Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Nerd Alert

So, all you Battlestar Galacticans out there, what the frak is going on with these cylons? The new ones, I mean. They are all going off the deep end. Of course, some of them were a little loopy before, but now... Everyone's going to find out soon they're cylons because they are freaking out. Not cool, guys. The woman is really digging being a cylon, it seems; what's up with that? And what is with the heavy-handed religious imagery (mostly the Last Supper-esque commercial)? This show is confusing. But I do enjoy watching it. Maybe it would be less confusing if I'd watched it from the beginning.

If there are any Dr. Who fans out there, Whovians or Whosits or whatever they are called as a group (I made up Whosits and I'm liking it!), WHAT IS UP WITH ROSE?? Why won't they just let her have a nice little life in the other dimension where she can't mess up the Doctor? Ugh, I can't stand her. I didn't have any feelings about Billie Piper one way or the other when I started watching Dr. Who when they recently resurrected it, but I became a non-fan pretty quickly. Well, I don't know anything else about her, so that isn't fair. I don't like the character Rose. I think partly because she seems so... low-class, for want of a better word. I know that sounds snobby, but I just don't think she's good enough for the Doctor and they've made him out to be in love with her. Yuk. I really fink it's mostly her accent, it is sumfin' else. Do NOT like that f's instead of th's thing. Fing. Thing. Oh my hell. Anyway, bring back Martha already! I like her. But Donna is okay, she's funny, so I like her, too.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Mommy's Log

My poor baby has either bad allergies or yet another cold. He is stuffy and cranky. Well, for him; he's still pretty good-natured, just a little more clingy and apt to fuss. I don't blame him, I'm much more irritable than that when I'm sick. Oh, much. Much, much.

Otherwise, he's fine and adorable and handsome and all that rot. He's getting much more mobile now, though he still doesn't quite crawl or walk. When he's on his hands and knees, he pushes himself backwards more often than not, which doesn't please him. He stands really well but only takes sort-of steps so far.

We think any day now he'll at least be crawling, then Katie bar the door! And the cabinets, and the toilet seat, and the dog bowls, and...

Thursday, April 24, 2008

America's Next Top...

...Witch, apparently. Tyra is not playing so nice this cycle (or they've decided not to edit it out). Last week she said that she was "trying to say something nice" about Stacy Ann and this week she couldn't be bothered to pronounce Katarzyna's name correctly. Didn't even try! So, so rude.

* Spoiler Alert *

Gonna talk about the show. First of all, WHY do they try to make these girls speak a foreign language? They have so little prep time. I think it's unfair and frankly stupid. Like that's real life. There's no way a company is going to have its product's success or failure riding on some ditzy model's ability to speak their language without even any preparation. Ridiculous and not even entertaining.

And the decision of who was going home wasn't even climactic. Lauren not only did a horrible, horrible job of the commercial, but she gave up. She looked like she was about to cry through most of it, which was painful to watch and not at all entertaining or amusing. I just felt sorry for her. There was really no choice of who should leave, given her performance.

I'm still amazed that Fatima is still there after the whole "travel papers" imbroglio. Not because she "forgot" to get her papers -- that whole situation was obviously staged by the producers to create some tension and drama (otherwise sorely lacking this cycle) (oh, and it didn't work) -- but because she missed the photo shoot. Of course, if the producers set the appointment for her at the same time as the photo shoot, then there's really no way -- ethically, at least -- they could have kicked her off for it. LAME, the whole situation.

Dominique is ridiculous, she looks like an old drag queen. Fatima usually looks ashy and weird, though occasionally she surprises me. Whitney is never going to win because they will never let a plus-sized girl win. They've been going out of their way lately to point out how phoney she is (really, Tyra?), obviously paving the way to booting her off. Anya looks like an albino Celine Dion so I'm stunned she's made it this far (and they keep saying how much she "looks like a model" -- they know better than I do, of course, but... really? I didn't know models were so homely. Maybe they're referring to the visible ribs. Even from the back. Urk.). I think Katarzyna should win but they keep going on about how she has no personality (apparently they have nothing else to complain about, which means SHE SHOULD WIN). I think they are the final two, though I'm sure it's foreordained based on some complicated formula of Political Correctness, Appearance Of.

