Things that make me happy

So I got in a car accident last night. I wasn't driving, we were coming home from a fundraiser in Scranton in the POURING rain - seriously, like, torrential downpour, nasty lightning, tornado warning, the whole shebang - and we spun around and hit the median a couple times. We didn't hit any other cars though, which was good. And our co-workers (in a separate car) were able to drive me home.

Due to the general crappiness of the week, and particularly last night, I'm posting some links to things that will cheer me (and possibly others) up.

• Hugs - and the story behind them
  
• The Trib-Review getting told
• Cartoons... even if they're um... yeah
  

Whatever happened to Gilmore Girls?

*sigh*

I used to love this show. I don't know what happened, but the Girls just aren't grabbing me as much as they used to. I tend to blame the introduction of April (also known as mini-Rory) and her whole screw-everything-up plotline. I also think Luke and Lorelai were much more fun when they weren't fighting/breaking up all the time. And there used to be a time when I identified with Rory, until her life became less normal high school girl and more soap operatic. (I mean, really, how many guys can one girl have fighting - literally, physically fighting - over her?)

But really, the last two or three seasons have ended with me fading out. I miss an episode, and I feel like I'm behind. Then I miss another episode, and another, and I just don't have the heart to bother getting caught up. It just doesn't pull me in the way it used to. And this season, being Palladinoless, I don't expect much improvement. Apparently, I'm not the only one.

I'll probably keep watching this season. It's the lead-in to Veronica Mars, which is must-see TV. As long as I don't find anything better to do on Tuesdays at 8.

In other TV news, I caught a repeat of the Kidnapped premiere, and had to stop watching after about 10 minutes to prevent myself from jabbing a fork in my eye. Suffice to say, that won't be added to the Tivo... if I had a Tivo... which I don't. *sigh*

Still watching Jericho. That show has more plot holes than, well, something hit by a nuclear bomb, but I like the premise. It is terribly overdramatic at times (like when they couldn't find Mayor Dad... and who didn't know Jake was gonna get to the house in time to save Emily?) but I guess when you may be the only survivors of a nuclear attack, there is a tendency to overreact to things.

I had intended to watch Ugly Betty, which premieres tonight. But, alas, I'm going to Scranton and won't be home until about midnight. And my Tivo-less self forgot to set the VCR. Maybe they'll rerun it or it'll be online or something. I also neglected to set the VCR for either Shark or Six Degrees, but I didn't really like either of them enough to really care.

James News!

I *heart* James Marsters, and so I'm happy he's starring in a new movie with Hilary Swank, P.S. I Love You, based on the book by Cecilia Ahern.

Also, his movie Shadow Puppets is due out soon, I think sometime around Halloween. Spooky!

Jewish? Call Stephen Colbert

I saw this over at Pop Candy: Stephen Colbert gave out a phone number on his show (1-888-OOPS-JEW) so that Jewish viewers could call and ask forgiveness during Rosh Hashanah. Turns out the number actually works, and you can leave a message for Stephen. Here's an article with more details.

My bipartisan good deed for the day

The Swann campaign launched a new attack ad yesterday criticizing the Gov's promise to deliver property tax relief, and while I don't accept the premise of the ad, I have to admit, the execution is pretty funny. It features a cardboard cutout of the Gov... which prompts me to ask, where can I get my own cardboard Eddie?

You can watch the ad on Swann's website, or read an AP piece about the ad.

Who loves puppies more?

Apparently, this is an actual issue in the Maryland Senate race. Now, come on, I know we joke about Dick Cheney eating puppies, but this is ridiculous. From the Reliable Source column in the Post:

The Puppy War -- also known as the Maryland Senate campaign -- is heating up. Republican Michael Steele told us he loves puppies, while cuddling a cute Boston terrier, in a high-profile television ad. Dems backing Ben Cardin countered that Steele might love puppies, but not as much as he loves President Bush . The puppy resurfaced yesterday in a new Steele ad, growling.

Time for the canine truth squad: The dog in the commercials is an actor -- 8-month-old Mr. Moesby , owned by Republican consultant Brad Todd . Steele has a male Siberian husky named Ares -- who, at 3 years old, is hardly a puppy. Cardin doesn't own any dogs at the moment, although his wife swears he loves chocolate Labs and used to have cocker spaniels.

