My Thoughts…

 If anyone cares to read my thoughts…

The best show on t.v. is…..your favorite!  Who am I to say that Grey’s Anatomy or Glee is the best on the tube this year?  I’m not.  I’m just a huge fan of television shows, and I probably need to find another hobby.  But I love television shows and love to talk about them.  So for the 10 readers of this blog, I want to share my thoughts of the new television shows that occupy my DVR.

Back in September (and yes, it has been more than a MONTH since my last post.  Apologies to all 10 of you), I made my picks and predictions for new shows that I would bring into my life.  I have FINALLY made it through all of them and have made my decisions.  Here they are by night and time (all times Central).

Monday

The Event (8 p.m. on NBC).  As much as I had hoped for Dr. Carrie Weaver (Laura Innes) to come back to my television, I really didn’t like this show.  It has a great cast, and the concept is interesting, but in the first two episodes, there wasn’t a big enough hook to keep me.  Plus, everything was so confusing.  It would have been more helpful to have a great revelation to clue us in on what was happening, and then feed us little tidbits each week to help us figure it out.  I know it has something to do with aliens and a plane that mysteriously disappears from the sky and crashes in the desert, but that’s about all I could figure out.

Mike & Molly (8:30 p.m. on CBS).  It’s adorable.  It’s funny.  It’s cute.  It’s sweet.  It’s going to have to significantly decrease the fat jokes, or it’s going to lose me.  I am cheering for this little show, because it has the potential to be good, but it is starting to seem like vast majority of the jokes are making fun of Mike because he is a large dude; the rest of the jokes are Molly making fun of herself and her size.  I don’t get offended by fat jokes, but there really should be some more humor other than that…otherwise I think this show may get cancelled.  For now I still like it, but I have let several episodes linger on the DVR, which sometimes isn’t a good sign.

Hawaii Five-O (9 p.m. on CBS).  Yes!  Love it!!  Great show, great actors (and attractive, I might add), great story line, great action, and GREAT shots of Hawaii.  The only thing I don’t like about this show is that it really makes me want to take another vacation to Hawaii, which is not in the budget.  I did not have high expectations for this show, but I must say, it by far exceeded what I thought I would see.

Chase (9 p.m. on NBC).  This is a good show. I liked the show, but it wasn’t a show for me.  As stated in previous posts, I’m not a big cop show person.  A few shows had to give, so I “chased” it off my DVR (hahaha!).  If you like cop shows, however, this one might interest you.

Tuesday

Raising Hope is the funniest show on television.

Raising Hope (8 p.m. on FOX).  Oh how I LOVE LOVE LOVE this show.  In one week, it catapulted into the coveted Number 3 place in my top five shows.  This show is hysterical!! 

The story is about Jimmy.  A sweet 20-something that lives with his parents and works for his dad’s landscaping company.  His family is white trash and I love it!  One night on a trip out for ice cream, Jimmy meets a lovely young lady, yada yada yada, and she’s pregnant.  Come to find out, she’s a serial killer.  She gets caught, goes to prison and is executed.  Jimmy gets the baby, Princess Beyonce.

With the help of his mom (played by Martha Plimpton), dad (don’t know who he is) and senile MaMaw (played by Cloris Leachman), the entire family raises the baby, whose name was changed to Hope.

I belly laugh at least once a minute while watching this show, and Scott even LOLs at it too.  Go back and watch the old episodes on Hulu, and add this one to your list of favorite shows!

Wednesday

Better With You (7:30 on ABC).  Very funny show.  Very well done.  It’s a keeper.  The story is about two sisters and their parents.  The younger sister, Mia, is recently engaged after only a few weeks of dating.  The older sister has been with her boyfriend for nine years.  The parents have been together for more than 30 years.  The show takes us through the differences in relationships when they’re at different stages.  Add it.  You’ll LOL.

The Whole Truth (9 p.m. on ABC).  Like Dr. Weaver, I really wanted Dr. Abbie Lockhart to return to my television set.  Alas, that is not going to happen.  Although interesting, this show just didn’t resonate with me.  It’s very similar to Law & Order.  Plus, I already have one lawyer show in my life (The Good Wife) and there just isn’t room for another.

Thursday

My Generation—CANCELLED.  We were actually getting into the show, but ABC killed that idea for us.

Friday

Blue Bloods (9 p.m. on CBS).  I like the show a lot.  I don’t love it yet.  However, Tom Selleck and Donny Wahlberg give plenty of reasons to love it.  It’s a nice show about a New York, Catholic family whose family business is law enforcement.  It has a good crime/detective story each week, and there is also a mysterious twist.  For now it stays, but there are four episodes in the DVR collecting dust. 

