New episodes?

Either by happenstance, or frugal planning, several of our TV shows will be airing new episodes in the next two weeks (my TiVo subscription list lets me know these things). Tonight and next week, we get fresh ER (though this season has kind of sucked ... any port in a storm, I guess). Looks like we'll also be getting teen-oriented shows "Kyle XY" and "One Tree Hill". And ... "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles"

I sympathize with the writers 100%. There's plenty of stuff on television to entertain us, if we are truly bored. Also, we are big into movies. I keep hoping that as viewership drops off that the sponsors will pressure the studios to negotiate. As production companies find new ways to make a buck off their shows, why shouldn't the writers (the actual creative forces behind most shows) get a share from the new venues?

Rock on folks!

Shut up and drive

I ventured out this afternoon, after our latest minor snow storm, to run some errands. The sun had cleared the frost off most of my neighbors' car windows, though I had diligently cleaned my car earlier in the day. While stopped at a traffic light I noticed a car stopped coming from the other direction. The driver had scraped less than a third of the frost from her windshield. After the light changed, I took a quick glance towards the passing driving to see what someone that dumb looks like. I received further proof that you should never underestimate the power of human stupidity. The car was being driven by a twenty-something woman who was gabbing away on her cell phone as she pulled away from the traffic light (with less than one third visibility out her windshield).

Where, or where, are the police when you want them?

Well, I'll take solice in the fact that, according to a recently published study, she was probablydriving slower than the rest of the cars on the road.

Death TV

With the current writers' strike, perhaps this idea will catch on in the United States. Germany's new network, Etos TV, is devoted to death and old age, the brainchild of the country's Association of Funeral Directors. In a country where nearly 800,000 people die every year, and by 2020 a third of the population will be retired, perhaps the group saw the opportunity to cater to an underserved market.

The programming will include obituaries that celebrate the lives of the recently deceased, as well as informational pieces on services related to aging and death.

Maybe AARP ought to considering sponsoring such a channel here in the U.S.?

This year's celebration and time for resolutions

On New Year's Day, we enjoy the last of our holiday food splurging. This year, we bought steamed lobsters. B got three one and a half to two pound crustaceans. The boys cut through theirs quickly. I started with the tough to reach enjoyment of the small legs and worked my way through all that to the tail and claws. It was wonderful. I actually ended up full, which almost never happens when eating a lobster. My salad is still sitting on the dining room table for whenever, if ever, I catch a second wind this evening. I also made dinner rolls, from scratch (you know ... with yeast and flour). I'm sure I've put on three to five pounds in the last week. Tomorrow, the payback begins!

While part of me finds New Year's resolutions to be trite and pointless, I am in the mood for some 'life improvement'. The following is my list of good intentions for the New Year:

• Apply for a passport (No, I've never had one; and, my brother is moving to Paris for three years. So, now is the time.)
  
• Write in my actual paper journal every day, even if the entry is perfunctory.
  
• Eat yogurt every day.
  
• Give up white (fiber-less/processed) carbohydrates.
  
• Make every other day a near-vegan day (yogurt being the only animal product allowed).
  
• Don't shovel snow unless there is no one else in the house and it is critical for you to go out.
  

And here's the toughest one of all:

• Be kinder to myself. (I am my biggest critic.)
  

Let's see how long it takes me to break down on these.

Anyone else giving into the tradition of making a list of annoying directives governing one's own behavior?

Happy New Year, and wake me when it's spring

Tonight we attended our annual family event: The Manchester Monarchs (AHL) home game and indoor fireworks show. This year's Monarchs team kind of stink, but they made it close before thy lost it in the last 10 seconds of the game. The post-game show was well wroth the wait, and the price of admission.

I heard this evening that there is a good chance of snow tomorrow evening. We're supposed to get another 2-4 inches. This is on top of the 4-6 inches that we got last night, and the 2+ FEET we've already gotten in the month of December.

We moved to New England to escape the heat of the mid-Atlantic. I have been a pretty good sport about the cold and snow. However, this year's snow is just totally out of scope.

I would like to lodge a protest, please. Maybe there is an Office of Weather Management, that needs to be audited by the GAO for poor performance. Ask Colorado.