Conspiracies

Yesterday morning, a woman was killed on my street while she was walking her dog. The dog was killed too. (The driver of the car swerved 18 feet off the road and hit her.) Then last night, a woman was killed while crossing the street near the school where I work. (I didn't leave work until 9 PM so I was still at work.)

I've been watching Season 2 of both Supernatural and Prison Break. Car "accidents" occur quite frequently when trying to make someone disappear. :: looks around suspiciously :: Maybe I should just stay inside.

Random fact: I wore a pedometer the other day when I was at work. I walked 4.6 miles just during the day! See...no need for walking on dangerous streets! :)

Anyway, I finally got the real Disc 3 of Prison Break, and this show is too awesome for words! Aww...we love Michael...and Sucre...not so much T-Bag and C-Note. Sarah Wayne Callie is an extremely good (and under-recognized) actress. Pet peeve: I normally like listening to commentaries after watching the episodes. After listening to a couple on the Season 2 DVDs, I stopped because they would say things like, "Oh, yeah. He was a great actor. Too bad we killed his character three episodes later." Hey! Thanks for ruining the surprise. >:/

Supernatural Season 2 is a fun ride. There's a lot of crying. Jensen (Dean) is a much prettier crier than Jared (Sam). Jared kind of scrunches his face up and looks a bit pig-ish...or constipated. Pet peeve: Jared broke his arm early into the season so he-- and by default, "Sam"-- is wearing a cast for several episodes. This is never explained, and Sam continually does things that he obviously could not do with a broken arm. I think they should have had a quick Dean statement like, "Yeah, Sammy, too bad you got your arm broken fighting that ghoul." Come on? Did they really think we wouldn't notice? And how did he get the cast? They are wanted men. Oh, well.

How did this happen?

It's 1 AM, and I have no idea why I'm still up. I'm so tired, and it's been a really long, exhausting, stressful week at work. I think I need to go to bed.

Also, I have a very strong desire to go to this new cereal cafe...and I'm not sure why. Hmmm....

Media Report

Well, I came home today to quite a disappointment. I got my Netflix Prison Break disc 3 out of the mailbox and popped it into the DVD player....only to discover that it was not disc 3 but disc 5. I can't watch 5 before 3. So...I called Netflix, and it turns out there was a glitch in making the DVDs. Even ones being sold at Barnes and Noble are also missing disc 3 (labeled as disc 3 but really disc 5...and disc 5 is also disc 5). So...I don't know when I'll get disc 3, and my Prison Break marathon has hit a snag (and the new season starts on Monday)! This is not good. I'm getting a free two month upgrade (to 4 discs at a time) from Netflix though.

Anyhow.....

*Movie: Knocked Up-- I didn't expect to like this, but I did. It's funny, quirky and surprisingly sweet. However, it very much earned its R-rating so be forewarned of excessive language, sex, nudity, drug use and just about everything else that might offend anyone. No violence though.

*CD: Lifehouse- Who We Are-- I bought this for myself a while ago and hid it, figuring I could discover it when I didn't have any money and needed a present. I recently found it, and I love it! I was not impressed by Lifehouse's previous release (a belated self-titled album), but this one is excellent. As with all of the good Lifehouse songs, these are catchy and thoughtful.

-First Time-- I've heard this single playing on the radio a lot, and it's also featured on a truck commercial. It's fun and upbeat, though it's certainly not one of my Lifehouse faves. It probably works better if you're in love at the time of listening.

-Disarray--This is the first song on the CD, and I like it a lot:

I’m struggling between the facts and fiction
I’m alone
But I'm alive
Everyone around me is trying to make a statement, then there's me
I’m just trying to survive

-The Joke-- This song is about suicide, and I find it very disturbing. I know it was written in response to a real tragedy in the band members' lives, but I'm torn between horrified and offended. I may need to write to Jason.

-Who We Are--The title track is another catchy one that will resonate with almost everyone.

Cause we break
And we burn
And we turn it inside out
To take it back
To the start
And through the rise and falling apart
We discover who we are

-Whatever It Takes-- Every half of a couple (husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, partner) should learn and memorize this song, take it to heart and be prepared to live it.

A strangled smile fell from your face
It kills me that I hurt you this way
The worst part is that I didn't even know
There's a million reasons for you to go
But if you can find a reason to stay

I'll do whatever it takes
To turn this around
I know what's at stake
I know that I've let you down
And if you give me a chance
Believe that I can change
I'll keep us together
Whatever it takes

-Broken--This is probably my favorite song on the CD, although I feel like something should be different (tempo or key). I'm wondering if they did this song at the 4th of July concert and played an alternate version. It's still great, though.

