Various Updates

This is how I assuage my lack-of-blogging guilt: updates posts.

So, in no certain order, here goes…

1) Wallace and Gromit: Go see it. It’s fantastic. And stay to the VERY end of the credits. Trust me on this one. Jack loved the movie. He kept leaning over to me during it saying “This is great!” The puns are fast and furious and there are plenty of quick visual jokes you barely catch (it will be a DVD slow-mo movie for sure)… our favorite was the sticker on Wallace’s truck: “Eat more cheese. Ask me how.” All in all, a fantastic movie and highly recommended.

2) Serenity: Also amazing. I will say nothing else lest there be spoilers.

3) Our floors upstairs have been sanded, stained, and the first coat of poly is drying (and we need to escape the house in a few moments as the fumes are killing us). With the rain due the next seven days, I have no idea how long it will take before we can actually use the floors again. In fact, with the weekend and holiday, it may be some time. Ugh. But then again, once it’s done, we can finally move in! So far the floors look amazing and if I knew where the camera is, I’d post a picture. I was so pleased at the good condition of the wood under the rugs. There was only the back room where there are significant stains (even after much sanding). Given the smell of urine when the rugs were taken up, we’re guessing that the former owner had issues with her dog in that room. We chose a stain dark enough to not entirely hide the stains, but make them look like normal variations in the wood.

4) The TV season so far:

* Family Guy: Welcome back! Still funny. Still a favorite. As a newly naturalized Rhode Islander, I especially enjoy the Rhode Island in-jokes (after Ann explains them to me).

* Smallville: So far, so good. This season has started quite interestingly and I’m enjoying where the season appears to be headed. I especially liked the homage to the movies with the fortress of solitude looking virtually identical (or is that ripped from the comics directly?)

* How I Met Your Mother: I find this amusing but I enjoy the chemistry between the lead and Robin and it annoys me that she isn’t the actual future wife and mother. But I’ll get over it. I’ll keep watching a bit more as I think it has some potential and I’m a sucker for Alyson Hannigan.

* Out of Practice: Predictable and somewhat flat but I like Henry Winkler (I grew up on Happy Days) and am willing to give this a bit more time to mature. If they can just avoid the obvious jokes about Paula Marshall’s character being a lesbian any longer, that would certainly help.

* Joey: Ditched. I officially dropped it. The next two shows replace my two Thursday 8PM slots (we have two TiVos). I just don’t care any more.

* Alias: Only watched the opener but looks to be a good season.

* Everybody Hates Chris: Brilliant. We absolutely love this show. It replaced Joey 15 minutes into the first episode.

* Commander in Chief: I am amazed I like this show as much as I do. It is somewhat heavy-handed but at the same time, Geena Davis is wonderful to watch. We both liked the second episode a lot and if the quality stays at that level (and we see more Bruce Boxleitner) we’ll be happy.

* Veronica Mars: Excellent as always. And with Charisma Carpenter now too. How can you not love that?

* Lost: Wow. Even with the answers coming fast, the questions out-pace still. Excellent writing and it is weaving a fascinating mystery.

OK. That’s enough blather for right now. On with your lives!

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This Old (Frackin’) House

Top ten reasons my new old house has kept me from posting much (or doing much of anything) lately:

10. Getting contractors to move on anything less than a glacial time frame is a chore. From initial contact to first visit to see what you want done can take 1-2 weeks. Then getting a bid for the work can take another 2-3 weeks. So far, we have one bid for re-finishing the basement and 3 bids for having the stinky old carpets removed and the hardwood floors redone. Nobody can begin work for at least a month, if not longer.

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