Last Night's TV

The Moment of Truth: I am guessing that all of these episodes got recorded before any of them aired, else why would any 'loved one' of any of the contestants go on that show? Once you've seen the show, you've gotta know that the only reason your contestant got picked to be on the show is because they've got dirt on them during the lie detector testing that will only humiliate you once it is revealed on the show, and there you'll be with your face hanging out. And wasn't that Leanne, the hit-and-run driver who goes to bed with strange men, quite the gem?

America's Got Talent: The problem with this show is the judges' inconsistency. One minute Piers will talk about how the the contestants need to have an act that could be a successful show in Las Vegas or something, and then the next minute he'll let through to the next round a skinny, disturbingly weird, no-talent guy who can't dance simply because he made him chuckle a couple of times.

Wipeout: So far, this show just keeps being laugh-out-loud funny. I love the nicknames they give to the contestants, usually based on their interviews, like "Self-described Weirdo" and "One-word Model".

Big Brother 10: That was kind of a scary fight between Jerry and Libra and then Libra and Renny. Michelle may live to regret not using that power of veto to backdoor Libra and get her evicted while the getting was good. Very masculine of Jessie to have his toenails painted.

The Next Food Network Star: I'm glad nobody got eliminated because I think Aaron might have been the most likely to go, and I still like him. He did great on his promo, but his presentation at the buffet was horrible, and his food wasn't impressive. Adam and Lisa didn't do as well as Aaron on their promos, but I thought they did okay. Lisa was a surprise doing her presentation with a song. Adam's presentation was not as impressive as Lisa's, but much less embarrassing than Aaron's. Adam's food seemed the most popular at the buffet. I sure wished I could try those chicken wings with blue cheese dressing!

Ten On Tuesday--Least Favorite Celebrities

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1. O.J. Simpson. Have you found the 'real' killer yet, O.J.?
2. Jane Fonda. She'll always be Hanoi Jane to me.
3. Michael Jackson. I wouldn't let him anywhere near my kids.
4. Mike Tyson. Taste any good ears lately?
5. Tom Cruise. Quite possibly certifiably insane--that Scientology video of him was scaaaarrrry.
6. Rosie O'Donnell. How does she offend me? Let me count the ways.....
7. Julia Roberts. That awful laugh and helping herself to someone else's husband.
8. Brangelina (Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie). Can't think of anything concise to say--there's just so much.
9. Alex Trebek. I'd know all the answers, too, if they were on the cards in my hand.
10. Pretty much any and all rappers. I refuse to call them 'singers' or 'artists'.

Latest TV Watching

The Mole: After initially suspecting Victoria, I then switched to Alex when she got eliminated. After Alex was eliminated, everyone left looked so mole-y that I couldn't settle on a single suspect. Now, with Clay gone, it's even more difficult to narrow it down because all four left have done mole-ish things. For a long time I felt like Nicole couldn't be the mole because she was far too obvious, but now I'm wondering if that could be a strategy--look so much like the mole that you won't be suspected? Craig, being the 'nice guy' through most of the show, is also suspect for that alone. Paul and Mark have caused trouble and kept money out of the pot at various times. For me, right now, it's a toss-up as to which one is the mole, and it's driving me crazy, especially since I haven't caught on to ANY hidden clues. I always hate when they show those at the end of the season and realize I totally missed them.

Big Brother 10: Jessie is just not a likable person. He seems to hate women and be overly concerned with other men's looks, not to mention his own. He certainly has made it a tall order to expect everyone to 'respect', i.e. admire, him as much as he does himself. Keesha is overly obsessed with April, and one has to wonder why--is she jealous because Ollie is interested in April instead of her? I have a question for Jerry: If what you did to Brian was totally justified, then why the repeated talk about how you didn't wear any military garb while you were doing it?Jessie was foolish not to use Dan's loyalty to his advantage instead of putting him on the block. I don't really want to see Dan or Steve go, but I'm not sure who I'd want to leave in their place if one of them gets the power of veto. At this point, Jessie's the most offensive person in the house, even outranking Renny, but since he's HoH, no chance of him being evicted yet.

