You Say Goodbye; I Say Hello

It hit me on Monday night. The regular TV season is over.

Many tears were cried. Teeth were gnashed. Hulu was searched.

I’m kidding, of course. Hulu was searched (and a re-watching of Veronica Mars was considered), but I certainly didn’t cry over the lack of TV to waste my time. I was actually a little bit excited to turn off the TV and be able to focus on something without one eye remaining fixed to the tube.

But my new-found dedication to spending my evenings cleaning house and organizing drawers won’t last for long. Partly because those things are boring, of course, but also because just as the spring season of television comes to a close, the summer season comes calling.

“Hello! Remember me? I’m So You Think You Can Dance [Dance, Dance]! Your old pal from summers past? Yeah, that’s the one. I’ll be on twice a week now!”

Oh yes, that’s right. Summer TV! While we just said goodbye (or, for most of my favorites, goodbye for now) to our regular programming, there’s still much good viewing to be had.

And the best part – for me – about the summer shows is that the ones I watch, Mark enjoys, too. (Minus SYTYCD, despite my many efforts to point out the sport of dancing and the athleticism of the dancers.) And that means, I tape them http://www.givinguponperfect.com/2009/02/carnival-week-things-i-love-thursday.html and we watch them over the weekend, still leaving my weeknights blessedly free to fold laundry and balance the checkbook.

Before I dive in [ha! As if writing 250 words before getting to my point is diving in!] to what I’m watching this summer, I thought I’d take a quick moment to say a formal farewell to the shows I’ll no longer be watching this fall.

• Better Off Ted – Sadly, this smart and funny show was canceled. ABC did not know a good thing (read: Office Space meets Arrested Development funny) when it had one. (Don’t talk to me about Lost. I’m in the mood for sweeping generalizations right now.)
• Ugly Betty – As I mentioned before, this show finished up its season and series in style. And while I didn’t watch it regularly for long, I had a great time when I did watch.
• 10 Things I Hate About You – What? You didn’t see the urgent news bulletin canceling this ABC Family show? It was silly, but for some reason (please don’t offer explanations), I liked it.
• NCIS:LA – Blech. I just didn’t love this, Chris O’Donnell or no Chris O’Donnell.
• Life Unexpected – I started off really liking this show, but my love didn’t last long. I wish it would have been canceled, but really, for me, it might as well have. I won’t be watching anymore.

Now, on to the summer shows!

• So You Think You Can Dance (5/27) – This is probably going to shock you, but I haven’t watched SYTYCD yet. They’ve been in the audition stage, and honestly, the season snuck up on me. Although, given the proliferation of commercials on Fox, I can’t really blame my lack of viewing on that, can I? No, I think – unfortunately – that I’m still a little burned out by the unfortunate fall season. I’m sure I’ll rally by the time they pick the top 10, though.
• Burn Notice (6/3) – Mark was literally counting down the days until this show came back on – for six weeks! Michael Westen will never replace Chuck Bartowski as my favorite spy. For one thing, I can’t imagine choosing sticky hot (and half naked) Miami over sunny, mild (and pocket protector wearing) southern California. But despite my penchant for nerds (and a dry heat), Burn Notice is still a darned good spy show.
• Royal Pains (6/3) – Okay, this is my least favorite of the USA shows I watch. But it comes on after Burn Notice this year, and it’s funny and fluffy enough that I enjoy watching when I have time – but don’t worry if I miss it.
• White Collar (7/13) – I love this show. Mark lost interest pretty fast, but he’ll still watch it with me. Could it be that he’s not quite as enamored with Matthew Bomer’s blue eyes as I am?
• Covert Affairs (7/13) – Apparently the USA Network could just sense an emptiness in my life, as I longed for yet another TV show about spies. Or they noticed that I – and, it seems, much of America – will watch just about anything about spies. Either way, this new show looks good. Also, I wish they’d make another Bourne movie.
• Psych (7/21) – Shawn and Gus can’t return soon enough for me. I love this show, and it cracks me up every single week. I don’t know what’s funnier – the commercials and out-takes or the actual show!
• My Boys (7/25) – What? I thought they canceled this show! Seriously, I did. And, actually, I think they have. I’m pretty sure whatever episodes they air this summer will be the end of my friends in Chicago. I’m a little bit sad about that, but I’m pretty sure I’ll survive. Though I loved the characters and their dialogue, the last season (whenever that was?) lost my interest a bit. I’m hoping this final chapter wraps everything up nicely for the four of us still watching.

What are you watching this summer?

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Saturday Review: season finales

You didn’t think I’d forget to talk about season finales, did you? I mean, I don’t watch Lost [insert shock and awe here], but it was still a big couple of weeks in the world of TV.

I’ve debated how to write about this. I even made myself a little spreadsheet to sort out my thoughts. [Yes, that’s nerdy to the max. No, it didn’t help. Yes, I just said “to the max.”]

Separate posts for each show seemed like overkill. I don’t want to seem like a TV addict or anything. (Ha! Like you haven’t already picked up on that!) But cramming all my deep thoughts (yes, about TV) into one post seemed impractical.

And so, I’m left with the only logical option: Make a big list and keep my thoughts brief. Okay. Well, big lists, you know I can do. Brief thoughts is another subject, though. Here goes nothing . . .

[SPOILER ALERT: If you aren’t caught up on your DVR-ed shows, just bookmark this crucial post and come back after you’ve watched your stories.] 

Ugly Betty (series finale) – I’ve confessed before my addiction to endings. So it should come as no surprise that when I heard that not only had Ugly Betty gotten a lot better than the season that finally drove me away, but it would be ending this year, I was back on the Betty Boat. I watched the last three episodes, and I have to say: I’m so glad I did. It was fun, and I loved the way they wrapped everything up in the end. I know it’s ridiculously punny, but here it is anyway: Ugly Betty went out in style. 

How I Met Your Mother – Sadly, I didn’t love this season of HIMYM. The musical episode was {yes, I’m doing it} legendary. And I’m glad Barney and Robin didn’t stay together. But overall, it was a little boring, and that includes the finale. I hope the gang is back to full force funny next year. 

Chuck – That. Was. Awesome!! Yes, the odds were good that I’d love the finale of my favorite show, but you never know. After waiting almost a whole week to watch it, I finally did – and it was worth the wait! Chuck’s finale resolved several big storylines and then opened another couple of big ones. I can’t wait for the fall! 

Castle – I really enjoy this show. Sure, it has a mystery of the week, but the snappy dialogue and the likeable characters are what bring me back every week. The finale was great, even though it left me frustrated. The two main characters – Castle and Beckett – have great chemistry and a solid partnership. So of course the audience is led into wanting a romantic relationship, and of course the writers denied us that resolution yet again. I know, such a cliché, but I love it anyway. 