Farewell, Event, Chase, The Whole Truth and My Generation.  You made a nice effort.  And best wishes to Mike & Molly.  I’m rootin’ for ya, but you need to step it up!

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

Actually, I meant to say favorite shows, but Rogers and Hammerstein did not write a song about favorite television programming, so let’s improvise!  There are a handful of shows that I insist upon watching the night they air.  I look forward to the show every week, and love to talk about them with my friends. 

Drum roll, please.

Although I love the housewives, I just don't love
 it enough to put it in the top five

Honorable mention:  Desperate Housewives, The Middle, Cougar Town, and The Big Bang Theory.  I absolutely love each of these shows, but I’m just not as obsessed with them as the top five.  Don’t get me wrong, I would be devastated if any of these shows were to be cancelled (and I fear Housewives may soon be on ABC’s chopping block), but I’m just not as dedicated to them as I am to the top shows, and I may let them stack up for two or three weeks in the DVR before I get to them.

5^th favorite show:  The Good Wife  (Tuesday at 9 on CBS)—I am so happy that some of my favorite ER actors are finding work these days. Carrie Weaver has a gig on NBC, Abbie Lockhart is now a lawyer on ABC, Clooney is…well, he’s still hot, and  Julianna Margulies (a.k.a. Carol Hathaway) plays Alicia Florreck, The Good Wife.  The show began with Alicia standing by her man, played by Chris Noth (a.k.a. Mr. Big), as he fesses up to embezzlement and an affair.  He goes to jail, she goes to work.  The show is basically about life and how people deal with the big issues that life throws our way.  It’s a really good show.  There is always an interesting lawyer case, and Alicia, who had been a stay-at-home mom for more than a decade, is showing off her mad lawyer skillzzz.  Highly recommend it.

4^th favorite show:  How I Met Your Mother (Monday at 7 on CBS)—This show is legen-wait for it-dary! I truly feel like I am friends with Ted, Robin, Marshall, Lilly and Barney.  I want to hang out with them, and knowing that I will see them at the end of the day makes Mondays bearable.  I must say, I’m anxious to see how Ted actually does meet the mother, but I’m content to hang out with the gang for now. Suit up!

3^rd favorite show:  Modern Family (Wednesday at 8 on ABC)—This show is absolutely hysterical.  I love every character, even the kids.  I love the story line.  I love everything about this show!!!  I find myself belly-laughing several times in every show.  In its second season, the show is off to a great start, snagging several Primetime Emmys just before Premier Week. If you don’t watch this show, you’re missing out. 

2nd and 1st favorite shows: Call me spineless, a wimp, a pushover, whatever you want to say, but I just cannot pick a favorite between these two.  I love the drama, but I love the music, I love the story, but I love the comedy, I love the medicine, but I love the high school drama.  It’s comparing apples to oranges, and I simply will not choose a favorite between these two shows.  The winner of my favorite show is a tie between Glee and Grey’s Anatomy.  They both get first place!

Sue Sylvester is my favorite character.

Glee (Tuesday at 7 on FOX)—In a word, brilliant.  This show is so well done, and so well thought out.  Glee combines a perfect mix of great music, dancing, story line, and high school angst.  The characters are well developed, we like the people, and we are cheering for the glee club kids to gain acceptance into high school life.  Like most of America, Sue Sylvester ("I'm gonna make it a habit to not stop and talk to students because this has been a colossal waste of my time") is my favorite character, followed closely by Kurt ("I'm so depressed I've worn the same outfit twice this week"), followed by Brittany ("I don't brush my teeth. I rinse my mouth out with soda after I eat. I was pretty sure Dr Pepper was a dentist").

This season, the show debuts a new football coach…a lady football coach, which should add another level of comedy ("Female football coach, like a male nurse? Sin against nature"—Sue Sylvester).  After all the hype, I had high expectations for the Brittany Spears episode, but was a little disappointed.  I wanted to see more Brittany! But maybe there was a reason for this, as Sue Sylvester so wisely pointed out, “Don't let your own recklessness blind you to the fact that Britney Spears is a genius pop culture provocateur and a gateway drug to every out of control impulse ever created.”

Glee is my favorite show and I can’t wait for Tuesday to get here!  

Although I miss Dr. George O'Malley, Grey's is still my fave!

Grey’s Anatomy (Thursday at 8 on ABC)—Wait a second, Grey’s is my favorite show!  Again, I can’t decide.