Nashville Star: Okay, isn't it way past time for Billy Ray to get a haircut and a new do? That stringy hair in the face just doesn't work. And I still cannot understand why that Coffey guy is still in the running. He sings like a goat and sounds terrible. I guess I just don't get it. I thought Melissa was the best singer from the beginning, and I think she still is, but it's sure difficult to predict who will win. I never would have dreamed Coffey would make it as far as he has, so I suppose anything can happen.

Wanna Bet?: I don't want to try it to find out, but the way that guy was able to tell what a CD was by licking it has to be because they can be 'read' like Braille somehow. The letters and/or designs have to be different in some way from the rest of the background, by taste or feel, but how does one manage to first discover this? Pretty weird.

High School Musical-Get In The Picture: We liked most of the Eastern finalists, but would have preferred either of the two boys who got eliminated over too-full-0f-himself Isaiah and Ciara over Bailey. It's too bad that we had to see Tierney, a lovely girl with a beautiful voice, belching so much and so loudly--not a pretty picture. Looking forward to seeing the Western auditions.

Weeds: I think we're caught up on the episodes of this show. It looks like there may be a romance brewing between Nancy and the Mexican boss man. Bee-stung Doug was hilarious, as was Celia's gap-toothed smile at the dinner table.

More TV

Wipeout : When I saw the previews for this show, I assumed I wouldn't like it, but it is one show where I laugh nearly all the way through it. It's amazing how many ways the human body can bounce off of those big balls, and every single one of them is funny. It mystifies me why anyone would sign on to take this kind of punishment, especially for only $50,000, and that only if you come out on top of 23 others. On Dance Machine, another ABC show, contestants only have to beat five people to win twice as much ($100,000), and all they have to do is dance entertainingly enough to get audience votes. Even bad dancers can win as long as they can get the audience on their side. That is a lot better odds and a much less difficult way to get some money than Wipeout. But Wipeout seems to have plenty of people willing to physically punish themselves on the Wipeout courses, so for that reason, I don't feel guilty about laughing at the contestants' wipeouts. But that's not all that causes my laughter. This show wouldn't be nearly so funny without the hosts--John Anderson, John Henson and Jill Wagner. Their dialog and narration of the action and interviews with the contestants are hilarious and really make the show worth watching.

The Baby Borrowers: I was not prepared for how offensive some of these teenage kids can be. The temper tantrums are something to behold! One of the best of those was on the first show when Kelly refused to wear the pregnancy suit. Is she planning to have a baby without ever being pregnant? I guess it can be done, but someone will still have to be pregnant, and it sure wouldn't hurt her to spend one little day getting some idea of what that's like in order to at least empathize and gain some appreciation for how babies actually come to be. Alicea is another unrealistic person who is difficult to like. She seems to be getting more of a clue and engaging in some actual introspection in the most recent episode during the pre-teen phase, though, and that was refreshing to see/hear. I was really liking Jordan and Sasha and was impressed with their maturity compared to the other couples until Sasha had her atomic blow-up at the poor mom of the toddler. Jordan still seemed pretty level-headed, though. Kelsey is another drama queen with her little tummy-ache episode during the baby phase and taking offense at the mom of the pre-teens trying to explain to her why she needs to learn to eat right in order for her future children to eat right. The guys overall seem much more easygoing and ready and willing to do what it takes in each phase and also have an amazing amount of patience for the histrionics of their girlfriends.

The Next Food Network Star: I really liked Kelsey and was sad to see her go, but I kind of understand why they eliminated her. She just didn't have the same level of knowledge and experience as the others. Aaron's dishes always seem to be the ones I most want to eat when they show them and describe them. Now if he can just learn to cook and talk at the same time, he should do very well. I thought Lisa did well in the being-interviewed-while-cooking part of the challenge, but I agreed with the judges that she should have made more of an attempt at a better mac and cheese than Adam. I was surprised when Adam tanked on the interview portion since he did so well in the piece with Rachael Ray in a previous episode. It sure is hard to predict who the judges will pick as a winner out of this final three. Each one has different strengths and weaknesses than the others. At this point, I'm thinking that Aaron has the best chance of overcoming his weaknesses and being in a position to win.

Still Catching Up On TV

We're still trying to catch up on all the episodes we missed during Husband's hospitalization and being away for work.

