Saturday, October 26, 2013

#WorldSeries

I usually refrain from posting my thoughts right after I watch something, but I can't help it this time. The finish of game three of the #WorldSeries will be all over twitter and #ESPN and #FB in about 3 minutes. I might as well get my thoughts out while people are looking for them.

I think it was the right call. No umpire, ref, or any other official from any sport wants to be the deciding factor in an important game. If a "booth review" was an option, I'm sure the umps would have called for it. Unfortunately, (or fortunately depending on your baseball allegiance), they didn't have that option.

Strictly speaking good baseball, the #StLouisCardinals probably shouldn't have sent #Molina from second. He's not the fleetest of foot. He was out by about the length of my living room. I could have thrown him out, and my arm is partially made of spaghetti.  #Saltalamacchia tried to catch #AllenCraig for the double play, and extra innings, but the ball got past #Middlebrooks. On the throw, Craig and Middlebrooks collided and the ball wandered into left field. Craig stumbled over Middlebrooks, ran toward home, and got the warmest welcome you could ever receive as a base-runner. "Safe. You don't have to continue, you're safe no matter what."

Obstruction was called. As a result the runner is awarded the base regardless of any action following the obstruction call. A baseball purist would bitch, "It was a clean play on both sides, let them play it out and call the play as it happen(s)(ed)." I am not a purist. I still like the designated hitter. And, I like to follow the letter of the law.Without stumbling over Middlebrooks, Craig definitely would have scored the game winning run. It's not Middlebrooks fault, and it's not Saltalamacchia's fault. It's just one of those things that happens in sports where as a fan you just look at it and say, "Shit." Bad things happen to people everyday. Hopefully that's the worst thing that happens in your day, or your week, or your year, or life. I wonder what I'd say if it happened to my #WhiteSox. #HawkHarrelson would probably kill someone.

But, if you stick to the rules, as I prefer to, it was the right call. If he hadn't stumbled, Craig would have scored. The #Cards would be up a game, just the same as they are now. The only difference now is that #RedSoxNation wouldn't have a reason to call foul. Personally, I'm not sure if I want them to have a reason or not. If the Cardinals win the series, #RedSox fans will find an excuse to invalidate it.

Let'em bitch. Go Cards!

Friday, October 25, 2013

Recipe - Arroz con Pollo (Poached)

I'd like to preface this "recipe" by pointing out two things. Firstly, it's not really a recipe. It's late, on a Friday night and I'm hungry. I looked around the house to see what I had available to cook, and this is what I did with the ingredients I had to work with. Never watch #MasterChef when you're hungry. Secondly, I usually cook with mostly fresh ingredients. Again, I worked with what I had, and so I had to cheat in some places. I've never made #ArrozConPollo poached, but it sounds really good in my head, and I'm rarely wrong when I experiment with new ideas. This is super easy, and, if your kitchen is clean, super quick. My kitchen was not so it took a bit longer.

In a medium saucepan bring 4 cups of water to simmer. Add half of a chopped onion, and to your taste preferences, some green and red peppers, some salt and some pepper. If I had fresh garlic, I'd add that too. Since I did not I used dry minced garlic. Also add 1 large chicken breast, cut into slightly larger than bite sized pieces. You're going to add all of this to your rice, so you need only cook the chicken and vegetables to about 65% done.

As soon put your chicken and vegetables into the simmer you need to start your rice. For two people, I'm cooking one cup of rice, with two cups of water, in a pot that can accommodate everything. Remember you're going to add your chicken and veggies to your rice, so make sure the pot is big enough. Stir everything regularly.

When your rice is about halfway done, you're going to need to add your #PuertoRican cooking base. I use to types of #Goya brand, typically. #Sofrito is tomato base, and #Recaito is a cilantro base. You can find Goya at any grocery store. Add them in whatever ratio you like best, but 2:1 Sofrito:Recaito is the best. My wife hates cilantro, so I usually go with three or even four to 1.

At about this time your chicken and veggies should be ready to add. Your going to get most of your flavoring now. Add all of the veggies, all of the chicken, and some of the water to the rice. You'll have to use your judgement on how much water. Remember, the water has some flavor already in it, and you'll need some to help completely cook your meal. If you use too much, you could drown the meal, and kill a lot of the flavor.

As soon as all of the food is in one pot, cover it and put it on the lowest flame possible. The lower flame will let all of the flavor soak into the chicken and rice, and keep the water from boiling. If the water boils, everything will dry out and you'll end up scraping burnt rice out of the bottom of your pot. So make sure you stir as often as possible, and keep adding water as necessary.

When everything is done, your rice should be clumpy and moist, not soupy. Your chicken should juicy and flavorful, not dry. Your veggies, especially fresh onions and garlic, should be about to melt.There should be almost no water left in the pot. It's a really delicate balance, so pay extra close attention during the final stages of preparation.

Additional Tips: If at any point you think it's getting too soupy, uncover the pot. The excess moisture will leave the pot as steam and get it to a better consistency. Conversely, if at any point it seems too dry, or some of your chicken and veggie simmer hits a straight boil, cover it immediately and turn down your flame. And never forget #Ramsey Rule 1: Taste everything, all the time. Even raw meat, if you're not sure about the seasoning. No one ever died from a pinhead-sized-bite of raw meat. If someone tells otherwise, they're lying.

