Random Soapbox for Saturday 5/23/15

I don't mean to go off on a rave here, but ...

[remember, the doctor said one rave a month instead of always ranting is best for my health so I'm not angry all the time ...]

... there's no wonder why The Amazing Race is as Emmy-loved as it is, what with season 26 just wrapping up yet another ... well ... amazing race.

Once upon a time, I used to comment on this blog on every single leg along the way, and then along came on-demand and binge watching, which meant I was more likely to catch up on the show at a later time and often with multiple episodes at once. Of course, as the popularity of the show has waned, so has the likelihood that I'd stumble on a spoiler via social media or the like so the viewing urgency faded away as well (as yet another example of that, I was able to watch the American Idol finale more than a week after it aired, and I still didn't know how it ended so I was surprised... which would have been impossible a few seasons ago).

I can't say that I've watched every season of the Race from the start (truth be told, it was actually my affinity for all things Bonnie Hunt and *her* linking up with the show promotionally during her eponymous talk show [speaking of which, where has *she* been?] that got me interested) ... but I have been a faithful and loyal viewer once I got started.

So three cheers to this season, which introduced the blind date concept (and which created a first for me ... where I found myself hoping that half of one of those paired teams would go home yet wanting the other half to stay [yes, Blair and Hayley, I'm talking about you!]) and which continued its ways of proving that karma exists AND which provided the ongoing service of travelling-vicariously to those of us who just don't get out of the United States so much any more *AND* which demonstrated a truism first made widely known on this show ... namely, that it all comes down to the luck of the draw of your cabbie (and that the language barrier here at home in those scenarios is often *worse* than when in a foreign country).

Here's looking ahead to next year's races!

THE CAST OF THE SEASON JUST ENDED:
http://www.cbs.com/shows/amazing_race/season/26/cast/

YES IT'S COMING BACK!:
http://www.cbs.com/shows/cbs-fall-previews-2015/news/1004211/check-out-cbs-s-2015-2016-new-primetime-lineup/

I MISS BONNIE:
http://www.biography.com/people/bonnie-hunt-9542048

Random Memorial for Monday 11/11/13

Gone but not forgotten:  my Amazing Race Asides.

To clear up a few things, I can't lay claim to being there from the beginning with this reality show (being a TV addict, I started out a reality show snob until sheer volume overwhelmed me and caused me to change my perspective), and I only started watching courtesy of 'The Bonnie Hunt' show (Bonnie and Phil were pals, and racers who lost the leg would show up on her eponymous daytime talk show the day after the Race episode aired) -- which means I started in around the 13th or 14th edition.

And I only started inserting an "aside" into my daily posts referencing the episodes during the 17th edition.  That continued in the same format for five seasons (with a tweak here or there, I morphed it into an aside that listed "3 things I learned from this week's episode" after a bit), and then last year, for Race 22, I changed it up to a standalone format (which wasn't quite true to the "aside" nomenclature, but hey -- my blog, my rules).

So what's changed for Race 23 (the current season, now at its midway point)?  Like the kids nowadays, I consume my entertainment on my *own* schedule, which means there's more likely to be a DVR marathon of episodes instead of following along a week at a time.  That means I'm still a fan, it's just that my viewing isn't aligning with my posting schedule.  I'm still hoping that karma catches up with meanies like Marie (oh, poor Tim) ... and figuring out that the Afghanimals end up growing on you after awhile (maybe they'd be easier to handle if there was just one of them) ... and being surprised to see teams make the same mistakes over and over again (read the damn clue ... and stop thinking that a travel choice with two connecting flights/layovers will be faster than a direct flight) ... it's just that I'm not sharing my thoughts about it all all that often.

Publicly stating my appreciation for the Emmy award winning races around the world (deservedly so, I might add), you are missed (by me, anyway) ...