The show is really transparently formulaic this cycle. The Plus-Sized Girl, the Old Girl, the Tomboy, the Exotic Girl, the Stupid Girl, the Foreign Girl, the Mean Girl, the Crazy Girl. Some of them overlap, and some are interchangeable, but all the slots are filled.

And Tyra, who I used to like, has really gotten on my nerves this cycle. She has never seemed so fake or arrogant or downright b*tchy as this cycle. Maybe she should leave the show.

Sigh. I just like the photography, dammit.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Top Chef

Second post in one day, yeah! I'm feelin' it, dawg.

So those of you who watch Top Chef can read this; the rest of you should watch it. I don't like to cook, or really even eat more than about five things, but it's still fun to watch.

This week they kicked off Ryan, which sort of surprised me. I really thought Nikki or Mark would go. I guess they edit it that way to throw viewers off. From what I've seen (and granted we don't see everything, re comment directly preceding), Nikki should go. It seems like she doesn't ever do very well. I know people who cook better than she seems to, and she's a chef? Hmm. I like Mark, so I was glad he didn't go, but his station was a mess and besides the fact that it's gross to taste your chowder or whatever and then use the SAME SPOON to dish it out for others to eat, who would be stupid enough to do that IN FRONT OF THE JUDGES?! Well, Mark would. Sigh.

That's still not as gross as Howie from Season 3 who sweat like a maniac and DRIPPED ALL OVER HIS FOOD. They never said a word to him, apparently, and that frankly grosses me out more than a little bit of Mark's saliva. I say they must not have said anything to him at all because he never started wearing a hat or sweatband when he cooked. GROSS. I was so glad when he left, just so I didn't have to watch his sweat dripping into the food OTHER PEOPLE WERE ABOUT TO EAT anymore. Just the memory gags me.

I think Antonia and Stephanie are doing really well; I hope they continue to do so. It would be great if a woman were to win. It seems like the chef's world is dominated by men, so to have a woman win seems like a step forward. I think Jennifer and Lisa are pretty good but don't seem as strong.

I hope they kick Spike and Andrew off soon. Spike because of his attitude (though it doesn't seem as bad as it once did, editing again?) and Andrew because he's just weird. Not in a fun, interesting, entertaining way, but rather in an uncomfortable he-might-just-stab-you-with-a-fork way. He seems to be a pretty good chef, though, from comments he gets. I don't care for Dale's attitude, either, especially the gangsta affectations, but he also seems to be talented. Richard, of course, is a strong competitor and I expect him to be in the top three.

I was sad to see Manuel kicked off because he seems like such a nice guy. The others who have been kicked off I'm not too upset about. I don't even remember Nimma so I may have missed an early episode. I thought Zoi had a pretty bad attitude so I didn't mind her packing her knives and cutting out. Hee.

The strongest contenders that I see so far for the top three are Richard, Stephanie, and either Dale or Antonia. Of course, it only takes one bad dish for someone to get the boot, so you never know. And that's what makes it fun to watch.

Rampant Consumerism

But we NEED stuff, y'all!

I am pondering the purchase of some fairly big-ticket items. One thing we need is a new camera. The one we have now has no image stabilization at all; the slightest tremor and the picture is all blurry and worthless. I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE a DSLR, but we can't really afford one right now, so I'm trying to decide between point and shoots. Some of them are really close to DSLRs but they are also expensive, just not quite an arm or a leg. A couple of fingers, maybe a toe. I can spare a toe.

If anyone has any advice about digital cameras, come on with it! We really want to be able to chronicle the Life and Times of Baby Bunny and have the pictures actually look like him.