Greatest American Dog: I really enjoyed the second episode of this show. Sadly that Brandy, who pushes around her dog, Beacon, is still in it, but at least we will no longer have to endure the supremely annoying eh-eh-eh sounds from Elan, although her giant dog, Kenji, will probably still be subjected to them. The highlight of this episode was Beth Joy defying the judges and defending her practice of dressing her dog, Bella Starlet, as if she was a Barbie doll, despite the experts/judges explaining to her why that was not a safe practice for her dog (other dogs cannot read her body language cues because of the clothes covering them up) and because part of the challenge was to judge each dog's grooming, which they were not able to do since most of Bella Starlet's body was covered with a dress. After her outburst at the judges, which we thought would seal her fate, we were surprised when they eliminated Elan and Kenji instead, but oh well, there's always the next episode, where maybe we'll get to see Elvis (Jack Russell Terrier) attack one of the other dogs again while his indifferent owner, David, looks on.

Fear Itself: The episode we watched was the one that was another variant of the Dawn of the Dead theme--ghoulish zombies wandering around eating people. In this case, it focuses on a woman who seemed to be recovering from a night of heavy-duty partying, still hung over, and not initially aware of all the chaos going on around her. There were regular flashbacks to the night before throughout, which got totally predictable when her friend told her she was taking a cab to the party instead of being be picked up by her. In addition to the poor acting in this episode, the ending was a total betrayal. Basically they told one story all the way through until they got to the end, and then they retold the whole story differently. It was unsatisfying.

Last Comic Standing: I still think Sean Cullen is the funniest when it comes to those little side interviews. How does he even think of things like 'frozen barf'? Marcus is pretty funny, and Jeff Dye did do great in the Bed, Bath and Beyond challenge, and I can see why Carrot Top picked him as the winner. I was sad to see Paul Foot go, as he was likable--strange and odd, but likable--and funny often enough to remain likable. I wasn't sad to see Papa CJ go, especially after we had to endure the same old material from him. These comics need to keep in mind that while each studio audience may be a new one, the TV audience is likely to have already heard whatever material they used in previous episodes. Big congrats to Iliza for eliminating four contestants, for being the 'killer comic', as Paul Foot referred to her. I wonder if they'll finally stop picking her for the elimination challenge now that she's proven how deadly she can be.

So You Think You Can Dance: Comfort went to the bottom of my list early on because I didn't like her attitude in the early episodes, so I was content with her departure, only to be discontented with her return in the next episode. While she has seemed to adjust her attitude, I still don't think she's as talented as the other female dancers. I've now kind of settled on who my favorites are: Chelsea and Katee for the girls and Will and Joshua for the boys. Will is just technically amazing, and Joshua does a really good job maintaining his masculinity and still being a great dancer. Chelsea and Katee are just amazing dancers. While I like Courtney and Kherington, it was okay with me for one of them to go rather than Chelsea or Katee, although I would have preferred to Comfort to go for the second time. I'm okay with Gev leaving rather than any of the other guys. I think my favorite dance of the week was Will and Katee's Pas de Deux.

Big Brother 10: It's wonderful having Big Brother back on. What we've seen so far is up to where Brian gets evicted. The back-dooring of Brian was the GREATEST flip and blindside I've ever seen on Big Brother. I don't think I've ever seen that many people united so early on to make such a big game play. The way I saw it, it was Libra who initiated the whole thing, so she's going to be someone to watch. Brian just got too interested in letting everyone know how in control he believed he was and ended up really blowing it for himself. We had already noted that he was mistakenly thinking of himself as Dr. Will far too prematurely before Libra came to the same conclusion. I think Michelle is someone to watch as well because I noticed she was doing a lot of comforting of everybody, seeming to try to endear herself to everyone and trying to be everyone's friend. Jerry's repeated talk of not wearing anything military while stabbing Brian in the back was pretty lame, as if as long as he doesn't wear it the exact moment he is doing the backstabbing, then it's okay to keep wearing it after the backstabbing. I really wanted to like and root for Jerry, but he disappointed me when he allowed himself to be so easily manipulated by Brian and then by pretty much everyone else. It's almost like he's never watched the show, but he claimed in the intro that he'd watched every episode since season 1. Both Jessie and Renny were equally annoying to me in their little conflict. She kept going on about how immature Jessie is, but exactly how mature is it to go into a room full of sleeping people, turn on the light and make as much noise as you can? On the other hand, Renny was right about the fact that she apologized right after the incident, and Jessie was indeed lying in saying that she hadn't. But conflicts like that are what make the show entertaining, so I was hoping that they'd both stay for that reason alone. Most disgusting moment of the show: April going around requesting people she just met to feel her breasts and then the people actually doing it!