For those of you fair weather wimps who couldn’t stick it out through the Grey’s dry spell, Grey’s is back and it’s awesome!  I must admit, I was growing a bit frustrated in the last seasons.  The stories seemed to drag a bit, and I may have let an episode or two slide, waiting until Friday to watch.  I’m still a little blue about the death of Dr. George O’Malley. 

HOWEVER, last season’s finale was two hours of edge-of-your-seat drama and creativity.  I’m sure everyone knows by now—and if I’m telling you something before the show, then you need to keep up better—but several of the Mercy West folks were shot on last season’s finale.  Derrick and Alex both got shot, but they’re okay now.  For about two hours, I really thought we had seen the end of Alex.  The show is brilliant, and the seventh season is off to a great start so far. I am, however, disgusted at ABC for not allowing the season premier to be two hours long.  What's up with that, ABC??

If you have drifted away from Grey’s it’s time to drift back.  Do it for George.

So those are my favorite shows.  I also like rain drops on roses, whiskers on kittens, brown paper packages tied up with string...

And now you will be singing show tunes for the rest of the day.

My DVR List

On the eve of Premier Week, we found it both appropriate and exciting to review the shows that are about to be recorded.  If I do not answer e-mails or telephone calls in a timely manner, please forgive me.  This is the most exciting week of the year for us.

Monday

Barney, Robin, Ted, Lily
& Marshall, I have
missed you!

7 p.m. How I Met Your Mother (CBS)

8 p.m. The Event (NBC)*

8:30 p.m. Mike & Molly (CBS)*

9 p.m. Hawaii Five-0 (CBS)*

9 p.m. Chase (NBC)*

Tuesday

7 p.m.  Glee (FOX)

8 p.m.  Raising Hope (FOX)*

9 p.m. The Good Wife  (CBS)—does not premier until next week.

Wednesday

7 p.m. The Middle (ABC)

7 p.m. Survivor (CBS)+ - This is Scotty’s deal, not mine. 

7:30 p.m. Better With You (ABC)*

8 p.m. Modern Family (ABC)

8:30 p.m. Cougar Town (ABC)

9 p.m. The Whole Truth (ABC)*

Thursday

For three months, I
have worried about
Dr. Shepherd's gunshot
wound recovery.

7 p.m. Big Bang Theory (CBS)+

7 p.m. My Generation (ABC)*

8 p.m. Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)

8 p.m. The Office (NBC)

9 p.m. Jersey Shore (MTV)

Friday

8 p.m. Body of Proof (ABC)*
9 p.m. 20/20 (ABC)

9 p.m. Blue Bloods (CBS)*

Sunday

8 a.m. CBS Sunday Morning (CBS)

7 p.m. Amazing Race (CBS)—I have kind of given up on this one, but Scott still likes it.

7 p.m. The Simpsons (FOX)—Mostly for Scotty, but every now and then, Bart and Homer are hard to beat.

8 p.m. Desperate Housewives (ABC)

9 p.m. Over the Limit (TRU)—This show is funny!  It’s about cops that arrest drunk people.

9 p.m. Undercover Boss (CBS)—Again, a Scotty show. 

* Denotes new show

+ Denotes new time or night

We also record all episodes of Chelsea Lately, Kendra, Deadliest Catch, and The Closer.  And people think we need a kid.

NBC Fall Lineup

We are exactly one week away from Premier Week!  I am so excited for quality television!  No offense to Snookie, JWoww and The Situation, but I have had enough reality television for one summer (even though I secretly love The Jersey Shore and can’t get enough of it!)

My last installment of new show picks brings us to NBC.  The Peacock Network has been a slump lately, and I’m not so sure that 2010 is its comeback year. A sidenote to NBC’s web masters:  Thank you for organizing your shows by night and time instead of alphabetically.  It’s like you read my mind.

Here are my picks and pans by night and time:

The Event  (Monday at 8)—Although I can’t tell you exactly what the show is about, I am picking it.  There’s some sort of government cover up and an attempt to assassinate the president.  And Blair Underwood is the president.  I think its mysteriousness is why I’m interested.  It almost has a Lost feel to it…you’ll have to watch every week to figure it out.  Also, Dr. Carrie Weaver (Laura Innes) from ER is in this show, and I have missed her, and I want to support her career.  During her time off from ER, her leg must have miraculously healed. 

Chase (Monday at 9)—I’m interested for several reasons:  1) it’s set in Texas and I enjoy to see how Hollywood will stereotype us; 2) Jesse Metcalf is in it, and if you will remember, he played John the high school gardener that Gabby was, um, seeing, in Desperate Housewives; and 3) and most important, that creepy dude from Nip/Tuck that has all the tattoos was in the preview.