NCIS – One of my very favorite shows, NCIS did not let me down in the finale. I love it when shows are faithful to their own history, referring to past storylines, relationships or revelations, and NCIS does this so well. The finale was full of action and development, but still left us with plenty of questions, including: How, exactly, can Mike Franks shoot a gun with his thumb? 

Parenthood – This new show is well-written and beautifully acted, and I just love it. The characters are raw and true-to-life, and while I don’t love watching all that fighting, dang, it’s realistic! The finale did a great job of wrapping up some storylines but leaving enough open that I’m anxious for next season. Parenthood is a keeper. 

Modern Family – Funny. So funny. The finale wasn’t anything special; a lot of reviews I read suggested the vacation episode would have been a better way to end the season. Regardless, this show is by far the breakout of the season, no matter who you ask. 

Bones – I love the idea of a year apart and starting next season one year down the road. Am I happy that Booth and Bones are headed to separate parts of the world? No. But I think it’s a good solution, a good way for them to deal with their feelings and confusion. All that said, I will not be happy if one of them brings back a souvenir on two legs. 

Community – Now that was a surprise ending! Okay, maybe not. If you’ve paid attention to the not-so-subtle clues the show gave over the last half of the season, Jeff and Annie’s last-minute clinch probably wasn’t totally shocking. Maybe even less shocking than Britta turning all girly and psycho and weird. Still, well-played, Community. Well-played. 

The Office – What is up with my formerly favorite shows having disappointing seasons? Way to go, Jim and Pam, proving the Moonlighting theorists right and making the show all boring and unfunny. Ugh. I’m not loving The Office these days and think they should call it a day when Steve Carell leaves.

I also watched Cougar Town, which is WAY better than it sounds (and the producer is even considering changing the name before it returns in the fall), 30 Rock, which is funny as all get out but still not must-see for me, and Big Bang Theory, which is crazy smart funny but unfortunately didn’t make it to my must-see list this year.

What did I leave out? Did you watch Fringe? 24? LOST? And how about that Grey’s finale?! Tell me all about your favorite shows and their finales in the comments!

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Protesting the Moonlighting effect

It’s that bittersweet time of year again. No, not graduation time.

Season finale time.

And as I think about some of my favorite shows that are coming to an end – at least for the summer – I can’t help but think about David and Maddie.

You know, from Moonlighting?

Yep. The ones who ruined it for all of us.

Surely you’ve heard of the Moonlighting effect, right? The so-called rule that says if you allow romantic tension between the male and female lead characters to actually develop into a relationship, then it’s all over.

Never mind that according to most reports, Bruce Willis and Cybil Sheperd hated each other by the end of the show.

But regardless of the reason, most TV shows avoid the situation at all costs. And if you want to know just how extreme “all costs” can be, think back to the last couple of seasons of Gilmore Girls.

My very favorite show, Chuck, has bucked the trend and finally (finally!) put Chuck and Sarah together. But most of my other favorites? Still toeing the David and Maddie line.

Exhibit A: Bones
Exhibit B: Castle
Exhibit C: NCIS

One surprising coupling (is that weird? Maybe I should find another way to say it...) is Betty and Daniel in the series finale of Ugly Betty. Then again, not so surprising, since they waited until the very, VERY end to give us even a sliver of hope that it might possibly happen after the screen went dark.

Who are your favorite couples – or non-couples – on TV? Either now or in the past. (Feel free to go retro with a Sam and Diane or Tony and Angela.)

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And THAT is the night the lights went out in Georgia.

I was sad to hear last week that Dixie Carter passed away. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I want to be just like Julia Sugarbaker when I grow up.

In honor of Ms. Carter, I set out to find 10 of her best rants from Designing Women. It shouldn’t have been hard. After all, she had a good rant at least once every episode!

But YouTube wasn’t feeling cooperative last night. It seems like only a few episodes are available online. I still found plenty of good stuff, though, so if you were a fan, here are 10 videos for you. (Which means, yes, this post will be linked to OhAmanda's Top Ten Tuesday.)

1. The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia
2. It Has Been the Men
3. We’re proud of our crazy people.
4. The Designing Women Talk About AIDS
5. Jury Duty
6. Sweet Georgia Brown
7. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
8. It’s still compost.
9. Football in the South
10. Dixie Carter on The Bonnie Hunt Show

Did you watch Designing Women? Do you ever like a good rant, too?

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More of the important stuff

One thing this blog is good for is keeping me from doing the dishes after dinner keeping track of what I’ve done over time. Thanks to the excellent record-keeping I’ve done here, I can tell you that last year, I watched 40 movies (including seven holiday movies ranging from saccharine to Splenda).

I’ve thought about it, and I decided that I don’t feel bad about it. I haven’t counted, but I’m sure I read more books than that. And after all, I’m pretty sure somebody out there is relying on my movie reviews. (No? What? Oh, sorry, I can’t hear you, lalala!)

Now that we’re well into 2010 and have settled somewhat comfortably into the year, no longer limping from our brand-new-gotta-do-it-this-time workouts and coming to a tentative agreement that we’ll call it twenty-ten, I’m going to do a little recap of my 2009 viewing accomplishments.

Not the regular movies, because we’ve already gone over that. And not the holiday movies, because I’m serious: I’m talking Lifetime and Hallmark movies here. No need to rehash that. Nope. Today I’m going to tell you about the old movies and TV shows I finally got around to watching.

The ones that everyone else and their little brother who was too young to watch them have seen.

First, the movies:

Matrix: I watched this one over Labor Day with college friends. And I have to say, I still have not gotten over the fact that I hadn’t watched it before. I really liked it! It was weird and complicated, but thankfully, our friends have seen it a million few times, so they knew how to answer all my questions.

Flashdance: One night when nothing else was on TV, this was. I’m glad I finally saw it, but I can’t say I loved it. I liked it – and the soundtrack, of course – a lot, but Dirty Dancing, Step Up and Save the Last Dance are in no danger of being knocked off the top of my dancing movies list. (Don’t you have a list like that?)

Say Anything: I read an article about 2009 being the 20th anniversary of Say Anything, and I thought about how ridiculous it is that I haven’t watched it. And after I rented it, I have to say: I still think that. How did I miss this movie? It kind of reminded me of my own high school romance, if you can call it that. And I had a brilliant post written about how Mark was just as sweet as Lloyd Dobler, all ready to share with you. Except – it was only written in my head, and it just never made it to paper/screen.