Catching Up On TV

We've been catching up on episodes we missed while Husband was in the hospital, so I'm sure I'm way behind. Even when he's home, I rarely know when the air dates are since I just watch them as Husband plays the previously recorded episodes.

Weeds: I don't like the theme of this show as far as the mother engaging in criminal activity with her kids involved, but I do like the show because the characters and writing can be so funny and fun to watch. For instance, even as an unlikable guy, Albert Brooks is hilarious. I loved the part where Celia was in jail and how cowed and subdued she was as well as the changes in her make-up and hair style. Other than Albert Brooks and Celia in jail, I'm not enjoying this season as much as the previous ones. The Nancy-working-for-Guillermo story line is already getting old, and I miss the whole suburban subdivision setting and the Little Boxes theme song.

Greatest American Dog: This was a lot more fun to watch than I expected. Some of the dogs are pretty amazing in what they can do, and you have the usual assortment of people, some likable and some not. While the guy and his Boston Terrier (Michael and Ezzie) who got eliminated were not favorites of mine, I still think they should have stayed instead of that unbearable woman and her dog who wouldn't do anything (Brandy and Beacon).

Last Comic Standing: So sad to see God's Pottery gone. I really enjoyed those guys. I wish that Papa CJ would have been eliminated instead of them. I didn't like him from the beginning. On this episode, I thought Sean Cullen was hilarious in the little interview bits throughout the show. He wasn't as funny in the challenge, though. I guess some people are like that--really funny conversationally, but not so much in a stand-up comedy type way. I'm glad that Esther was eliminated. She got on my nerves, and I can see why the others couldn't take her raucous laugh anymore. Jim Tavare was funnier in this episode than I would have expected from what I'd seen of him before.

So You Think You Can Dance: The dances I liked best from the episode I watched were the Adam and Eve dance by Will and Jessica and, surprisingly, the Bollywood dance by Joshua and Katee. I thought the Adam and Eve one was really poetic and pretty, and they did it so flawlessly. I was totally amazed at the Bollywood. I didn't expect to like it, and it really wowed me. Really fun to watch. I haven't seen the results episode yet, so I don't know who got eliminated.

Now that Husband is out of the hospital, he's doing all he can to catch up on work, so I have to wait until he is back home in a few days to see more TV.

Last Night's TV

The Bachelorette: I wasn't sure what to wish for in the finale. I thought both Jesse and Jason were sweethearts and great picks, but as I've said before, I am not a DeAnna fan, and that goes back to when she was on The Bachelor with Brad Womack. I thought what he did to both her and Jenni was disgusting, and I felt for both of them because of that. But I thought DeAnna was cold and negative during that season, and during her own show she was controlling and demanding, so I wasn't sure it would be a good thing for any of the guys to end up with her. I didn't want to see either Jesse or Jason hurt, but then maybe that might be better than a long-term relationship with DeAnna. I know she's not all bad and that she has good qualities, too, but she appears to be self-focused and to have some unrealistic expectations. She and Jesse seem really happy right now, but I'm having a hard time seeing their relationship as one that will last.

I enjoyed seeing Matt and Shayne on the show. That's a rare case where the person picked the one I was rooting for. I loved Shayne from the beginning. Happy to see they're still together and enjoying each other.

The Next Food Network Star: I initially liked Kelsey and still do, but Lisa, oddly enough, was growing on me until she just shut down on the set with Rachael Ray. She seems really knowledgeable, but she tends to make poor choices at the worst times. Kelsey did better than Lisa, but not as good as Adam, who was great on the set in this episode. I hope Aaron does better next time. I am sooooo glad Nipa and Jennifer were finally eliminated in previous episodes. They were kept around far too long.

That's My Answer

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Shannon asked: What is your opinion of “once a cheater, always a cheater”?

I think it is generally true, but as with most generalizations, there are exceptions.

Take them or leave them: Fireworks?

I love them, but I rarely get to see them anymore unless it's on TV. I don't love them enough to drive a long distance to see them or to pay for watching them, though.

My husband cannot resist cheese. If there is cheese, he is consuming it. It’s like a drug. Seriously. Do you like cheese? What kind of cheese is your favorite?

