Counting down...

...till I get out of here. Spent most of the weekend packing, although it feels like I spent it on a Stairmaster. Sheesh, you'd think I'd be in better shape for hauling 3 loads of laundry up and down 10 flights of steps. (Note to self: Never do laundry when elevators are out of service.) I also managed to get stuck in the elevator, which was my main reason for taking the stairs, so that was a lot of fun.

Anyway, the increasingly negative and false statements from the McCain campaign are generating more buzz. They're also generating more humor, as is Sarah Palin.

But I know what we really care about is what Kristen Bell's up to on Heroes. In other TV news, I watched Fringe last night, and I'd say it won me over enough that I'll be disappointed to miss the next three episodes. My teenage crush on Josh Jackson has apparently not gone anywhere, particularly as he was spouting some of the best lines in the episode. But God, a 2 hour premiere seems long, even with limited commercial interruptions. I noticed that with the Bones premiere, too.

So, I counted it up, and I'm going to be missing approximately 15 hours of television while I'm away. Dude, that's a lot of television. Okay, it's like 5 hours a week, which is one hour per weekday, which doesn't seem like a lot. But wow, I wish I had Tivo.

Now for the fun stuff

Interviews with Neil Patrick Harris and Carter Bays on HIMYM! More on Dollhouse! Chuck's new season! And Katee Sackhoff's new show!

Friday politics

Did anyone watch Sarah Palin's interview with Charlie Gibson? Didn't think so. Well, you can read about it here. Very interesting, and not just because I was hoping she'd get schooled by Charlie.

In other news, the McCain campaign is being disgusting with their smear campaign, including a ridiculously misleading ad on education. Meanwhile, Gail Collins tells us not to worry, and Maureen Dowd has some questions of her own for Palin.

I'm just trying to acclimate you...

...to not having frequent updates, as I'll be away for much of the next three weeks.

But because I've been lazy the past week, I've got a shitload of pop culturey links for today. (See? I'm giving you a break from the politics.) Okay, I think lists are the way to go here.

Casting news: The Battlestar Galactica movie posts an updated cast list, including Admiral Adama and most of the Cylons, How I Met Your Mother's got a sister for Stella, and Chuck's Sarah is getting a dad played by Gary Cole (not to be confused with Gary Coleman, who just hit someone with his truck).

Shows that have been temporarily shut down and/or retooled: 24, Dirty Sexy Money, and Dollhouse, which might be causing some concern.

Interviews: John Slattery and Jon Hamm (both of Mad Men), as well as Amy Ryan and Paul Lieberstein on The Office.

And finally, a preview for 24: Exile and a review of Fringe, which I totally meant to watch on Tuesday except I was out drinking, but there's an encore on Sunday night, so I'll try to catch that.

Boom

I have a lot of news emails to go through, and several days worth of blog-surfing to do, and about 45 minutes until I go home. But I've had a headache for days now, and I just don't feel like doing it, so instead, I bring you this daily dose of randomness:

There's a big underground science experiment (which sounds an awful lot like the Superconducting Super Collider, known to me only thanks to Sam Seaborn and The West Wing), and there's a very small chance (scientific term: "baloney") that it could suck the Earth into a black hole. So what do concerned citizens do? They sue. I love people.

I can't follow directions

So, instead of forwarding this email I got from Megan, I'm just posting it here.

Four, Four, Four, Four...

A) Four places that I go to over and over: Work, Downtown Deli, Zembie's, and Strawberry Square

B) Four people who e-mail me (regularly): my mother, my boss, Danielle, and Patti

C) Four of my favorite places to eat: Zembie's, the Firehouse, my mom's kitchen, and Barone's

D) Four places I would rather be right now: already on vacation, London, my bed, or the beach

Comment with your own answers if you so choose.

I love Joe Biden

That's all.

ugh

Okay, I did go out last night. But I didn't drink anything. So how come it feels like I got hit in the head with a baseball bat, and I might possibly throw up? It's not fair. I shouldn't get hangovers from drinking Diet Coke.

Since I wasn't home, I didn't watch McCain's speech at the RNC. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to write about it. (Oh, stop whining.) Apparently, he called for an end to "partisan rancor." Well, he could start with the speakers who preceded him at his own convention. Seriously, the Democrats were saying things about McCain like "he's a good friend" and "he served his country" - and the Republicans rip Obama a new one, mainly by making shit up. I guess McCain wasn't paying attention.