And now, the TV:

Freaks & Geeks: I know I already talked about this one, and I wish I wasn’t too lazy to link to those posts. But regardless of my linking lethargy, I loved this show. Big, huge, redundant thanks to Triple and Chelley for giving me the entire season on DVD. I anticipate another full viewing this summer.

Veronica Mars, season one: Next to my beloved Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars is one of my all-time shows. But I actually didn’t start watching until the second season. Watching season one (in one fell swoop over a weekend. Yes, I was quite productive, thank you.) just made me love the prematurely canceled show more. I never really understand where Logan was coming from, what happened to Lily or why we cared about Duncan. And now? Now, I get it.

Arrested Development: I’ve made a big mistake. I’m kidding! The only mistake I made was not watching this show sooner. After watching all three seasons (thanks to Hulu and my local library), I can see why fans are still lamenting this show’s treatment by Fox. Dry, dark and sarcastic – this smart show was hilarious!

Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, season one: I read a lot about TV. [Insert mock gasp of surprise here.] And all my favorite critics name Buffy as one of the best shows of the 90s, the century, the whole forever of television history. So over the holidays, when nothing was on except Rudolph and Nick Lachey, I thought I’d see if it was available on Hulu. And it was – for only three more days. I’m sure you know what I did next. Yep, I watched the whole first season (minus a couple episodes in the middle – a girl has to sleep, you know!) in three days. I liked it. But I don’t need to watch the other six seasons. I mean, six seasons! That’s a big commitment for vampires. And, like the last three Twilight books, I just don’t care that much.

Better Off Ted: Ohhh, this is a good one. And a sad one. Because it’s actually still on, at least for a couple more weeks. But from what I hear, ABC is burning off the remaining episodes of season two, and then the show will be kaput. It’s too bad. A dry, dark comedy about the absurdities of the workplace is just my sort of thing. (Obviously, I have a thing for dry and dark. Hm.) I’ve been watching on Hulu, but you might see it pop up over the next few weeks on ABC.

And now to move on: if you’ve been wondering about my spring TV watching schedule, well, you might be weird. But I’ll tell you about it anyway. I have several shows I’m watching live, but I’ve discovered the convenience of watching several others online. And a handful I’ll tape and watch over the weekend with Mark. Here’s the rundown:

• Watching live: Chuck, Life Unexpected, Castle, NCIS, The Good Wife, Glee (when it comes back on), and Bones (taped, but still watching it that night).
• Watching online: How I Met Your Mother, Modern Family, Community, The Office and 30 Rock.
• Watching over the weekend: Chuck (yes, again), White Collar, Psych and Burn Notice.
• Show I want to watch but have no idea when: Parenthood.
• Show I'm watching on DVD: Firefly.
  
• Casualties of having a life and trying not to let it be ruled by TV, despite this ridiculous post: Big Bang Theory and Grey’s Anatomy. And possibly American Idol.
  

{Insert sad face here.}I never said it was going to be easy, people. It’s about sacrifice, you know.

So – have you watched any TV shows on DVD? What are you watching this spring?

This post will be linked to Things I Love Thursday. Because, obviously.

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TV to the Rescue: How NBC & USA Saved January

A foot of snow.
Sub-zero temps.
Maxed-out credit cards.
Tight pants, courtesy of multiple holiday feasts.
Resolutions to tackle and goals to reach toward.

January gives us plenty of reasons to hate it, doesn’t it?

Then it has to go and do something nice, kind of like sending flowers or taking us out to dinner. But better.

Starting tomorrow, it’s bringing back some of my favorite TV shows, and what better way to deal with this crazy weather than slip into some comfy lounge pants, grab some (sugar-free) hot chocolate and flip on the tube?

You might be referring to tomorrow as “Sunday,” but around my house – at least for this week – we’re calling it “Chuck Day.”

Chuck is the coolest show about nerds you’ll ever watch. Or the nerdiest show about spies you’ll ever watch. Either way, if you watch it, you won’t regret it.

With spy intrigue, unrequited romance, intelligent banter and hilarious characters around every corner, Chuck offers a little bit of something for everyone. And for those of us who enjoy the suspenseful, the funny, the clever and the lovey-dovey, well, this is the ultimate combo.

Here’s the basic premise, as described by IMDB: When a twenty-something computer geek inadvertently downloads critical government secrets into his brain, his former college friend turned CIA recruits him as a secret agent, all while keeping him out of evil hands.

Don’t worry if you are new to Chuck. After last season’s game-changing finale, Season Three is the perfect time to start. But you can also check out Chuck 101: The Basics on Give Me My Remote. It includes video clips that will catch you right up – and get you totally psyched for Season Three!

Chuck’s third season starts with a two-hour premiere at 8 p.m. CST on Sunday, January 10, with a third episode at the show’s regular time at 7 p.m. CST on Monday, January 11.

The fun doesn’t stop there, though. The USA Network has made it their business to showcase quirky characters, and my three favorites are coming back this month.

Next Tuesday (January 19) at 9 p.m. CST marks the return of White Collar, the new kid on the USA block. It’s a crime of the week show about an infamous white collar criminal who’s been released from prison in exchange for helping the FBI solve white collar crimes. The two main guys are the typical bickering odd couple, but with a few more layers than normal as they tentatively develop trust despite their differences. (You know, one being a criminal and the other being a law man and all. Those differences.)

The show is clever and funny, and it stars the not-bad-on-the-eyes-at-all Matthew Bomer. Bomer is formerly of Chuck, but he’s not the star with the most interesting resume. Playing the wife of the stuffy FBI agent is Kelly Kapowski herself.

And speaking of bickering odd couples, Psych is back on Wednesday, January 27 at 9 p.m. CST. As I’ve discussed before, watching Shawn and Gus pretend to be psychic while still solving real crimes is one of my favorite ways to pass an hour on Sunday night (I tape – yes, tape – the show so I can watch it with Mark over the weekend.).

If you’re not familiar with Psych but enjoy buddy shows, cop shows or ridiculous pop culture references, you need to put this one on your calendar. Or your DVR. Or wherever you put shows to watch. To promote this upcoming season, the cast sings a little ditty called Private Eyes. And it’s even funnier than Ebony & Ivory from a couple years ago.

For more Psych singalongs, I recommend Oh Sheila and Wishing Well. Also, Superfreak and Jessie’s Girl. You’re welcome.

To cap off what I’m calling the USA Trifecta, Mark’s favorite show, Burn Notice is back on Thursday, January 21 at 9 p.m. CST. Everything I need to know about being a spy, I learned from Michael Weston and Burn Notice. See, TV can be educational, too.