Jerry Bruckheimer is the producer of Chase, and usually his shows do very well.  Kelli Giddish, a relative newcomer, is the main character, and from the previews, it appears that she over-acts a bit.  This show makes the cut, but only on a trial basis.  Three weeks to hook me, otherwise, DELETE!

Undercovers (Wednesday at 7)—Meh.

Law and Order:  Los Angeles (Wednesday at 9)—I’m not even going to watch the preview, because it won’t matter.  All Law and Orders are successful.  I don’t watch any of them, but I know that they’re good, so I expect this one will be too.

Outsourced (Thursday at 8:30)—Fun idea, but I’m not feeling it.  An American call center outsources its employees to India, and sends their one remaining American employee overseas to manage it.  You might give it a chance, but my Thursdays are full already, and I have enough comedies in my life.

School Pride (Friday at 7, doesn’t premier until October 15)—Think Extreme Makeover:  Home Edition, but for schools.  Communities come together to renovate run-down schools.  It’s a nice idea and will probably be a really good show, but it’s not my kind of show.  Give it a shot if you’re looking for something that’s positive and family-oriented.

Outlaw (Friday at 9)—Every time I tried to watch the preview for this show, the internet crashed or some other issue arose, so automatically I had a bad attitude.  I’m not a big lawyer show person, but this one looks really good, and so does Jimmy Smits, although he has some huge bags under his eyes in some shots..  Smits plays a Supreme Court justice that steps down to go into private practice.  I’m interested in this one, so I’m going to watch it online a few times before I’ll give it a full DVR commitment.

So here is my NBC lineup, including existing shows:

Sunday—Nothin’

Monday—The Event at 8 and The Chase at 9

Tuesday—Nothin’.  Although I am now a Jillian Michaels fan (her e-mail fitness tips are great!), I just can't watch two whole hours of her yelling at people.

Wednesday—Nothin’

Thursday—The Office at 8.  That's it. Wow.  And to think that my Thursdays were once completely dedicated to NBC.  I miss Friends. And ER. And Seinfeld. And Just Shoot Me...anyone remember that show? I liked it.

Friday—If Outlaw pans out, I may add it, but at the moment, my Fridays are free.  Maybe Scotty will take me to the movies.  I think adding another show to the DVR is more likely.

FOX Fall Lineup

Dear FOX Network:

Like CBS, your website is difficult to navigate. Additionally, when you’re trying to create buzz around the shows that you invested money in and need to garner ratings so that you can gain and keep advertisers, you should have those glaring on the homepage, instead of placing a two-color link to “2010-11 FOX Schedule” at the bottom of the page. Please see what ABC does.

Love,

Dr. Irlbeck

Putting all annoyances aside, FOX has some interesting new shows in the fall lineup.  Here are my picks and pans for the new shows by night and time:

Lone Star is the new Dallas.
And I still want Lucy's hair.

Lone Star (Monday at 8)—Anyone remember Dallas? I sure do.  Oh, how I longed to be Pamela Ewing and have my own swimming pool and work at a cool department store in downtown Dallas, all while having my own horses out back that I could ride when I got off work! I also wanted to be just like Lucy Ewing and have long blond hair and get to invite my friends over for pool parties. Well, Lone Star is the new Dallas, only sleazier.  The show is about big oil in Texas and follows a father and son who are ruthless. 

The show has some heavy hitters in the cast…starting with Jon Voight.  Brangelina’s baby granddaddy isn’t the main character, but as in all of his movies, he has that “I’m gonna kill ya just by lookin at ya” look in his eyes.  David Keith plays the mean dad.  You have seen him before, but it’s hard to pinpoint where.  His list of guest-starring roles is extensive on IMDB.

The difference between this show and Dallas is that the dad is mean and tries to get his son to be mean.  Jock Ewing would never be mean; Miss Ellie would have left him. He left that up to his ruthless son, J.R., who many people think looks like my dad.  I never thought so.

Anyhoo, I’m interested in this show, but I already have five seasons of Dallas DVDs sitting on a shelf collecting dust.  I think with this one, I’m going to watch it online during my lunch break before I make a full DVR commitment.  I’ll let you know what I think.

This show looks hilarious.
Add it to your DVR.

Raising Hope (Tuesday at 8)—This show follows my new favorite show, Glee, so FOX better bring their A game if a brand new show is going to follow the television genius of Glee. From what I can tell, FOX brung it.