CATCH UP ON ALL OF MY PAST "ASIDES":
http://capcognition.blogspot.com/search/label/Series%3A%20Amazing%20Race%20Aside?max-results=20

CATCH UP ON THE CURRENT RACE "SEASON":
http://www.cbs.com/shows/amazing_race/

"CATCH UP" ON CLASSIC BONNIE HUNT SHOW MOMENTS ON THE YOUTUBE:
http://www.youtube.com/user/bonniehuntshow/videos

Amazing Race Aside S22E11

So it took until Memorial Day weekend to have the time to watch the double episode finale of this season's Race, and the good news is that I didn't see any spoilers (because, the producers respect the fans and are careful on social media) ... or is that bad news because that means, with 22 seasons, this reality show might not be as "hot" as it once was.  That said ... here's a final aside:

PITHIEST COMMENT OF THE NIGHT:  "The hardest part was squeezing his junk into the wetsuit."  This is what happens when you race with your brother.  You have to do things.  Unexpected things.

HOW DID THEY DO THAT?  BEHIND-THE-SCENES REQUEST:  How could you race to Ireland, and hold a glass of the best beer in the world in your hand, and not mention the word Guinness?  That was clearly one in Phil's hands.

IMAGE I WON'T SOON FORGET:  Maybe it's because I was a server in a past life, but putting the tray of food down on the ground to serve the Titanic guests -- that was just so wrong.

LET ME JUST SAY THIS:  The finale always has my favorite part of the race each cycle -- not the half hearted clapping that the losers are forced to do in the final run-up, or the final leg of the race that never seems to be too close to call -- but the fact that racers have just as much (if not more) language trouble when they return stateside and have to deal with US cabbies.

Can't wait until the fall!

[spoiler alert -- see how Anthony Bates plan to spend their million dollars here:  http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/amazing-race-season-22-winners-498758]

Amazing Race Aside S22E10

What with the finale tonight, I had to squeeze this episode in and take it off the DVR and get this posted before the Hockey Boys take it all in a few hours (well that's my prediction anyway ...).  So although I'd rather they'd have spent an extra episode in Berlin, here's my Amazing Race Aside for last week's Scottish leg of the race ...

PITHIEST COMMENT OF THE NIGHT:  "Blow and blow and blow."  That whole bagpipe challenge gave me new respect for LVC's Dr. Scott, the lone bagpiper who appeared often on campus.

HOW DID THEY DO THAT?  BEHIND-THE-SCENES-REQUEST:  So producers, what was that $1.00 for on this part of the race?  Were they supposed to tip the haggis poet (by the way -- I thought he might have just been an interested local the way he first popped up on the scene to offer his ode to the treat).

IMAGE I WON'T SOON FORGET:  Oh those Scottish castles.  I want one.  Maybe the second one -- which seemed ready to move into.  Oh, and I only want one if the weather is warm, as a chimney in every corner makes me think it gets pretty pretty cold in there in the winter.

LET ME JUST SAY THIS:  What with all that which-plane-is-first drama, this episode seemed brought to you by the gospel's "the first shall be last and the last shall be first".

[make your own haggis with this "authentic" recipe:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/haggis_66072]

Amazing Race Aside S22E9

Here I am catching up on watching the episodes that gathered on the DVR while I was on vacation.  And, as per the photo, here I am climbing on the Berlin Wall in 1990 when I studied abroad, shortly before chopping off a piece of history -- a picture that seemed fitting for this episode's Amazing Race Aside:

PITHIEST COMMENT OF THE NIGHT:  "Kids, this is what taking drugs is like, I think", as proclaimed by one of the roller derby mommas who was "enjoying" the psychedelic salon labyrinth that looked like too much fun.

HOW DO THEY DO THAT?  BEHIND-THE-SCENES-REQUEST:  I know that it would have been difficult to arrange what with this show being on CBS and the character I'm about to mention being on NBC -- but what I wouldn't have given to have had SNL's party scene know-it-all Stefan introduce said maze.

IMAGE I WON'T SOON FORGET:  The museum of letters.  Sadly, I am not Berlin-hip enough to get it.

LET ME JUST SAY THIS:  Bates -- 45 less 15 is 30.  You're welcome.

[check out the "journey from ass to soul", as it is described here:  http://www.exberliner.com/reviews/into-the-labyrinth/]

Amazing Race Aside S22E8

Vacation + DVR = episodes watched a good bit after they aired.  So in the spirit of catching up to the current status of the race, here's the Amazing Race Aside from three weeks ago ...

