Very Good TV

Now on to the good stuff...

Shows I love

How I Met Your Mother, CBS - Monday 8 PM - I've talked about this show once and I have no problem talking about it again. This show reminds me of Friends, before it got stale and before all the men on the show became completely emasculated. Basically you have this guy named Ted and how he met his future wife, as told in the future by Ted to his 2 kids. It's a great premise, and leaves you wondering who this future wife is... this season they gave a hint and I can't wait to see what else will happen. The cast of this show is also great and the comedy and the one liners are hilarious. The people on this show actually feel like buddies you might have at a bar or hang out with once or more a week. Always a good sign when looking for a likable show.


Lost, ABC - This show is not on right now, but that doesn't mean I can't write about how much I like it. I actually prefer this faux reality show over the reality show that it's based on (Survivor). The mystery and the clues to this mystery seem to be reason enough for me to watch, but now I'm going to be afraid to go on a plane in that part of the world. A friend of mine can't stand how the guys always have a constant 5 o'clock shadow instead of a stringy ugly beard, but I don't notice that. I notice the magical numbers, the polar bear, the voices, and healing powers of the island. I also like how everyone looks so clean and pretty and that might annoy some people, but I just like it and I really want to know what happens to this group of stranded survivors in the South Pacific.


Family Guy, FOX, Sunday 9 PM - A couple weeks ago, Family Guy had it's season premiere and they made an hour long episode in homage to Star Wars Episode 4. This is why I watch this show. I love pop culture. I'm in tune to what is going on in entertainment and this show rewards you with non-sequitor pop culture references throughout the episodes. Things from the Kool-Aid man to Grey Poupon to a remade music video remake of "Take On Me" by A-Ha done in the sketch art. Funny, doesn't begin to describe how good this show is. But it's not everyone's cup of tea. However, this show was brought back from the dead by all of its adoring fans, which says a hell of a lot.


It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, FX, Thursday 10 PM - Imagine if you were watching Seinfeld, except the Elaine character in the group would try and seduce and convince a priest to leave the church who she also knew had a crush on her, the Jerry character has a gigantic ego and thought he could manipulate anyone to do what he wanted while waxing poetic about wanting to be a veterinarian, the George character wanted to be sexually molested by his grade school PE teacher so he could feel better about himself, and the Kramer character couldn't read or write, is completely dishonest, and faked having cancer so he could sleep with a waitress. Then you would have "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia". This show is horrible yet I keep watching because I can't believe they get away with showing this on TV. I feel like such a bad person.


Scrubs, NBC, Thursday 9:30 PM - This is entering its last season, and it's one of my favorites. Unlike the other medical shows out there, this show doesn't take itself way too seriously. It's a comedy and has its fair share of non-sequitor moments like Family Guy. But this show also has a lot of heart. They also deal with real issues that you and I might deal with (off and on relationships, dating in the workplace, marriage, having children, dealing with a horrible boss, dealing with death, and one's career)... not what you would expect from a comedy show that takes place in a hospital, huh? The main character is currently riding my last nerve, but I still find this show good for a laugh.


Anthony Bourdain No Reservations, Travel Channel, Monday 10 PM - This was my new favorite show this summer. Especially since I haven't been traveling anywhere, this show serves as an excellent escape to far away places that I hope to visit someday. The show stars the ever sarcastic, hating on Food Network chef, Anthony Bourdain, author of a book called Kitchen Confidential which I really need to read one of these days. He has a great approach towards travel and experiencing other cultures. If you are given something to eat that someone made for you, you eat it graciously and ask for seconds. If you don't like what you were served, you eat it graciously and ask for seconds. To say something like that is easy. To actually follow through with it... is something else entirely. This guy did manage to eat wart-hog anus prepared by natives in Namibia but in a rare display of defiance, refused to eat a mayonnaise cake in South Carolina. He's my hero, and going on a tangent... I found a video of him explaining cricket. He's so cool.


Pushing Daisies, ABC, Wednesday 8 PM - This show premieres tonight and I must say, you have to watch it. If anything for the cinematography, the artistic direction, the lush colors, and the feel of utter fantasy as you watch it. It's reminds me of Wonderfalls which coincidently, one of the creators of Wonderfalls helped create Pushing Daisies as well. Pushing Daisies is the story of a man who can bring anything to life with the touch of his finger. I can't say any more because it would ruin it for you... but if you crave sexual tension between characters on a TV show... you've seen nothing yet. Please watch the preview and watch the show... it's pure magic... in an Amelie kind of way.


