I was channel surfing looking for something to watch, since I don't watch NYPD Blue, and my jaw dropped when I got to one of the news channels. Indonesia? Earthquake? Are they talking about the December tsunami in some sort of "look back"? No. It happened again, another earthquake. So far no huge tsunami, and let's just hope that never happens again. I can't believe they got hit again so soon with another powerful quake. Sigh.
But what is wrong with Headline News? They're going through the top headlines, and the stories about Terri Schiavo and Michael Jackson were discussed before the earthquake. Shouldn't an 8.7 quake that happened in the past few hours be the top news story, considering that the devastation there not only potentially goes far beyond the other two stories (of course, this starts the huge debate about the value of one life v. the value of many, and I won't even discuss that) but it's news that is new. The other stories have been going on for a while; the earthquake just happened. Doesn't seem like much of a weighing issue to me.
Poor Indonesia. I took a class on Southeast Asian history in undergrad and one of my concentration papers was on part of Indonesia's history. It's somewhere I've always wanted to visit, although hopefully at a more peaceful and less conflicted time. And to be hit twice with a powerful quake in less than 6 months? Why aren't people more concerned? Earthquakes affect a specific region, yes, but isn't the ultimate environmental effect going to be global in the long run? Shouldn't we be concerned that an earthquake hit the same place twice at such strong magnitude so close in time?
Sigh. I have no personal connection to the region but this story is really making me cry. I have to watch something else...
Monday, March 28, 2005
Testimonials
You know those commercials which are supposed to show "ordinary people" gushing about products? To get you to buy a product because people just like you had a great experience with it and would give testimonials about it even without getting paid for it (at least that's what you're supposed to think... they just stopped them on the street and what a great comment!)?
I think General Mills's commercial on whole grain cereal didn't do too well with this concept... at least not now that Trial by Jury is on the air. The first guy talking about how great the cereal was was the guy who played Judge Patel on TBJ last Friday. So after I recognized him, I ceased to actually hear any of the things people were saying about the cereal, and was distracted by wondering if anyone else looked familiar from parts as extras on L&O.
And since I'm talking about cereal.... is it normal for my Rice Krispies to snap crackle and pop when they hit the yogurt...?
I had a weird dream last night. Something with people changing into dresses but only after we went for dinner at Taco Bell, and then a "family tradition" about rolling Easter eggs (the size of my forearm!) at each other in the dark, but it wasn't my family doing this but friends, and then somehow the eggs lit on fire and I was worried about my laptop, which was at the bottom of a grass hill on a wooden coffee table.... bizarre.
But time to get ready for school. This yogurt is really snap crackle and popping.
I think General Mills's commercial on whole grain cereal didn't do too well with this concept... at least not now that Trial by Jury is on the air. The first guy talking about how great the cereal was was the guy who played Judge Patel on TBJ last Friday. So after I recognized him, I ceased to actually hear any of the things people were saying about the cereal, and was distracted by wondering if anyone else looked familiar from parts as extras on L&O.
And since I'm talking about cereal.... is it normal for my Rice Krispies to snap crackle and pop when they hit the yogurt...?
I had a weird dream last night. Something with people changing into dresses but only after we went for dinner at Taco Bell, and then a "family tradition" about rolling Easter eggs (the size of my forearm!) at each other in the dark, but it wasn't my family doing this but friends, and then somehow the eggs lit on fire and I was worried about my laptop, which was at the bottom of a grass hill on a wooden coffee table.... bizarre.
But time to get ready for school. This yogurt is really snap crackle and popping.
Sunday Night on the Tube
Desperate Housewives is back! Finally! It's been over a month since they've had a new episode. Perhaps it was the long break, but I thought the show was funnier tonight than in some of the more recent episodes, and it had a lot of little touches of continuity that I definitely appreciated.
Funniest moment? Laundry in the jacuzzi. Definitely.
As for the rest of Sunday TV, I didn't watch any Angel (boo). I watched college basketball (yay). And the Simpsons and the second half of the Contender. It's actually a really good show, and such a shame that it's a ratings bomb. One of the most expensive reality shows ever produced and the quality is actually good... but it just isn't connecting. I think it might just be the wrong time for the show; maybe its "window" already past or is in the future. Oh well.
And the premiere of Grey's Anatomy. I think it grew on me. I was kind of bored in the beginning, but most new shows have a lot of set-up and it takes some time to get into them. The show definitely got better as the hour went on. I'll give it a shot.
Add 2 movies to the "to-see coming-soon" list: The Perfect Man and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
Time for me to go to sleep. I've barely been up for 13 hours, but I need to be awake bright and early for a Monday morning of classes. I really miss when I had Mondays off last quarter. It felt so darn good.
Laundry in the jacuzzi. Hee.