PITHIEST COMMENT OF THE NIGHT:  "My cheese is out of control."  Enough said.  Classic race scenario.  They should do this every year.  Maybe next year in the rain.  It would never get old.

HOW DO THEY DO THAT?  BEHIND-THE-SCENES-REQUEST:  So, producer types -- I'm a late-to-the-race fan (it was the effervescent Bonnie Hunt who made me realize what a quality show it was) -- which means I don't know what a switchback is.  Anyone care to elaborate (maybe on screen next time you introduce a more obscure component of the game)?

IMAGE I WON'T SOON FORGET:  The "top of Europe" (as seen in the photo).  I ... want ... to ... go ... there.

LET ME JUST SAY THIS:  I feel for you racers going from the plains of Africa to the slopes of Switzerland.  It was kind of like my return from vacation going from 85 and sunny in Florida to 35 and April snows in Chicago.

[add this place to your bucket list:  http://www.myswitzerland.com/en/jungfraujoch-top-of-europe.html]

Amazing Race Aside S22E7

This could have gone two completely different ways.   But I chose to go THIS way, instead of trying to be all punny in each of the categories in my construct this season and relating them each to the speed trap -- tonight's an all-croc edition of my weekly Amazing Race Aside.

PITHIEST COMMENT OF THE NIGHT:  "Those crocs probably love Italian sausages", as said by the Psycho Hockey boys (not Psycho in a bad way, but in a my-name-is-Anthony-and-my-brother's-name-is-Bates kind of way).

HOW DO THEY DO THAT?  BEHIND-THE-SCENES REQUEST:  So producers, I'm guessing this has to just be editing -- but were these folks ever in actual harm?  'Cause it seemed like an awfully cavalier attitude to be racing amazingly around all of those crocodiles.

IMAGE I WON'T SOON FORGET:  The roller derby mom hugging those baby goats so tightly as the boat went past the "warning crocodiles" sign.  (By the way, did anyone else see that pop-and-locking iguana/lizard flash across the screen?)

LET ME JUST SAY THIS:  This is the same vein as how I'll aim for someone jaywalking UNLESS they are jaywalking with a dog, but I was more worried about the crocs getting the goats if one of those carved out boats flipped over (after all, all but two of the contestants are getting eliminated by the end of this race anyway, right)?

[learn how to combat a crocodile here:  

http://www.wikihow.com/Survive-an-Encounter-with-a-Crocodile-or-Alligator]

Amazing Race Aside S22E6

So just to be clear to all the racers ... Maun is in Botswana (and not everywhere else suggested while waiting to get in the door of the travel agency).  And with that established, here we go with my thoughts on this past week's episode:

PITHIEST COMMENT OF THE NIGHT:  "This is like Sesame Street on crack!"  (I mean Bushmen sucking on the tiny head of things is kind of like that bad press that "Elmo" got, right?  What -- too soon for a Mr. Clash reference?)

HOW DO THEY DO THAT?  BEHIND-THE- SCENES REQUEST:  Producers -- did you make the Bushwomen put on all those matching burlap sacks to avert any more controversy this season?  (I'm sure those who freaked out last week might have gone ballistic over some nip-slips. What -- too soon for a Ms. Jackson reference?)

IMAGE I WON'T SOON FORGET:  That Botswanan landing strip for the tiny plane made me think of that Jim Jones cult documentary I had seen -- even if it is an ocean away from Jonestown, Guyana on a different continent.  (At least this had a happier ending.  What -- too soon for a Mr. Jones reference?)

LET ME JUST SAY THIS:  It's apparently not too soon for the apology that was offered (although I'm still a little surprised at the still-open-wounds it references) ... "Parts of last Sunday's episode, filmed in Vietnam, were insensitive to a group that is very important to us:  our nation's veterans.  We want to apologize to veterans -- particularly those who served in Vietnam -- as well as to their families and any viewers who were offended by the broadcast.  All of us here have the most profound respect for the men and women who fight for our country."  If nothing else, I join them in the last sentence.