The Office (US Version), NBC, Thursday 9 PM - Last but most certainly not least, is my favorite TV show. Now some people think this show sucks because it was a British import chopped to bits and regurgitated into the US version, but I find no problem with it at all. In fact I enjoy this version more than the British version. Sometimes Americans do things a little differently than the British and that's a good thing. So sometimes I need my jokes spelled out a little more obviously, and the drama to be a little more over the top. If it wasn't like that, then I really wouldn't find it so hilariously funny at times. Working in an office is something many people do and I'm surprised no one thought of this premise as an idea for a TV show. One memorable moment included role playing various ethnicities in the workplace for some HR training thing, and the African American guy was randomly chosen to be Black. Oh and they didn't know what they were... these ethnicities were written on pieces of paper and taped to their forehead. Comedy gold I tell you...

I especially love the interaction of the two characters above, Jim and Pam. Until this season, their admiration and flirting with each other was somewhat subtle and only obvious to the camera/audience. This year began a whole new stage of their relationship in the open that I'm afraid will wipe away the magic of before. I often wonder what happens when you get something you want.... like what eventually happens. I guess we will all find out soon enough.

LeeZy

P.S. The baseball bet ended somewhat dramatically in an 11-11 tie. My guy won his last 2 games. He doesn't suck that much after all... so yes... no softball game for now.

P.P.S I just found out today, another show I loved from 1999 is being brought back... watch the original pilot (starting from part 2/5) on youtube. What can I say, this show struck a cord with me.

Bad TV

So begins another TV season and a bunch new and old shows are out to get hooked on.... again

I get enough crap about how much TV I watch, so I've decided to only watch one new show this year... more on that next time...

(speaking on the guy who gives me crap on that, the baseball bet has gotten a little closer and this could end in a tie... stay tuned)

So today, I'd like to talk about some shows that I really disdain... I mean I really do and there's a good reason. Next time, I'll talk about my favorite shows. Onto the crap...

Shows I disdain


24 - This show was innovative, exciting, and on the edge of your seat entertainment... but many of the things that made the show great, no longer are present on the show now. Plus I don't know why Jack Bauer never seems to go to the bathroom, or stop to eat something... The plots are formulaic and predictable, and I don't like how they treat middle eastern ethnicities or the Chinese for that matter. It has become so cliche it's not even funny (especially with the fear in the media today) From what I read, the new season is supposed to be more personal and gripping. Whatever... just make sure Kiefer stops drinking himself silly.


The Real World - This show genre was the pioneer in reality show programming... before Survivor was ever a twinkle in Mark Burnett's eye, this show kicked major ass. There was the first season in New York, there was the season in San Francisco and it's focus on AIDS and HIV and becoming familiar with someone on TV who had it. It was truly revolutionary. It was thought provoking. It was a breath of fresh air. But now? Sex. Fighting. Sex. Fighting. Nudity. Promiscuity. More Nudity. Fighting. Crying. Semi transparent/Opaque shower doors. Sex in the shower. Oh and they are in an exotic locale which is really superfluous because the house really looks the same every year. I don't know when this show took its nose dive into everything raunchy. But I have a problem with people who whore themselves out for attention. I see that enough in real life, and don't need it in my TV show viewing. In general, I really am starting to disdain reality TV that doesn't involve food and competition.


Grey's Anatomy - This show is by far the most tired, boring, unimaginative piece of crap I've seen in some time. I was sucked in because many people at work love it. And when I say people, I mean the women, and one guy who really should stop watching it but has to because his wife does. Anyway, I watched it long ago and then stopped for 2 seasons or so. The women would talk about it and I didn't know what they were talking about, so I started to watch it again and lucky for me, I got to watch one of the worst seasons. You know a show is bad, when the main character is in a life threatening situation plot and about to die, and you kinda hope she does. Another thing I hate is the dialogue and it bears repeating what I saw 1 minute last night when the two off again - on again characters where about to break up again. This is how it sorta went...

McDreamy: So we are breaking up...
McMeredith: We are breaking up...
McDreamy: We are breaking up...
McMeredith: We are breaking up...