Funniest moment? Laundry in the jacuzzi. Definitely.
As for the rest of Sunday TV, I didn't watch any Angel (boo). I watched college basketball (yay). And the Simpsons and the second half of the Contender. It's actually a really good show, and such a shame that it's a ratings bomb. One of the most expensive reality shows ever produced and the quality is actually good... but it just isn't connecting. I think it might just be the wrong time for the show; maybe its "window" already past or is in the future. Oh well.
And the premiere of Grey's Anatomy. I think it grew on me. I was kind of bored in the beginning, but most new shows have a lot of set-up and it takes some time to get into them. The show definitely got better as the hour went on. I'll give it a shot.
Add 2 movies to the "to-see coming-soon" list: The Perfect Man and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
Time for me to go to sleep. I've barely been up for 13 hours, but I need to be awake bright and early for a Monday morning of classes. I really miss when I had Mondays off last quarter. It felt so darn good.
Laundry in the jacuzzi. Hee.
Saturday, March 26, 2005
Final Four
Wow, my pulse is racing.
In March Madness, I'm an Illini fan by default. Yale doesn't really have a basketball team (that counts for any sort of tournament purposes). My boyfriend went to Illinois. It's the closest big basketball team that counts. The only college basketball fans I really know here all went to Illinois. And the Illini are an exciting team that almost went undefeated and are a ton of fun to watch. No real choice here. The "being surrounded by Illinois alums" factor is probably the strongest one toward making my subconscious allegiance for the Illini.
As someone rooting for the Illini, watching tonight's game, especially the end, was so stressful. Down by 15 points with only minutes to go, managing to catch up and send the game to overtime and then pulling it out by one point... it was amazing.
I think basketball may be the most stress-inducing sport. Sure, hockey has the same quick transfers of possession, but there's a goalie. Baseball and football are different - it's either your turn to score or it's not (with the exception of interceptions and turnovers), and possession changes are usually much slower. That may be why basketball is so exciting... but it's also why it's so stressful. Ack!
I'm supposed to be reading/skimming/leisurely scanning, but I'm only on page 3. That's ok. Angel was worth it (and may watch more in an hour). Yay for Saturdays.
In March Madness, I'm an Illini fan by default. Yale doesn't really have a basketball team (that counts for any sort of tournament purposes). My boyfriend went to Illinois. It's the closest big basketball team that counts. The only college basketball fans I really know here all went to Illinois. And the Illini are an exciting team that almost went undefeated and are a ton of fun to watch. No real choice here. The "being surrounded by Illinois alums" factor is probably the strongest one toward making my subconscious allegiance for the Illini.
As someone rooting for the Illini, watching tonight's game, especially the end, was so stressful. Down by 15 points with only minutes to go, managing to catch up and send the game to overtime and then pulling it out by one point... it was amazing.
I think basketball may be the most stress-inducing sport. Sure, hockey has the same quick transfers of possession, but there's a goalie. Baseball and football are different - it's either your turn to score or it's not (with the exception of interceptions and turnovers), and possession changes are usually much slower. That may be why basketball is so exciting... but it's also why it's so stressful. Ack!
I'm supposed to be reading/skimming/leisurely scanning, but I'm only on page 3. That's ok. Angel was worth it (and may watch more in an hour). Yay for Saturdays.
Last School Suffering
Sigh. I wish there were a way I could get through spring quarter without having to take 4 classes and 4 exams. But there isn't. Oh well. I guess having to suffer so much this quarter will be a good way to remind myself of how much I'll be glad when school is over. Counting the days... I've had senioritis since before the year started, so this dislike for having to go to school is nothing new.
On a happier note, I watched 8 hours of Angel today. And cried when Buffy and Angel had to part and the day was turned back. I'm such a sap.
On a happier note, I watched 8 hours of Angel today. And cried when Buffy and Angel had to part and the day was turned back. I'm such a sap.
Angel
I'm in trouble. There's nothing on TV, so I popped in a DVD. The first DVD of Season 1 of Angel. Uh oh...
Thank goodness I don't really want to do my homework. :)
Thank goodness I don't really want to do my homework. :)
Friday, March 25, 2005
Re-Launch
I'm going to try a new concept for my photoblog. I have so many pictures on my computer that I'm going to attempt to re-launch my photoblog as a daily blog instead of an event-by-event blog. It may not end up being daily, depending on my workload, but hopefully it can come close. If you have time, take a look. :)
(Some photos may end up appearing on both this blog and the photoblog, if I'm discussing events and whatnot. But that's okay, right?)
Re-launch in 3... 2... 1....
(Some photos may end up appearing on both this blog and the photoblog, if I'm discussing events and whatnot. But that's okay, right?)
Re-launch in 3... 2... 1....