[evaluate NatGeo's take on scorpions-in-the-mouth here:  http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/03/27/why-did-the-bushman-put-a-scorpion-in-his-mouth-on-the-amazing-race/]

Amazing Race Aside S22E5

I believe this photo is an attempt to catch them giving  their look of "fiery righteousness", but if anything needs a Meme or a Gif or whatever those crazy kids create for the internet nowadays, the two seconds they gave to the camera during the episode would be it.  That said, here's my Amazing Race Aside for the fifth episode ...

PITHIEST COMMENT OF THE NIGHT:  With apologies for the fact that I don't have the traditional symbols ... "vinh quang thay the he thanh nien chung ta"!

HOW DO THEY DO THAT?  BEHIND-THE-SCENES REQUEST:  Maybe not so much a request than pointing out a missed opportunity -- but come on producers, couldn't you have gotten the B-52's to be performing in the background of the B-52 memorial?

IMAGE I WON'T SOON FORGET:  Beyond the moped madness or the aforementioned look of fiery righteousness, I'd have to say that I was surprised that the young Viet socialist performing kids all shared the look of local Chi-town hipsters.  So it looks like we've exported THAT phenomenon now!

LET ME JUST SAY THIS:  If everyone joins together to fight the alliance because alliances are bad -- then you've just created a second de-facto alliance.  Can't we just play the game with individual integrity and stop this clique-iness?  I know it works for other shows -- but keep it out of this one, please!

[watch Viet-hipster kids sing longingly for socialism in springtime here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Kz0zuktplk]

Amazing Race Aside S22E4

I have to start by mentioning that my favorite moment from last night's episode was the look that the Bali boy gave the camera (with Phil) at the eliminated team's new "record", showing that even the foreign host knew how ridiculous it was ... and speaking of Phil, here's the new construct ...

PITHIEST COMMENT OF THE NIGHT:  Sure, I could say it was "rip it, read it and keep on racing", or "eat it like it's your job" (as yelled to a monkey), but I have to deem the strategy of "one leg at a time on one leg" as the most on point.

HOW DO THEY DO THAT?  BEHIND-THE- SCENES REQUEST:  So if you get cash in your envelope for the leg, then how can you book your airline tickets online?  Come clean -- is there a Race flight voucher?  And is it really coincidence that they get the last eight seats on the early flight?  Or is that manufactured drama?

IMAGE I WON'T SOON FORGET:  I'm trying hard to replace the image of that youtube boy in the super short seventies style red gym shorts over top his leggings ... with something that I didn't even see on the show, but, instead, in the commercial break.  Apparently, the Wednesday night local news will cover this story:  "She has dementia and he is blind.  So who would sell them a car?".  The couple's picture is now in my head (at least until Wednesday)!

LET ME JUST SAY THIS:  I am dying to hear more about the flying squirrel that lived in the country singer's bra that died of loneliness.  I don't think that's some down home euphemism.  But there has to be more to say about how that all went down.

[review how to care for flying squirrels here:  http://www.arcforwildlife.com/flyers.htm]

Amazing Race Aside S22E3

Here's the problem for me when all the Sunday night TV shows start to run together:  once cancer dad's achilles burst, I was thinking they could simply chop off his leg like they did when Herschel was bitten, and he could be fitted for a prosthetic as some kind of justice for having sent Amy home so early in the race last season.  Anyway ...

PITHIEST COMMENT OF THE NIGHT:  "They're doing all the work -- we're just lying there." -- seems like the Hockey bros were speaking from some kind of personal experience.

HOW DO THEY DO THAT?  BEHIND-THE-SCENES REQUEST:  Come on producers, come clean -- the Shemozzle is real?  And what are the dogs for?  And how can you take the racers to New Zealand and not have everyone go to a picnic at Phil's house?

IMAGE I WON'T SOON FORGET:  Crutch-running.  At first I thought it was haphazard and he was bound to fall at any minute -- but damned if, by the end, I didn't think it was very elegant and poetic in a post-modern interpretative dance kind of way.

LET ME JUST SAY THIS:  Alliances have been around since Eve and the snake made a deal for that afternoon snack in the garden, so even though reality shows have thrown in a very modern twist to the construct, just know that it's probably not going to end well in a race where you must turn against those with whom you are allied.  Stop trying to turn this show in to Survivor!

