7.18.2002

Hiatus

You'll all have to live without the insightful commentary and hilarity that is thisigina.com for the next two weeks. I'm leaving tomorrow morning at the crack of dawn for Maine, and I won't be back in town until Sunday, August 3. Posts should resume sometime soon thereafter.

Have a good 2 weeks, everyone. Try not to miss me too much ;).

Yodel-ay-ee-oo!

...it looks as though "Connie Chung Tonight" is well on its way to becoming CNN's first breakout comedy hit."

I was scowling after reading the list of Emmy nominations, but this put a smile on my face: A small Vermont town puts out a male nudie calendar, with proceeds to go to charity.

WARNING: There is a photo!

Emmy Schmemmy

The list is out. While I'm happy for some of my other favorites ("24", "Six Feet Under" and the ubiquitous "The West Wing"), I am astonished that Buffy's "Once More With Feeling" was virtually ignored, receiving only one nomination, for Outstanding Musical Direction. Here are the nominations for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer":

Outstanding Hairstyling for a Series
Outstanding Makeup for a Series (Non-Prosthetic)
Outstanding Makeup for a Series (Prosthetic)
Outstanding Music Direction (for "Once More With Feeling")
I fear that "Buffy", and creator Joss Whedon, will never get the recognition they deserve.


Damn, it's hotter than Dick's hatband out there. Makes packing for my trip that much more enjoyable.

7.16.2002

Tom Shales' review of Robin Williams HBO show. I agree with him on all counts, and the "frantic account of how and why a sadistic Scotsman invented golf" was one of my favorite parts. I think I'll tape it on Thursday night so I can share with the rest of the crowd in Maine.

My birthday card from Hannah and Zachary. Note the "Happy Birthday" sign, balloons, birthday cake, and me.



7.15.2002

Dude! Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp! Awesome.

(thanks, usr/bin/girl)

I saw an ad on HBO last night for the season premiere of The Sopranos -- September 15. It's been so long since the end of last season, I'm going to have to pull out my tapes to catch up. David Chase has said that the focus of the new season will be Tony and Carmela's marriage.. I'm very excited about that. The show was always at its best when it stuck to Tony and the women in his life.

Speaking of HBO, we caught the live Robin Williams show last night. Make every effort to see this - it's worth it.

*yawn*

Good morning. Monday. The start of another week. Or in my case, just the day after yesterday, and the one before tomorrow.

I'm feeling sort of oogy this morning. I had a great deal of trouble falling asleep last night; the last time I looked at the clock it ws 4:00 A.M., and I was still awake for a while after that. I would still be sleeping now, but our landlord called at 7:50 A.M. to let us know that her son and his friend would be coming by to water seal the deck. They arrived a few minutes later and I helped to take all the furniture, plants, etc. out of their way. And I warned them about the bees.

Anyway, after less than 4 hours of sleep I feel hungover, but denied the good time that usually makes the hangover worth it. And since I had a real hangover yesterday, I kind of wanted to feel better today.

I hope you all had a good weekend. My birthday sort of extended into Saturday, which was nice. Sheila and I drove out to Rhode Island to spend the day with Mary, the kids, and our mother. Traffic was atrocious, so we didn't get back here until 8:00 P.M., which gave us just about an hour before we had to freshen up and head out to Anna Liffey's for some live music and birthday beer.

Now I find myself getting ready for my vacation - 2 weeks up at our house in Maine. The first week, Marty and I will have the place to ourselves; then the rest of the gang arrives on the 26/27th, including my brother Tommy, two of his friends, Sheila, Mary, Craig and the kids. Packed house! I'm really looking forward to it, though. I need a break from all of this rest and relaxation.

7.11.2002

Who knew they really lived in hedges?

ROR!

OK, I found what I want for my birthday! LOL!

"A cat stuck for weeks inside the wall of a home after getting caught up in a remodeling project has been found and reunited with its owners."

On this day...

The front page of The New York Times, July 11, 1979.

Aaron Burr fatally shoots Alexander Hamilton, July 11, 1804. (link only good today)

The U.S. Marine Corps was created by an act of the U.S. Congress on July 11, 1798.