The only Free State candidate with a real puppy at home is Martin O'Malley . Son William , 8, got an Airedale mix named Scout in July.

Just for the record, Ed Rendell loves puppies, although his two dogs have since aged out of that category. We also have a huge portrait of a golden retriever hanging in our office (it's over Brendan's desk, lucky Brendan). It was a gift from one of the Gov's supporters that never quite made it to the Gov, kinda like the bowling ball.

Philly Sports

I'm not exactly a Phillies fan (I really don't care too much about baseball) but this article in the NYTimes caught my eye. Some highlights:

No one is more accustomed to failure than the hard-luck Phillies, who have lost more games than any franchise in any sport — 9,954, by the count of the Elias Sports Bureau.

Seriously? That's kind of a depressing record to have. As is this:

Such is the unrequited love of a sports fan in a city that has gone longer without a major pro title than any other with teams in the four major professional sports.

I'm fairly certain we're just cursed. But this is absolutely hilarious:

At least one fan has been driven to think feloniously.

In January 2005, an irate Phillies fan was convicted of 79 charges related to fraud, identity theft and computer hacking. According to the F.B.I., the fan hacked into computers in seven states, collected e-mail addresses and fired off rants that were supposedly sent from local sportswriters. In court, the fan’s lawyer said his client was obsessive, perhaps even psychotic, but not an intentional lawbreaker. He meant only to say that the Phillies stunk.

Ha.

And this is why I hate the Trib-Review

They're mean. They're vindictive. They're bitter. They're ignorant. Oh, and they also frequently lie, mislead, and spin.

On the other hand, there's a whole slew of articles today detailing the campaign finance reports that were due last week. And guess what they all say? (I'm doing my job.) $13.7m cash on hand, baby.

• Allentown Morning Call
• Philadelphia Inquirer
• Philadelphia Daily News
• Harrisburg Patriot-News
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Take your pick!

Studio 60 rehash

As predicted, this episode was MILES ahead of the pilot. This, my friends, is the Aaron Sorkin I know and love. The dialogue was witty - I laughed out loud more than once ("It has batteries... It's a clock, don't endow the thing with special powers."). There was more of an actual plot this week, which I thought was lacking from the first episode, making it feel like just a set-up. I thought the characters we focused on were well-developed - although I noticed some were neglected, like Timothy Busfield (what is his name? Cal?), but I liked the insight on D.L. Hughley's character and a little more background on the Matt/Harriet thing. I like seeing little Nate Corddry too. (If you didn't know, he got his start on The Daily Show, where big brother Rob Corddry is one of the main correspondents.)

The only thing I have a problem with is Steven Weber as a cutthroat network executive. In my mind, he's just too goofy to be taken seriously as a bad guy. Maybe I'll get over that eventually. The other thing I can't get over is that Bradley Whitford still feels like he's playing Josh (but WHAT is UP with his hair? It's blonder... and somehow manages to be thinner and yet still just as puffy). I don't really buy him as a drug addict. I do love the interactions between him and Matthew Perry. They have a great chemistry that started on The West Wing.

One final thought... C.J. Cregg would have kept a lid on that press conference MUCH better than Jordan and co. managed, although I did get shades of the White House press room when she was bantering with the press.

To sum up, I thought this episode demonstrated that the show has a lot of promise - moreso than was evident in the pilot. I think Aaron Sorkin will keep turning out the wit and keep making us think, even while he's entertaining us.

Bill Clinton: Brilliant or unhinged?

If you pay any attention to politics at all, you know about the former President's interview w/ Fox News' Chris Wallace, in which he got a little, um, angry when asked whether he didn't do enough to find Osama bin Laden while he was in office. There are varying views on whether it was a deliberate performance or an accidental slip where he lost his temper, but this Slate piece explains why it might just be a brilliant strategy. I tend to agree.

Studio 60 update

I found a review of tonight's Studio 60 episode on Ain'tItCool. Sounds like it's better than the pilot. I'm excited.

And now for some politicking

Lots of articles about Lynn Swann today:

• Props to the Rendell Finance Department (that's me) for making it difficult for Swann to win.
  
• Did you know that Swann's name appears on eight Trivial Pursuit game cards? I didn't.
  
• And finally, what I've been saying all along, those attack ads are full of crap.