[find Bible verses about alliances here:  http://www.openbible.info/topics/alliances]

Amazing Race Aside S22E2

So I'm still getting used to the new format, as you'll see since I can't choose just one thing to say in each of the new categories for this season of Amazing Race, but here we go ...

PITHIEST COMMENT OF THE NIGHT:  First, I thought it would be the announcement during the stilts competition that "I just love anything nimbly", and then I thought it would be the doc twins analysis of "we're struggling here", but "it's not an honesty competition" won out!  (Which, actually, just seems to be an updated version of "this is not best friend's race" from another reality show that hasn't yet won any Emmys.)

HOW DO THEY DO THAT? BEHIND-THE-SCENES REQUEST:  I wanted to know how they made the hockey player's teeth appear and disappear (but he was polite enough to show us on camera), so now I want to know how the producers sleep at night putting together a show where the Asian characters don't know how to drive, the African-American characters are afraid of the water, and the hillbilly character works at the Walmart.  Stereotype much?

IMAGE I WON'T SOON FORGET:  Not the blue water in a color that deserves its own name, nor the Panama Jack version of Phil, but it was the image of the shells lined up with the racers' names on them to pick up the Scuba gear with Bates and Anthony (the hockey boys) written in red blood -- I mean ink.  Really -- the hocksters are brothers named Anthony Bates (cue psycho music)!?

LET ME JUST SAY THIS:  Don't join the show if you are afraid of heights or the water, READ the clue in its entirety (maybe even twice for good measure) and tell me ... how does one know when one ruptures one's achilles heel?

[watch a video of achilles heel surgery here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTEkQxmIGEQ ]

Amazing Race Aside S22E1

It's back!

Well integrated product placement.  Phil's raised eyebrow.  Me missing Bonnie Hunt (can't she be a special correspondent or something?).  Couples replete with baked-in story lines.  Rule playing twists (wha-what?  Two express passes?).  And my weekly digression (this season, getting their own unique posts, instead of being shoe-horned into that which I say every day -- although I'll still keep the "aside" title for the sake of the archives.)

So we begin -- but with a new construct this year, patterned off of the emmy award winning host's first name ...

PITHIEST COMMENT OF THE NIGHT:  Something to the effect of ... "maybe this is what hell is like ... destroying and rebuilding sandcastles over and over again with the hot sun beating down on us on the beach ..."

HOW DO THEY DO THAT? BEHIND-THE-SCENES REQUEST:  Please tell me how it's possible for Chuck to "sky dive" without that hair of his not somehow wounding his tandem partner?

IMAGE I WON'T SOON FORGET:  A stray dog relieving himself on the sand castles that the racers had to dig through to find the prize.  Classic.

LET ME JUST SAY THIS:  So I know we've all just met, but I can't help walking away from this week's episode thinking of the word "BEARD".  And I'm looking at you Katie and Jessica, if you know what I mean.

[watch the season premiere here for a limited time:  http://www.cbs.com/shows/amazing_race/]

Random Thought for Thursday 12/13/12

I love this time of year ... because walking down the streets of the 'hood, I suddenly have new appreciation for how much I share of it with others.  And the "others" here are not the drunks in ugly sweaters that are overpopulating the sidewalks of late (how many ugly sweater bar crawls can there be?) -- but they are the birds who leave their nests behind -- now suddenly visible with all of the branches so bare.  It makes me think that there is so much we miss in all  the other months of the year as we bustle about in a hurry staring intently at our phones not making eye contact with anyone ... so much "life" all around us, all unnoticed and unappreciated.

