Since the TV season is getting cut short...

Ah, yes. Fall television shows. Thanks to the writers' strike, they're all ending soon. Alas. I just might have to start doing productive things rather than watch TV. Anyway, here are my reviews of some fall TV:

- Kid Nation: Despite what some have said, I don't really think of it as child exploitation. It's more like a long, strange summer camp. They did have one of the worst challenges I've ever seen--chewing bubble gum, then handing it off to their team leader to create a "chew by numbers" picture!?! Yuck. And not hygienic.

- Pushing Daisies -- I love this show!! I can't even force myself to delete old episodes from my DVR. But I don't want to give anything away... so you will just have to watch it!

- Project Runway is back! No script, no writers, no strike, right? :) Anyway, one of my favorite things about Project Runway is the auction site--you can watch what people actually are willing to pay for the designs. Or you can buy them. But they only fit 6'1" size 0 women. Well... so they say. But this season's designs are telling me that I don't understand the latest fashion. This winning design would fit more than 6'1" size 0 women. It will also fit REAL women, including ones who want to dress like a pumpkin for Halloween. Top fashion? Um... okaaaaay... but if you tape eyes and a mouth to the front, you'll be a jack-o-lantern!

- In general, I'm not a fan of car shows. There is one exception: the British show Top Gear. I first happened upon this a few years ago in London. They had a race to see if it was faster to drive or fly or drive from London to a ski resort in Switzerland. It pretty much ended up a tie. Anyway, BBC America has started showing episodes. Example episode: take some arbitrary car, cut it in half, and turn it into a limo. Then drive a famous person to an award ceremony in it. Niiiice! But apparently it is also controversial.

- Bones? Yes, the acting is cheesy as ever. And the puns and other silliness. Like the tech episode featuring "Gil Bates." So creative. Yet still I watch...

- House this season is totally blah. If today's episode is as dumb as the rest of this season has been, I'm done watching it. I swear the first season... maybe even two seasons... was good. Alas, no longer.

- Heroes has been good this season... suspenseful and unpredictable. Too bad next week is the end of the "chapter"!

- Flash Gordon - This one surprised me. It started out cheesy, and is still cheesy, but it has drawn me in.

- Amazing Race - I haven't watched it for a few years. I was curious because I wanted to see how the goth couple would do. So far, they're doing well... interestingly, in the Top Dancer challenge, a group of VERY picky African villagers liked their dancing.

OK, that is enough. Time to go do something not TV-related.

Tanks mooch

Y'know, I never got around to posting 'bout my Ireland trip. Where did I leave off? Ahh, yes... dictionaries. Later that day I took a bus waaaay out to London Stansted airport, where I flew on RyanAir to the Shannon airport in Ireland. Why do I mention this? I'd like to give my anti-recommendation for RyanAir. Yuck. Pay for baggage, pay if baggage is over a certain very low weight, pay if you look at them funny. Plus, Stansted is in the middle of nowhere. I disliked it sufficiently that I purchased a new ticket back from Dublin to London Heathrow, on Aer Lingus.

But that's not important. Ireland is. What did I do? What did I see? Well, I took a bus to Limerick, where I met a tour group for my two-day West Coast tour. I wrote some limericks... while I was in Galway, not Limerick. They are:

This tour thing has helped me to see
I can't take the Irish seriously
Too much Father Ted
Corrupted my head
Now their accent is comic to me

and...

My heart for Celt music does long
But I have a secret so wrong
Ironic to think
That I do not drink
Yet oh how I love a good pub song!

Hmm... other interesting things...

I learned that left-handed people are considered "blessed by the faeries," and thus are exceptionally smart. Absolutely!!

I met a cute Spanish guy. He was on the two-day tour. Too bad his English wasn't better!

More... and pictures... later!

when is a cover not a cover?

What are the rules on "cover" songs? 'Cuz I was watching America's Next Top Model last week (not that I watch that show) and was surprised to see that the models were part of the music video for "Enrique Iglesias' new song, 'Tired of Being Sorry.'" Whaaa...? That's not an Enrique song, that's a Ringside song!! They didn't give any credit to Ringside - no indication that it is actually a cover. And the original is so much better than that cheap, crappy imitation! Grr. I'll let you be the judge (but if you don't say Ringside, you're crazy). Here are the options:

Ringside version
Enrique version

While we're talking about music, Emily pointed out this fantastic music video for fantastic Andrew Bird's fantastic song Imitosis:



I hope he comes back to the DC area soon. I want to see him in concert again!!

Save the world. Plant a flower.

Sorry. I'm going to introduce you to two addictive games. Have a good time!

First one: Bloomin' Gardens

Second one: Blow up!


Games with plots? Whatever. I <3 casual games.