So, that’s what I’m looking forward to – at least in TV terms – this month. How about you? Do you watch these shows? Are any of your favorites coming back to help you make it through the winter months?

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I think I've got the Glee shakes...

I wasn’t quite sure what to do with myself last night. It was Wednesday, so I should have been camped out on my couch, hands hovering over my keyboard and remote by my side.

It should have been a Glee Night.

For the past few months, see, I’ve watched Glee every Wednesday night, wide-eyed and half-grinning, holding back stupid tears as I listen to those kids sing crazy good harmonies and trying desperately to catch all the funny one-liners for the episode recaps I write for Blissfully Domestic.

It’s impossible, you know. Catching every funny line, that is. There are just too many.

Every week, I’ve sat on my couch, armed with my remote and my laptop, determined to capture the best of Fox’s high school musical show (not to be confused with that other high school musical business on Disney).

But now? Now we have to wait FOUR MONTHS for a new episode. Glee won’t return until April.

And that bums me out.

How about you? Did you watch Glee this fall? Did you like it? What’s your favorite song? Which characters do you like the most? And how sad are you to take a four-month hiatus?!

If you haven’t gotten into Glee yet, here are a few of my favorite quotes from this season:

• They’re going to throw fruit at us, and I just had a facial.
• I’m on my feet four hours a day, three days a week here! Do you see what I have to deal with?
• What’s wrong with me is that you’re freakishly tall. I feel like a woodland creature!
• When I get stressed, I work out. You can probably tell.
• Rachel makes me wanna light myself on fire, but she can sing.
• We’re dealing with children. They need to be terrified. It’s like mother’s milk to them. Without it, their bones won’t grow.
• I know I’m not like the rest of you hippies, caring about the kids’ feelings as if they’re real.
• It’s what I had leftover from my pool cleaning money . . . after I bought dip and numchucks.
• I’m gonna say this as nicely as possible, but you look like a sad, clown hooker.
• My baby bump isn’t that bad. It just looks like I had a big lunch.
• Sometimes being special sucks.

And just to help you make it through any Glee withdrawal during the long, bleak winter, you can read my recaps on Blissfully Domestic (which includes more quotes and a list of songs performed), you can buy volume one and volume two of the Glee soundtracks, and as of this week, you can get the first half of the season on DVD!


[Disclaimer: Yes, if you happen to use any of your Christmas money to purchase these items through these particular links, I will earn a teeny, tiny commission. Maybe even enough to pay for my next giveaway.]

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Who’ll be my role model, now that my role model is gone?

When I was in seventh grade, I had this civics teacher. He was young and single and fun and yes, I did have a stupid crush on him, okay? He taught us about important things like Vietnam and animal abuse.

I thought he was wonderful.

And then came the day I discovered that, while he may be wonderful, he certainly wasn’t perfect. I found out, through an older friend from church, that he may have smoked pot in college.

[GASP!]

Did I mention that I grew up in a conservative family in a small town? It’s true. I was sheltered. But even though I can look at that piece of information with a completely different perspective than I had when I was 13, I will never forget how disappointed I was to learn that this man I’d looked up to had done something wrong.

I imagine that’s how many people have felt over the past couple weeks with the Tiger Woods debacle.

We’ve all read the stories and heard the commentaries and perhaps even held conversations ourselves. The whole thing has started me thinking about role models and the people we look up to.

Mark heard a man on sports radio talking about Tiger Woods, and he said something to the effect of, “You just can’t trust anyone. From famous athletes to politicians to Baptist deacons, everybody has secrets. Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody is human.”

I can’t argue with that. (Especially since I’m not even sure why I put quotes around that little paragraph. Because while Mark did, indeed, tell me about what he heard, I honestly can’t remember exactly what the radio guy said. And so I made up that whole statement. Except the part about deacons. He definitely said that.)

But regardless of that guy’s exact words or if you love Tiger or hate him, all of this raises a valid point: How do we choose our role models?

In the past two weeks, I’ve seen two strong women portrayed on screen. Both hit me with a force that I found surprising; both have stayed with me and made me want to be a stronger person.

But while Sandra Bullock’s Leigh Anne Tuohy (The Blind Side) is based on a real person and Julianna Margulies’s Alicia Florrick (The Good Wife) is a composite of many actual political wives, neither is a role model. They’re both fictional, made up, not real. Even though I admire these characters, I still need and want to look up to real people, faults and all. And that’s a hard thing to do.

It’s easier to fixate on Photoshopped celebrities, characters in a book or people portrayed in movies. Those people don’t have blemishes, weaknesses, faults. They always say the right thing, do the right thing, are the right thing.

But they’re still not real.

So, even though I love seeing strong women portrayed in books, movies and TV (Julia Sugarbaker will always have a special place in my heart), I’m thankful for real people to admire. People like my mom, former colleagues, my cousins, my friends.

Even though they’re not perfect. Even though – and because – they’re real.

Who do you look up to? Have you ever been disappointed by a role model?

[For your entertainment, here are my favorite scenes from The Good Wife, The Blind Side and Julia Sugarbaker herself. And in case you didn't win today's round of Name That Tune, the title of today's post is from a song with the funniest video ever. Also known as Call Me Al.]

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The One with the Thanksgiving Episodes

Chandler: All right I'd like to propose a toast, a little toast here. Ding, ding! I know this isn't exactly the kind of Thanksgiving that all of you planned, but for me, this has been really great. You know, I think because it didn't involve divorce or projectile vomiting. Anyway I was just thinking, I mean, if you had gone to Vail or if you guys had been with your family or if you didn't have syphilis and stuff ... we wouldn't be all together you know, so I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm very thankful that all your Thanksgivings sucked.

Everyone Else: That's so sweet!

Ross: And hey, here's to a lousy Christmas!

Rachel: And a crappy new year.

Chandler: Here, Here!

Friends aired a very special Thanksgiving episode every year in its 10-year run. You can actually watch them all on the WB's site. Now that I think about it, I’m not sure why the WB still has a site. But they do. And they’re showing the full episodes until November 30.

But fun Thanksgiving scenes and episodes don’t stop with our six favorite friends. Here are some of my favorites. I hope you’ll share yours, too!

• How I Met Your Mother: Slap Bet – Three years ago, Barney lost a slap bet to Marshall over Robin’s big secret. Hilarious and the start of a running gag that’s lasted all the way to this Monday’s episode, Slapsgiving.
  
