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

Friday, May 27, 2005
This is called having way too much time on your hands.
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Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Time for some horizontal break-up to this verticality.
A.k.a. a post that has no mention of television.  Except for that.  That doesn't count.

There are a lot of good, simple breakfast cereals out there.  Cheerios.  Raisin Bran.  Special K.  And I'm all for the companies that make these coming out with variations that add certain flavors to already-established cereals.  In theory.  The problem is that, in execution, they never seem to turn out quite as I'd hoped.  For some reason, pactically every one of these flavor variations I've tried because it sounded good has had the same affliction:  a massive coating of sugar often thicker than the cereal itself.  Kellogg's Raisin Bran Crunch sounded so good:  raisin bran with granola clusters and cinnamon.  Yum.  But in actuality, sadly not-so-yum -- unless you enjoy gagging on sugar.  Even more disappointing was Vanilla Almond Special K.  Regular Special K is one of my favorites, and since it has very little sugar and is touted as one of the healthier cereals, I foolishly expected the same from this variation.  Nope.  Drenched in sugar, it was, and made for quite the disgusting breakfast.  Why, oh why?  Why could they not make these variations actual reflections of the cereals from which they were supposedly derived?  Give me regular Special K flakes with a hint of vanilla and some lightly sweeted almonds.  Give me regular raisin bran with a touch of cinnamon and lightly sweetened granola clusters.  It is completely unnecessary to drench these new flavors in so much sugar -- so much that the flakes actually shine, blech!  Make these cereals if you must, but don't sell them under the guise that they are anything at all like their originators.  Call them something completely different and I'll drop my beef with you.

At least there's one  cereal out there that got a variation right:  Maple-Brown-Sugar Frosted Mini-Wheats.  That was a brilliant invention.
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Monday, May 23, 2005
Correspondence.

Dear producers of "Everwood,"
You will not kill Rose tonight -- or ever, for that matter.  If you do, I am never speaking to you again.  Paralyze her if you must, but there shall be no dying.  I am so serious about this.

Dear our Lumina's front license plate,
Why did you run away?  We liked you, you know, though admittedly mostly because you kept us from driving around illegally. Did you finally get fed up with getting plastered with bug guts?  Or did some kid pull you off as a prank?  Wherever you went, I don't think we'll ever see you again, so may you rest in peace.  If there's any bright side to this, at least you've given us a good excuse to finally get vanity plates, since we have to replace one license plate anyway.  So thank you for that.

Dear weeds in our lawn,
Please stop.  No.  I mean it.  Just stop.  You know that we aren't allowed to treat our lawn until our new, fragile grass has come in more, so why do you torture us?  I used up most of a spray bottle of weed killer this weekend trying to individually spray each one of you, but you are just so many.  Please, have pity on me.  Save me the back pain and the breathing in of noxious fumes and the sixteen hours and just stop growing already.  Thank you.

Dear Marc Cherry,
That was not quite as enthralling a season finale as I was hoping for from the likes of you.  Pretty much every "twist" happened exactly as I expected it to -- although I definitely think when Bree finally lost it she should have gone nuts smashing and destroying her perfect house, not just crying.  That would have been much more jarring.  It was a good episode, but not the greatness it could have been.  Try again next year.

Dear television networks,
Was it really necessary to change so many shows' timeslots?  I mean, really.  I had this quite nice system down, and now I have to completely relearn everything.  Not. Nice.

Dear Matthew and Kimberly,
I'm not positive when you're leaving, but have a wonderful trip, and take lots of pictures so I can live vicariously through you.  California is happy.  And, remember that sage Gilmore advice: "Pack everything.  Traveling light is for girls."
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Thursday, May 19, 2005
Future Mourning (with a big fat baseball bat of rage...).
I am afraid.  I am very, VERY afraid.  The good news is that UPN has moved "Veronica Mars" out of the very crowded (for me) Tuesday 9/8c timeslot to the less crowded (for me) timeslot of Wednesday 9/8c.  The bad news is that they  SCHEDULED IT DIRECTLY AGAINST "LOST!!!!!"  There are all kinds of bad, bad  words I want to say right now about this move, but I'm a lady so I'll keep them to myself.  These are two shows that go after the same type of viewer and already have largely overlapping fanbases, with one of them being the little, struggling show no one watches and the other the big juggernaut that everyone watches.  Scheduling the little, struggling show against the big juggernaut that appeals to all the same people is the absolute WORST thing UPN possibly could have done.  I can't express to you just how IDIOTICALLY AND COLOSSALLY STUPID this decision was.  This will be the death of what may be the second-best show on television, unless the powers that be show some mercy and move it somewhere else.  $#%&@%!!!!!!!!

Anti-Mourning (with a tentative baseball bat of rage).
At least some networks have heard of a little thing called "counter-programming."  I have no problem with FOX putting "Arrested Development" up against "7th Heaven" and "Wife Swap" on Mondays at 8/7c -- I don't figure those shows overlap in viewership with "AD" too much (though I do have my doubts about whether "AD" should be an 8/7c show...).  However.  FOX usually has to hold off their fall premieres until late October or early November when the baseball playoffs are over.  And come January, "AD" is no longer on their schedule.  Um.  UM.  UM...  Okay, I'm more than a little worried about that.  They were supposedly picked up for a full 22 episodes, but that schedule... did I mention that it worries me?  They ordered 22 episodes last season, too, and yet we only got 18.  I've read every article I could find so far on FOX's new schedule, and have seen nothing that explains how we're going to get more than about two months of "AD" next year.  Please.  Help.
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Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Mourning.
"Joan of Arcadia."  This show really frustrated me at times, especially this season, but the last few episodes of the season seemed to be getting more on track and it set things up for an interesting third season by intorducing an anti-Joan.  Too bad we won't get to see where that would've gone.  And any loss of Constance Zimmer is worth crying over.  Hopefully she'll show up on "Jake in Progress" again next year.

Semi-Mourning.
"Judging Amy."  I wasn't too terribly attached, but I liked it and had watched it for years.  But it had a good, six-year run and ended its season in such a way that it made quite a good series finale as well, tying up certain things while still leaving a sense of the unknown for the future.  It's just too bad Amy and Bruce never actually got together, though they did leave things nicely open-ended on that front, and in a sweet and supportive way.  Nicely done.

Anti-Mourning.
"Numbers."  Not that I thought it would be canceled, it's just nice to know for sure.  It's funny, though... with all the TV I watch, I now only watch three shows on CBS (this, "Amazing Race," and "Survivor").  As Emily Gilmore once said, "I don't find forensic work quite as fascinating as the rest of the world."
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Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Mourning.
"Jack & Bobby," we really hardly knew ye.
But the real bummer here is "Eyes," which barely even got a shot.  Why did people not watch this show?  Tim Daly, I shant forget you, or your disdain for "the stupid huge annoying desert."

Anti-Mourning.
"Jake in Progress."  It's a miracle, is what is, is what it is.

Confuddlement (with a ~~dash~~ huge hunk of paranoia).
Um, "Alias" is moving to Thursdays at 8/7c???  Are you freaking kidding me?  Are they trying to kill my beloved show?  Even worse, are they trying to kill ME?  Because not only that, but "Smallville" is also moving to the same time period, which is already housed by "Joey."  And if "Survivor" and "The O.C." stay there as well (though with as many time slot changes as there have been so far, is certainly no guarantee), that means I will have five -- count 'em:  FIVE -- shows I watch all on at the same time.  What's the matter, UPN?  Don't you want to put the final nail in the coffin?  Come on, I dare you:  schedule "Veronica Mars" for Thursdays at 7.  Then you'll all get to see a new show called "Beth-Annie Blows a Gasket."

Well, it was nice knowing you.
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Monday, May 16, 2005
"She's not that  Mexican, Mom, she's my  Mexican.  And she's... Columbian or something."
After a couple of reports that involved words like "unofficial," "leaked," and "rumor," it seems it is now Official, per this statement from Fox Entertainment President Peter Liguori:

"ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT is one of the best comedies on television. The decision to order another season becomes easy when you consider its amazing cast, creative brilliance, critical acclaim and advertiser appeal.  It's my first official pick-up since taking the job, and I think it's a great way to start."

Mourning.
"American Dreams," we hardly knew ye.

Anti-Mourning.
"The Office."  "Abraham Lincoln once said that, 'If you're a racist, I will attack you with the North,' and these are the principles I carry with me in the workplace."

Confuddlement (with a dash of paranoia).
"Scrubs" was renewed early but is not on the fall schedule.  NBC claims it will come sometime later in the season.  Hmmmmm...
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Please, have a movie update.
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Wednesday, May 11, 2005
~~"Excellent parking!"~~
When you lived in Racine, it was oh-so-easy (well, relatively, at least) to go to a concert in Chicago on a worknight, seeing as what with how Josh worked in a suburb of Chicago and all of these things...  Now that you live significantly but not impossibly farther away, it becomes a bit more difficult if, say, there's a Doves concert in Chicago you really want to go to on the night of your anniversary, which happens to be a Friday.  Because it means he has to leave work a couple hours early in order to get there on time.  And he's not allowed any time off until October.  Hmmmm...

As luck would have it, though, he's still in training and has a fairly flexible class (or perhaps instructor) on Friday, who is very graciously allowing him a date with his wife in Chicago that evening.  Good call.  :)

And just look at me not talking about the season finale of "Veronica Mars" last night.  On second thought, don't look at me... I look like crap today.
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Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Say what, now?
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark...

(And last night's episode of "Veronica Mars" was one of the best episodes of television I have ever witnessed. Period. Until next week's season finale, at least.)
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Tuesday, May 03, 2005
"Annoy, Tiny Blonde One...  Annoy like the wind!"
In my numerounoveryfirstever blog entry back in June of 2002, I wrote about my inclination for obsession.  I am proud (hmmm, is that the right word?) to say that that inclination is alive and kicking.  In fact, in just the last week or two it's kicked me right in the head and refused to let much else in, and I'm finally forced to admit:  I have a problem.

"Hi.  My name is Beth-Annie and I'm obsessed with 'Veronica Mars.'"

I'm obsessed with the snarkiness, sass, and sarcasm, the "Simpsons" and "Arrested Development" allusions, the noirosity, the social class conflicts, the relationships (Veronica and her father, Veronica and Logan, Logan and his father, Veronica and Wallace, Weevil and Veronica, Logan and Weevil...), and of course finding out who drugged and raped Veronica, and who killed Lily Kane.  It's really quite ridiculous.  I need help.

But, hey.  At least it's not "That's So Raven" (*cough*Josh*cough*).

T minus 6 hours, 12 minutes and counting...
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Monday, May 02, 2005
"Oh my gosh, they're talking about my burrito."
In four years of Josh working at Motorola, never once was there any company/work-related shindig that I, as his spouse, was invited to. A mere month into his career at Epic, on Friday I went to my first Epic event, a company-wide anniversary dinner. Thanks for nothing, Motorola. :-P
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