I'm sorry, can someone please put them out of their misery? I turned the channel and to my dismay this morning when I wanted to know what happened after that?... It was breakup sex. (but I'm sure the stimulating pillow talk was great as well) I'm sorry but if you still like this show... aren't you tired of the run around? This couple is light years behind the 'tug on heart strings' nature of Ross and Rachel, or even Pam and Jim (more on those two in the shows I like blog entry). These two are not at all likable and this is why the show failed with me. In addition, I've never seen such bad acting, bad story telling, bad dialogue, and just bad characters on a supposedly popular TV show.


Desperate Housewives - Now for those people who can't take the intellectual complexities of a hospital on Grey's Anatomy. Never fear. Because there's another show on ABC that will entertain you with the use of fewer brain cells. That show is Desperate Housewives. Granted, I've only watched like 3 episodes (if that many), so this is based on a small sample size. But honestly, if you watch any more than that... I think you might need to go to a doctor (preferably not one from Seattle Grace on Grey's Anatomy). Know what the problem with this show is? Name one actress from this show. Did you say Eva Longoria? There in lies the problem. For a good show, the first person mentioned varies. That's a sign of a great ensemble cast. Eva Longoria is a good actress, but so are Felicity Huffman, Teri Hatcher, Nicolette Sheridan, and my favorite Marcia Cross. But it seems that I only can recall Eva Longoria... or maybe it's because I follow basketball and she's always watching her husband Tony Parker play all the time. Anyway, it's a slippery slope when your show is only about one person... case in point.

Show with an ensemble cast


Show all about one guy

That's not a good thing.

And from the files of, I liked this show when it was on the first time... I really hated that it was pulled off the air and now it's back as a horrible clone...


Moonlight - whatever... you are just filler for small headed, big haired Jennifer Love Hewitt's show. I much preferred ...



Angel - Now that's a vampire show...

The last show I want to bring up, isn't really a show, but really a person. A person that has been force fed down our throats, burned into our retinas, and made to believe is a talented cook... Oh yes my friends, you definitely know where I am going with this... the queen of Yum-O herself.


Rachael Ray - Yeah, not much I can say about her...

Except that I really don't understand how she has like 3-5 shows on TV. She doesn't know how to tip on that one show. She cooks meals in 30 minutes on that other show, which I wouldn't want to eat in the first place. She tries to act like she's much younger than she is with phrases like "Yum-O" which only makes her look pathetic and not sexy and definitely not cute. I could write an essay on why Rachael Ray is bad but it could be worse...


...A LOT WORSE.

Next time... shows I just love.

LeeZy

Coddling

By now, you might have seen the famous video of Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy yell at Oklahoman newspaper sports reporter Jenni Carlson. If not... here it is...

Basically, Ms. Carlson wrote an article on why the star quarterback to the football team was benched when he was probably the best player on the team. Ms. Carlson appears to be a legit sports reporter for the Oklahoman and has a blog where she writes down her thoughts about the Oklahoma State football team. The article in question... (wait... have you read the article yet?) is what caused the football coach to blow up and get all upset about the media (or namely, Ms. Carlson) who verbally attacked a harmless, good kid.

Kid huh? Let's look up his stats... born December 1985... that would make him 21 years old. Yeah, whatever... he's a football player... legal drinking age... adult in the eyes of the law... I'm sure he can take the criticism... it's called character building, it's called building your personal resolve, it's called getting thick skinned, it's called growing up!

So if one has read the article, one will read that Ms. Carlson made a bunch of comments (from observations or other sources) that sheds some light on why everyone is defending Bobby Reid, the football player that got clowned in the article.


It's pretty funny stuff. Not only has the coach reacted like Will Ferrell which is comedy gold (in a youtube video that will be the most viewed video this week), but the article is hilarious... I mean the guy is still being fed by his mother.

Yes, you read that right... here's a quote:

" Bobby Reid stood near the team charters last Friday night, using his cell phone, eating his boxed meal. It would've been normal post-game activity but for one thing. His mother was feeding him chicken."

I certainly hope he washed down that chicken with a nice glass of his mother's breast milk... oh what am I saying... I'm sure he still gets it straight from the source... the fresher the better.