Also in the "ridiculous shit" category, the observations that the Republicans are trying to act like they're the opposition party. Uh, I know you've spent the whole convention pretending Bush doesn't exist, but you do remember that he's in your party, right? And that he's been, y'know, President for the past eight years?

And then there's the "Democrats look down their noses at regular people" argument. Can someone explain to me when going to an Ivy League school became a BAD thing? And really, should the guy who can't remember how many houses he owns and a party that thinks the economy is doing just fine really be talking about who's more in touch with regular people?

It's also nice to know I'm not the only one who noticed that the RNC is almost entirely white.

Good lord

I really shouldn't watch the Republican Convention. It does terrible things to my blood pressure. But I watched it anyway, because of the unbearable curiosity about what Sarah Palin would say. Unfortunately, I turned the TV on too early, and managed to catch Rudy Giuliani ranting and raving like a lunatic before Palin came on. I can only echo this columnist: "If you’re going to be really mean for an extended period of time, it’s better if you don’t look as if you want to lunge for the throat of the cameramen."

I'm also astounded (although I really shouldn't be at this point) at the blatant falsehoods that the Republicans throw around. I haven't found a good fact-checking of last night's speeches (which had me ranting via IM to Kelly, who couldn't care less), but I did find this report on Lieberman and Fred Thompson.

And finally, just pointing out that no one has mentioned the economy this week. Because it's fine. What kind of fairy land does the GOP live in?

Mini-post

Not much to say today, just wanted to post a couple links: David Boreanaz answers 17 Pop-Culture Questions with his usual dry humor and complete disregard for the network talking points, and an article about the guys behind Psych. Also, a reminder that the two-hour season premiere of Bones is tonight at 8. London!

Last political post... for today, at least

Still sifting through my email news alerts, and it's still all about Palin. Like, for instance, whether or not a mother of five (including an infant with Down syndrome) can possibly juggle the responsibilities of VP and parenting. It's an interesting question, because the knee-jerk feminist response is why should a woman be prevented from holding a job - any job - because she's supposed to stay home and take care of her family? But the more I think about it, there are very few Presidents (or VPs) in recent history that have had small children, particularly as many as Palin, or one with a disability. I don't want to say that she shouldn't be VP because of her parenting responsibilities (because hey, maybe her husband's willing to do all the parenting, or she can be super-mom and balance it all), but I certainly don't blame people for judging her and finding her priorities to be skewed (we are talking about a woman who went back to work three days after giving birth to a Down syndrome baby).

Also causing a stir is the announcement yesterday that Palin's 17-year-old, unmarried daughter is pregnant. I would think this would be a black mark on her conservative credentials, if her own daughter doesn't adhere to her beliefs. I do get Obama's "families are off-limits" line, and I mostly agree. But when a politician's family life contradicts their policy positions, you have to raise your eyebrows. But mostly, I just feel bad for the kid that now her teenaged screw-up is all over national television.

Interestingly, the McCain campaign insists that nothing that's been revealed over the past few days is a surprise to them, and Palin was fully vetted beforehand. I'm not sure if that makes it better or worse.

Every weekend should be three days long

Hope everyone enjoyed their Labor Day weekend. My parents came up to visit, mostly because they wanted to see Chelsea (they've only seen her twice, and haven't spent more than a few hours with her at a time). My mom was incredibly jealous that my cat is way friendlier than her cat.

While they were here, we went to Kipona - an annual arts festival/Native American pow-wow type thing that takes place along the river and on City Island. I'll admit, the pow-wow wasn't nearly as cool as the one I went to on the reservation in South Dakota, but still fun, and I got a comparable sunburn, and we still ate way too much food (Mom: "If I ever suggest we get a bloomin' onion again, tell me no.").

I also took my parents to Zembie's, which is like Cheers, where my friends and I walk in and everyone knows us, and the waitress knows what we're going to order before we even sit down. It's "our" place, so I was all excited and hoping that my parents would like it, which they did. My dad was mostly pleased because it's a sports bar, and they turned on the Nascar race when I asked them to. :) We also ran into Ben and Cat there, which was nice, since my parents haven't seen Ben since graduation.

Anyway, while I've been busy all weekend, the news has been all about Sarah Palin. The women are not impressed, and the experience debate has gone crazy. This week is, of course, the Republican National Convention, but I promise not to post as much about it as the DNC. Just a well-placed rant or two should suffice.