I am also trying to choose a stroller for Bunny. This has really turned into a super long-drawn-out research project. It would help if we lived anywhere near a place that sold strollers, well, except Wal-Mart, of course, bless your heart. They don't exactly have a large selection, you know. Anyway, then we could see which ones we like and which ones Bunny seems comfortable in.

There are certain things I'd like it to have: a decent canopy; a seat with some movement that goes from almost straight up-and-down (Bunny usually likes to sit up straight; he wants to SEE, by God) to some sort of recline; an adjustable foot rest; a window in the canopy so I can reassure myself that Bunny is FINE, my God, CALM DOWN, LADY, without stopping and running around in front of the stroller like a nitwit; durability; portability; and, of course, no recalls on it. One model I looked at came with bug netting, isn't that cool? I think so, for down here where they are out of control and possibly going to simply carry us all away one day, to wherever marauding insects would carry humans. Ugh, stopping there, imagery not at all pleasant or even amusing.

I've been wavering between just getting a cheapie umbrella stroller and getting a step up (not a whole-hog sort of rolling condo, though, please). We're planning a vacation in August and I think I'll want to get something Bunny will be more comfortable in than just a little bitty umbrella stroller. So any advice on a stroller would be much appreciated.

Monday, April 14, 2008

The Moment You've All Been Waiting For...

Rock of Love 2 Winner is.... Ambre!

Wait, what? Bret chose AMBRE? Over the stripper?! Hmm. I have misjudged something here. RoL is nothing if not formulaic, so I guess they went with the Deep formula over the Obvious one. My oops.

(And I did not actually see the episode with all the South of the Border hijinx, I looked it up because I was curious. Now I kind of want to see the ep. Sigh.)

Friday, April 11, 2008

Childhood Dreams

You may have heard of this already; it seems like I heard the tail end of something about this on NPR maybe, not too long ago, but my memory is... let's say uncertain, these days. Anyway, I read about it on Wonderland today:

In September of 2006, Randy Pausch, a professor of computer sciences at Carnegie Mellon University, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is, plainly speaking, the worst kind to get: survival rates are extremely low, and the end usually comes within months of diagnosis. So when Professor Pausch was told in the summer of 2007 that the cancer had spread and he had only a few months to live, he elected to step down from his position to spend more time with his family. But before he did, there was time for one last lecture.
Alice Bradley's article is entitled What lessons do you want to leave your children? so it's about more than Professor Pausch, but it stems from his lecture and his worldview. Here are links to a video of his lecture, and to his book. The video is a little over an hour long, but it's worth watching.

I can't think about what lessons I want to leave Bunny, it will only make me cry right now, but it is something I'll be pondering. What could be more important than what lessons I want to teach Bunny, what I think will be important for his life, both while I'm here and when I'm gone?

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Rock of Laughs

I finally watched part of an episode of Rock of Love, because so many people I know watch it that I finally caved. I had to see why seemingly intelligent people were tuning in. From what I saw, it must be the train wreck effect. A horrible, unbelieveable mess, hard to watch, yet oddly riveting.

This was an episode of Rock of Love 2, and it was down to the final three. One decent-looking girl, Destiney, one older-looking one, Ambre, and one complete skank-a-rama, Daisy. They were waiting in their flimsy little outfits for the verdict. The tension!! Bret came down the hall followed closely by his general factotum/bodyguard. The girls (that's what Bret calls them, and it's his show, after all, so I'm going with it) were all on edge. Oh, who will get kicked off and lose her shot at fame? I mean love!

They had reason to worry. Ambre turned out to be 37 but had LIED TO BRET and said she was 31! Destiney couldn't wholeheartedly say she was in love with Bret! Daisy, apparently, didn't have anything to worry about except being the least attractive. Oh wait, that's to me. So that didn't matter.

Bret approached the girls and told them how hard this decision would be, yada yada. He asked if there was anything they would like to say. (Oh, this isn't scripted or anything, NO.) Skank Daisy completely ratted out Destiney and said that when they asked her if she was in love with Bret, she said no, and Skanksy further alleged that if it was anyone else's show, Destiney would be there anyway. Only she made her tattle-tale argument much less coherently. (To give her a break, I'm sure it's hard to think with all that silicone and collagen or Restylane and whatnot surging through your body (or sitting there very stiffly and yet naturally and attractively) and false eyelashes and possibly sequins weighing your eyelids down.)