Now I understand that coach Mike Gundy doesn't want to have the confidence of quarterback Bobby Reid, shrivel up to the size of a lima bean, or worse, a chicken drumette. The person is young and this is his future and everything... but if what was said, is true... this is freaking hilarious... a grown man (yes you can be a grown man at 21), still being fed by his mom... you were asking for it... fear the bloggers!


That's what's missing from the coverage of this article, the response, and the youtube video goodness.

I just needed to say that... okay... as you were...

Here comes the airplane....
it's doing a loop the loop.....
weee!!!! ...
it's flying and now it's diving....
up and down... side to side...
oh oh...
it needs to land....
I think someone needs to open up the hangar...

Now that's mommy's good boy... yes he is... he's the most special quarterback in the world...

LeeZy

Think you can steal my @#$%!& and sell it?

30 years per felony x 7 felonies = locked up for a long long time.... It's about time...

Oh OJ... you stupid, stupid man... but I guess if you did steal all that memorabilia, it was because you loved it so much right? What? You're sorry? You want to give it back...?

I read this morning that this is comparable to Hitler being acquitted of all the heinous crimes he committed, but then being busted later for running a red light and thrown in jail for the rest of his life. Firstly, this is not the same as Hitler and I don't even know where to start about how that's not the same. But the end result is what is satisfying to me. There's audio tapes of him false imprisoning people, shouting orders... it shows that side we all suspected, the one that is able to brutally murder 2 people in cold blood and then think he did nothing wrong, or completely forget the whole incident altogether.

Well anyway, I hope this time, the trial is not going to be a media whore's wet dream... but I somehow doubt it. This guy isn't available to represent OJ (God rest his soul)...


But I bet this guy is...


But good luck with that armed robbery thing... I'm sure you'll find a way out of it... you can blame it on other people like Michael Vick... oh wait... that didn't end up well either. Oh well...

Memo to the prosecution: Please avoid the previously racist cops who might not have the best history... Personally I'd prefer you hire this investigator out of Las Vegas...


LeeZy

Those that labored through Labor Day

Hello... hope you all had a good Labor Day weekend.

Today, I'm going to pontificate about sports people who had bad weekends... because there are certainly people who didn't have great weekends or had weekends that could have been better. I mean really... why was anyone working hard over this weekend? It's Labor Day. Oh whatever.


1) Michigan fans

To put into perspective how shameful Michigan's loss to Appalachian State was this weekend at home, I must put it into a comparison to other sports and English sports. It's like 2006 Minor League AAA champion baseball team Tucson beating the Tigers in Detroit. It's like Hamburg (champions of NFL Europa, a sub-tiered football league) beat the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans. But to best describe how egregious this loss was, let me use an English Premier League reference...

It's like Sunderland beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last year before Sunderland ascended to the Premier League.

Top level college football teams schedule these cupcake, mickey mouse type games early in the season, to give their team a guaranteed win, perhaps show some charity to those lower level teams... but rarely has it come back and kick a team squarely in the crotch like this... Unbelievable... at least some teams play in a decent match-up their first game out.


2) Reche Caldwell

He got cut from the New England Patriots this weekend... I think he's still bugging out from January's football game.

3) Maria Sharapova

It's sucks to lose... but it also sucks when your father/coach/control freak, decides to leave before you even finish your match, in which you are losing in the last set... in quite a horrific fashion... good parenting Yuri Sharapova... and good coaching... way to give the impression to your daughter to never give up...

I must admit though... it was a brutal match... but it was your daughter who had to scream, yell, and grunt through that long, hard, exhausting, climatic set... (eat your heart out Danielle Steele)


At least we got to see what she wears during the day as opposed to night... the above picture is her red evening outfit if she was still in the tournament...

4) Notre Dame

Could you at least decide on a quarterback? Do you know what this horrible team is missing... this guy as coach.... again ... I like to think the fans of Notre Dame are as delusional as this guy.

5) Me because of a stupid baseball bet I made...

So back in April, before this baseball season started... I was offered this seemingly harmless bet. Which pitcher would have the most wins... a top guy who just signed for 7 years, 130+ million dollars, or some guy off the scrap heap who was washed up in every sense of the word. A number one pitcher versus a number five pitcher. The loser would have to organize a softball game that I have been known to organize in the past.

