the others and to just stick with him, and he wouldn't let her touch the stuff he's been offering to everyone else.  I'm tellin' ya, he is way shady.  ALSO:  something's up with the weather thing.  The "end of the world" type rain Charlie referred to (which they bothered to repeat in the previous scenes before the second part of the pilot... hmmm...), which also stopped incredibly suddenly, and the polar bear on a tropical island?  Yeah, something's shady there, too.  Here ends my fearless predictions.
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Monday, October 04, 2004
Beth-Annie's desperate attempt an non-controversy (a.k.a. The Return to Shallowness).  -OR-  The best album title and track listing since Sufjan Stevens.  Too bad I don't really like the music.

the difference between me and you is that i'm not on fire  -by mclusky
1. without msg i am nothing
2. that man will not hang
3. she will only bring you happiness
4. kkkitchens, what were you thinking?
5. your children are waiting for you to die
6. icarus smicarus
7. slay!
8. you should be ashamed, seamus
9. lucky jim
10. forget about him, i'm mint
11. 1956 and all that
12. falco vs. the young canoeist
13. support systems
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Friday, October 01, 2004
Oh, yeah, and the Cubs suck.
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"Islamic Muslims."
That's right, folks!  That's the first thing I learned from John Kerry last night during the first Presidential debate, that Muslims are Islamic.  Thank you for that, kind sir.  I also learned that George W.'s speech writers and/or advisors advised him to sneak in the word "vociferous."  Very nice.  Too bad I'd never in a million years believe he came up with that himself.  I also learned, through the wonderful tool of repetition, that Kerry has called the Iraq conflict "the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time," and that Bush led the country into war irresponsibly and under false pretenses.  Whew!  Thank goodness, I'd never heard that.  Also, did you know that Kerry faithfully fought for his country?  Neat.  And that the war on terror is "hard work?"  Tell it.

In all seriousness, these debates are important, and for a mostly-still-undecided voter like myself, will likely play a huge role in determining which little oval I mark on November 2.  As a moderate I'm one of those people who actually has to make a real decision every election, because I won't just blindly vote along party lines.  And for someone who falls essentially on the left for half the issues and the right for the other half, I can't always make a decision like this based solely on the "issues":  I have to look at who I think will be a better leader for this country, and this particular election it's especially important to look at that from a global standpoint, not just a domestic one.  And whether I like President Bush or not, I think it's just as important to take into account how the rest of the world views our country as a direct reflection of our leadership.  I can't help thinking that our reputation has been damaged in the eyes of the world throughout the last couple years.  That's a problem.  How big a problem, I'm not sure, but it makes me uneasy.  I don't care for uneasy.  So we shall see.  But, you could say that I'm... "leaning."*

*Two points (meaningless ones, of course) to the first person to name my movie reference there.
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