Small Annoyances
I don't think it's good neighborly behavior to have the bass going loudly on a subwoofer on a shared bedroom wall at 9 am on Friday. After all, the building recommends that you not even run the washing machine because it's on a shared wall until 10 in the morning. So if it's not an acceptable social norm to run the washing machine that early in the morning, how is it possibly acceptable to have your subwoofer going that early? In the bedroom? On a shared wall with someone else? Don't they know that some people in this building work from home? Inconsiderate jerk. (Even if the actual music isn't terrible when I listen through the wall; all I can hear without the eavesdropping technique is bass bass freaking bass.) This is why I put all my electronics on the shared wall between my two rooms. If it's loud, all it bothers is myself. Why don't more people understand this??
As long as we're talking about annoyances, I'm annoyed with Rice Krispies. On the cruise, I had peach yogurt with rice krispies for breakfast every day except one (when I skipped breakfast). I like the combination. So, upon arriving home, I tried to buy a box of Rice Krispies along with my peach yogurt (the usual breakfast at home was the yogurt sans the Krispies). But the only size box of Rice Krispies was the jumbo size for $5! There was no box smaller. That's annoying.
But on a happier note, Skippy the wonder dog on the Today Show is adorable. Yay for cute dogs.
As long as we're talking about annoyances, I'm annoyed with Rice Krispies. On the cruise, I had peach yogurt with rice krispies for breakfast every day except one (when I skipped breakfast). I like the combination. So, upon arriving home, I tried to buy a box of Rice Krispies along with my peach yogurt (the usual breakfast at home was the yogurt sans the Krispies). But the only size box of Rice Krispies was the jumbo size for $5! There was no box smaller. That's annoying.
But on a happier note, Skippy the wonder dog on the Today Show is adorable. Yay for cute dogs.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Another Day in Paradise
It feels good to be home ... but part of me really wishes I were back on Paradise Island.
First glimpse of the beach. Crystal blue water, fine white sand... I was so excited and ready to bask in the sun.
After a few hours on the beach in the sun (mostly - there were some gray clouds that unfortunately made it into the picture), we packed up and headed over to Atlantis to check out the aquarium, the lagoon and the grounds.
Sunset over the harbor in Nassau as the Jewel of the Seas (Royal Caribbean - not our ship) sailed out.
Sigh. I miss the Bahamas.
First glimpse of the beach. Crystal blue water, fine white sand... I was so excited and ready to bask in the sun.
After a few hours on the beach in the sun (mostly - there were some gray clouds that unfortunately made it into the picture), we packed up and headed over to Atlantis to check out the aquarium, the lagoon and the grounds.
Sunset over the harbor in Nassau as the Jewel of the Seas (Royal Caribbean - not our ship) sailed out.
Sigh. I miss the Bahamas.
Ratings Disaster
I think Alias might be in more trouble than usual tomorrow. Instead of going up against the half-hour American Idol results show like usual (which is boring and short), it's going up against a live one hour American Idol "do-over" show. Great.
Apparently, the bright people over at AI put up some incorrect phone numbers for some of the contestants, and they need to have a re-vote. This makes sense to me, since the incorrect numbers would have you voting for a contestant other than the one you intended to vote for, and would completely mess up vote totals. But why can't they just re-air the same show, explaining that, using the edited correct numbers and have a re-vote? Because Fox wants to add live content to continue their AI-delivered ratings dominance. Grr.
But honestly, how did they get the numbers wrong in the first place? The larger number, spelled out in letters (IDOLS-xx) is correct, but the small number below it which spells out the key numbers for IDOLS is wrong, using a different xx. It's so weird - why would you have done that in the first place, and why did no one catch it? I think the show tonight wasn't even live; it was taped a day earlier. Which begs the question again, how did no one catch the error?
A re-vote? A do-over show? Goodness, American Idol definitely knows how to make itself the constant subject of news.
Apparently, the bright people over at AI put up some incorrect phone numbers for some of the contestants, and they need to have a re-vote. This makes sense to me, since the incorrect numbers would have you voting for a contestant other than the one you intended to vote for, and would completely mess up vote totals. But why can't they just re-air the same show, explaining that, using the edited correct numbers and have a re-vote? Because Fox wants to add live content to continue their AI-delivered ratings dominance. Grr.
But honestly, how did they get the numbers wrong in the first place? The larger number, spelled out in letters (IDOLS-xx) is correct, but the small number below it which spells out the key numbers for IDOLS is wrong, using a different xx. It's so weird - why would you have done that in the first place, and why did no one catch it? I think the show tonight wasn't even live; it was taped a day earlier. Which begs the question again, how did no one catch the error?
A re-vote? A do-over show? Goodness, American Idol definitely knows how to make itself the constant subject of news.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