I love cheese, too, but I don't think it's a serious addiction (not like chocolate, for instance). To date, I don't think I've tasted a cheese I didn't like. Cheddar is what I eat regularly.

Do you untie your shoelaces before taking off your shoes?

Always.

I’m allergic so shrimp, raspberries and Aleve. It turns out my daughter has seasonal allergies. What are you allergic to?

I am allergic to only one of my cats! Within minutes after getting her home as a kitten, as I was petting her, and she was snuggling and rubbing against me, I broke out all over, my eyes swelled shut, and I had continuous sneezing and difficulty breathing. Took three days to recover.

I've had cats all my life, and she is the only one to have such an effect on me, but it only happens with direct contact, so I make sure I wash my hands after petting her, and I don't let her rub against me.

If you were an advice columnist, what sort of advice would be tired of handing out?

Advising people to walk away from a boyfriend or girlfriend who's been displaying obvious red flags.

Do you live in the area where you were born?

Born and raised in Los Angeles. Now I'm in extremely rural, dirt-roads Arizona. Only one state away, but worlds away in lifestyle.

Are you watching The Mole? Who do you think is the mole? Do you think you could successfully be the mole?

Yes, we LOVE The Mole and are so happy it is back. It really got wrecked with Celebrity Mole. I do miss Anderson, though.

We initially thought Victoria was the mole, but then she got executed, so now we're suspecting Alex.

I don't think I could ever pull off successful mole behavior. Hard for me to be that duplicitous.

Do you take a multi-vitamin, or do you get your nutrients solely from the food you eat?

No, I don't take a multivitamin, but I probably should.

How far do you think you’d make it if you were in the Tour de France?

I wish I had that rolling on the floor laughing smilie to put here!

Probably just trying to put on the little stretchy suit would defeat me.

Charcoal grill or gas grill?

Like the TV remotes, this is strictly Husband's territory. We have a gas grill now, and I haven't noticed any appreciable difference in taste in foods grilled this way in comparison to charcoal.

How many movies have you watched this year?

We rarely go to a theater (most recently about a year ago), but we do watch a lot of movies on TV or DVD.

I started regularly reviewing the movies we watch on my blog with 24 reviews posted since May 28 and several I haven't posted yet, so from that I would estimate about about 150 movies watched since the beginning of 2008.

Last Night's TV

So You Think You Can Dance: I haven't gotten to the point of having any favorite dancers yet. My favorite dance of the week was the Paso Doble (if I'm spelling that right) by Kherington and Twitch. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the Paso Doble is one of my favorite dances, so as long as the couple does a competent job, it will probably end up being my favorite dance of the night.

On last night's elimination show, there was a performance by a guy who auditioned and then later decided he preferred to continue what he was doing (I think he was a successful street performer in Venice, California) rather than continue with the show. I didn't like the way Nigel kept picking on the guy for quitting. That was really uncomfortable. If you're going to invite someone to be on your show, at least be a gracious host to your guest.

Fear Itself: This show has the creepiest intro! The episodes have been kind of hit and miss. Last week's serial killer wedding episode was definitely a miss--terrible acting! Last night's episode in the police station was rather lame. We were mostly making fun of it, and I got a lot of crocheting done since it wasn't mesmerizing and was very predictable. To the laugh factor was added that this police station seemed to have hardly any weapons, no back-up generator, no flashlights and no police personnel checking in.

Last Comic Standing: My favorite of the night was Marcus. I was laughing out loud through most of his routine. I could have done without Richard Belzer's pontification about and denunciation of making fun of stereotypes, especially when he turned right around and said it was okay to make fun of stereotypes if it was your own in regard to the Korean girl. He really didn't need to do all that preaching since the audience had already panned the guy, and the biggest problem the guy had as a comic was that he simply was not funny.

That's My Answer

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Fill in the blank (not cat)

Who let the _____ out of the bag?

fish

Jimmy Kimmel: Will you take him or leave him?

Leave him--I've only seen him in the spots on Dancing With The Stars with a guy named Guillermo (I think), and I wish those spots had been left behind.

Do you read the Bible? If so, what is your favorite Bible story?

Yes, I read it every day. I think my favorite story is Ruth, but I admit I enjoy the excitement and definitive action of Phinehas (Numbers 25) and Jael (Judges 4 and 5).