The broken clock is a comfort
It helps me sleep tonight
Maybe it can stop tomorrow
From stealing all my time
And I am here still waiting
Though I still have my doubts
I am damaged at best
Like you've already figured out

I'm falling apart
I'm barely breathing
With a broken heart
That's still beating
In the pain
There is healing
In your name
I find meaning
So I'm holding on (I'm holdin on)(I'm holdin on)
I'm barely holding on to you

There are other songs, including a stripped down, acoustic version of "The Storm" (which is beautiful but only when I'm in the mood for something s-l-o-w), but these are the ones I care to comment on at this time. ;)

Work is extremely busy, and I'm working way more hours that I'm getting paid to work. I'm hoping things will settle down in a month or so. Programs are shaping up nicely though so I can't complain.

It was worth coming to my blog just for this Wentworth pic

Look at those eyes. He'll be sad if you don't watch Prison Break. (Well, probably not because he's making a lot of money, but just think of what you'll be missing!)

Too bad balance is not one of my strengths

I read this selection from The Weight of Glory (C.S. Lewis) the other day and have been thinking about it a lot:

The war will fail to absorb our whole attention because it is a finite object, and therefore intrinsically unfitted to support the whole attention of a human soul. In order to avoid misunderstanding I must here make a few distinctions. I believe our cause to be, as human causes go, very righteous, and I therefore believe it to be a duty to participate in this war. And every duty is a religious duty, and our obligation to perform every duty is therefore absolute. Thus we may have a duty to rescue a drowning man, and perhaps, if we live on a dangerous coast, to learn life-saving so as to be ready for any drowning man when he turns up. It may be our duty to lose our own lives in saving him. But if anyone devoted himself to life-saving in the sense of giving it his total attention --so that he thought and spoke of nothing else and demanded the cessation of all other human activities until everyone had learned to swim -- he would be a monomaniac. The rescue of drowning men is, then a duty worth dying for, but not worth living for. It seems to me that all political duties (among which I include military duties) are of this kind. A man may have to die for our country: but no man must, in any exclusive sense, live for his country. He who surrenders himself without reservation to the temporal claims of a nation, or a party, or a class is rendering to Caesar that which, of all things, most emphatically belongs to God: himself.

Just more incentive to watch Prison Break :)

Yeah, those lockers will get you every time......

When I was a social worker at an elementary school, one of the biggest middle school concerns of the fifth graders was the lockers. So...we bought a bunch of combination locks for the kids to practice, had locker relay races, etc. Well, yesterday, one of the little sixth grade girls opened her locker, and there was a snake curled up in the back. I happened to be walking down the hall at the time so of course I rushed in and removed the snake. No. I did not. Are you kidding me?!? I wasn't touching that snake! I did, however, make the kids stand a few feet away from the locker (as some wanted a closer look and one boy offered his snake removal services) while we waited for a braver staff member to arrive. How did the snake get in there? We have no idea. I guess it squeezed through the gaps, but that must have taken a lot of determination. We do have frequent snake sightings on campus, but I don't know if one has ever ended up in a locker before Friday. If that had happened to me in sixth grade, I think I would still be terrified of lockers! ::shivers::

Beyond the walls

Season 2 of Prison Break is out on DVDs! The first four episodes ROCK! Lots of angst and adrenaline and surprises and gunfire, blood, sweat and tears. Oh, Wentworth. And, oh, Sarah. And...oh look, more origami! This show is awesome. ::dances the Prison Break happy dance which is not at all like the Alias happy dance...but still happy::

(Hey, don't mock me and my jail house love, or I'll go back to telling you about The Bridge.)

Autism, Scrabble and Fall TV

I got some alphabet cookies from Trader Joe's, and eating them has reminded me of one of the kids in my preschool autism class a few years ago. He would only eat the cookies if we spelled something first, and then he would eat the letters in order. Since he was underweight and a picky eater, we obliged as it made snack time educational. This wasn't too bad at the beginning of a carton, but by the time we got towards the bottom, it was like playing an extra hard game of Scrabble. What can I spell with 2 Qs, a V and a J? (And yes, he was in preschool, and he could spell. He could also read simple words, even though he could not speak. The mysteries of autism.... On a totally random note, I read an article last night that said that some autism symptoms may be linked to low levels of oxytocin, the bonding hormone. Very interesting.)

Work is super busy for me right now, but I'm still glad to be back at work. I like being at one school, and middle school is fun. I spend so much time thinking about work, though, so I'm not going to write about it now.