Raising Hope looks hysterical.  I was laughing out loud during the preview. The show is the story of a single dad trying to raise a newborn and he has no idea what he’s doing.  He doesn’t have a stroller yet, so he wheels the baby around in a used shopping cart.  He pukes on the baby when she has her first dirty diaper.  It’s funny! Martha Plimpton plays the mom/new grandma and I have been a fan of hers since The Goonies.  Cloris Leachman plays the grandma/great grandma and appears to be senile.  Looks great! Give it a shot.

Rumning Wilde (Tuesday at 8:30)—FOX’s website won’t play this video.  Bad move, FOX!  Your failure just created an automatic NO!

The Good Guys (Friday at 8)—This show started airing this summer, but FOX is trying to pawn it off as a new show.  Nice try.  I’m not adding it.

So that’s it.  Fox has some other shows listed on its website that will start in January:  Bob’s Burgers, Masterchef, Mixed Signals, Ride-Along, and Terra Nova.  They’re available to preview, but I’m not a huge FOX fan, and really don’t care.  I’ll get around to it in January.  

CBS Fall Lineup

This fall, I was planning to make a lifestyle change.  I had been thinking and praying about it for some time, and was at peace with my decision.

Goodbye, Melinda Gordon

I had decided to delete The Ghost Whisperer from my DVR.  This was a very difficult decision, but after having a collection of eight episodes from the spring backlogged in my DVR in JULY, I think it was clear that we were both moving in different directions.

HOWEVER, CBS jumped the gun and cancelled the show before I could make this lifestyle change.  I guess I am just as perceptive as the network’s execs.  They should totally hire me.

Melinda Gordon was an important part of my life from the moment she convinced that lost Vietnam vet’s soul to cross over that fateful day in 2005.  I shall miss her, Jim, Delia, Ned, Ely and Aiden, along with those that haunted her—the shineys, the shadows, the weepies, the creepies, the crawlies…I couldn’t keep up with all of them. 

Now on to the new stuff!! First, let me publicly state that I do not care for CBS’s website.  I find it difficult to navigate, and it takes me three clicks to get to the preview I would like to see.  I recommend the CBS website brass find a copy of Nielsen (1993) for web usability guidelines and suggestions.  Or maybe just look at ABC and do what they do.  It’s not hard, really.  I do like the fact that CBS gives you the option to embed previews into another website, which I am doing here so each of you can decide (in one click, mind you) for yourselves which shows will make your DVR list. (If the shows don't appear in your web browser, click on the You Tube link about halfway down.  For whatever reason, it makes the others work. And my apologies, CBS insists upon playing their commercials.)

CBS only has five new shows, a testament to Les Moonves and the CBS geniuses that are able to pick and place such great shows. Here are my picks and pans by night and time:

Mike and Molly (Monday at 8:30)—I think this show will become near and dear to my heart.  I like the title because I have a cousin named Mike and he has a dog named Molly.  How cute!  But really, this show is about Mike and Molly, two nice people with struggles to lose weight.  I totally relate. They want to date.  Dang, I was on a roll with the rhymes, now I’m stuck. 

ANYWAY…Mike develops a little crush on Molly and he asks her out.  I have not been disappointed by CBS’s comedies, and I think this one will rank right up there with How I Met Your Mother and Big Bang Theory.  The show stars Melissa McCarthy—she was on Samantha Who? and has been in several other movies and shows.  She’s super cute and a good actress. 

Hawaii Five-O (Monday at 9)—Let’s first get this out of the way:  

Ok, that was fun, now wasn't it?  I cannot speak the word “Hawaii” without this song popping into my head.  One of the greatest t.v. theme songs of all time. 

CBS has decided that they need to re-make the 1970s hit show.  I never watched the show the first time around, but I am very aware of the fact that it is a classic. 

I don’t know about this one.  I just don’t know.  The previews look really good.  It looks like a fun cop show. I want to like it. But the child of the 70s inside me wants to hate it.  I’m stuck.  I love Hawaii with all my heart, so that makes me excited to see the show, simply so that I can see more Hawaiian scenery.  On the other hand, I’m just not much of a cop show person.  But Scott Caan (who is having a birthday today!  Happy birthday, Scott!)  plays Danno, and I have liked him since he was Tweeder in Varsity Blues, and then I loved him when he was in Ocean’s 11. Then in Ocean’s 12. And then again in Ocean’s 13. 

Ok, here’s my plan.  Hawaii Five-O makes the cut, but it has three episodes to make me love it, otherwise, it’s getting blown off the list like an angry volcano.

Book ‘em Danno. 

The Defenders (Wednesday at 9)—Based on the preview, Jerry O’Connell and Jim Belushi work really well together.  They’re funny together.  I think this could be a good show, but for some reason, I’m not feeling it.  It’s set in Vegas, which I love, and I get to look at Jerry.  I can’t pinpoint why I won’t be adding this to my lineup, but I just won’t.  If you’re into legal dramas, give this one a chance, and if Hawaii Five-O doesn’t work out (and I don't think it will, despite what Entertainment Tonight says), then The Defenders may get added in its place...or maybe I'll take up another hobby, because I clearly watch too much t.v.

S#*! My Dad Says (Thursday at 7:30)—William Shatner is the dad that says stuff.  He’s the best part of this show.  But I’m thinking no.  First of all, I hate it when people try to force something in to a t.v. show.  Does anyone remember Dirty Dancing the t.v. show?  Probably not, because it was a bad idea! But CBS tried to make a t.v. show out of something that clearly should have stayed a movie.  Same thing goes for this show.  S#*! My Dad Says is a Twitter site.  It should stay that way.  In the preview, the acting looked strained, unnatural and poorly timed.  I could be wrong, but this one doesn’t make my cut.

Blue Bloods (Friday at 9)—Tom Selleck.  Donny Wahlberg.  Oh yes.  The 12-year-old New Kids on the Block fan inside of me is squealing right now.  I’ll be loving you forever, Donny!!!

CBS has some really great shows, and we are fans of many of them.  Here are the CBS shows on my DVR:

Sunday:  The Amazing Race. I used to love this show, but lately, I’m growing tired of it.  The American people must be tired of it too, as it has been shortened to 30 minutes.

Monday:  7 p.m.:  How I Met Your Mother; 8:30 p.m.:  Mike & Molly; 9 p.m.: Hawaii Five-O.

Note:  CBS has moved Big Bang Theory to Thursday.  This better not mess with my recordings of other shows!!!

Tuesday:  9 p.m.: The Good Wife. I LOVE this show!!!  Nurse Carol Hathaway.  Mr. Big.  Great cast, great story line, great show altogether!

Wednesday:  7 p.m.:  Survivor. That’s all Scott. 

Thursday:  7 p.m.:  The Big Bang Theory. So funny!!!!!

Friday:  9 p.m.:  Blue Bloods. This appears to be the Brothers and Sisters of the law enforcement world, and since I missed the boat on Brothers and Sisters, this show will make up for it.

Saturday:  Nothin.  I’m at the football game.

Nice work, CBS.  I think you have pulled together an excellent lineup, and I can’t wait for September 20!!

ABC Fall Lineup

Although I have thoroughly enjoyed Boston Medical, Scott has loved laughing at the antics on Wipe Out, and I am disgusted at what has become of Chris Harrison on Bachelor Pad (he was so good on Channel 9 in Oklahoma City), ABC’s summer programming is wearing on me. I understand why they keep the A-list programming in the back pocket until the fall, but dang it, I watch t.v. in the summer, and I’m getting tired of the sub-par reality "programming."

Oh, Derrick and Meredith, how I miss thee and your beautiful hair.  Will the handsome Dr. Shepherd recover fully from his gunshot wound?   Will Owenstina’s love survive despite Owen’s feelings for Teddie?  Will Callie and Arizona…oh wait, I don’t care so much for that one.  But I am just chomping at the bit for some good television!

In addition to my longing for Grey’s Anatomy, I am also anxious for the new season of Cougar Town, Modern Family, The Middle, and Desperate Housewives.  But this year, as in past years, I am just itching for the new television shows!  So here are my picks and pans for ABC’s fall lineup by order of night and time:

No Ordinary Family (Tuesday at 7)—Blah.  I think it would be a fun movie, but for a t.v. show, no.  Moving on now, because I want to spend no more time on this…

Detroit 187 (Tuesday at 9)—If I were really into cop shows, this would make the DVR list.  I watch The Closer, so I just really don’t have room in my life for another crime drama.  But, this show does look really good.  SOOOOO, depending on how well some of the other shows pan out, this one may get a mid-season add.  If you like crime dramas, check this one out.

Better With You (Wednesday at 7:30)—Yes, this one looks good!  The actors are great!  I really liked Jennifer Finnigan when she was on Close to Home (before CBS cancelled it).  I loved Debra Jo Rupp when she played Alice (Pheobe’s sister in law) on Friends, and then as the mom in That 70s Show.  Josh Cooke looks familiar, but I didn’t see anything that rings a bell for me on IMDB.  Finally, Kurt Fuller plays the dad in this show.  He has been in everything, but my favorite was when he played Russell in Wayne’s World. This show definitely makes the cut.

Isn't  the former Dr. Lockhart looking
poorly these days?

The Whole Truth (Wednesday at 9)—I’m not a huge lawyer show person, but I will record this one simply because Maura Tierney is in it.  I loved her as Dr. Abbie Lockhart in ER, so I am happy to see that she is employed, so I will do my best to make sure she stays employed.  However, she looks AWFUL.  Oh yeah, and the show looks good too.  However, this show has three weeks to ensnare me, otherwise it gets deleted.  Cut throat.  That’s how I roll in t.v. land.

My Generation (Thursday at 7)—Makes the list, no questions asked. The show is set up like a documentary that introduces us to the characters when they were seniors in high school in 2000, then we catch up with them 10 years later.  It looks very creative, very different from anything else, so I’m excited to see how this one turns out.  I didn’t really recognize many, if any, of the actors, but that’s okay.

Secret Millionaire (Friday at 7)—No.  Dumb.  Don’t care.

Quincy was a favorite for a
young Dr. Irlbeck and
her grandparents

Body of Proof (Friday at 9)—This looks good.  Dana Delany stars in this cool show.  I really liked Quincy when I was a kid (yeah, Grandma and Grandpa let me watch whatever I wanted), and this looks like the 2010 version of Quincy.  Delany’s character was a big time neurosurgeon, but a tragic accident forces her out of surgery.  To stay employed, she becomes a medical examiner.  This will take the place of Ghost Whisperer in my Friday night lineup. Jeri Ryan is also in this show and I think she’s cool.

There are several other shows that will hit mid-season, especially Mr. Sunshine, starring none other than Matthew Perry (a.k.a. Chandler Bing), but I’ll get to those in a post in a few months.

I have become pretty loyal to ABC, as evidenced by my DVR:

Sunday—Desperate Housewives

Monday—Well, nothing. Dancing with the Stars doesn’t make the cut.  Sorry.

Tuesday—Neither does the DWTS awards show.

Wednesday—Basically, Wednesday belongs to ABC.  The Middle, Better with You, Modern Family, Cougar Town, The Whole Truth.

Thursday—My Generation & Grey’s Anatomy

Friday—Body of Proof & 20/20. 

So there you have it.  Please do not disturb me the week of September 19.  Clearly, I’m busy.

Well, excuse me, but I think you've got my chair...

We scored these great metal yard chairs from some of Scott's grandma's old stuff.  As you can see, the years had been cruel to these little cuties.  So, I gave them a spa treatment, and they now look like brand new chairs that are worthy of the Ruby Tequila's patio.

The first step was to clean them off (the birds really liked them).  I had to use a scrub brush and the "jet" setting on our spray gun to get all the rust and "bird impurities" off.  Then I spray painted the arms with a new coat of white.

The next step was taping.  And that was an extremely tedious job.  It took about 30 minutes per chair to wrap the arms and legs, and there were three chairs.  Mind you, I was trying to get all this done when it was raining every other day in June, so what should have taken two evenings ended up taking a week-and-a-half.

We made good use of our old shower curtains (as seen in the picture to the left).  I felt like a genius when I realized the old, musty shower could double as a paint drop cloth.  Of course, I often feel like a genius.

After painting the first chair an awesome lime green, Scott and I really liked the color combination of "painters' tape blue" with the lime green.  Lucky for me, Rustoleum makes and Home Depot sells painters' tape blue in the vast selection of spray paints.  (Note:  Painters' tape blue is not the actual name of the paint color, but I like the name that I came up with.  It's cute, don't you think?)




I also bought a lovely shade of lemon yellow to round out the trio.

And here is the finished product!  I love the way they turned out and I am so pleased with the outcome of our patio.  I did all of the painting and landscaping.  Scott watched.

After I came up with the catchy title (thanks, George Strait), and as I was writing this post, I couldn't get George's 1980s mega-hit The Chair out of my head. The song was on my iPod, because I have the entire Strait out of the Box set stored there, but I couldn't figure out how to pull the song off my iPod and embed it into my blog.  So after two minutes of frustration, I went to YouTube, and oh...my...goodness.  I found excellence in 1980s video making.  I couldn't bear to keep this gem of a video to myself, and I had to share it with you, all eight readers of my blog.  Enjoy.

Ag Media Summit

Mickey's Diner in downtown St. Paul  

As summer starts to draw to a close, my favorite way to wind down this wonderful time of year is to attend the Ag Media Summit.  This year's meeting was in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Upon arrival, we were starving, so we went to Mickey's Diner.  The place was one of those old dining cars, and it reminded me of Shortcakes in Stillwater.  It's always open and has served a wide variety of fried stuff to Minnesotans and lots of famous people.  There was seriously nothing healthy on the menu, but you can get breakfast 24 hours a day!  I had a hamburger and fries.  It was tasty, but I smelled like a hamburger for the rest of the day.

Back at the hotel (Crowne Plaza), somehow, someway I got a poolside room.  I never get the good room, so you can understand my excitement.  The first night we were there, we hung outside my room and watched people swim.

However, I was rather confused at the bathroom configuration. It was as if the contractors completed the bathroom and thought "hmmm....something's missing.  Oh yeah! The toilet!  Let's just cram it under the counter and no one will ever notice."  Weird.

Before all the conference festivities began, we deemed it essential to go shopping at the Mall of America.  It was way bigger than I could have imagined.  It has an amusement park inside!  We were there only two hours, so we barely got to have the full experience, but I found a wonderful scrapbooking store there.  We ate lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.  They had fried shrimp, grilled shrimp, boiled shrimp, shrimp gumbo, shrimp cocktail, shrimp salad, coconut shrimp.....that's about it.

For the Ag Media Summit Welcome Party, we took a riverboat cruise up the Mississippi River.  It was really fun, and the views were great.  As usual, Boelte Hall had their props set up for pictures and we had to see who could be the funniest.

The Texas Tech crew.

Defending myself from Viking attackers

The OSU alumni who are now faculty members. Nerds.

All the OSU alumni and students who attended AMS.

During the conference, I won a Flip Cam from Alpharma and Charleston Orwig.  I was so excited about this, and couldn't wait to shoot my first video.  And here it is.  Special thanks to Lindsay Kennedy for starring in this video and for coming up with the material.

The final night was a little dressier for the cocktail reception and banquet.  My students looked so cute! The banquet was followed by a dance, but since I tend to embarrass myself when dancing, I opted to go back to the room and pack.

I slept most of the trip back--little did I know, I was getting sick.  Every time I travel, I get sick!  But as we were approaching Lubbock, I got so excited to see how green and pretty everything looks this year.  

So here's to another great Ag Media Summit, and as I close this entry, I get a bit of a panicked feeling because I know summer is almost over and I am so not prepared for the fall semester.

Next year is in New Orleans.  Woohoo!!!

Make Like a Tree and Leave

When we bought our house, one of the selling points was the pre-existing landscaping and trees. Our yard had a peach and two plum trees, and for several years, we enjoyed wonderful fruit from all three trees.

But all good things must come to an end.  Fruit trees don’t have a long life expectancy to begin with, plus we had bores (sp?) and several freezes  did a number to all three of them.  We haven’t had fruit in several years, and finally, the trees gave up.  Shortly thereafter, my ivy and grapevines decided the trees would make an excellent habitat, so they took over. It looked like the trees were alive, but alas, they were covered in vines.

In an attempt to up the resale value of our house, we enlisted the help of Dr. Alyx “Chain Saw” Shultz to chop ‘em down.  Alyx loves her chainsaw.  She gets great pleasure from sawing, trimming, logging….generally anything that involves the chainsaw.  You can see by the look on her face that she is completely enjoying the project.  Alyx is so awesome!  She has an infinite knowledge of chainsaws, veterinary medicine, marathons, equine science, and statistics. 

While Alyx was annihilating our yard, I, on the other hand, stood back and acted like a girl.  I checked on the cookies, moved limbs, asked her if she was wearing proper eye protection, and made dinner.  It’s as if we were married in the 1950s. Scott and I did, however, manage to make an impressive brush pile, and if we weren't in city limits and if our shed weren't five feet from the pile, we would have a bon fire worthy of our college days. 

Alyx is about to move to Kentucky to be on faculty at Murray State University, and she is just giddy about the vast amount of trees that she will get to saw down once she moves. 

Another endearing quality about Alyx is that Patsy likes her.  For those of you that know my dog, she likes my mom and dad, Erin, maybe Scott’s mom and dad, and now Alyx.  That speaks volumes to Alyx’s character and we will miss her and her chain saw.

Note: Patsy approached Alyx on her own accord.
I did not force this behavior as I typically do.

Our yard now looks naked.  We were going to put a garden in along the fence, but it’s so bare.  We need a little protection from the alley as any creeper could stand back there and look right into the yard. Any suggestions for filler in this area are needed and welcomed.