Bret looked at Destiney as if he was very disappointed in her. "But Dad!" she said. "I mean Bret! I care for you very deeply, I just can't say I'm in love with you yet. I'm not like..." Well, she sort of implied disdain for the other two, I think, but maybe I'm giving her too much credit. Bret "deliberated" and then called Destiney down. She knew what her fate was, Destiney did, and she took it very well. Bret hugged her and told her how much her father had meant to him and that he was sorry, whatever, and he walked her out and cried. He came back in, wiping his eyes in a very manly way, and told the other two -- who are, of course, deeply in love with him, and crying like idiots -- that he wasn't a crier (this may have been one of the only honest things anyone said in the whole show), blah blah, and that they needed to pack their bags for CANCUN!! Whoo!

(Ed. note- With the amount of money he ought to have and how popular this show is, I'd be expecting Cabo at least, but whateves. Cancun it is!)

I'm going to go out on a limb here and predict that he will choose the stripper over Oldy McLiar. (If Rock of Love 2 is already over and everyone already knows which one he chose, SORRY. I have no idea when RoL airs! You know how shows are on all the time nowadays, it's tricky.)

Oh yeah, and I think BM (heh) has a lot of nerve kicking off Destiney ostensibly because she wasn't in love with him. When he was on Ellen (yes, I saw a clip), she asked if he fell in love or not, and he said he'll fall in love when the ratings tank. He tried to play it off like he was just kidding, but please. I hope no one believes these reality shows about love are about anything other than being on TV and making money.

And Bret, no one is fooled by the bandanas and hats or the pictures of you with the long flowing locks. We know we'll see you on Hair Club for Men commercials when Rock of Love FINALLY PLEASE GOD SOON dies its inevitable trashy, sweaty, and slightly sticky death.

(We are also not fooled by the Rock of Love in your pants, Mr. Stuffy McSock.)













On a side note, has anyone else noticed how much ole Stuffy looks like the love child of Michael Keaton and Yoda these days? (It's more obvious on the show. Look and you'll see it.)












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Friday, April 04, 2008

Heeeee!

Who would have thought LiLo had a sense a humor about herself? Go here to see.

Wacky drummer of a Korean band steals the show.

This is hilarious. And probably what Jeff Goldblum will sound like in 20-25 years.

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THIS JUST IN: Bunny is still adorable.

He's not as congested as he was, and his fourth tooth is out, so he's feeling better all around, thank goodness.

He clapped yesterday! It's the first time he really got the idea of bringing his hands together (not just toys), and he did it several times, and mimicked us doing it. (For those of you who aren't parents, that right there's a developmental milestone.) That was fun! He also was fascinated with my shirt (a blue tee shirt) and laughed and pulled on it, and then pulled on the neck and REACHED INSIDE. He was like, Hey, I remember those! Anyway, it was hilarious. He was in such a good mood, laughing at almost anything we did. He's such a little dream.

As for me, I am about to start a regimen of allergy medications that could probably take down an elephant, so wish me luck with that. I have some sort of respiratory something disorder something, not just allergies, not quite asthma, but all of the related problems lumped together, so I'll be swallowing pills, inhaling aerosols, and spraying mist up my nose every day for the next little while. FUN. But I'm so tired of coughing all the time, I'd try almost anything at this point.

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Très Horrible!

One of Joss Whedon's new projects, "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog," stars Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, and Felicia Day. It's a musical web short, coming soon, though I'm not sure exactly when. For more information, check out Whedonesque. You know me, I tend to like everything Joss, but Neil Patrick Harris as Dr. Horrible? A SINGING Dr. Horrible? Who doesn't want to see that?!

Awwwww

Have you ever seen a baby kangaroo? If not, go here. Adorable!