On to really important things-- THE FALL TV SCHEDULE: So far, I'm not too impressed with the new shows' descriptions, but maybe something will surprise me. Also, the speed of cancellation in recent years makes me a bit gun shy. Why should I even try a new show if it's just going to be canceled once I get interested? I almost want to give it a couple of months and then watch (if it's still around). Anyway, here are some of the new and old shows that I'm planning to watch:

Monday
7:00-8:00*--Prison Break (Fox)-- I've only watched Season 1 so far, and Season 2 premieres on DVD this week. However, Season 3 premieres on TV on Sept. 17. With Netflix turnaround times, I don't think I can watch all of S2 before then....so my plan is to tape S3 as it's broadcast until I catch up. (I can barely stand the excitement when I see the previews....though I try to change the channel because I don't want to hear any spoilers for S2....but Wentworth is really hot.) Apparently, PB will go on hiatus in the winter--while some other show debuts-- and then it will return in the spring. That's kind of odd and annoying. Maybe I should just stick with the DVDs.

8:00-9:00--24 (Fox)-- As usual, Jack won't be back until January 2008...and then we'll see the season straight through. (What are we up to-- Season 6? 7?) I kind of like that. It's predictable, and the continuity is helpful for following the plot and building excitement.

Tuesday
8:00-9:00--House (Fox)--I guess I'll be watching a lot of Fox this year! I love Dr. House. I understand that he's an acquired taste, but I love that his character is so different than any other doctor I've seen on TV. Hugh Laurie truly is a fantastic actor. I'm not at all involved in the House fandom, and I don't follow this like I do my other shows. Still, I greatly enjoy watching, and I'm interested to see what they'll do this year since House drove away all of his staff.

Wednesday
8:00-9:00--Private Practice (ABC)-- Meh. I'm going to watch. I don't have high hopes, though I do like the actress who plays Addison, as well as that guy. Yeah, that guy. I don't know his name or his character's name. It's set in California, though, so that makes me happy. (For those who don't know, this is the Grey's Anatomy spinoff.)

Thursday
Okay, most of the days have almost nothing, and then they pile it all on Thursday...the night I'm never home. I don't even have TiVo so I'm going to have to make choices on what to tape.
8:00-9:00--Grey's Anatomy (ABC)-- I go back and forth with this show. Sometimes I like it, and sometimes I really don't. I probably won't tape it, but I may watch the re-runs or get it from Netflix next summer.

8:00-9:00--Supernatural (CW)-- Now the CW is weird AZ time-wise. I can't remember exactly how it works, but it shifts with the fall time change...but doesn't accommodate for AZ's lack of change....or something like that. So...I think that maybe Supernatural will be on at 7:00 for a while and then shift to 8:00 at Daylight Savings....or vice versa. (Really, why can't the rest of the country see the wisdom of AZ and Hawaii in keeping the time the same year round? It's so much simpler!) Anyhow, I'll tape this one. Although, like PB, I've only watched the DVDs of S1, unlike PB, I don't care about spoilers. I already know what happens at the end of S2, and I've caught an occasional random repeat of S2 episodes over the summer. So...I'll start watching S3 right away. DVDs for S2 come out in a week or two, and I'll watch them after I finish PB.

9:00-10:00--Without A Trace (CBS)-- This is more of a filler show for me, i.e., show that I like but don't invest in, shows that I watch in syndication as much as first broadcast. I feel the same about Law and Order (though I actually don't like the new ones), Law and Order SVU (though I think they ran out of storylines) and CSI (not Miami or New York). I couldn't even tell you the names of the characters on the show, though I think one of the main guys is Jack. (What's the obsession with leading guys named Jack? Alias, 24, Lost.... Dean and Logan are also pretty popular lately.)

9:00-10:00--Big Shots (ABC)-- I want to like this show, but I kind of doubt that I will. It's already getting bad reviews. Bummer. I'll tape it a few times just as a tribute to Michael Vaughn, Alias and Dylan McDermott.

Friday
8:00-9:00-- Women's Murder Club (ABC)-- This is about four female friends who breach professional ethics for the greater good. Or something like that. Four women in professional roles (journalist, detective, medical examiner, DA-- don't quote me on that) collaborate and solve crimes. If I can suspend disbelief and get into the story, I think this might be interesting. It has a good cast. Too bad the time slot is the kiss of death. Maybe they can solve the mystery of who put them there.

9:00-10:00-- Moonlight (CBS)-- This one's about a vampire who solves crimes and saves people. No, really. It has the potential to be horrifically bad (in which case, possibly funny) or creative and intriguing. I'm going to give it a try. (BTW, I think this is the one that's being produced or direct by The Matrix guy.)

Sunday
9:00-10:00-- Brothers and Sisters (ABC)-- This is a show that should be ten times better than it is. They have the dream cast for this type of drama. (Well, I'd get rid of what's-her-name, the Ally McBeal girl, because she annoys the heck out of me.) I know that these actors could do amazing things with more interesting material....so I'm waiting. Maybe the writers will hit their stride this season. Last year, I watched sporadically and usually half-heartedly as I was getting ready for Monday morning. I'll probably do the same until they decide to impress me.

*In Arizona, prime time starts at 7:00. News is at 10:00. So...for many of you, these times will be an hour off, with the shows starting an hour later in your area.