How could I lose? I mean really... even though I thought that expensive baseball pitcher sucked, he would surely get more wins than the number 5 guy who eats at In N Out Burger twice a day. Come on!

my guy

the other guy (Mr. Double Double)

So I took up the bet where I bet Barry Zito, #1 pitcher of your San Francisco Giants would have more wins by the end of the season than Russ Ortiz, #5 pitcher of your San Francisco Giants. And even if there was a tie, I would lose, because it's shameful to draw on a technicality when I'm trying to prove even if some guy is overrated, he would at the very least do better than the #5 pitcher.

It seems my friend would be trying to win on some kind of loophole, like wins in AAA baseball or relief appearances... but that was the least of my worries. I like trying to make things as fair as possible and as interesting as possible... to my detriment.

After May 3 (5 games each), the standings were as follows...
Zito 2 wins
Ortiz 2 wins

Not good, Zito didn't start very well and Ortiz was performing better than expected... but then the first monkey wrench was thrown in. Ortiz had to go on the disabled list... So we were at an impasse. I didn't want the bet to end and it was not going to be very interesting for all parties if we just stopped right then and there.... After deliberating for about a month... and seeing how this new rookie was performing for the Giants, I would let my friend use the player who was taking Ortiz's place in the pitching rotation while the other guy was out on injury.... that guy was Tim Lincecum.

the new guy

I was being generous... I didn't want the bet to die... it made me happy to hear him complain about the Giants and I needed a way for him to stay interested. Ortiz eventually came back to pitch but in relief, but my damage had already been done... or so I thought.

After June 5 (13 games each), standings were as follows...
Zito 6 wins
Ortiz/Lincecum 4 wins

At the time, my friend was thinking he could just forget Ortiz and use Lincecum instead, which would have made the standings closer, but it was all about Ortiz vs Zito, to be fair.

What would be fair was to have Ortiz play for the entire season instead of get hurt for the 2nd time on June 5th. So we reverted back to Lincecum for Ortiz instead while he was out.

Ortiz didn't come back until August, but the damage was already done... and thoughts of organizing a softball game would soon haunt me... again. The standings were tied.

After August 7 (24 games each), standings were as follows...
Zito 8 wins
Ortiz/Lincecum 8 wins

So once again, this seems fair... the original bet conditions were on... who would win most before the end of the season... do or die... winner take all... this is Spartaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sorry]

I did fairly well... Zito had 1 win and Ortiz didn't have any... I was pretty happy...

After August 22 (27 games each), standings were as follows...

Zito 9 wins
Ortiz/Lincecum 8 wins

So what would ruin this good run? Save my friend from regretting this horrible choice in a bet? Why that would be a season ending injury to his pitcher... He pretty much conceded the whole thing... he was done... but we went this far... why not just see what happens... his point was made though... Ortiz was better than I thought... or the #5 guy was better than I thought. I think we might just end up sharing this bet 50/50 because there were so many things wrong and unfortunate with the timing of the injuries...

So to extend the bet, to see what happens... I let my friend... actually convinced my friend to take a very favorable scenario... he would take the pitcher that replaced Ortiz... another guy by the name of Kevin Correia who was fresh from lack of work this season.

the last guy (lifeline)

[by the way, if you know nothing about baseball, or find baseball boring, but you are still reading this to see if there's going to be a softball game... I applaud you... but this bet isn't over yet... check back in a month]

It seems that I may have pressed my luck... because now I'm finally losing...

After September 4 (29 games each), standings were as follows...

Zito 9 wins
Ortiz/Lincecum/Correia 10 wins

and with one month to go... I give up... granted that now I feel like giving up because I'm losing... but this bet seems to be flawed ever since the original guy got hurt... I'm more than willing to share hosting/organizing duties for this softball game if the margin of victory stays the same... What do you think? Vote in the poll and help us decide. I think I should be given a lifeline because I threw him 2 or was that 3 lifelines?

Or as he suggested, we could decide this at the batting cages...


So yeah... bad sports weekend for me... this is starting to suck big time.

LeeZy

Shred Nugent

A small note to the blog readers out there today...

Read this article... it's about this Air Guitar performer who goes by the name of Shred Nugent, but some of you know him as Kurt Brown. I hope I sprinkled a bit more celebrity on top of what he already has.

Enjoy!

LeeZy

A New Approach

Hello everyone,

A little new approach to my blog... I'm going to include the links that i find very interesting on the side under the appropriately named "LeeZy's shared items". What will be missing because I'm doing this, is my commentary or witty (I would hope) remarks about these links. But what is added is when I see something funny or interesting, I can just make it instantly shareable and voila, it instantly appears on this page.