Also, a hilarious opinion piece on Santorum in the Allentown Morning Call (one of my favorite PA papers).

Wanna be friends with Veronica Mars?

Now you can, on MySpace. (Thanks to Becky for the tip.)

Also, if you're looking for something to read, check out this website, which is to books what Pandora is to music.

TV Update

The first week of TV premieres is over, so I thought I'd share my thoughts on the ones I watched.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (Monday, 10pm, NBC) wasn't quite up to my expectations, which were admittedly pretty high. It seemed like there were too many characters around that didn't get introduced properly. After watching the first episode, I can only remember three people's names - Matt (Matthew Perry, so that one's easy), Danny (Bradley Whitford), and Jordan (Amanda Peet). I can't help comparing it to The West Wing pilot, where the teaser showed each main character receiving the "POTUS in a bicycle accident" message. It was a great way to introduce the characters one at a time, instead of having them all thrown at you at once.

(Another way to sort out your characters is to use the Buffy method - in the pilot, Buffy had just moved to Sunnydale, so everyone and their mother introduced themselves to her about 10 times. It actually gets kind of annoying, but at least you're told everyone's name.)

As far as the plot, it seemed to be mainly a set-up episode, as pilots often are - getting all the players into position for the actual story, which will start next week. It actually reminded me more of Sports Night, because of the "show within a show" angle, which I always felt deserved to be an hour-long show instead of 1/2 hour. I thought Judd Hirsch's career-ending diatribe was a little heavy-handed, and seemed more like Aaron Sorkin expressing his grievances through his characters, as he was wont to do on The West Wing with political issues. Other than that, the dialogue was quick (but not as fast as The West Wing) and witty, making me laugh without punchlines.

To sum up, I'll be giving this one another chance, partially because of my love for Aaron Sorkin and the cast, but also because I felt like this episode was just a primer for what's to come.

On Thursday night, I managed to watch two shows simultaneously, flipping between Shark (10pm, CBS) and Six Degrees (10pm, ABC). It probably says something that I was able to follow both shows while only seeing half of them. Shark was very predictable, but funny in a caustic kind of way. It really seems as though someone said, "Give me House, but with lawyers," and so far, James Woods isn't quite on par.

Six Degrees was an interesting premise, but I really hope the connections get more interesting than "Oh, my gosh, we went to the same concert back in the 80s! Let's be BFFs!" I really wasn't that interested in the characters (but at least I knew all their names, thanks to helpful titles before each one's introductory segment). I'm kind of curious what the deal is with Mae, who she's hiding from and why - although that scene when she was being chased with her baby-sitting charge was frighteningly reminiscent of Kim Bauer. I also liked Whitney, and teehee, there's a character named Laura. But am I the only one that thought it was kinda sketchy to make the only black person in the cast the one who's got lots of gambling debt and is involved in crime? Stereotypical much?

I still haven't decided which of these I'll watch next Thursday. If anyone has a vote one way or the other, let me know!

On Saturday, I also caught the rerun of Jericho (Wednesday, 8pm, CBS), which was actually better than I expected. I started watching it on Wednesday, but turned it off to hang out with Megan instead (and watch the looooongest movie ever... I really think they could have edited that sucker down to about an hour and a half, lol. The movie was The New World, in case you're curious). So I really liked Jericho - it got a little cheesy with the speechifying at the end, but up until then, it was pretty compelling. It's definitely dark, as critics have mentioned, but I like dark. I'm curious whether anything will happen with the two people Jake (Skeet Ulrich) killed in that car accident. Will someone find them and Jake's car, and will he get in trouble? Also, what was up with those escaped criminals? And the dead birds? That was just creepy... One thing I couldn't figure out was why they kept talking about Denver. This is supposed to be Kansas, right? Is Denver seriously the closest big city to Kansas? That can't be right. Whatever... Anyway, I'm kind of hooked - I want to know what happened, if there's anyone alive outside of Jericho, and how badly the townspeople are going to freak out when they figure it out.

Up next week: Ugly Betty, as well as the return of Gilmore Girls.

Creative fun

Kathy in work showed me this fun website where you can create your own Picasso. Good for a little amusement when you have nothing to do at work, or are looking for a distraction from studying.

I've been saying it for years...

This article from TIME finally proposes what we've known all along - homework is bad for you. If only they'd figured that out while I was still in school.