"Mama Told Me Not To Come", by Three Dog Night, hits No. 1 on July 11, 1970.

The Coca-Cola Company announced that it would be returning Classic Coke to shelves on July 11, 1985, after the debacle that was New Coke.

Born on this day: John Quincy Adams, Giorgio Armani, Robert Bruce, Yul Brynner, Tab Hunter, Leon Spinks, Sela Ward, E. B. White and...

me!

(thanks, historychannel.com)

7.09.2002

Oh, to be a kid again!

New 'do

Alright, you asked for it.



Gee, this guy makes me look like a baby. Show off.

7.08.2002

Invisibles!

OK, how about something a little less depressing? Some Filmwise fun for you:

Invisibles #82 - 5 out of 8
Invisibles #83 - 5 out of 8

I'm nothing if not consistent!


"While grieving parents have long shared pictures of their stillborn babies in support groups, and have recently created virtual memorials to their lost children on the Internet, doctoring the images and publicly exhibiting them is a relatively new phenomenon."

This really bothers me for some reason. I do not pretend to be able to fathom the intense grief that accompanies the arrival a stillborn child, and I cannot say that I would not do the same if I were in their position; but taking a photo of the dead baby, digitally enhancing it and placing it on your mantle is, in my opinion, borderline morbid. I don't judge the poor souls who do this, but I have to wonder how healthy it is for them. I don't know.

"NET!"

"The two Afghan officials said that American commanders had since told them that they had had information that Mullah Omar and one of his top commanders, Mullah Bradar, were in the village of Kakrak, which lies less than five miles from Mr. Rahim's base in Deh Rawud.

How outrageous. Our forces suspect that Taliban leader Mullah Omar is hiding out in a village so what do we do? Do we run some kind of surveillance, verify that he is there? Do we detain anyone, ask anyone questions? No. We obliterate the village and 48 of its residents. Outrageous.

registration required

7.07.2002

I went to the mall yesterday, and as I approached Waterbury, where the mall is located, I couldn't believe how hazy the sky had become. It was a relatively cool day, and the haze that hung around the hills made it look like a scorcher of a day. When I got out of my car in the mall parking lot, I could smell burning wood and I thought to myself, "Ah, there must be a brushfire somehwere nearby." Little did I know that the fire wasn't "nearby" - it was in Canada!

7.06.2002

Dominick Dunne always gets his man. (top story)

It's nice to have new episodes of a favorite show in the middle of summer. Farscape was pre-empted last night, however, for a Twilight Zone marathon. New episodes continue next Friday, the 12th, though, and I found a great site for those newcomers who are looking to catch up on the action: The Tourist's Guide to the Uncharted Territories (TGUT). I've been having a blast reading Kiki and Perri's episode reviews for the first season - a fun way to re-live those early episodes since I have none on tape. If you have a chance, make time to visit TGUT - it's a beautiful site, well-planned, stripped of unnecessary content and possessed of a good sense of humor.

Hunt...Peck...Ramble

My left index finger is still swollen and my hand is still a bit sore, so typing will be kept to a minimum in today's posts.

It's the second beautiful day in a row here in the Northeast after a brutal heat wave. I people are able to get out an enjoy the day! I will most likely get my hair cut today at the mall. I'm gonna go pretty short this time, I think.

I suppose a shower would be a good way to start the day...

"They tried to blame David Dauphinee's then-girlfriend, Diane Bartlett, for the fruit and vegetable barrage, but a physiotherapist testified she was too petite to throw the oranges and onions that far. At the trial, Bartlett referred to the brothers as "Dumb and Dumber" and "the Gruesome Two-some." "

Blogger was wonky for the past 24 hours or so, but things seem to be working now.

7.05.2002

O U C H



I wait two weeks before I finally get my lazy ass to take down the lights that we strung around the deck for the party, and what do I get for all of my trouble? Stung on both hands by some bees I apparently pissed off. Bees suck.

7.03.2002

God's fireworks.



"But in fact, the whole notion of watching TV on the Fourth of July is -- well, I wouldn't go so far as to say unpatriotic, but at the very least it's off-putting...This should be a time when we appreciate the country by talking about it amongst ourselves, engaging, perhaps, in some spirited debate, or just going outside somewhere and looking at a real-life fireworks display, with other citizens all around us."
Entertainment Weekly's TV critic Ken Tucker tells us what not to watch for a change. I agree with Ken - I'm a TV junkie, but even I manage to stay away from it on this holiday. Which leads me to tell you that I'll be going to a party at a friend's tonight, and then to Rhode Island for the day tomorrow.

Have a Happy Fourth, everyone. Celebrate your freedom and your good fortune in being born a citizen of a nation in which VH1 would be willing to offer the likes of Liza Minelli and her husband David Gest their own Osbournes-like reality show.

Ironic

"Balloonist Steve Fossett was forced to spend an extra night in the air on Wednesday as the winds that helped him become the first person to fly solo around the world bedeviled the final stage of his voyage."

I do wish him well, even as I'm grinning at the irony of it all.


7.02.2002

"Man speared in head survives."

Hey! You sunk my Battleship!

(thanks, fark)

Try to imagine what he'd look like without makeup.

My stapler...

Anyone besides me see the movie Office Space? Remember Milton and his highly coveted stapler?

Eh-excuse me...you - eh - I believe you have my stapler?

Check out this Wall Street Journal article about the marketing impact that movie has made in the interest of Swingline and the development of its new bright red stapler.

(Those people at VirtualStapler.com kinda scare me, though.)

(thanks, tvbarn, for the WSJ article)



Marty Update

Himself went to see the doctor yesterday to have his limp checked. Of course, he was not limping at all yesterday (and still nothing today), and he had no reaction whatsoever as the doctor pushed, pulled, prodded, poked and squeezed him. So, there were no x-rays yesterday. If the problem recurs and persists, he'll go back to have some pictures taken.

Marty says thanks for asking :).

FINALLY. Jesus.



Ooooo.

Anyone else miss Doggett as much as I do? It's weird, but I think I miss him more than Mulder and Scully. That's probably because I know we will see them again, whereas we have likely seen the last of Agent Doggett. If you need a Robert Patrick fix and you already have the Buffy musical on tape, you can watch The Outer Limits on SciFi tonight at 8:00 P.M. He's featured in tonight's episode, "The Light Brigade": "Five astronauts attempt to save humanity from destruction."



In case you missed it the first time around, or were unable to get it on tape, or just want to see what all the fuss was about, Buffy: The Musical ("Once More With Feeling") is airing again tonight, at 8:00 P.M. on UPN.

7.01.2002

Here's another quiz, and this one comes to you, once again, via the wonderful snarkcake:




Which Willy Wonka character are you?

E!Online has a quiz, Who Do You Do?, that tells something about you based on which celebrity you would choose to "do". Mine:

"Jack Kerouac...Like most great lovers and all great poets, you know it's the soul that matters most...Your dream mate is waiting for you in a coffeehouse somewhere, or perhaps in a therapist's office trying to come to terms with sexuality."
Oh, goodie.

(thanks, snarkcake)
Bored

Watch as me and Marty play with the webcam.

hi!

MartyLovin'

Little Marty will be going to the Vet's this afternoon for some x-rays, so wish him luck. He's been limping on and off for the past few days, favoring his right front leg. He'll be absolutley fine one minute, and the next he'll yelp and hold his leg up. I hope it's nothing too serious.

Great Scott!

"We're dressing the piece in clothes that will make it more entertaining and more accessible to a 2003 audience," said David Madden, who heads Fox TV Studio's made-for-TV unit, Fox TV Pictures.

They just don't get it, do they?

Remember that lawsuit brought by the Italian-American Defense Association against The Sopranos (hell, does anyone remember The Sopranos??) Well, it's been dropped.

Ain't she gorgeous!

Crikey! I missed Croc Week. Oh well, there's still the movie, though, and a funny Q&A with Steve from the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Best exchange:

Q: In the movie, you wipe "croc poo" off your hand onto your shirt. Was it real poo?

A: It was a mixture. I collected real crocodile poo. We beefed it up with artificial poo-like substances. It's a real strong smell, mate.