Speaking of unnoticed and unappreciated (and I apologize in advance that that was a forced segue a la the Whoopi-Goldberg-hosts-The-View school of thought), here's my final Amazing Race Aside for the season that just ended with the six things I learned from last week's episode (hey -- it was a double episode, so my usual three things got doubled as well):

1.)  Thing ONE:  How 'bout them Beekman Boys?  I'm such a fan of when the good guys who played the game nicely win the million!
2.)  Thing TWO:  How 'bout them Ja(y)meses?  I know that second place doesn't have a payout, but at least they have fancy cars whose back ends raise with just a swift kick (I don't know why that automotive feature suddenly sounds so corporal-punishment-y).
3.)  Thing THREE:  How 'bout them hounds?  They sure seemed to enjoy that row of meat, but the whole pack feast idea seemed a little barbaric (woe to be the dog with table manners in the midst of that mess)!
4.)  Thing FOUR:  How 'bout them final resting places for guys named Leonardo.  DeCaprio should be so lucky!
5.)  Thing FIVE:  How 'bout them basketball shorts?  And why did they always look like kilts when Texas Trey was wearing them?
6.)  Thing SIX:  How 'bout that karma?  I was afraid I was going to have to boycott all things Sri Lankan -- and then I was afraid that I didn't have anything Sri Lankan to boycott in the first place (second place) and then I was all just fine that they came into last place of the finale four, what with the stealing from teammates and coordinating of u-turn-coups and overall jack-douchey behavior.

Here's to next season Phil!  Can't wait until Feb 17, 2013!

THIS ONE SAYS IT WAS CANCELLED -- BUT THERE SURE WAS A LOT OF UGLINESS:
http://pubcrawls.com/events/ugly-sweater/ugly-sweater-pub-crawl-chicago.php

URBAN WILDLIFE PRESERVATION -- IT'S A REAL THING!:
http://www.lpzoo.org/conservation-science/science-centers/urban-wildlife-institute

APPARENTLY MORE REASON TO BOYCOTT SRI LANKA THAN JUST THE TWINNERS:
http://boycottsrilanka.wordpress.com/

Random Thought for Thursday 12/6/12

So I was on the couch after a day of work with a headache I've had since yesterday that I just can't shake ... and I turned to my cell phone to catch up on my WordsWithFriends.  Since I don't have the free version, I have to see an advertisement after every play of mine ... and I was pleased to see that the McRib is back (apparently, it was supposed to be back since October, but it was pushed back to Dec 17th to boost sales -- although it may have showed up early in some places) in an ad that suggested I spread the word.  Hence this post.  And this observation that this could be another true Christmas miracle.

Speaking of random things like thoughts and McRibs and such, here's my Amazing Race Aside with three things I've learned from last week's episode:

1.)  Thing ONE:  Has there ever been a more random pit stop at which to check in then the one with the headless Barcelonian?  Did I miss some cultural reference to that somewhere?
2.)  Thing TWO:  The Ja(y)meses raced halfway around the world to end up in the same outfit they were nightly on stage -- talk about kismet.
3.)  Thing THREE:  As much as I dislike the twinners for how they "corrupted" the others for whom I'm cheering, I will agree with them that driving stick for the first time is difficult (and I will attempt to suppress the flashback I had of the time I got stuck driving my friend's car up a hill on the way home from work on the Main Line in Philly and how the guy behind me got out of his car and we swapped automobiles until we both got over the hill -- certainly one of the most embarrassing situations I've been in second only to the time I was much younger and mis-dialed my 1-900# as 911 -- another memory I should probably suppress and maybe not share).

FOR SOME, THE MCRIB IS A PASSION:
http://www.kleincast.com/maps/mcrib.php

SIGHTINGS ACROSS THE COUNTRY:
http://www.kleincast.com/maps/mcrib.php

MAYBE NOT UNTIL DEC 17th:
http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/12/04/tis-season-mcrib-to-return-dec-17/

Random Thought for Thursday 11/29/12

Dearest Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk:

I was catching up on my AHS episodes the other night and I finally got to episode 5.  And, unless I misread the screen, the only warning I got was for V (as per the rating system).

Frankly, that disappointed me.  Where's the S and the L and the D in that episode?  You've raised the bar in titillation, so an hour that only warrants a V makes me feel like I'm missing something -- like I'm watching something that's not "whole".

So thanks in advance for making sure the remaining episodes of the season provide a full dose of V, S, L and D.  Gots to get my fill of depravity, pretty please!

Much appreciated ... hugs and kisses ... Troy

[And while I'm drafting letters to producers ... Dearest Bertram Van Munster (yep, it's my Amazing Race Aside with three things I learned from last week's episode):

1.)  Thing ONE:  Does anything say "Cold War is over and the Communists lost" like the fact that Moscow is the city with the most billionaires?
2.)  Thing TWO:  As much as I tolerate Lexi and Trey (recall -- I still blame Lexi for being corrupted by the twinners when they got her to agree to steal the long-haireds money that one leg), part of me wanted to see if they would really fly to Paris by mistake and then figure out that they were supposed to be in Amsterdam.  That would have been classic.
3.)  Thing THREE:  And speaking of folks being corrupted by the twinners, I'm still very much rooting for the Ja(y)meses to be in it until the finish, but it broke my heart to see the pressure that poor sweet Jaymes was under during the drama of the double u-turn.  But hey -- that's the game!]

IT'S THE V/S/L/D THAT MAKES IT SO DARN GOOD:
http://www.fxnetworks.com/ahs/

MEET THE EVIL TWINNIES:
http://www.cbs.com/shows/amazing_race/cast/183900

MOSCOW --> A BASTION FOR CAPITALISM?:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/09/us-billionaires-russia-idUSTRE7287NA20110309

Random Soapbox for Saturday 11/24/12

I don't mean to go off on a rave here, but ...

... you must go now directly to your television (or your on demand menu provided by your cable provider or your internet based consumption model for entertainment) and find and watch episodes of Prank My Mom (hint:  it's on Lifetime -- which is not just for women any more).

Don't dismiss it as "just another candid camera" show -- it's reliably laugh out loud funny in almost every set-up.  Vivaca A Fox's breasts were brought in to host around episode three (I don't know if it's wardrobe or a skeevy camera man or just her endowment, but they seem to be prominently displayed in each of her intros).  Keep an eye out for the improv actor who almost always plays a cop, as he has the uncanny ability to turn up the absurdity of the situation to just this side of the line to being unbelievable.  And once you've watched, you'll have to see if you agree with me about the kids that sign up for the program to prank their mothers -- since they have to get moms who are disappointed enough in their children to not be totally unbelieving of the artificial scenarios, I'm pretty sure that they found the children in the waiting room of a methadone clinic.  But even so, that's what makes it so fun to watch.

Also fun to watch -- what was the BEST episode of one of the BEST shows on TV -- yep, it's time for my Amazing Race Aside (sorry so late -- I just watched it on the DVR what with the holiday) with three things I've learned from this past week's episode:

1.)  Thing ONE:  I already said it but it was the BEST resolution of a cliffhanger in that the longhaired lawyers still got to race (well for a little bit) and in that Abbie and Ryan got to prove their humanity by sticking with the pact to wait out the Beekman Boys' attempts at the synchronized swimming (and that the four hour penalty was applied next day).
2.)  Thing TWO:  I'm going to petition the company for which I work (which runs standardized practice test prep) to write into our test day scripts the Moscovian "Pencils down ... Next round ..." so long as it is yelled out in that thick accent at that exact decibel level.
3.)  Thing THREE:  Give the Ja(y)meses their own show already -- they are a hoot and a half!

YOU CAN WATCH THEM HERE:
http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/prank-my-mom

I KNOW ... I KNOW ... METHADONE CLINICS SHOULD NOT BE MOCKED:
http://www.codeinewithdrawal.com/find-a-methadone-clinic/

HAVE YOU MET THE JA(Y)MESES?:
http://www.cbs.com/shows/amazing_race/video/2273712974/the-amazing-race-meet-jaymes-james
 

Random Tune for Tuesday 11/13/12

Sometimes it doesn't get any more random than this.

I was making a sandwich for lunch yesterday, and I caught myself singing ... "There is nothing we won't try ... never heard the word impossible" ... for no apparent reason.  I mean I haven't seen the TV show which features those words in quite some time.   And it was a Monday after all, so it seemed a little  unexpected that I was in such a chipper mood.  The nearest I can figure is I heard a tune that reminded me of this tune ... and suddenly ... there I was singing it.

