Mike

We're #8!

Kentucky is ranked #8 in both major polls this week, not so much because they won on Saturday but because so many teams ahead of them (West Virginia, Oklahoma, Rutgers, Texas, Clemson, Oregon, and Florida) lost.  We'll take it any way we can get it.

My fortune cookie fortunes

I need to get steamed dumplings from Jade Garden more often:

"Encourage me, and I will not forget you, IN BED."

"Believe in miracles, IN BED."

I'm not a TV critic. I just play one on the internet.

Where was I?  Oh, yeah.  The new shows.

The good news is that the new season is shaping up to be as dismal as I hoped it would be.

Evidently NBC put all of the good parts of Chuck in the previews to suck people like me in.  I’ll watch again but Chuck is on my Deathwatch.

I was worried that the VCR in my bedroom crapped out before it taped Journeyman.  It didn’t, which is too bad.  Even though I love books that involve time travel I got bored 15 minutes into the show and hit the fast forward button to the next show I taped.  Definitely on the Deathwatch.

I haven’t read it but I’m guessing that the Screenwriter’s Bible says that every show has to have at least one obnoxious character.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing.  After all I put up with George Costanza for 9 seasons and own most of the DVDs.  I lost count of how many obnoxious characters are in Dirty Sexy Money.  The only thing that might save this show is the subplot about which Darling killed Nick’s father.  Once that is answered the shark jumps.  I don’t know about you but while I was watching Dirty Sexy Money I kept thinking about The Royal Tenenbaums.  The difference is that The Royal Tenenbaums was funny.

I like Cane even though it is a night time soap opera.  Not a surprise to my kids or Isaac since I love tropical Latin food and music.  (I’m the guy who owns 200 salsa CDs and I can’t wait for Isaac to show me the sights of South Beach this coming spring.)  My only concern is that Jimmy Smits anchors the show and he has a history of not sticking to a project for long.  If he goes, the show goes.

There was much speculation on various internet TV forums that Big Shots was a copy of the BBC’s Manchild.  It’s not a copy but there are enough parallels to know that the writers had Manchild in mind.  The problem is that Manchild was witty, funny, and urbane.  Big Shots is crass and not that funny.  How many times can you say “penis” and show men peeing in urinals in a single episode?  If it doesn’t get cancelled before then I’ll watch the next episode or two before putting it on the Deathwatch.

Now for the good news.  Life is easily the best new show I’ve watched.  Someone on one of the TV forums said, “Meet Dr. Gregory House of Cop World!”.  The Screenwriter’s Bible probably also says that at least one cop needs to be damaged.  Life has at least two damaged cops and the chemistry between them is magic.  One question, though.  Both Hugh Laurie and Damian Lewis are great British actors.  Why are they asked to use an American accent from some part of the country even Americans have never visited?  I hope this show lasts for another season.

If I don't review a new show that you watch it's because I saw the previews and it didn't appeal to me.  That definitely goes for any new reality shows.  I don't watch reality shows because my life is all of the reality I can handle.

Kentucky is 5-0 for the first time in 23 years

Kentucky 45 - Florida Atlantic 17.

Now the fun begins.

Home Improvement

Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor I'm not.  I'm worse.  That's why I spent Monday and Tuesday getting various estimates.  On Thursday the house washers came and pressure washed the house, the deck, the driveway, and the walk from the driveway to the front door.  The same day the roofer phoned to say that he had ordered the replacement skylight and that it should be here by Monday.  If the weather holds I should have a new roof by the end of the week.  I'm still waiting to hear from the exterminators about when they will come and install two power vents in my crawlspace.  This is the latest effort to lower the moisture level under the house.

After two trips in October more projects are on tap.

Bandana

Champ has a new one.

The slipper

Whenever I leave the house without Champ, even for just a few minutes to run to the grocery store down the street, he goes into my closet and drags out one slipper.  He doesn't chew on it.  He just leaves it where I am sure to see it when I come back, usually at the top of the stairs.  I guess it's his way of showing his displeasure at being left behind.

Before one of you can tell me to just close the closet door, I tried that.  He dragged one of the pillows off of the bed instead.

If I'd lived up to my potential I wouldn't own a TV

I'd be reading Proust in the original French.

Who am I kidding?  I never had potential and the only French I know is what I've learned from reading menus in upscale restaurants.

All of this leads up to the fact that I'm spending way too much time watching first episodes of new TV shows that I hope I never have to watch again.

I lasted 10 minutes watching Back to You.

Champ was impressed that I actually watched 20 minutes of The Big Bang Theory before I picked up my copy of À la recherche du temps perdu.  Again, who am I kidding?  I'm actually reading White Corridor.

I've taped Chuck and Journeyman and will watch both tomorrow unless someone comes to my rescue and tells me not to waste my time. 

The worst thing about Must See TV is that I'll have to post something every night until the last TV show premieres.

It's that time of year again

Flu shot time, that is.  Go to the American Lung Association's Flu Shot Locator to find when and where clinics are administering shots in your area.  For those in the Charleston area, there is a clinic at a grocery or pharmacy virtually every day in October and early November.

For those of you like my college-educated youngest daughter who thinks you can get the flu from a flu shot because her college-educated mother told her so, you can read about that and other flu myths here.

Don't wake me up. I'm liking this dream!

