watching expired appliances align

cute girl

dan and i had some sort of conversation thirty minutes ago while at o'connor's about cigarettes and my leaving them in the hands of an attractive woman. i declined on the grounds that i have no interest in dating a smoker. i had four cigarettes this evening and hated each of them (but none more than the first). i'm re-quitting. i'm sure everyone is quite familiar with how that goes. but this time i'm committed to the whole concept. i really don't like smoking. the grossness hit me as i took that first drag. i went five days without a cigarette and it was painful. now i'm ready to quit and i expect it to be complex and difficult. but i'm ready to face those complex and difficult times.

but why, oh why, do i have to keep listening to elvis costello?

geek giddy

overheard outside my office:

"you downloaded fetch to that machine?"

"yeah."

"it might be a newer version than the one i have."

"yeah, i downloaded version 4.0.1.4.22. i went to version tracker and checked it out."

"i might be re-installing (x piece of software) because i installed it on mac OS 9, before i upgraded to OS X. i just don't want it to be buggy."

chlor-trimeton

i've got these allergies that appear every fall. i do nothing about the condition. my head hurts. my nose runs. i just like to suffer. but i take over the counter stuff. but it clogs my head. i'm feeling okay today, though. balancing the clogged head with water spritzed on my face and lotions keeping my hands moisturized. oh, i'm filled with excuses for things.

what's my demographic?

Here's the rambling (and very dashed-off) run-down of my interest in the 2002 Fall Television Season. Before I really get into things, I’ll mention that I plan to watch every episode of Gilmore Girls.

Monday, Sept 16

Dr. Phil (syndicated)- Well, this one's important for Chris Larry (I won't be watching unless I’m checking in to reaffirm my belief that Dr. Phil and Jeffrey Tambor are the same person).

7th Heaven (wb) - I don't think I’ll watch much, but I like knowing the show is still a ratings powerhouse for the WB. After seeing Beverley Mitchell on MTV’s Cribs I learned the wholesomeness of the show actually carries over into the lives of the cast members. That scared me and I quickly lost a lot of interest in 7th Heaven. Maybe I am interested in watching the rest of the season. Tonight's episode featured a chimpanzee!

Everwood (wb) - I'll give this one a shot, but I’m not expecting much...Treat Williams as a tv dad is just bizarre. But, hey, if Ken Tucker likes it...!

Tuesday, Sept 17

8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter (abc) - I’m a sucker for John Ritter. And if I actually end up taping this series premiere episode (because there’s no way I’ll watch during the actual broadcast) I’m 90% sure I’ll never watch another episode. But the curiosity factor is pretty high, especially since I’ll be watching so few new shows this fall.

That 70's Show (fox) - I like watching this when everything else I watch is in reruns. I never meant to get hooked, but if I’m able to watch, I will.

Grounded for Life (fox) - Chris Larry called this one pretty early on...I think it's worthwhile and I’m surprised more people aren’t talking about it. But who really talks about sitcoms these days?

Thursday, Sept 19

Do Over (wb) – Of the "thirtysomething guy goes back to relive high school tv shows," this is the first to actually air. From what I’ve read this is the one intended to be funny. Odds are pretty good I’ll be going out Thursday nights and not worrying about whether or not my vcr is actually working. Where’s Judd Apatow? I could go for some Undeclared or Freaks & Geeks right now.

Friday, Sept 20

Firefly (fox) - I’m giving it a shot because it's the new show from Joss Whedon, and I like the work he’s done in the past. Of course, I can’t remember the last time I committed to watching a show set in outer space! Other than the fans who want Farscape to remain on the air, is there anyone out there who watches sci-fi? Whedon better be at the top of his dialogue writing game for this show. The Fox advertisements haven’t given me much hope, though.

What I Like About You (wb) - Jennie Garth! Do I need to say anything more?

Tuesday, Sept 24

Buffy (upn) – By now an old standard that remains interesting. I look forward to following Xander and the gang as they reach their mid-20’s. Will someone please explain why Dawn is still around? Other than being ‘the key," what role does she play? I do hope it’s expanded this season.

Smallville (wb) – This show got much better at the end of last season. I thank my cousin, Steve, for convincing me to stick it out. The final episode of last season had a great cliffhanger and I look forward to the incremental story evolution.

Gilmore Girls (wb) - Everyone in the world is rooting for Jess and Rory to end up together and I’m no different. It’s time Rory gets a little less prissy and a lot more action. The doofus boyfriend was a nice touch but he gave her a car??!!??! As Vanilla Ice once said, "Lose the Zero and Get with the Hero!" I just wish I was inventive enough to come up with local ‘flavor’ the town of Star’s Hollow will add this year - a troubadour? A grocery cart vendor? An angry woman who runs a music shop? What will Amy Sherman-Palladino think of next?

Friday, Sept 27

That Was Then (abc) - Of the "thirtysomething guy goes back to relive high school tv shows," this is the second to be foisted upon the viewing public. From what I’ve read this is the one intended to be serious and poignant. Odds are even better than pretty good I’ll be going out Friday nights and not worrying about whether or not my vcr is actually working. Again, where’s Judd Apatow? I could still go for some "Undeclared" or "Freaks & Geeks" right now.

Sunday, Sept 29

Alias (abc) - A great action show worth taping while you're watching The Sopranos. It’s one I always forget about. If any show demands a Tivo, this is the one. Word on the street is this series will have more accessible episodes this year. Whatever. It’s just fun to watch.

Wednesday, Oct 2

Dawson's Creek (wb) - It's a miracle this show is still on the air. I’m quite happy about that. I just wish I knew why the alt. weekly film reviewer was written out of the show! She was a great love interest for Dawson. Joshua Jackson has charisma. And my friends Eric & Amie insist Jen Lindley is the real key to the show. She’s in college and the depth of her character is

growing.

Sunday, Oct 6

Angel (wb) - I guess I’ll watch but I missed a lot of episodes last year.

Wednesday, Oct 9

Birds of Prey (wb) – It’s a dark superhero show. These never last. I say that knowing nothing about the show. I’ve seen a few ads and I hear it’s based on a comic book. I used to get my hopes up so high for these shows, and then The Flash was canceled.

Tuesday, Oct 29

24 (fox) - The show fell apart last season when it was actually picked up for the full season. Now that the producers are doing a second season, I hope they have their act together. I also hope Sean Weitner will be doing more recaps/reviews for Flak

magazine.

Sunday, Nov 3

Simpsons (fox) – It’s hard to stop a habit.

King of the Hill (fox)– Back on Sundays. I may tune in a bit more this fall than I did last. I hope for a few good episodes focusing on Bobby Hill.

Whew. Let me know if I missed anything that might be good.

Of course, I managed to watch the season premieres of The Sopranos and Curb Your Enthusiasm this past Sunday.

I really am excited for Fall TV. This is probably the most excited I’ve been in a decade. Something is wrong with me, I’m sure of it.

one of those exercise balls

so i visited my parents over the weekend. my sister had one of those giant squishy exercise balls stored in the room where i sleep. if you were there, you'll recall i tried using a friend's in pittsburgh. because i was quite drunk i met with little success. that memory haunted me throughout the weekend and i made no attempt to remove this ball from its perch.

saturday night was spent visiting the bars of the town where i grew up. i went out with the thought of looking for folks i knew from high school. i also thought i'd have an okay, sort of fun time. that attempt also met with little success. i had a pint at some upstairs bar. not too crowded. spoke with no one. walked through spanky's (a regional chain), but the bar was fairly empty. and then i walked to a place called brent's or bret's or brock's. yes, brock's. it was next to the river and it was packed with lots of loud music emanating from the back deck. i showed my i.d. but was then faced with a five dollar cover charge. i asked 'even if i'm just going to the bar?' 'yes.' i turned around and walked a few blocks to a place called orbit's. when i looked in i saw some hippy looking troubadour strumming a george thorogood song. and everyone was sitting down at tables. i turned around and went to the area where my car was parked, cursing myself for not realizing a seemingly interesting alt. country band had played the same venue the previous night. before unlocking the car door, i stopped in at some bar known for its right wing political leanings. there were about 20 people inside. no one i knew. i didn't order a thing. i drove the car a few blocks and checked out another bar on the river. this one had a live cover band and a five dollar cover charge. having had only one drink the whole night, i decided i was willing to pay the five dollars. but i wasn't ready to hear a bad cover band. so, i did what any logical person would do and walked down the street back to brock's. and i paid my $5 to them. i ordered a beer and milled about. the place was packed with all kinds of young twentysomethings - none of whom i had any interest in speaking with. although it was fun watching them interact with a few of the folks from a local high school's class of '62 reunion.

that about sums up my weekend.

coffee is tempting

because it's a gorgeous day with sun and light clouds and blue skies, i think i'll spend a few minutes complaining. during the past three or four weeks i've had to deal with a broken NGN terminal at my local deli/foodshop. i'd grown used to spending twenty seconds in the morning looking at the screen and getting the weather forecast, local sports scores and national news. and by broken, i don't mean that the screen has gone blank - it's still repeating the information from three weeks ago. the weather forecast still says 95 degrees and sunny! i just don't know how i'm expected to get through my day! am i really supposed to come into my office, hit a few buttons on my computer and pull up the weather forecast on my own? yeah, it's part of my homepage, but i still have to go through the trouble of opening the browser.

i guess things are going well if that's all i have to complain about.