Of course it is an upbeat stick-with-it kind of message, which would work for a challenge of ... say ... a race around the world?!  Which leads me to this week's Amazing Race Aside, with three things I've learned from this past week's episode:

1.)  Thing ONE:  Such a dramatic cliff-hanger ... with props for what seems to be an initial honoring of the "handshake" to run the race as a foursome for those two bottom teams who haven't learned that layovers of less than 90 minutes in international airports are never a good risk to take when racing.
2.)  Thing TWO:  Was there ever a better fit for a challenge than synchronized swimming for the Ja(y)meses?
3.)  Thing THREE:  I love how the "shush" hand gesture accompanied with sound is so universal, as the Russian library patrons displayed.

HERE's THE LONG VERSION -- CHECK OUT THE SAX SOLO IN THE MIDDLE!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JijyXS6Sb30&feature=related

Random Tune(s) for Tuesday 11/6/12

Ok -- I usually just list one tune, but tonight there will be two.

When it comes to the first one, here's hoping that some of you will actually be able to play it tonight and that a winner will be decided (and that resolution  won't drag on and on as I suspect).  It's too close to call as to whether the song will be for the camps of Willard M. or Broncobama, but, if and when applicable, feel free to enjoy the Gregorian chant version of We Are The Champions.

As for tune two, it's a repeat of the tune I posted 10-12-10 after I had first heard it on Raising Hope (of sorts -- this is the dance version), but it just fits so perfectly with tonight's Amazing Race Aside.  Here are three things I learned from this week's episode:

1.)  Thing ONE:  I know it's a race and a game and all that -- but what kind of karma are you inviting when you steal the other team's $100.  Shame on you twinnie 1 and twinnie 2 and Lexi (and Trey, for letting her talk you into it).  Forcing the rockers to solicit in a third world country where it looked like there were poor starving disabled folk against whom they had to compete to raise cash is deplorable.  Where's your humanity -- for shame!
2.)  Thing TWO:  Or as Ryan so accurately said, "next time you get all concerned when your Samsung 52" tv goes fuzzy ... come to Dhaka" and get some perspective.
3.)  Thing THREE:  Hey Phil -- it might just be me, but the speed bumps these last few seasons are seeming a little WEAK.  As in, eat two ice cream cones (twice, as it turned out) ... which is up there with the one a bit back of "sit on a block of ice for half an hour" (or something like that).  If they are basically going to be inconsequential, how's about getting rid of them.

AND WE'LL KEEP ON FIGHTIN' 'TIL THE END:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CUT0xlxQY8

REMEMBER NEW YORK WAS ONCE NEW AMSTERDAM:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lw1RSfjJTI

Random Thought for Thursday 11/1/12

Two weeks ago, I claimed to have cured insomnia (well, at least for me) by listening to the local 24 hour news channel repeat its broadcast on the half hour every half hour.

And now I've found a second cure (well, at least for me) as Murder's new routine is to jump into bed at some random hour in the morning and to whine until I acknowledge her presence and begin to pet her.  Then she finally settles down and the purr that emits lulls me back to sleep -- until it's time to get ready for work (and since I work from home, that's 90 seconds prior to time to sign in!).

[There is a slight chance that her whine is an attempt to get me out of bed so that she can sleep in the warm spot left behind and the loud purr that emits might just mean that her sinuses are clogged -- but I'll choose to "spin" it my way.]

And speaking of "sleep" and "animals", here's my Amazing Race Aside from this past week's episode, with three things I learned:

1.)  Thing ONE:  that animal over which everyone stepped in Bangladesh was just deeply asleep and not dead, right?
2.)  Thing TWO:  you know you are in a third world country when the money provided you for the leg is just one dollar.
3.)  Thing THREE:  Every challenge so far this season has somehow related to the task of running a Monster Truck event, which is just uncanny!

NATURAL CURES FOR INSOMNIA:
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02037/sleep-aid

CHECK OUT SMOKEY, THE CAT WITH THE LOUDEST PURR:
http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/why-do-cats-purr

AN ALTERNATIVE WAY TO PREPARE FOR AMAZING RACE CHALLENGES:
http://www.monstertrucks.net/