• Ed: Something Old, Something New – In the first season of one of my all-time favorite shows evah, Ed deals with his first Thanksgiving after divorce. Mike bets him ($10, of course) that he can’t get the grocery store manager to tell him where the lettuce is in under a minute. The catch? He must pronounce it “let-oose.” I don’t know why, but this particular $10 bet cracks me up every time. Just like it cracks me up every time Mark and I use this alternate pronunciation. Which might be more often than you’d think.
• Gilmore Girls: A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving – You know I love my Gilmores. In season three, they tried to eat four Thanksgiving dinners in one day, and I fell in love all over again. And that was even before Jess kissed Rory!
• Will & Grace: Moveable Feast – This season four double episode has me laughing every time I watch it. Instead of going their separate ways for the holiday, Will, Grace, Karen and Jack take a road trip, trying to fit in visits to each of their dysfunctional families. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a video clip, so here are a couple other clips instead.
  
• Home for the Holidays – I was introduced to this movie in college, and I have loved it ever since. There’s just something special about a family that’s so messed up, isn’t there? This scene isn’t for the faint of heart, so proceed with caution. But it’s darned funny if you don’t mind some holiday freaking out!
  

What are your favorite Thanksgiving movies or TV episodes? Or songs! Let’s not forget “Turkey for you and turkey for me . . .”!

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The library brings sunny days and sweeps the clouds away

Can I just tell you that I am unable to count to 12 – in English or French, not that the francais comes up often, except maybe it does – without doing it Sesame Street style? Anyone else?

I know, I know. Sesame Street had its big birthday party two weeks ago. Google and the rest of the world shouted their congratulations and wished the kids show well, and it’s all over and done with.

Right?

Except . . . I want to talk about it today.

Being late to the party is fitting, though, because our family has just recently gotten hooked on the friendly neighborhood. Of course, Mark and I are long-time fans, first-time callers of all kinds of Muppets. (Although, to be fair, more me than Mark.) But Annalyn is a newcomer to the Street of Sesame.

More specifically, it’s only been in the past couple of months that we have seen the start of a beautiful relationship between Annalyn and – I’m sure you can guess – Elmo. Sometimes we even pray for Elmo before bed. That’s how much “we” love him.

Actually, I don’t hate Elmo yet. He might have that crazy voice and ridiculous grammar, but that happy-go-lucky guy makes my daughter so happy that I just can’t complain.

The reason she’s just recently discovered Sesame Street is that for most of her life, she took a morning nap. And it coincided, unfortunately, with the daily airing of the show on PBS.

[That didn’t stop me from saying, every time I saw that our friends Amy and Jeremy did this for their kids, “I should record episodes so Annalyn can watch them any time she wants!” Not that I did it. But I totally thought about it.]

Since live TV isn’t working out for us and I couldn’t get it together enough to set the VCR, I finally had a better idea. We get our Elmo and Sesame Street fix from the library.

So far, the biggest hits have been Elmo’s Christmas Countdown (with a Ben Stiller Muppet – brilliant!) and Elmo & the Bookaneers with Tina Fey as a pirate. And yesterday we picked up Sesame Street: Being Green with Paul Rudd, also forever known as Josh from Clueless. Next on the reserve list: straight-up Muppets.

To sum it all up: Sesame Street has just celebrated their 40th anniversary, we love Elmo at our house, and checking out Elmo videos from the library works for me.

Do you watch Sesame Street at your house? What’s your favorite Sesame Street memory or story?

I guess the time was right for us to say…

Extra credit to anyone who can name that song (in the title).

Do you make plans? I do. I’m a big planner. I like making plans. But sometimes – as in, right now in this very moment – I’m really not sure why I bother.

Let me start with the good parts of my weekend. Because despite that Debbie Downer statement, there were some.

Annalyn spent Friday night with my parents, because I had an awards dinner to go to for my job. On my way home from work, I found my car driving itself to the mall and parking in front of Macy’s. An interesting choice on the car’s part, really, because I didn’t have time to shop.

I also didn’t have anything to wear, really. I mean, what is cocktail attire, anyway? No, that’s not a good question. I know what cocktail attire is, and it’s lovely. I just don’t really have anything that fits the criteria. Anything that fits, at least. (Boo.)

So, my car took me to Macy’s, and I decided that I could just run in for a minute. Twenty minutes, to be exact. That’s how much time I gave myself to make a quick pass through the dress department.

First I had to find it. Why do all the dresses – regardless of size – need to be grouped together? In the opposite end of the mall than the rest of the clothes in my size? I don’t understand.

I mean, I get it when Target puts the diapers in the back of the store, with hopes that I’ll be tempted by 90s love song CDs, Halloween candy and drugstore makeup. But Macy’s? What am I going to be tempted by? Teeny bopper clothes in the juniors section that wouldn’t have even fit me when I was a junior?

Uh, no.

Well, despite this irritation and the ticking clock, I actually found a dress. It was beautiful, it fit well enough, and it was on clearance. The magic word! I’m happy to tell you that my lovely $110 dress cost me less than $30.

So, that was good. And the event was fun. My company went home with four awards from our local public relations organization, and I got a free dinner. The kind with the fancy green beans – you know, the ones Mark won’t touch. Mmmmm.

And, most importantly to me, I got to hang out with friends from my agency days afterwards. That was fun. I miss those guys!

On Saturday morning, my alarm failed me. And so I failed my friend and college roommate, Lisa, who was in town. We’d tentatively planned on meeting for breakfast that morning – after she ran a marathon and I got out of bed. Unfortunately, though she did, in fact, run a marathon, I did not get out of bed. In time, that is.

Sleeping in was nice, though. When Annalyn normally wakes me up at 7 a.m. or earlier on the weekends, opening my eyes to read 10:03 felt like a miracle.

Running over a piece of metal on the highway, which punctured our gas tank, did not feel like a miracle, however.

Yep, that’s right. On our way to pick Annalyn up from my parents’ house, we went and broke our car. Our paid off car. Our not-great-but-gets-me-to-work-and-back car. Our car that we can’t afford to replace for another year car. That one.

Needless to say (although I’m saying it anyway), our Saturday plans of getting Annalyn’s pictures taken and cleaning out the garage went by the wayside.

We’re still in the process of figuring out what we can do – and what we should do. If our insurance covers the problem, then everything will be fine. If it doesn’t, though, we’ll have to trade our broken, leaking car for a new one.

That was not in the budget.

The good news is we think we’ve figured out how to avoid renting a car for at least a couple days. We can definitely make do – even with our crazy schedules – with one vehicle. And based on what I’ve read about comprehensive insurance, I think (?) it will cover the damage. We’ll see.

Sunday was better than Saturday in so many ways. Our church is holding our annual missions conference this week, so choir sang a fun song about hearing the call of the kingdom. And then Annalyn attended her first birthday party that wasn’t for a relative. It was fun – although Evel Knievel was determined to join the big kids on the giant bounce house instead of staying in the toddler area.