Especially for Kelly...

I found a link to this book on Jane Espenson's website. It's called "Flirting with Pride and Prejudice: Fresh Perspectives on the Original Chick-Literature Masterpiece," and it's a collection of essays about Jane Austen and chick-lit, two things that I know are very dear to Kelly's heart. (And if you buy the book, maybe I'll borrow it.)

I swear I won't be using this...

I found this website on the Philadelphia Inquirer's Blinq blog, where you can send anonymous emails to your coworkers about their bad habits or any other thing you might not be able to say to their faces. Have an annoying coworker? Now you can tell them.

(I of course love all my coworkers and have no need to complain about ANY of them!)

Shout-out to my College Dems

This article was in my morning clips... The F&M College Democrats arranged for Lancaster County Commissioner Molly Henderson to come and say nice things about Gov. Rendell. Pretty snazzy that it got coverage in the Lancaster paper, and people in my office were talking about it. Keep up the good work, guys!

What are you watching?

Well, it's officially fall premiere season - and tonight is the highly-anticipated (by me, as well as probably others) debut of "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." It's the new show from "The West Wing" creator Aaron Sorkin, and stars a whole slew of stars, including the beloved (by me) Bradley Whitford and Matthew Perry. As a fairly obsessive fan of "The West Wing," you better believe I'm looking for this show to become the next "best show on television." No pressure or anything. It's on tonight at 10pm on NBC - I encourage you to watch it. If you like smart, witty, and snappy, Aaron Sorkin usually delivers.

If you're curious, you can find a schedule of all the fall premieres here.

I'm not really looking forward to any other new shows, though I will probably check out Shark, Heroes, The Nine, Six Degrees, Ugly Betty... and this is sounding really ambitious. Yeah, I'll be lucky if I manage to catch one or two of those. I tend to be very dedicated to a small class of shows. Returning shows I plan to stick with: Veronica Mars, Gilmore Girls, 24 (starting in January). Oh, and I am super-excited that 6 Feet Under reruns are gonna be on Bravo, since I've never had HBO. I also made a promise that I'd start watching Lost from the beginning on DVD... but I just have this feeling of dread, because I tried watching it before and couldn't get into it.

Got any suggestions for what to watch this season?

Livin' on a prayer...

So, part of my job involves going to fundraisers. Usually that means rich old guys standing around waiting to stampede the Governor when he shows up (late, naturally). I do get to go to fun places - I've been to the shore twice, I've seen houses the size of my high school, and I even saw the Mummers. But occasionally, it gets slightly more exciting than that.

Friday night was the Spencer fundraiser with Jon Bon Jovi. Jon Bon, along with Craig Spencer, owns the Philadelphia Soul, an indoor football team (which I have to object to on principle, but whatever...), and so they hosted a major event for the Gov. Now, the Spencer house is not to be believed - seriously, I've seen whole towns smaller than that estate. There was - I kid you not - a red carpet leading to the front door. At least 3 people arrived in limos (Bon Jovi was not one of them - he showed up in the biggest SUV I've ever seen), and everyone else drove absurdly expensive cars that I've only heard rumors about. Seriously, valet parking probably didn't even need my ticket stub in order to pick out my piddly little Malibu.

So, Jon was pretty nice... he winked at me and said hi when he came in. He spent most of the evening being attacked by people (they alternated between him and the Gov) and only looked like he was undergoing Chinese water torture about half the time - despite one kind of obnoxious woman who kept trying to get him to agree to an interview for Extra. He did NOT perform, much to our dismay, although we did get to hear a live performance from the guy who played the piano for the Billy Joel musical Movin' Out on Broadway. He was very good, but still kind of a let-down after we expected Jon to sing.

The most disturbing part of the evening was the location of the bar. It was in the pool. (The pool was spectacular, by the way, complete with those jumping fish fountains, where the water comes out their mouths, and a 6-foot Buddha statue.) Yes, the bar was IN THE POOL. In the shallow end, naturally, but it still meant the poor bartenders were wearing shorts and up to their knees in water. Talk about degrading. I almost wanted to apologize. I guess it gives a whole new meaning to the term "wet bar."