Can you believe the controversy of the itsy bitsy spider question?

Uh-oh, here we go again!

That's My Answer

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If you had to entertain your guests, what would you do?

I'd pull out a game like Imaginiff, or start asking questions from the Book of Questions or some other conversation starter-type thing.

How many miles did you travel for latest vacation?

Zero. We hosted a Sukkot gathering at our home.

What are three things you could live without if you had to, but would rather not?

Books, yarn, pets.

Bev asks: My friends and I have been arguing this for 20 years. What kind of spider climbs up the water spout? An eensy weensy one or an itsy bitsy one?

Itsy Bitsy. My husband is an exterminator, so he's an expert.

Indigo's husband wants to know: What the FRACK is going on on Battlestar Galactica????

I don't know. I'm still bending my mind around 'Lost'.

Randomness...Random Nosy Questions

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Week of June 29: Random Nosy Questions

1. What are your plans for today? Work, work, work to meet my production quotas before the end of the month.
2. Who was the last person you talked on the phone with? My mother and my sister on speakerphone.
3. What was the last tv program you watched? 20/20.
4. What was the last thing you ate? Sunflower seeds.

5. What time did you get out of bed today?

10:30 a.m.

till next time....

The Tudors

Okay, apparently Natalie Dormer's face always has this smirk on it since here she is not even in costume and not even on the set, and there's the smirk!

Except for the strange, apparently permanent smirk of Ms. Dormer, I love this show. There's just something about this story that never gets old. I remember first hearing about Henry VIII and all his wives when I was a child and always found the whole thing fascinating. I think it was in the 1970s when there was a PBS miniseries that covered all the wives, and I loved that show, too. I also enjoyed the movie, Anne of the Thousand Days, starring Richard Burton and Genevieve Bujold. I've lost track of how many times I watched it.

I think the reason the story is so intriguing is because it's so unbelievable, but yet it is true. Henry turned his whole kingdom upside down and started his own church in order to get his way because he so wanted Anne Boleyn, and then a short time later he is so over her that he has her executed! He wasn't quite that evil to Catherine, so I wonder why, since he now had his own church, he couldn't have just gotten a divorce from Anne as he did with Catherine in order to marry Jane. His motivations and actions are so difficult to understand.

In The Tudors, they are playing it like Henry believed that Anne was unfaithful, but in the other versions of the story, he was aware that it was a setup and either orchestrated it or went along with it because he wanted to be rid of her. I'll always wonder how it truly was in real life.

I can't remember the stories of all the other wives. I remember what happens to Jane Seymour, and I'm pretty sure at least one more wife gets executed, but most of the details are fuzzy now, so I hope Showtime keeps this series on the air long enough to cover not only all of Henry's reign, but Edward's, Mary's and Elizabeth's, too.

I love all the historical costumes on this show, as I do with most historical TV shows and movies. And the actors are good. It fills the hole left by Rome, but of course I wish I still had Rome, too.

TV Roundup

These are all comments that I had previously placed in the sidebar on my main page, but it occurred to me that it would be better and more fun to start putting my TV commentary in posts so that readers could add their comments, too.

Also, I figured it would help reduce clutter on my main page to move the commentary into posts. I'm planning to do the same with my book and movie reviews as well for the same reasons. Thought I'd start with the TV commentary, so here are all my recent/current comments.

American Idol: Didn't expect it to happen, but so glad David Cook won!

Lost: I'm still baffled as to how Kate manages to get away with passing Aaron off as hers.

Dancing With The Stars: Glad to see Kristi win!

The Tudors: I wonder if the beheading will be in the next episode.

Hell's Kitchen: It's difficult to picture ANY of these people being able to fulfill the role of executive chef for Gordon's restaurant!

The Farmer Wants A Wife: The bad manners of those supposedly virgin girls (Brooke and Lisa) are more offensive than their hypocrisy. How rude to show up late at night uninvited.

Top Chef: That Australian dude tasting and then serving people with the same spoon--ewww, how icky!

The Bachelorette: Seems like she is liking Graham the best. Sad that she sent home that sweet guy who gave her the pearl--she could have kept him around for another week or two.

The Mole: Sure hope the return is as good as it was pre-Celebrity Mole.

So You Think You Can Dance: The first episode was disappointing. Why on earth do they have to show the same ol' people who can't dance whom we've already seen audition and humiliate themselves in the previous seasons? Aren't there any new people with delusions of dance grandeur that could be featured instead?

The Moment Of Truth: I still can't believe how people will go on this show to air all their dirty laundry and humiliate their spouse and family in public like that.

Last Comic Standing: God's Pottery from New York and the guy from Tempe with short-cropped red hair and black thick-framed glasses (can't remember his name) caused me to laugh the most.

Ravelry CAL Afghan 7

This is the first afghan I've caught up on this month with all 10 squares finished--2 for each month so far.

This one is for my fourth oldest daughter, another one with pink for her favorite color. She actually was with me when I was getting the yarn, and she chose the colors she wanted.
I really like this color combination. It is all Red Heart Super Saver yarn, and the colors are Pink Camo (the multicolor one), Petal Pink, Frosty Green and Cafe.
The overall color scheme, especially the blending of the colors in the Pink Camo, reminds me of a pink rose.
I'm crocheting all of the squares for all of these CAL afghans with a size I hook, and this has been pretty consistent as far as density of the stitches goes.
I've had to modify some squares which didn't turn out large enough, but most of the sizes are close enough that I'm sure any slight differences will be taken care of in the joining.
The new square for May is called Flower Burst (bottom 2 pics), and it is a nice easy pattern that turns out really pretty. I didn't have to make any modifications--love that!

Since this yarn is supposed to be 'no dye lot' and since the colors are going to be so interspersed throughout each of the afghans, I've felt pretty safe getting only a couple of skeins at a time.

The first four skeins (one of each of the four colors) very nearly made all 10 squares so far, but not quite. Excruciatingly, I ran out of the Pink Camo with only one round to go on the second Flower Burst square (very bottom pic), so I had to get another skein of that in order to complete the 10th square.
The solids are lasting longer because they're 6-oz skeins. Since the multis come in 5-oz. skeins, it makes sense that the Pink Camo ran out first.
Since I was caught up on this afghan, I then spent some time working on the Flag Kippah design Husband wants. I'm pretty happy with the progress I've made, and I'll be writing a separate post about it.
Last night I worked on the border of the Pineapple Square Afghan. I got round 1 and part of round 2 (out of a total of 3 rounds needed) done while watching TV, even though my hands tend to hold still when my eyes and ears are glued on Lost. Turns out there are a lot of Lost Knitters (and crocheters) with that problem. As usual, last night's episode left me with more questions than answers.

Ravelry CAL Afghan 6

With less than two days left before the next month's CAL block pattern is announced, it looks like I've only managed to get four of these nine afghans caught up this month.

This is the one I call Afghan 6, and like all of these nine CAL afghans, it is being crocheted with Red Heart Super Saver yarn.

The colors used for this Afghan 6 are Cherry Chip, Baby Pink, Magenta and Coffee.
It is destined for one of my adult daughters who claims pink as her favorite color, as do the majority of my daughters. So, not an easy thing figuring out enough different pink color combos.


After I got caught up on these squares, I started designing my The Friday Night Knitting Club afghan square for My Reading Afghan since I finished reading the book a couple nights ago. I'm almost finished knitting it up, so picture and pattern hopefully will soon be forthcoming.


Next on the list is to sew together the completed 23-inch squares (they are so giant compared to these 12-inch squares!) for the Pineapple Square Afghan. Once that is done, all that will be left to complete that afghan will be crocheting the border.


Also, every night Husband is asking me if his Flag Kippah is finished yet, even though he can plainly see that it is still only about a 3 or 4-inch circle right now. I just can't crochet with that little hook and black thread for very long at a time even with perfect light and magnification!


Once those things are done, I'll go back to the Ravelry CAL Afghans and continue playing catch-up, beginning with Afghan 7. I think I got three of the afghans caught up in March and now four in April, so maybe I'll be able to get five of them caught up in May.


If I can keep up that pace, I can hopefully get all nine completed by the end of the year. Well, maybe at least all the squares finished, if not all the joining and borders.

On the TV front, both of the contestants I got randomly paired up with in the Ravelry pools got eliminated from the competition last week--Carly Smithson from American Idol and Marlee Matlin from Dancing With The Stars.

Marlee wasn't a big surprise. I was actually amazed she did as well as she did and lasted as long as she did.