For the main meat of this blog, I will save it for when I have something interesting to say, something to preach about from my little soapbox... essentially something important enough for me to bring up. I hope this will make for a more interesting blog to read.

And of course if I do a bunch more Simpsons faces... I'll include those pictures as well.

By the way, watch the Simpsons Movie... it's that good.

LeeZy

My Friend's Wedding

This is a picture from one of my favorite shows, "How I Met Your Mother"... it's about good friends, who pal around with each other, care about each other, worry about each other, and more importantly, hang around with each other. That's what good friends do after all. In fact, one character in the show Barney (portrayed wonderfully by Neil Patrick Harris), traveled across the country after suffering through months and months of seeing his friend Marshall in a severe state of depression. Now why was he did he go cross country? Was it because he couldn't stand his friend anymore? Was he just selfish and wanted to go on a vacation to get away from his friend? Nope... It was to see Marshall's ex-girlfriend, to tell her that she and Marshall belonged together, and that she would never find anyone else better, and she should go back home and be with Marshall. That is what a friend is... though he might not show that side of him all the time... THAT is what a friend is deep down.

I really love that show. Added plus... another character Robin, she's really pretty. She's the one on the left.


A little off subject but anyway... so today, I'm going to say a few words about my friend who's getting married this weekend.

In my opinion, my friend and I were pretty close. You might get a different opinion from her now, but there was a time when I would be worried sick about her. Whether she was going to have a job, whether or not I would have to say good-bye to her because she couldn't stay in this country without a job. Things like that. I'm sure she also worried about me and the constant laundry list of problems I deal with it on a daily basis. So based on these examples, I think we were pretty close. If we were worrying about each other, by definition, we were probably pretty close friends.

But now, probably not so much anymore. We used to have breakfast every workday morning and chit chat about random stuff. But those morning chats disappeared and then stopped happening. One day while sitting in the lunchroom/kitchen at work, some guy who usually doesn't talk to me, asked me this one simple question...

"So where's your breakfast buddy?"

Ahh... if it was so simple to answer, everything would make a little more sense.

But such is life, people drift apart, meet new people and go on living their lives. But these are usually people I leave behind when I change jobs, they change jobs, or move away.... not when I still see them on a constant basis in the hallways. That's what saddens me the most. I kind of figured that I would be watching my friend get married in a ceremony around here, and be happy for her, or at the very least see what she looks like in a wedding dress. But it's her wedding I have no reason to bitch and moan. Hopefully I'll see pictures someday.

Don't get me wrong. I am still very happy for my friend, her marriage, her new husband, and glad it's all happening. But now unfortunately, it has the feel of getting a phone call from an old classmate who say that they heard that a college friend got married a few weeks ago. I could not describe it any better than that.

So I offer my congratulations, raise a glass, look in someone's eyes (because you know what happens if you don't look someone in the eye during a toast) and say, "Cheers!"

May they live wonderful lives together happily for a long long time.

LeeZy

Epilogue: 24 hours before my friend gets married, she instant messages me and we have a very brief chat of what she just did, and how she has 24 hours to go until she is a "Mrs". I asked if she was doing OK and if her brain has turned to mush from all the planning. She said everything was fine, brain is not mush, but she also wishes she was there a little bit longer. But she is perfectly fine.

So with that being said, I no longer feel like I'm just hearing about a college friend get married as second hand information. It's amazing what a little communication will do. But for the purposes of telling the story, I won't delete anything from above and you can read, how it happens... It's how I felt at the time. Cheers!

Don't spoil the "Harry" Ending

Please don't tell me what happens.

Granted I started getting into the Harry Potter books late in the game. When the first movie was coming out, I was a little startled by the fanfare and attention it was getting. When the new 5th book came out, people were rushing to get it and read it within a day just to wait another 2-3 years for the next one.

And if it wasn't for other circumstances... I'd probably get it and read it right away so someone doesn't spoil the ending for me as well.

But I'm not going to read it just yet. And I'll tell you why.

There are many sagas and stories that have been completed in my time that I couldn't wait to find out the ending to. The first big one was Star Wars. When the prequels started coming out, I really wanted to know how it all ended ... or how it all ended before it began before it ended .... uh... yeah... just wanted to know what happened. So we waited and episode 1 came out.