The reception was all outside, on a patio that seemed to go on forever, with several levels and winding pathways through bushes and gardens. Then we moved inside (to the piano room) for the musical entertainment and speeches. The Rendell staff all dared each other to break things, just to see what the Spencers would say ("Come on, I dare you to fake trip, and just grab that shelf with all the expensive china as you go down.") but we didn't actually do anything, because hey, we all like our jobs. So then dinner was a private affair for only the most extra-special guests ($25,000 per couple, as opposed to a paltry $5,000 per couple for the reception), and we had the awkward task of shooing out everyone who wasn't staying for dinner. Fun. No, you may not have another drink - why didn't they just cut off the alcohol?

Anyway, that was my brush with fame for last week. I've got two fundraisers this week - one at some guy's house, and the other at a law firm. I don't expect either to be as exciting as Bon Jovi.

P.S. If you're just itching to know more about Bon Jovi "living on a prayer" and being "wanted dead or alive" go here for song facts and meaning of lyrics. Actually, you can do that for anyone, not just Bon Jovi.

My ode to YouTube

YouTube is the greatest thing in the world. Seriously. (And possibly the most distracting thing on the internet.) Those weeks in the summer when I was bored at work, I was on YouTube. Here's a few of my favorites:

• The original unaired Buffy pilot
• Scenes from Veronica Mars set to the Buffy theme song
• Scenes from Veronica Mars, this time set to a Veggie Tales song (I don't know why, but it's hilarious)
• Nobody's Watching, a hilarious sitcom pilot which I think has been picked up by NBC due to its online popularity
• Jack Bauer saying "Damn it" repeatedly on 24 - no wonder there's a drinking game
• Clips from and promos for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, the new series from Aaron Sorkin
• Ok Go - yeah, it's the guys on the treadmills, but come on, it's pretty cool
  

Know of any other good clips? Let me know!

I'd watch it... maybe

I'm not generally a fan of reality TV (except The Mole, man, that was a great show... Anderson Cooper...*sigh*), but I read about this show in the NYTimes (you probably need to register w/ the NYTimes, but it's free, and hey, the Times is cool). Since I am a lover of all things Andrew Lloyd Webber, naturally it piques my interest. It's an American Idol-type show to determine who will play Maria in The Sound of Music when it opens in the West End, with ALW and three judges scoring the contestants, but, as is the way in these democracy-loving nations, viewer voting determines who stays and who goes. It's a British show, airing on the BBC, but apparently they're thinking of doing an American version for the lead in Grease. Hmm...

A few political tidbits

Because, well, it's me, and I'm a political junkie. Both of these are from Tom Ferrick's PoliBlog, which, as soon as I really get the blog set up I will have a link to, because he's one of the blogs I check regularly.

Anyway, this post just got Colin McNickle of the Pittsburgh Trib-Review added to my list. (This would be the list of reporters and news media I strongly dislike. Also on my list: Bill O'Reilly, Tony Phyrillas of the Pottstown Mercury, Tony Romeo of KYW, and, well, the entire Trib-Review staff.) Apparently, Rick Santorum is "too liberal" for Colin's taste. Tom says:

In all my years, I have never ever heard Santorum called liberal, let alone "too liberal."... Other than McNickle does anyone out there think that Santorum is a liberal? And, if so, what would that make Bob Casey Jr. or Arlen Specter? I know one thing, it would make Teddy Kennedy a Maoist.

Yeah, I figure by that standard, I'm quite the communist.

Then there is this, which kinda makes me sad, because Gov. Rendell is trying desperately to convince everyone that this will be his last campaign. I'd like to see him run for President (and not because I'd like to work in the White House... well, not only because of that). But I had to point this post out because Tom uses the word "Knollophobia" - which completely just made my day. For those who don't know, Catherine Baker Knoll, or CBK, occasionally known as "that crackpot old lady," is the Lt. Governor, and God help us all if she ever became Governor. And thus, Knollophobia - "the nagging fear that Rendell will depart for Washington in mid-term and that Catherine Baker Knoll will become governor of Pennsylvania."

Let's see how long this lasts

So I decided to start a blog. I figure it's easier than emailing people links to all the crazy things I come across that I just feel compelled to share.

I had a livejournal, once upon a time... when I studied abroad, so that everyone at home could keep track of my travels and adventures. My life is nowhere near as interesting as it was then, but who knows? Maybe I'll be entertaining.