Kentucky trailed Arkansas by 8 points with 8 minutes left in the game.  They then proceeded to rip off 21 unanswered points on their way to a 42-29 victory.  Even though Kentucky went into the game ranked and the Hogs weren't, Arkansas was a 7-point favorite.  Andre Woodson shattered the NCAA record for the number of consecutive pass attempts without an interception.  Since he didn't have a pick tonight he has a chance to shatter it even more next week against Florida Atlantic.  The only downside was that several Kentucky players were injured during the game.  We probably won't know their status until later in the week.

Quote of the night by one of ESPN's announcers:  "Kentucky will be a force in the SEC this year.  When was the last time you heard that?"

When, indeed?

To make the day even more special South Carolina lost and Louisville was upset by lowly Syracuse.

A shout-out to anyone who has the Time-Warner cable digital tier and gets ESPN Classic

Charleston is serviced by two cable companies - Knology and Comcast.  Neither carry ESPN Classic.  Summerville and a few other outer burbs have Time-Warner cable which does carry it.

ESPN Classic is going to rebroadcast the Kentucky-Louisville game tomorrow (Wednesday) night at 7 PM EDT.  Even though I was at the game I'm hoping that someone will tape the game for me because I'd like to savor it again.

Evidently I'm not the only one.

If you are willing I'll happily pay for you for the VHS tape, the postage to send it to me, and I'll include a generous tip because you are nice enough to do this for me.

Leave a comment or email me at nicelynotorious at yahoo dot com.

Champ is in the house

[Clickable]

Champ went to a new kennel this weekend while I was on the road.  Evidently he was well-behaved because they gave him a bandanna and told me that he was welcome back any time.

Cardinals taste like chicken

Kentucky 40 - #9 Louisville 34

It's UK's first win over a top-10 team in 30 years.  It's Kentucky's first win over the Cardinals in 5 years. The Cats are now 3-0. The best part?  I was there to see it.  Sweet.

Update:  Kentucky is ranked #21 in one poll and #23 in the other.  It's the first time the Cats have been ranked since 1984.  The fun may be other, though.  UK opens the SEC season Saturday at Arkansas.  The Hogs were ranked until they were upset by Alabama and they're pissed.

Wild Things

While walking with Champ early this morning I saw my first V-formation of geese flying south for the coming winter.  Despite what the thermometer here says, it must be getting chilly somewhere.  I need to renew my membership to Magnolia Gardens so I can go photograph, or just watch, the waterfowl that make pit stops in the marshes there.

"Like winds and sunsets, wild things were taken for granted until progress began to do away with them. Now we face the question whether a still higher 'standard of living' is worth its cost in things natural, wild and free. For us of the minority, the opportunity to see geese is more important than television."

--Aldo Leopold

Lap Dog

Mmmm! Soup!

A new takeout restaurant is opening soon in the Bi-Lo shopping center at Bees Ferry and Hwy 61.

It will make a nice change from the pizza and Chinese places in the center now.  I'll be back with a review after it opens and I've had time to sample a few soups.

Whoops!

I got a nice letter in the mail today from Anne Francis Bleecker, City Councilperson for District 11.  In the letter she tells me about all of the great things she's done for me on the Council, thanks me for my past support, and asks me for a donation to her reelection campaign this fall.  She was even nice enough to include a postage-paid envelope that I can use to mail back my check.

There's only one problem.  I live in District 10, have never lived in her district, and have never given her my support or money.  Although 10 is one less than 11, the two districts aren't even close to each other, other than that both are West of the Ashley.

(To be fair, Ms. Bleecker and the Mayor are tight so I'm guessing that her volunteers are working from a list the Mayor's office gave them of people who worked for/donated to his last campaign.   It's either that or she doesn't have a clue as to where her district is.  Her campaign has an email address.  I guess I should write and tell her to save her postage.)

Vote early and often

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Like snow days, only wetter

Briar phoned me Monday afternoon.  At some point over the Labor Day weekend when Aureole, the upscale upper eastside Manhattan eatery where she’s the sous pastry chef, was closed for the holiday a pipe broke in a room above the restaurant.  The ceiling in the second-floor dining room collapsed, the first-floor dining was soaked, and the kitchens in the basement were flooded.  The restaurant will be closed until at least the 17th, and possibly longer.  The hourly employees have been told to take vacation days if they have them or take a hike until then.  Briar is lucky.  She’s salaried.  She and Rachel, the executive pastry chef, will fill in at Astra as needed.  That will still leave Briar with plenty of time on her hands, something she’s not used to since she normally works 60 hours one week and 72 hours the next.  There’s only so much vacuuming you can do in a 900 sq. ft. apartment so she’s going to check TONY to see which days of the week museums have free admission.

Minute Movie Review

[It's been a while since I've done one of these. I promise to look over my Netflix returns and catch up.]

I'm a sucker for romantic comedies.  I'm a sucker for British movies.  What could go wrong with a British romantic comedy?  Starter for 10 is what.  So formulaic, nothing original.  Boy meets the right girl, falls for the wrong girl, makes a fool of himself and loses both girls, makes a fool of himself again and miraculously winds up with the right girl.  Oh. So. Boring.

I did mange to snag a great quote, though.  "Of course you're clever.  It's just every now and then you do some stupid things, that's all".  That pretty much sums up my life, not that I needed to be reminded.