And now I’m getting ready to watch this season’s episodes of NCIS with Mark. And eat some chicken. And mashed potatoes. Because I love them. (potatoes and NCIS and Mark)

Oh, and the title? The first line of “Love of a Lifetime” by Firehouse. Cheering me up immensely this weekend, despite the pesky car troubles, was the fact that I heard not one, but two, songs by Firehouse on the radio. (You are quite welcome for that link. How about that hair, huh?)

Because, we know our dreams can all come true with love that we can share. Yep.

You should cut me.

I was real ambitious with my TV-watching schedule. But in reality, life often gets in the way of the best couch potato intentions.

Which is why a small part of me is happy when a show doesn't live up to my expectations and can move from the must-see column to the watch-it-online-when-I-get-around-to-it column.

NCIS: Los Angeles is definitely on its way to that column. And much as I am loving Community and Modern Family, I can watch their 22 minutes anytime. No need to stick to a spreadsheet or schedule.

I thought I was going to add Grey's Anatomy to this list. I really thought I could quit Grey's this time. I watched half of the deliciously ridiculously emotional season premier and then skipped the next week's ep. But I found myself home during the show last week, and I got sucked back in.

I blame Cristina Yang.

Callie's speech to the Chief in the season opener was a little over the top, but enjoyable. "When people want the best, they page me. I've basically been running Dr. Chang's department all year. This is cr--. You're gonna regret this. No! I am excellent. And any other hospital would be thrilled to have me. I'm a superstar!"

I liked that. Yes, the superstar may have been a little bit much. But still - haven't you wanted to make that speech to someone, sometime?

Still. I could have resisted even after that scene. But then I went and watched episode four. You might think that the touching scenes between Meredith and Lexie/Lexie and Thatcher/Thatcher and Meredith are what drew me in.

But, no. It was Cristina's speech to the Chief. (The Chief's having a rough fall, huh?) After being shoved aside, ignored and assigned to grunt work all day (week? month? episode?), she'd had enough. And she let the Chief know.

I have good hands. They're fast, they're dexterous, they were made to throw ties and do complex procedures. These hands were made for surgery. Today they should've been deep inside a heart saving a life. Instead they removed a tick and pumped a p*n*s.

My point? You know what? You should cut me. From the program. You have to make more cuts, and I should go. 'Cause if you can't give me a brilliant cardiothoracic attending who's willing to teach me, then I can't get what I need from this hospital.

Everyone is scared of losing their job, and so am I. But if I can't learn, if I can't use my gift, then I guess that scares me more.

That's my point, sir.

I'm no surgeon. Actually, I have to watch Grey's (and Bones and NCIS and the spy movies I love so much) through my hands, covering up the icky parts of the screen. But I can certainly identify with Cristina. If I can't learn, if I can't use my gift, then I guess that scares me more. Yes, ma'am.

And that is why I can't quit Grey's Anatomy.

Have you been disappointed or pleasantly surprised by any TV shows this fall?

This post will be linked to Things I Love Thursday. Sadly, this isn't even the first time I've linked a TV post to that carnival. *sigh*

We interrupt this broadcast for an announcement…

I’ve created a schedule for my fall TV viewing.

Not because I have a problem. Not because I watch way too much television. No way, Jose! I did this for you. Only for you, dear readers, would I research the premiere dates and place them into a spreadsheet. I would never do this for my own entertainment.

Right.

Okay, to be honest, I was really tempted to pick up a pen and write down when I plan to watch what show. But I know – I know how crazy that is. So I refrained.

But then I started thinking that maybe you all want to know what I’m planning to watch this fall. I don’t know why. But it’s possible.

And I really don’t want to let you down. So I have created a schedule. You can see it in all its row and column glory here. Or you can read all about my plans in this post. No clicking. No spreadsheets. Just words. About TV.

It’s important, what we have here, isn’t it?

I’m going to start with Monday. Mainly because I don’t watch TV on Sunday. Not live, anyway. (Please note: This is not because I’m all sorts of holy. This is because I don’t watch any shows that air on Sundays. Feel free now to sing the praises of Brothers & Sisters. I know. I hear it’s great. I just don’t watch it.)

On Mondays, I will watch How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory and Castle. Until NBC finally comes to its senses and Chuck returns. Then I will also watch Chuck. HIMYM is a must, as is Chuck (do I have to explain that?). BBT is only if I have time, while Castle is one that I’ll record if I don’t have time.

Sidebar: If you’re just now tuning in (get it – the TV humor?), you should note that I watch my television programs old school. As in, on a low-def TV. Sometimes with a VCR. It pains my husband to no end that we don’t have a fancy-schmancy TV. Such is life. Or something.

Back to our regular programming now. (No, I will not stop with the punny-pun-puns. I can’t. I can’t stop.)

On Tuesdays, I have quite the dilemma. And I blame the networks.

See, those networks, they just can’t get enough of a good thing. And they know – oh, they know that I can’t either. So FOX decided to bring So You Think You Can Dance into the fall schedule, and CBS decided to make a franchise out of NCIS.

I can’t really protest. I mean, what am I going to do – not watch?

My plan is to tape NCIS: The Original and NCIS: Los Angeles and watch them later. That way, I can watch SYTYCD live.

Wednesdays are pretty straightforward. Glee is the only show I’ll definitely watch. Depending on my own schedule (yes, Virginia, there is life outside of TV), I might watch the SYTYCD results show. Or I might not. Also, I’ve read good things about ABC’s new show, Modern Family, so I’ll probably check that out online.

Don’t even ask me when. I have no idea.

Thursdays are complicated, and for this, I blame the church. I’m kidding! I kid; I’m a kidder. But seriously, I have choir practice on Thursday nights, so I have to be real strategic-like about my TV viewing. Throwing another wrench into this mess is the fact that I’m just not sure I can handle another season of Grey’s Anatomy.

So, my plan is now to tape Bones and watch it after choir. I’ll watch The Office and Community (a new show starring Chevy Chase and Joel McHale from E’s The Soup. Seriously.) online. Sometime. Later.

And I just don’t know about Grey’s. I just don’t.

Fridays are a VCR night. I originally planned to watch two hours of (recorded) NCIS here, but then I realized two things. First, I’ll need to tape Psych (and White Collar, when it takes over that time slot). Second, Smitty comes over to hang out on a lot of Fridays. And while I do blame her mother for my love of NCIS, Smitty may not actually want to spend her Friday watching my favorite Navy procedural.

I don’t know what I’m going to do about NCIS. It is a problem.