Now, you're done. Go eat some Arroz con Pollo, like a good wannabe #PuertoRican.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

#RedSoxNation #BonesWedding #Arrow #TheDayofTheDoctor

First, I need to reiterate how difficult it's been for me to care about #MLBs 2013 playoffs. I love baseball. As early as I can remember, #baseball has been my favorite sport. Even when I lived in New York, and my #BuffaloBills perennially where in the Superbowl, and even when we moved to Chicago and had #MichaelJordan and the 90s #Bulls, baseball was the sport for me. My family moved to Chicago in 1988. Before that I was a Mets fan. I can't remember every single game I attended, but I do remember keeping track of the number of games I had attended. By seven years old, I had been to #YankeeStadium 13 times, and #SheaStadium only 3 times. When we got to Chicago, it made sense (at least to me) that I would stay a Mets fan, and start rooting for Chicago's American League team, the #WhiteSox. It also helped that the Cubs always stink. So, believe me when I say that I love baseball, and always look forward to the playoffs and #TheWorldSeries. On a side note, I've even been playing #fantasybaseball with the same group of friends for 15 years. But this year, I'm struggling.

I don't really care about the #StLouisCardinals. I don't hate them, I don't particularly like them, but I do like that Cubs' fans hate them. So I could tolerate watching them, possibly even rooting for them, in the World Series. But not the Red Sox. And even more than I dislike the Red Sox, I despise #RedSoxNation.

The first reason is #Fenway Park. Sure it's a storied, classic ballpark. One of the oldest, in fact. What you don't know is that it's kind of a dump. Much like another old park on the north side of Chicago, it isn't very clean, and it has a weird smell. If that was its only problem, I could deal. Fenway also is damn near impossible to get to. The expressways in #Boston are so poorly designed and screwed up, that you can be on the expressway, looking at the park less than a mile away, and it will still take you over an hour to get to the ticket gates. It's the poorest expressway design in the country. Also the #GreenMonster is stupid. I guess it looks kind of cool on tv, but when you're there, sitting in right field, you have absolutely no idea what is happening in center field or left field. The sight lines are absolutely a joke. I'd rather sit behind a beam at Wrigley.

The last reason is the real ass-kicker. #RedSoxNation is one of the most obnoxious group of organized sports fans in the history of professional sports. To illustrate this point, I offer a short story.

A few years back, a group of friends and I planned a road trip to follow the White Sox to Fenway and see them play the Red Sox. We stopped in Cleveland to see 'our' Sox play #TheIndians at #JacobsField, then raced up to Boston to round out our trip. We got to our seats, decked out in White Sox gear, just in time for batting practice. This part was actually pretty cool. Being 5 of probably only 30 White Sox fans in the whole park, 'our' Sox were able to identify our cheering, and identify with us. #JerryManuel, the coach, even signed a ball and tossed it up into our right field bleacher seats. That was the end of the coolness. Throughout the game we respectfully cheered for our guys, and tried to enjoy the game. It was tough to do so, though, when Red Sox Nation took offense to our very existence and presence in their precious Fenway. They taunted us, took their sweet time bringing beer to our section, and all around gave us a hard time. One of our group actually took a hot dog in the back of his head. I'd heard Yankee fans complain about it, but I didn't actually believe someone would spend 7 bucks on a hot dog or 9 on a beer, to throw at a rival fan. I guess the economy was in better shape then. Ignorant.

And so that is why watching the World Series at Fenway makes me throw up in my mouth a little bit. I don't even root against them. I root for a meteor to strike, destroying everything, and killing everyone in a nice Fenway sized crater. Go #MeteorStrike

That's enough of the bitter Jason. Happy Jason has had a pretty good television week. Here's a quick rundown of the coolest moments.

#Bones - This week was the #BoothBonesWedding. It was a really fun, and dare I say "cute" episode. Of course, it wouldn't be an episode of Bones if everything went smoothly. Of course there's a murder to be solved. To keep Bones from getting carried away studying the bones, Cam calls in almost all of the #squinterns. This was the coolest part and the most annoying at the same time. Dr. Fisher is my favorite of all the #squints, Dr. Wells is an annoying prick, but still kind of funny, and Dr. Vaziri was the only squint officially invited to the wedding, though the other squints were quick to point out that he was really just Cam's +1. Could someone please explain to me why Daisy hasn't been killed yet? Another hurdle for them to get over is the fact that Booth lit a candle at the church for Temperance's mother and manages to burn the whole church down. Only Booth... The culmination of the episode was definitely the vows. Booth decided at the last minute to toss his vows out the window and just speak from the heart. Touching. When it's Bones' turn the bartender/minister asks her if she's going to speak from the heart. "No, I'm going to speak from my mouth." Classic Bones, in a classic episode.

#Arrow rocked my world. You need to check this mess out. The Arrow gets out of the precinct, surrounded by SWAT team members with the help of the black leather clad, blonde woman (The Black Canary).#RoyHarper aka #Speedy is now working intelligence for the Arrow. He gets abducted and released by #TheBlackCanary whom I now know is #SaraLance (thanks #IMDB) I guess she's not so dead. Her father, demoted to beat cop, #OfficerLance is helping the Arrow to find a killer. Lance also knows that Felicity is in regular contact with the Arrow. Officer Lance's daughter, and Sara's sister, is leading the charge to catch the vigilante. That is at least until the Arrow saves them both, again. It's like a soap opera, except for with more violence, and superheroes. The most mind blowing part of the episode is at the very end when you find out where Sara/Canary's been, and who's she's been with. #RasAlGhul !!! Nice #DC comics crossover! Apparently, she was with #TheLeagueOfShadows for the past 6 years. You may recognize those names from the newest #Batman franchise as the primary bad guys. I can't wait to see what they do next. But one thing started to annoy me. Officer Lance knows about Felicity. #Diggle was on the stakeout, so Lance presumably knows about him too. How long is going to take for him to connect the dots from The Arrow to Oliver, being that two high ranking Queen employees are close personal friends with the vigilante?

Last topic for the day is the upcoming #DrWho special, The Day of the Doctor, starring #DavidTennant #BilliePiper #MattSmith and #JennaLouiseColeman. Apparently, we earth-bound #Whovians, aren't the only people excited about this. Writers from other shows are slipping references in, as well. On #Castle Esposito makes a reference, that all but stops Castle in his tracks. "You watch Dr. Who?" On The Big Bang Theory #TBBT, Howard writes a goofy little song to commemorate his and Bernadette's first date. Like him without Bernie, Howard mentions several different things that don't make sense without their counterpart, for instance, "Like Dr. Who without the #TARDIS". #TheDayofTheDoctor airs worldwide on November 23rd both on television, and in select theatres 3D. Anyone in the Chicagoland area is welcome to see it with me. I'll be at either Century Cinemas in Evanston, or Cinemark at Seven Bridges in Woodridge. It will also be screened nationwide in most/many theatres on November 25th. Check #FathomEvents for listings and showtimes. http://www.fathomevents.com/?utm_source=DoctorWhoPR&utm_medium=PR&utm_campaign=DoctorWho#!doctor-who-the-day-of-the-doctor/more-info/theater-locations

"The universe is big. It's vast and complicated and ridiculous.And sometimes, very rarely, impossible things just happen and we call them miracles." The Eleventh Doctor

Sunday, October 20, 2013

The Chicago Bears

So I'm sitting in church, waiting to get the hell out of there. I fought tooth and nail, to just stay in bed this morning. I even told Kate last night, that we should skip church, because the storms were going to be so awful. She didn't buy it, and I don't blame her. After Mass, we had an RCIA class, but all I was thinking about was going home to watch football.

I checked the score while in class, it was 10-10. Before we had left the room it was 10-17. Before we were all the way home and settled, it was tied again after a #DevinHester return. After that the score ballooned. The second highest scoring game of the season. That'd be very impressive, if it didn't mean that the defense crapped their pants. 

Honestly, we really shouldn't complain. The Bears have been winning ugly all year. Losing reminds mediocre teams that they can't get by on luck. The Bears needed that kick in the tush. Playing like crap and winning deludes teams into thinking they aren't crap, and they have nothing to work on. So what do the Bears have to work on? Everything. For once, the Bears have no glaring holes to focus on, they just need to shore up what they already have in place. Tackle, run, catch, and never get caught sleeping. If they do that, they're in first place, and the #DetroitLions look like a neighborhood flag football team. Oh, and they need to stay healthy.

Remember the Bears third quarterback? That's because they don't have one. Sorry, but I kind of wanted #JoshMcCown to get hurt just so that I could see who the Bears would throw into the mix at QB. How funny would it have been to see #Hester taking snaps? He made a nice toss across the field during one of the final plays of the game, but I never want to see that again. #AdamPodlesh? #RobbieGould? Gross.

Could anyone else have gotten injured? Seriously? #Cutler- out. #Briggs- out. #Tillman- out. Thank God, we have the bye next week. Today was a hot sloppy, ugly, mess.#Gould even missed a field goal. I thought hell might freeze over. No more ugly football, Bears. Let's buckle down and start kicking ass like every fan knows you can.

#Scandal

Geez. Someone told me that #Revenge was just a crappy, primetime soap opera. Could it be more dramatic than this third season of #Scandal? President Grant's affair is now public knowledge. The First Lady leaked Olivia's name. Cy and Olivia's father have Jake Ballard 'missing'. Huck wants to murder Olivia's father. It's enough to give a person an aneurysm, or at the very least, a headache.

Watching the newest episode, all I could think about was that I'm glad I didn't join the military. I almost joined the Navy. You can see pictures of me with my recruiter if you care to check my senior year yearbook. I'm sure I would have either ended up a Seal, or in the intelligence community. Both would have gotten me killed.

I really enjoy watching Quinn come into her own. #KatieLowes has played it perfectly, turning into Huck. And Huck doesn't like it one bit. More than once, Huck tells her not to be like him. But she can't help it. She figured out that Huck and Olivia met before any of them became #Gladiators. And then she became the resident hacker, while Huck was 'taking a sick day'. "We get sick days??!! What's next holiday pay?" The funniest part to me, was when Quinn had to hack into the FBI database. "I'm not Huck!" I was actually surprised when she sat at Huck's station, that there wasn't a shortcut on his desktop labeled "Hack The FBI".

If you were to make a list of the most trite, overused, cliches in American film, where would you start?

"Don't you die on me!"
"We'll get through this."
"I'll never let you go."

Thank you, Scandal for adding more to the recipe. "All that got me through it was picturing your face. You saved me."

Bullshit, if I ever heard it. Jake is playing Olivia, she knows it, and she still can't help herself. I can't wait for her to figure it out, and put everyone in their places. Her father included. Also, Mellie is a monstrous bitch, David Rosen was a #BMF to Cy #JoshuaMalina, #GuillermoDiaz is an amazing actor, and Huck is one of my favorite characters from any show, ever.

#Arrow

Very quickly, #Arrow is becoming one of my favorite shows. The first season was awesome, and the sophomore season is shaping out to be even better.

Usually, I find constant flashbacks annoying. #Lost was incessant about them. But, in Arrow, I don't mind them at all. I actually enjoy them. Seeing how Oliver developed his skills, and how being stuck on the island shaped his personality really makes sense. His first kill was on the island, and the inner conflict that resulted definitely shows in his character, current day.

They have also done a hell of a job with famous characters from the comics. Slade, Shado, Speedy, #BlackCanary, and #ChinaWhite have all gotten perfect introductions. I don't know if the show will stick with comic names, but I hope they try. #Speedy is a pretty ridiculous alter ego.

Speaking of alter egos, Felicity's refusal to be Ollie's executive assistant was absolutely hilarious. "My secret identity is not going to be 'Your Girl Friday'. Diggle's response is the best line of the season. "It could be worse. My secret identity is his black driver." Also, my favorite part of every episode is Felicity's Freudian slips. Always sexual, I think she really just wants to climb into Ollie's bed. I hope she does. I like her better than Laurel.

Just in case #KatieCassidy and #EmilyBettRickards and #WillaHolland weren't enough hotness on the show, season two adds, #SummerGlau. I want to rant and rave about how much I love her, but every time I'm about to, I imagine Howard from #TheBigBangTheory meeting Glau on the train. I can handle being a creep, but I never want to be #creepy.

I really don't know where the show is going next. I can't imagine any scenario where Oliver gets out of his current situation. Surrounded, inside a police precinct, with a dozen rifles scoped on him, #JossWhedon is going to have to pull a rabbit out of his ass this time.

Lastly, a question to ponder. I've always been a #DC guy so the answer is simple, and immediate for me. Which is a better show, #Arrow or #AgentsOfShield? #Marvel

Friday, October 18, 2013

"T"s Reminder

Thank you, "T" for reminding me that I wanted to blog about more than just television when I started blogging. Besides television, I planned on writing about movies, politics, music, sports, and every other day-to-day interaction that caught my attention. Looking back on all of those topics, I remember why I've waited.

#Change happens too slowly, or too quickly. Both paces are annoying.

Music - I stopped listening to the radio around 2010. I didn't make a conscious decision to do so. I just started listening more and more to sports talk radio. Every day there was some obnoxious song on, from an artist I'd never heard of. After about 40 seconds of that, I'd put on a CD, or switch to AM radio to hear the news (not that it was any better), or sports news. A friend recently asked what was my favorite band. My age is showing, but I had to say #FooFighters . Laugh if you must. I'd rather listen to an "oldie" than new crap.

Politics - "The #Republicans and the #TeaParty are holding up the entire government, and our country's advancement!" "The #Democrats put us in a situation where we have to dig in our heels so that we can at least get a foothold in an environment where we're heard."

#AlexTrebeck "These are the people who benefit from a government shutdown in the United States of America."

#TheUnitedStatesofAmerica "Who is no one in America and every other nation on the planet Earth?"

Correct! For zero dollars and our Nation's security.

Get over it, people. Big business doesn't care. The government doesn't care. #Occupy whatever doesn't care. Care about you, and yours, and then run for a position in my district. You have my vote.

Day-to-Day - Finally, we have #recycling in our neighborhood. Go green. I expect the city will stay on top of it. And I know they'll be back to take away bins left in front of empty homes.

Day-to-Day - I'm going to take a hammer with me tomorrow when I walk my dog, and smack any owner who doesn't clean up his dogs poop.

Day-to-Day - I love how easy it is to use #ChicagoPublicLibrary online. http://www.chipublib.org/ 

Movies - I haven't seen a movie in the theaters since probably "Star Trek Into Darkness". That makes me sad. I used to go see a movie just for the hell of it, by myself, in the middle of the day. Being a grownup can suck sometimes. Before Baby-Smith is born, the wife and I will definitely be seeing #EndersGame together. I'll try and squeeze a few bootlegs in to review as soon as possible. I keep trying to watch #TheWolverine but I heard it was crappy, and keep finding something better to do instead.

#NFL #ChicagoBears #MLB #NHL #ChicagoBlackHawks #BlackHawks #FantasyFootball #Wolverines #UofM

The Bears are 4-2 and they easily could be 2-4. I hate to watch sloppy wins, but I'm used to it, I'm from Chicago. The offense shows up when they feel like it, the offensive line, even more inconsistently. Last week #JayCutler looked pretty good. I think he'll look even better against the #WashingtonRedskins . I predict an easy win for the #Bears , 37-10.

#TheWolverines have also been fortunate. I will be wearing my jersey against the #Hoosiers, and I think they'll win. But they should only be 3-4 at this point. It took four overtimes to lose to #PennState? Vomit. Just lose so we can all watch something else.

I hate the #StLouisBlues #GoBlackHawks

My Papi (grandfather) might jump on a plane to just kick my butt and disown me from my family for liking the #Dodgers of all the teams in the Championship Series in both divisions. 

I hate the #RedSox and #RedsoxNation. They are a dislikable people from a dislikable city. Ever been to #Boston? It sucks. You can't go anywhere quickly, and it might even be worse than #Wrigleyville. I recall being on the expressway within 1 mile of the stadium, and you could see it. From there it took over an hour to actually get near the stadium.

#Detroit is one of the worst cities in America. I've been to both #TigerStadium and #ComericaPark. Approaching Tiger Stadium we saw a warehouse fire across the street. No one else seemed to notice a building, on fire, across the street from a #MLB team. I guess it went out on it's own? Comerica Park seemed liked #ZombieLand because no one was there. I kept looking for #EmmaStone but she didn't show.

#StLouis teams are obnoxious, but I really couldn't figure out how to explain it in my own words. I root for them when they play the #Cubs, but that really isn't an argument. All of the city's teams act, and feel as though they should be America's team, America's underdog. But honestly, St. Louis, no one cares. Your fans are obnoxious just because they are obnoxious people. We root against you because we don't like your city, or you people. And seriously, when was the last time you met someone that grew up in St. Louis? Answer: Never. It's always someone from some more reputable city, that chose to be a #STL fan, that even their friends can't stand to be around them.

I've been to #DodgerStadium. Maybe they recognize tourists, but they were the most ignorantly trustworthy fans I've ever met. We needed four tickets, but had no cash. The scalper GAVE us the tickets, and told us where the ATM was, so that he could meet us at a fence to pay him. Sure, he had a dozen more, so he could have just sat next to us and asked us what was up. But that's not how it happens in Chicago, Detroit, New York, #Cincy or any stadium I've been to. Damn. We should have just taken the tickets and wandered the stadium for the game. Um, #GoDodgers, I guess.

I've got more to give if you've got more to read. Thank you, to my one follower.


Thursday, October 17, 2013

#TheTomorrowPeople #Bones #AgentsOfShield #SVU

Well that's just fantastic. Looking back over my previous posts, I'm pretty sure there's a missing entry. I can't find it as a draft, saved, or anything. Expect a short post soon, where I just scan through my notes and mention whatever didn't make it onto an entry. Yes, I take notes while watching television. Probably more notes than I ever took in college.

But on to the good stuff.

Sgt. John #Munch of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit turned in his papers (retirement) last week. It was the very last scene of last week's episode, and I couldn't believe it. I said to myself, "How could Richard Belzer want to leave #L&O ? He's only been with the franchise for 27 years! Oh. 27 years. I guess that makes sense." Anyway the episode was extraordinarily plain, as a whole. After 14 seasons of #SVU, I really don't need to see a standard rapist/killer/kidnap episode. I've seen that 14x26 times. But the beginning was pretty cool, and the end was just classic. 

His retirement party is at a local cop bar, where all of his friends were gathered, including his old team from Baltimore PD. It was a planned roast, that came across very realistic. Realistic in that, none of the characters are comedians, just plain old cops. So while it was only marginally funny, it was very authentic.

The end was the best. Munch went back to the bullpen to collect the last of his things from his desk. While he was flipping through some old pictures, they cut away to a black and white scene of him sitting at his desk all the way back to his days in Homicide during the original L&O series. Very nostalgic. Interrupting his reverie, the phone rings he quickly answers the phone, "Homicide". He pauses for a second, apologizes and corrects himself, "SVU. Yes, hold on, and I'll grab you a detective." He stands up, shakes his head and walks out of the room. Fade to black. I really liked the exit, and I really like that they didn't kill his character off. As a side note Captain Cragen gave Benson paperwork so that she could take the Sergeants' exam. She won't be leaving the field, but she's always been his number two, and they might as well make it official. That's a lot of analysis for about three total minutes of screentime.

#AgentsOfShield

I feel like each episode is getting better than the previous. I think it might have something to do with no longer having to introduce the characters. You can see that the gang is getting used to each other's quirks, and the gags are a lot more believable. I wonder if Sky will ever be able to differentiate between a gun's safety and it's clip release.

A couple of observations on this episode. At the beginning 100 men in matching suits, wearing matching red masks, and briefcases, march into a square in Stockholm, Sweden. You know what the passerby's did? They pulled out cell phones to take pictures. Are you kidding me? It didn't occur to anyone that this could be a massive terrorist attack? You would have turned to me to suggest we leave, and then realized I was already halfway to Norway.

What the hell was done to #AgentCoulson to bring him back from the dead? Google it and you can get a myriad of opinions, at least 90% of them stupid. Cloning, magic, transferring his consciousness into a new body; the list goes on and on. I don't really care for any of the theories, but I have steadfast faith in #JossWhedon to do right by the franchise. But, it sounds really goofy to bring him back through the use of black magic.

#Bones

Finally that prick, Pelant, is dead. Really, really dead. I love that Booth didn't even let him finish his threats. Just put a bullet in his chest. That's how Booth rolls, and finally we can start thinking about the wedding. But before that we get a pretty entertaining episode about making 'bucket lists'.

Mostly, the story was pretty formulaic. Someone gets killed, investigation leads to a suspect, plot twist, murderer found. But in between that, were some classic moments from some of our favorite characters.

Angela- Angela gives a list to visiting #squint Dr. Wells, most entreating him to stop being 'douchy'.

Bones- Realizing he has no friends, Dr. Wells asks Bones out for coffee or dinner. After explaining why he wants to Bones promptly says. "I decline your offer. I don't like you." Clueless Wells responds, "I don't like you either. What's that got to do with anything.

Hodgins- Plays with hawk vomit for nearly the entire episode. 

Sweets- I'll say this was the funniest exchanges of the ninth season. The Smithsonian Institute is testing out a new virtual profiling system called VAL. Sweets is not impressed. "I hate VAL. She's stupid. I hate her!"

Last thing about Bones. Bucket list or not, punching #ChuckLiddell in the face is just plain stupid. You do realize, that his brain could just automatically switch into #UFC mode, and you could be dead, right? I have something on my Bucket List. Before I die, I want to see #Daisy die or promise never to come back to the show. Can we please make that happen?

#TheTomorrowPeople

Brand new show on the #CW directly following #Arrow, on Wednesday nights. Pretty entertaining show, though not all that original. Following Arrow is a great spot to be as it's sure to get some 'hangers' every week. Hell, sometimes I watch a show because the remote is on the other side of the room. (How long until voice activated television controls?)

The story follows Stephen Jameson, a high school student who suffers from schizophrenia, sleepwalking, and a host of other mental ailments. His father had the same problems but left him, his mother, and his brother when Stephen was very young. One day he's approached by a girl who explains that he needs to quit taking his medication, because it's holding back his abilities. Not only is he one of the Tomorrow People, he's the #ChosenOne. More powerful than any other, destined to save this new race of people, and so forth. All of the Tomorrow People have the '3 T's'. Telepathy, Telekinesis, and Teleportation. But it's important that Stephen get with the rest of his people quickly because he's not safe. An organization called 'Ultra' is hunting all of the Tomorrow People and killing them as enemies of the human race. We later find that Stephen's uncle runs Ultra, and that Stephen's father is out there somewhere and can help save the rest of the Tomorrow People.

I know. Pretty unoriginal, but at least they can blame it on the fact that it's a 70's UK remake. (I am not at all interested in seeing the original. If you do, shoot me an email.) 

Here are just few examples of shows and movies that had a similar if not identical theme. #TheMatrix-Stephen is the chosen one. #The4400 #XMen and #Heroes - Enemies of the human race. #IronMan - The Tomorrow People have an artificial intelligence they stole named Tim. Remind you of #Jarvis? #StarWars- Doesn't this ragtag group of teenage Tomorrow People sound like a rebellion against the Empire?

There was an extremely silly line in the most recent episode. John, a pseudo leader of Tomorrow People, was trying to explain to Stephen why they couldn't help every kid with emerging powers. "Stephen, we're not superheroes." Really John? Really? What about this doesn't say superhero? I laughed out loud.

Next time we'll discuss #Scandal and #Arrow, both of which earned more than a full page of notes. Should be a fun read. Less fun to write. 

Finally, I leave you with a frightening thought I had last night. #VampireShows, especially with characters between the age of 16 and 30 are all the rage on television. Even major networks are trying their hands at the genre. So how much longer until we are introduced to #Twilight The Saga Continues. I cry for the future.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Last Week, Breaking Bad, and The Walking Dead

Last weekend I went camping, and I didn't write a damn thing when I came home. Sorry. Part of it was that my body decided that I'm too old for bachelor parties. It takes me a lot longer to recuperate at 32 than it did at 22. Look out, those of you in your late 20s! The other reason is that this time of year has so many new shows, and premieres, that I can either sit down and write, or I can go to bed. Most nights, after 11:00 I want to relax, turn on #Netflix, and turn my brain off. No worries, I'll hit last week's highlights. I have so many journals it's no inconvenience to scratch down thoughts while I'm watching something. Firstly, and briefly, I'll hit #Football .

Not only did the #ChicagoBears win, but they also drove the ball down the field. Receivers caught passes, even in the end zone. They even beat the #NYGiants. Oh, wait. Everyone beats the Giants. #MichiganFootball lost in a ridiculous shootout to #PennState. So much for an #undefeated season, but to be honest they are now 5-1, they could just as easily be 2-4. They look like crapola. #FantasyFootball I have two teams. One of them is with my wife in a couples' league (4-1), the other is with friends (3-2). Both of those records are before tomorrow's games, and it doesn't matter. Both teams lost. Explain this to me, however. I usually set the rosters for both teams. How then, could I have set one roster perfectly, and the other so poorly that I had two guys starting on a bye week? #MattRyan over #BenRoesthlisberger ? Wow. Obviously, that team got annihilated.

My wife is a teacher, which means that if we watch something together we have to watch it between four and ten on a weekday, or whenever we don't have something we'd rather watch together on the weekend. That should explain why we watched six episodes of #BreakingBad over the long weekend. So where do I start talking about the end of Breaking Bad? It's a lot, so I'll just give you a statement of fact, my questions, and my favorite parts, with opinions tossed in where they matter.

Br - is the chemical symbol for Bromine. Ba - is the chemical symbol for Barium.

Why was Walter's gun so damn small and inaccessible? The first time I was forced to use a gun, I would have had one in an ankle holster at all times. Also, I wouldn't ever have had to check to see how many bullets were in my pistol. I would have been checking to see if I had a spare clip or two. For cryin' out loud, I play with toys that carry more fire power.

Why did Walter have to be such a dick ALL THE TIME? If he had ever told Jesse, Skylar, or even Hank what kind of messes he had created for himself it would have been a totally different show. "I was laying in the desert, face down, crying into my sun dried lips. I offered them 80 million dollars for Hank's life, and they shot him anyway." Sure, it may have accomplished nothing, but it surely couldn't have hurt. Or how about not telling Jesse that he watched Jane choke on her own overdose. What did that accomplish, again?

My last question is this. When is the next show, #BetterCallSaul going to take place? Precursor to all of BB, or sometime after? I hope it's after. It'll be fun to see how Saul becomes relevant to the criminal underground in Nebraska from wherever Ed (I love #RobertForster).

Favorite Parts-

Anyone think #AaronPaul could actually jump off his toilet bucket and climb his way out of the hole? #StephenAmnell maybe, but not Jesse. It was badass, though.

#RJMitte is an incredible actor. When he told his Walter to keep the money and pretty much fuck off, it was totally believable.

It was a great surprise when Marie slapped Skylar in the face. I always thought Skylar was a little stupid, anyway.

When Walter started rigging up the car with a rotating machine gun, you knew something very bad was going to happen. Then, when Walter tackled Jesse, and lit the little clubhouse up like the Fourth of July, I literally jumped out of my seat. As Walter was walking towards the lab and felt his wound, I really thought it was going to be a fake wound.

#BreakingBad was an amazing show. I don't recall ever tearing up, but I never really expected to. I just always wanted to know what was coming next. As for the finale, it was possibly the best finale I've ever seen from any show ever. Don't forget, Jesse could still pop in for #BetterCallSaul. Other networks should be afraid of #AMC.

Which brings me to the last topic of this outrageously long post. #TheWalkingDead

The Walking Dead- I only have a few things to say about this season premiere. It was a nice refresher from the last season, and nice to see how things progressed. Everyone hunkered down in the prison was very reminiscent of #Lost . "We can either live together, or die alone." I think a lot of them are going to die alone this season.

Rick should still be a little crazy, shouldn't he be? I'm surprised that when he saw the crazy looking zombie lady he didn't shoot her without a thought. It also made me wonder. How long before, on this planet full of zombies, animals start to turn? Zombie Pigs? Zombie fish? Zombie crows? The idea already sounds like a terrible b-flick, but I would still love to see a #ZombieGiraffe.

The coolest part of every episode is always #Michonne. Michonne apparently isn't busy enough out killing #Walkers, otherwise she wouldn't be out grabbing spare comic books for Carl. It's extra funny since, The Walking Dead is based on a comic book, and Michonne is most peoples' favorite character. Why doesn't she send out a memo or something about using swords? If you chop of their heads, you will never run out of ammo. I'd also like to see them have a blowtorch to clean up the fences very quickly, but I'm sure that won't happen.

Stay tuned next for me to talk about some shows I haven't gotten around to yet #Glee #TheTomorrowPeople, and some shows I haven't started yet during this 2013 premiere season #Homeland #Scandal.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Either you Caan, or you won't

#5O Steve and Dan-O coaching little league is the coolest thing ever. Everyone else probably just thought it was a very cool episode of #Hawaii5O (it was) , but all I could think about was the father-son dichotomy. #ScottCaan coaching little kids playing ball on TV at the same time his dad, #JamesCaan is on a new show #BackIntheGame is really funny. Who do you suppose is the bigger ball-buster in that relationship? I'm gonna guess James. After all, he was in the #Godfather.

It was a really good episode, but it only left me with two thoughts, post-Caans. First, #TimDaly played a BMF, and I think his character deserves its own show. I don't want to see a new #WalkerTexasRanger , but I think 5-O is ready for a spin-off. Four seasons is plenty enough of a warm up. I would totally watch a show about a good cop, who's also a good Texan.

I haven't been watching much baseball, even though it's the playoffs.#MLB But the last scene of 5-O was possibly one of my favorite of the entire show. "No kissing in baseball" Thanks, Dan-O. I'll probably be quoting that forever.

Sunday, October 6, 2013

I Went Camping

One of my best and oldest friends had a bachelor party this past weekend. I missed my gorgeous wife, my dog, and a bunch of TV. My wife would rather not have me talk about her, so instead, hear about TV and my dog.

730 on Thursday nights is the wasteland of tv. Right after #TheBigBangTheory #TBBT I had to choose between 'Welcome to the Family' and 'The Millers'. No #hashtag because both were crappy. I really should have skipped Big Bang and watched #Scandal.

By far, the stupidest thing I've seen this week was from #ChicagoFire. Peter, running into a burning building, alone, when they knew no one was in the building was retarded. Great job finding out that the fire wasn't an accident. That was still stupid.

#Glee "You say you want a revolution"? I wish Tina got to sing the whole song. Is it just me, or has #JennaUshkowitz gotten hotter over the seasons? 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' was one of the most badass performances in Glee history. Also, there's no way Kitty and Tina can wear the same size dress.

#SNL I'd love to hear what Billy Ray thinks of his daughter. #MileyCyrus SNL wasn't bad, but it wasn't that good either. While I watch tv, I take notes, in case I want to write about it. All of my notes are bitching about #Miley.

#LastManStanding Remember the last time you heard a show was "...taped in front of a live studio audience" ? It was the Cosby show for me. I made Kate watch #TheCosbyShow, we're both loving Last Man Standing, and I'm going to make her watch #SavedByTheBell next.

Winning Ugly?

My two favorite football teams having winning records. #Pfft 

The #ChicagoBears #Bears are 3-2 and God only knows how they have three wins. They've looked like crap the entire season. #JayCutler you can't just think that you can get your ass kicked for three and a half quarters and pull a miracle victory out of your butt! Honestly, it's not all Jay's fault, the Bears just aren't that good. Every win has been ugly. And finally, the schedule caught up with them. The #NewOrleansSaints #Saints made the Bears look like a #SummerCampGirfriend. She was so pretty when you first met her, but she was also the only girl you'd seen in what feels like forever. My apologies to any summer camp girlfriend. 

The Bears should be 1-4. They are a crappy football team. I will root for them forever. Stop messing with us, Bears. Be good, or be crappy. Don't be crappy and keep winning. It's a tease. And, it's not fair.

#MichiganWolverines #Wolverines #GoBlue Nice job, guys! You beat #NotreDame and a whole bunch of other crappy teams! For a team that is 5-0, my Wolverines have been really tough to watch. In fact, last week, coming out of church, I saw a girl wearing a "Keep Calm and Go Blue" t-shirt. I told her, "Go Blue! Yes. Keep Calm, I don't know about that." She smiled and said hell yea, but I could see in her eyes that she understood. Who cares if you beat the #MinnesotaGoldenGophers ? Roll over #PennState and Indiana, beat #MSU and you'll be in the top ten. I can't believe that #NorthwesternUniversity is an obstacle, but keep winning, and you'll be #1.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Ziva's Farewell

The producers of #NCIS promised that #Zivas departure would not be disappointing, or a cop-out. I honestly hoped that they would kill her off. If you thought #Gibbs and the team went a little bit crazy when Kate Todd or Jenny Sheperd were killed, imagine what they would have done if Ziva were killed. I picture Tony kicking down the door of everyone remotely connected, and Gibbs a few blocks away with a high-powered sniper rifle. We got one of those, but it really wasn't the same thing.

I'm glad Ziva left NCIS of her own volition. Even without knowing Cote de Pablo was leaving the show, you could tell that it was something the character was already struggling with. For Pete's sake, she shot and killed her own brother, her father was killed, and her boyfriend, CIA-Ray was sort of a traitor. All of it directly related to her involvement with NCIS and #Mossad. That would make any person seriously consider a career change.

The really tough part about her exit, was that even after Ziva explained herself, I couldn't shake the feeling that she was still letting her team down. Of everyone on the team, I thought Gibbs would most understand. And it seems like he did. (It was still heart wrenching when he picked up the phone at the end to take her call). Tony, on the other hand, was never going to stop looking for her. It's about time they (sort of) professed their love for each other. If I had spent eight years, with a partner that looked like her, after all of those late nights, stakeouts, and loved ones getting killed, to say I would be "emotionally attached" would be the grossest of all understatements. I would have professed my love sometime during season four. I don't know how he walked away, and I don't know how Ziva let him. But that wasn't even the thing that nagged me the most. SHE DIDN'T SAY GOODBYE TO ABBY! Whenever a member of the team is upset, or hurting, Abby is the first one to offer support. If one of the team is in danger, or NCIS headquarters is directly threatened or attacked, Abby turns into a complete emotional hot-mess. Not knowing where Ziva was, or if she was ok, was probably killing her. She'll be alright when Gibbs and Tony fill her in, but I think she deserved a phone, at least. So did #McGee, for that matter.

My only complaint, isn't even much of a complaint. More shooting. I always want more shooting. But answer this question for me. It seemed to me as though Gibbs was aiming his rifle at Mendez's cell phone. If that was the case, how did he miss (Gibbs doesn't miss), kill Mendez, and manage to have the round end up in FBI Special Agent #Fornell ass? The missed shot can be explained. NCIS's new #SecNav Porter did sort of imply that a kill would be perfectly acceptable. Maybe we're looking at a JFK #MagicBullet scenario. Could it have been a young Gibbs that assassinated the President? #MarkHarmon / Gibbs would have had to pull the trigger, make the bullet bounce magically around, and frame #Oswald... as a 12 year old. But maybe I'm over thinking it.

I'm very happy with Ziva's farewell episode. She's still alive, so the door is still open for her to come back for once in a while, possibly for the series finale. We can also be excited to see who will be Ziva's replacement agent. Time to bring back a #JAG cast member? The 11th season seems a bit late to introduce new characters, but I guess we'll see. It was nice to see #MarinaSirtis reprise her role as the Director of Mossad.

Who knows what's coming next. All I do know, is that the rest of this season is going to be fun. I just hope no one else goes out and gets themselves killed.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Bones

If you ever need to look up something from #Bones on #IMDB, the happiest thing you will ever see is #CreditOnly . That means she is a recurring cast member, but she wasn't in an episode. Like this week. Thank God. #CarlaGallo is definitely hot, but #DaisyWick is one of the most obnoxious characters on television. I hope Pelant ges frustrated with Booth and Bones' relationship, goes on a killing spree, and starts with Daisy.

Can someone explain to me why Sweets was carrying a firearm during that drive-by? It makes no sense, and by the way, that was the worst drive-by in the history of drive-bys. Cruise past a house, start firing, and then you get shot. #Fail

All in all it was a great episode. Sweets grew himself some cohones. We got to see Cam and Angela remove a corpse's face. That little Mexican kid has got some stones. And #PatriciaBelcher as Caroline is always one of the funniest parts of every episode.

On a completely unrelated topic, it's Tuesday. Tonight we say goodbye to #CoteDePablo #ZivaDavid on #NCIS. I hope Tony goes out and kicks some ass for her.