[thud]

and then episode 2 came out...

[splat]

and then we waited for the improbable episode 3 to come out...

[eh]

What the hell was I waiting for again? Granted I shouldn't be comparing Star Wars to Harry Potter... but the concept is the same. Everyone wants to know how it all ends. Does Harry die? Does Harry live? Does Harry declare his feelings for Ron? Does Harry kill Ron because he really loves Hermione? Does Hermione seduce Harry in some scene at the end because it is revealed that she was a spy all along...?


Does Voldemort reveal that he's really Harry's father all along? (I'm going to find this blog entry very interesting later after I read the book).

Regardless of what happens... I would really like to enjoy this book and read it at a very leisurely rate because this is the last book. Nothing more after this. And I will undoubtedly wish there was more after I finish reading this, especially if I rush through it just to find out what happens at the end. I will also take pleasure having people know that I'm still experiencing the magic of the books while they already went through it and have nothing else to look forward to (maybe to read it again?... true... but nothing like your first time right?)

Life is really wasted on finding the answers to things and never about the journey. This is a moral that is not new to the ordinary person. But is always forgotten when it could be specifically applied in reality. I am not the biggest fan of Harry Potter and not there from the very beginning... but I am going to enjoy reading this book. I am not going to rush through it in 5 days and miss something. Like a fine elegant meal or a long walk on the beach at sunset or well... you know... you need to savor the moments. Because there's nothing more after this. So enjoy it.

Or someone can spoil it before I read it in a few months.... Harrumph!

LeeZy

Epilogue (July 26, Noon): Since JK Rowling has updated the end of her book with a news story concerning any final questions and answers people might have... I have a little prologue myself to my blog from yesterday.

The morning after I posted this blog entry, I was awoken by my clock radio alarm. It was like any other weekday morning. It went off at 6 AM. I could barely hear what was on the radio except that it was my favorite morning radio show. It's something a little less jarring than the "beep beep beep" sound and allows me about an hour to fully awake before I brush my teeth and get to work.

Today apparently they did something really funny and annoying... to me.... inadvertently. At about 6:45 AM or so, they warned people that they were going to do some Harry Potter spoiler bit using ringtones and whatnot... and if anyone didn't want to hear the spoilers from the book... to please turn off the radio for 5 minutes or so... they warned the listening audience many times. Which is fine... and respectable...

Except for me who was half awake, in bed, trying to get a few more minutes of slumber and not really paying attention to what they were saying. So imagine my surprise when (I'm not going to be writing out any spoilers) I heard the sound of

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[office phone ring]

Attention!!!

Harry [insert Harry Potter spoiler]

[office phone ring]

Attention!!!

Another Harry Potter character [insert Harry Potter spoiler]

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It took about 5 different ring tones for me to realize that what they were playing was something I really shouldn't be listening to...

Chances are, my subconscious heard every last bit of the ringtones and fully knows what happens in the book. My full conscious mind, remembers 2 or 3 things said, but I'm not too pleased to be researching ways if the machine in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is actually real so I can take out this morning's memory.

Needless to say, I'm grumpy right now... :(

More Animated Heads

Today.... some links and more heads that I created.... from that Simpsonize me website...

Very soon... I'll get sick of this... but for now.... it's just too cool. Have a great weekend.

Links

The very best commercial... I've seen... this month... featuring Skittles.

Let's think of the worst possible scenario for a football video game... First we have to have OJ Simpson in it... let's see... what team would he play for.... how about "The Assassins"... yeah... that's perfect... now what would their mascot be?.... how about Death himself... and what would Death do after he scores a touchdown?....

It's all about the journey... and everything does sound better with an English accent.

Hey... did you know there is a Simpsons movie coming out? Matt Groening was on the Daily show the other day promoting it... talking about how they make fun of FOX News... and on separate notes... here's the chainsaw gag... and the spiderpig gag from the movie...

Google Earth... would be very bad... if it was actually real time or date specific or dependable... a fictional story...

Let me tell you something.... I'm already an angry American before watching this video about the government....

Do you know what a monopoly is? Does the FTC?


Isn't the microwave fun? (thanks to Cory for the link!)

Now onto the Simpsons faces...

LeeZy