And that’s it. Although saying “that’s it” seems to imply that “it” isn’t a lot. And I think we can all agree that is A Lot.

So – what shows are you watching this fall?

If you need help deciding, you can check out a full schedule at TVGuide.com, and you can watch previews for all your options on YouTube.

And to state the obvious, this post illustrates my love of the television and will, therefore, be linked to Things I Love Thursday.

Saturday Review: Royal Pains & 10 Things

In hindsight I probably should have accomplished more this summer. After May sweeps came and went, I was left with little reason to sit on the couch, hypnotized by the black box in the corner.

I should have spent this abundance of free time cleaning. Or cooking healthy meals. Or – oh, speaking of health – working out. Or organizing my pantry. Or reading good books. Or something.

Now that I think about it . . . seriously, where did my summer go?

I’m not sure. I do know I’ve watched a lot of NCIS reruns, and I’m almost finished with season two of Arrested Development (thank you, Mr. Hulu). And, of course, there was my summer favorite: So You Think You Can Dance.

And, okay, so I spent plenty of time playing with Annalyn, reading a few of those good books and this little hobby I’ve found called blogging.

But I also found a couple of new shows to watch this summer. One is an hour-long medial dramedy and the other is a half-hour teen program. Both are funny, and both got decent reviews.

Royals Pains is about a New York City doctor who lost his job after making a choice the hospital board disagreed with. Somehow he ends up in the Hamptons, with his accountant brother, a beautiful and mysterious physician’s assistant, and a romantic prospect who works at the local hospital.

This show was on USA and scheduled right after Burn Notice (an all-time favorite at our house), but I didn’t watch it at first.

You know why? Because I didn’t need another show to watch. Hush.

I don’t remember when or why I started watching it, but I did and it turns out – I really liked it. The reviews I read were all based on the pilot, and many of them mentioned a great supporting cast but a weak lead. All I know is that in the later episodes, the entire cast was funny, quirky and interesting. And I wish I didn’t have to wait until next summer to see more.

(Although, honestly, I’m perfectly happy waiting, because the last thing I need is another Thursday night show in the rotation!)

10 Things I Hate About You, the TV show on ABC Family, is based on the movie of the same name. Which was based on Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. And which starred Julia Stiles – who I love – and Heath Ledger – who the whole world seems to love. The show revolves around two very different sisters entering a new high school. Bianca is shallow and wishes only for popularity; Kat is headstrong and wishes for world peace.

You might not expect that a teeny bopper show on ABC Family would get good reviews, but it did. This show – which is too short at half an hour, if you ask me – has snappy dialogue, smart pop culture references and some more realistic elements than other fluffy teen shows. For example, when the girls throw a clichéd party when their dad goes out of town, they actually get caught by said dad.

[Side note: That really makes me think of Right Said Fred. You know the ones. What ever happened to them?]

Anyway. That snappy dialogue of which I speak? Well, you know it reminds me of my beloved Gilmore Girls. My favorite bit so far was when one sister said to the other (I’ll let you guess who said what to who): “Wow, you know this isn’t Sweet Valley High, right?”

Love it!

Royals Pains is over for the season, and 10 Things airs its final episode next Tuesday. And while I’m sad to see them go, it’s kind of like saying goodbye to the carnival. It was fun while it lasted and you hope to see it again, but until then you might just have better things to do.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m sure I have a pantry to organize. Or something.

But I'm on my feet four hours a day, three days a week!

What's that? You thought that because I watched the GLEE premiere the first time around that I wouldn't watch it again last night?

Wrong!

I couldn't do much more than that. After all, I did walk an entire mile last night. Oh, I didn't tell you? That's right - I've started exercising. Again.

And next week, I'll be joining Weight Watchers. Again.

I'd love nothing more than to never say those words again. So I'm thinking about starting some sort of weekly fitness / weight loss / dieting / accountability THING on this blog.

What do you all think? Would you be interested in something like that? Would you be bored by that? Annoyed? Excited? Love it so much you want to marry it?

Let me know.

Until then, I'll be stretching my legs. When you're used to an exercise routine that consists only of lifting a gallon of milk out of the fridge and shuffling down the hall behind a slowly walking baby girl, a short mile feels like a 5K.

It was a napping kind of weekend.

You know what I wonder? Why do I have a calendar? I mean, I occasionally write things in it, but then I close it up, stick it in my stack of stuff that I tote back and forth every day, and never look at it again.

Case in point: last Friday. Though just two days before, I’d sent my friend Christelle a note on Facebook saying how much I was looking forward to our scrapbooking date on Friday, I sat at my desk that afternoon and thought, “Hmmm, what am I going to do tonight?”

And then, because my life is so very exciting, I logged onto TVGuide.com to see what was playing on the old boob tube.

Thankfully I had an occasion later on to open my calendar, where I saw “Scrapbook with Christelle” written on my Friday box. I say thankfully, because a) it would have been quite embarrassing to have Christelle find me in my usual Friday routine (you know, lounging on the couch in my stretchy pants watching Wife Swap), and b) it was pretty slim pickings on TV and I had decided I’d just watch Kate & Leopold again.

I didn’t even like it that much the first time. Mainly because Meg Ryan has her weird fish lips in that one, and it’s just too distracting for me.

Let’s pause for an important disclaimer: Yes, Pysch is on Friday nights, but I tape it, so Mark and I can watch it together over the weekend. Now, carry on.

So, I remembered my scrapbooking date in time to order pizza and pick up the toys decorating our floors. And more important than organizing my photos and picking out the perfect rub-on or brad, I had a great time catching up with my friend.

Which is a good thing, because I wasn’t so successful in the scrapbooking part of our evening. I am either on or off with that stuff, and I was off.

I don’t really remember what we did on Saturday, although I distinctly recall it involved an extremely pleasant afternoon nap.

Oh yes, we also went to the park – for 15 minutes. Because by the time we got there, somebody was getting cranky and needed a nap.

No, I don’t mean me.

But kind of.

Anyway, Saturday night was a big deal: Mark’s dad watched Annalyn for the first time, while we went with Smitty to a birthday party. I could bore you with details about how the restaurant we went to used to be called Johnny O’Quigley’s but now it’s Paddy O’Quigley’s but I didn’t know that and assumed the invitation had the wrong name but then I saw it was right but still Smitty wanted to mock me and assume that I was crazy.

But really, all you need to know is that they served green tortilla chips – because dying the Mexican food green makes it Irish. And Annalyn had a great time with her Grandpa Jim.

We wrapped up Sunday with choir practice and church, the longest 90 minutes ever (also known as our monthly service in the toddler nursery), another nap for the whole family, lots of giggles and Mark’s awesome grilled chicken.