I didn't expect Carly to win American Idol, but I did expect her to last longer than she did. She's certainly a much better singer than at least two of the singers left, namely Brooke and Jason, but oh well.

Ravelry CAL Afghan 3

So far, this Afghan 3 is the only one I'm completely caught up on . I have all 8 squares finished--2 Dream Catcher squares for January, 2 Cross My Heart squares for February, 2 Cygnus squares for March and 2 Chocolate Delight squares for April.

I've really been enjoying this color combination. The name of the multicolor yarn is 'Aspen Print', which is why I had to use it for this afghan. Aspen is my youngest granddaughter's name, so this afghan is for my oldest son (Aspen's father) and his family.

The names of the colors of the coordinating yarns are 'Buff', 'Frosty Green' and 'Warm Brown', and I think they all look really pretty together with the 'Aspen Print'. (These are Red Heart Super Saver yarns.)

It seems like whichever afghan's squares I happen to be working on, I end up thinking its color combo is my favorite. This is one of the things I enjoy about crocheting and knitting--having such a variety of colors to play with.

Among other news around here is that it is warming up nicely, so we've been working on cleaning our little above-ground pool so it will be ready for swimming as soon as possible. Husband is hoping it will provide a low-impact workout that won't hurt his knees as much as other exercise does. Even though the pool is only 4 feet deep, I think it can be a pretty effective workout just treading water and trying to keep your feet from touching the bottom for 30 minutes.

We're looking forward to Scrubs and The Office being back on the air this week. Also, still waiting with baited breath for Lost to return!

In the meantime we've really been enjoying John Adams and New Amsterdam. I really love the opening theme on John Adams, both watching and listening. It's one of those things that almost makes your chest hurt. New Amsterdam has been filling the void left by the loss of JourneyMan, which makes me nervous because of concern that it may share JourneyMan's fate.

We've also been enjoying some movies lately, which have received the Mini Movie Review treatment in the page elements on the left-hand side.

I've finished reading a couple of books lately that have been given the Mini Book Review treatment, also in the page elements on the left-hand side.

It's a beautiful day here in the desert with lots of sunshine and not too much wind. The kids are enjoying playing outside these days, and I even joined them and Husband for a little basketball yesterday evening because it was so pleasant outdoors.

Ravelry CAL Afghan 2

Ravelry CAL Afghan 2: I've managed to get caught up on this afghan now with 2 January 'Dreamcatcher' blocks, 2 February 'Cross My Heart' blocks and 2 March 'Cygnus' blocks all completed.

At the rate this is going, it will probably take the rest of March and all of April as well to get caught up on these blocks for all seven afghans.

I sure do like the way they're all turning out, though. And I like seeing the stack of blocks grow.

Big Brother 9: James' obsession with and vengeance on people not keeping their word is an interesting double standard since he didn't keep his word not to put Matt and Natalie up for eviction when he was previously HoH. I'm sure his reasons for not keeping his word are justifiable and honorable, though, as compared to others.

America's Next Top Model: After watching this show for a couple of seasons, I'm convinced that anyone can be a (print) model because the makeup job they do on these girls for photo shoots is so transforming. The makeup artists can actually make unattractive girls look at least striking, if not actually attractive. On the other hand, runway modeling appears to require some skill, and it's really obvious when the girl is lacking that skill. For instance, that Fatima's walk was really strange looking, like she was uncomfortable in her own skin and bones.

I want to talk about something that is not unique to this show, but is very prevalent on this show--the screaming! What on earth is that about? Everything that happens, the girls scream. Someone is introduced, the girls scream. TyraMail shows up, the girls scream. A taxi or limo shows up, the girls scream. Any kind of announcement is made, the girls scream. It's so unladylike.

This is also very prevalent on The Bachelor. I can't imagine any man finding all that screaming over every little thing attractive.

When did this whole screaming thing get started? I mean, I remember girls in the audience screaming when Elvis or the The Beatles were on stage, but that was a pretty big deal. This screaming over the pouring of champagne or a date invitation arriving or any number of other trivialities is a relatively new phenomenon, though. And it's very irritating, especially when grown women are doing it.

Snow!: Yesterday we woke up to everything being covered in snow. It was quite an unexpected sight this far into March.

By the time I got around to taking pictures, it was close to noon, so a lot had melted off by that time. Still enough left to take pictures of, though.