How was your weekend?

This is my associate, Jazz Hands.

Do you all watch Psych? It is one of my favorite TV shows.

(Yes, I'm talking about TV again. My brain has shut off for the weekend and does not plan to resume functioning until sometime tomorrow morning.)

Anyway, as the banner says, it’s about a guy who pretends to be a psychic but is actually just highly observant. His best friend Gus is a pharmaceutical sales rep by day and fake psychic sidekick by night - or days when he's not selling pharmaceuticals. As Shawn, the main character, says in the first episode of this summer, “You know the Mentalist, right? It’s like that.”

Like most shows in cable networks, Psych doesn’t follow the regular programming seasons. Fortunately for me, this means it was perfectly timed to start its season just as my beloved So You Think You Can Dance was winding down.

Just in case you haven’t been watching this hilarious show, which is, admittedly, a formulaic cop/detective show but also chock-full of pop culture references that crack me up every time, here’s a sample of the funny-ness you’re missing:

• A gentleman of leisure never packs his gun next to his socks. It’s uncouth.
• Here I was thinking you’re Thomas Crown. But you’re just Remington Steele. Does that make me Laura Holt? Do you think a guy likes me wants to be Stephanie Zimbalist? Maybe.
• There’s something weird about every family. It’s what makes America great.
• Note to self: be rich some day.
• I have peeps, Shawn.
• You have two peeps, and one is made of marshmallow.

See how funny that is? (What? It's not as funny taken completely out of context? Surely you jest . . .) Oh, and you're wondering about the title of this post? Well, Shawn has a habit of introducing Gus with crazy names when they're investigating a case. And Friday's episode gave Gus the best name ever: Jazz Hands.

This weekend I went to see The Ugly Truth with Smitty, watched my taped (yes, on my VCR) episode of Psych, rented 17 Again, ate way too many carbs, spent many hours with Little Miss WalkWalkWalk and, oh yeah, spent time with both sides of our family. More on all that later.

How was your weekend?

Some light summer reading?

This week's posts have been a little heavy, haven't they? Good, but heavy. Well, I suppose I shouldn't assume you all agree with me on the "good" count.

Anyway. I thought we'd lighten things up today. So I have three questions for you. Answer one or answer all. Just answer in the comments!

Question #1: What TV shows have you been watching this summer? Or, if you are one of those people who are too busy swimming and playing and whatnot in the summer, what TV shows are you looking forward to watching this fall?

Question #2: What is your favorite dipping sauce? Annalyn is a real big fan of all dipping sauces lately - and she calls them "dot dot." That's her funny pronunciation of ketchup, but it goes for ranch dressing and salsa, too. So - what's your dot dot of choice?

Question #3: What's the most fun thing you've done so far this summer?

A List of Important Things You Need to Know

UPDATE: Congratulations to BeckyJo and Debbie! (And thanks to Chelley for giving us a second book!) Your copy of Me, Myself & Lies will be on its way today!

For everyone else, please join us anyway. If you are having trouble finding a book online, check your local stores. Especially the Lifeway stores. The Lifeway store near me had several; I believe you can order and pay over the phone and have it shipped to you. The number to my store is 816-746-8080.

See you all on Monday! We'll chat live at 8:00 p.m. CST.

1. I’ve just learned that our Bible study book is out of stock on the Lifeway site. According to Beth Moore’s blog, you can call customer service and have them find one at a store near you. That number is 1-800-458-2772. However, I also have one book to give away. The trick is going to be getting it to you in time for our first session on Monday. So, if you want to do the study with us and haven’t gotten your book, leave a comment on this post before midnight. I’ll draw a random winner – and ship the book – tomorrow. (If you don’t know what study I’m talking about, you can read about it here.) And don’t worry – we’re just talking about the study in general on Monday. We’ll discuss the first chapter the following week.
2. Some of you may have noticed that I have begun replying to your comments via e-mail. If you’d like me to reply to you that way and haven’t gotten such a reply, that’s because I don’t have your e-mail address. The easiest way to make this all happen is to have your e-mail address linked to the account you sign in with. Colleen explains how to do this on her very helpful (and funny as all get out) blog.
3. I just want you to know that I have not forgotten my promise to share with you everything I’ve learned at the social media conferences I’ve attended recently. I even have a handy dandy folder with all my notes. It’s just hard to boil it all down to one post, and I haven’t gotten it done yet. But I will. Hopefully before people start talking about Web 4.0 . . .
4. I am now officially in love with two things named Arrested Development. Yes, you needed to know that.
5. Please help me out. I can’t decide which of these things is funnier: Awkward Family Photos or the literal video version of Total Eclipse of the Heart. What say you?
6. If you Twitter, you can follow me. I can’t guarantee wit or wisdom. But if you’re not a interactive marketing specialist here to make me money, I’ll probably follow you back.
7. My blog friend Annie is in Africa right now with the Mocha Club. You can read about her adventures at the Mocha Club blog (or click on the widget in my sidebar). And you can help for just $7 a month.
8. I wish with all my heart there was an easier way to make numbered or bulleted lists in Blogger.

Mister Manager, Daytime Dilemmas and a Day at the Park

After yesterday’s crazy long and whiny post, I believe I owe you some brevity and cheer. So, in no particular order, here it is, short and sweet.

***

Last summer I watched The Starter Wife (the miniseries) after the regular TV season was over. This summer, I’m choosing more wisely and going with Arrested Development. I’ve watched the first three episodes, and I’m happy to say I’m hooked.

***

Annalyn has had a fever, off and on, for the past three days. I ended up staying home with her yesterday afternoon, and aside from the crying jags and burning forehead, she was perfectly adorable. She’s starting to speak in two-word sentences, and they’re just so sweet: “Bye-bye, Daddy.” “Thank you, Mommy.”

***

Staying home with Annalyn reminded me of the dilemma that is daytime television, in particular, the 3:00 hour. How can one possibly choose between Ellen and What I Like About You?

***

I went to the grocery store to buy some chicken. My whole purpose for going out, to the store, was to get a bag of chicken. I came home with pudding, refried beans, bananas and bagels, making this the second week in a row that I won’t be able to participate in Jessie’s Friday Family Recipes carnival. Because I need chicken for my recipe. And I want to take pictures.

This blogging life is so complicated.

***

I forgot to include in yesterday's post (the one I should have named, "The weekend was long. This post is longer.") that we went to the park on Sunday afternoon and had a great time. Of course, you know by "had a great time," I mean that I got some great pictures. So now, because you’ve been so kind to read this random rambling mess, I present to you pictures from last weekend: