i knew it - Heroes edition

in this day and age of the internet, you think it would be easier to come by information on shows - how many episodes have been ordered, how are they doing in the ratings, etc. etc. i'm REALLY trying to get info lately because of this damn writer's strike. however, in general, i've found info on TV shows really hard to come by.

in my recent hunt for information, i found out that Chuck and Life (both new shows that i enjoy thoroughly) were greenlit for full seasons (i guess they originally only had 11-13 episodes each). cool beans. i ALSO found out that NBC may not have time in their schedule to air the last episode of Journeyman (which has NOT been picked up for a full season yet). next week is the 11th episode, and then there's a 12th out there that's been filmed and everything that wraps up the story just in case no more episodes are ordered but NBC might not have a time slot to air it in. oh, and it's part 2 of what happens in episode 11. wow. nice one NBC.

all that's fine and dandy, but here's the real reason for this post: Heroes and their sloppy, sloppy finish to season 2 (or season 2 part 1 if the writer's strike ends in time). quoted from an article on tv.com from a month ago:

NBC's Heroes is preparing for the worst. According to TVGuide.com, the superhero drama is reshooting the final episode of the season's first half--also known as Volume One or "Generations."

Originally scheduled for multiple volumes, the second season of the drama may be halved, and the reshooting of the December 3 episode is designed to wrap things up nicely...by transforming the episode into a potential season finale rather than a midseason cliffhanger. The strike was allegedly also the cause of the indefinite postponement of the Heroes: Origins spin-off.

so there you go. damn writer's strike.

- kawitchate

Heroes - week 11

so i bet you all think you know what i'm going to say.

and you're probably right. at least partially.

here's how it went. i was ENGROSSED up until the commercial break at 8:35 - i mean i was on the EDGE OF MY SEAT the writing was so good. i was loving it.

then i started to realize... there's no way they can cover everything i want them to (or better yet, everything they should) in the time left. and then the scenes with characters started getting shorter and shorter (Claire reunited with her dad was WAY too short of a scene, same with Peter and Adam storming the compound, Hiro and Adam facing off, Nathan and his hastily called press conference, etc. etc. etc). and then it was over.

what happened? i HAVE to think the writer's strike (or the impending writer's strike at the time of writing the second season) meant they needed a quick finish to the half-season (season?). for Heroes to drag on for 6-8 episodes (at a slow, but steady pace - better than what came after it) and then quickly (and somewhat sloppily) wrap up in 3-4 just plain sucked.

what should have happened? i think there were about 2 episodes missing - one dealing mostly with Nathan (as we saw VERY little of him this season, more on that below) and another dealing with what happened 30 years ago with the old heroes (when Nathan and Parkman were talking to Mrs. Petrelli and she was like "It happened 30 years ago..." close up on her face and everything... you KNOW that was begging for a flashback episode).

if i could have more episodes, i would have liked one that showed what happened to the OTHER characters 4 months ago (see my post from a few weeks ago) and maybe yet another dealing with more of the aftermath of Claire's dad being "dead." but if i can't have those, we SHOULD have had at least the 2 i described above.

and we didn't. and the season suffered horribly for it.

notes:

- all in all, for an episode that had almost every (every?) hero in it, the pacing and face-time for each hero wasn't all that bad. as i said, i was really loving it up until i realized that this was it, there was no more time to cover everything that needed to be covered. it's just too bad that we didn't get the 2 episodes i described above that were needed to make this REALLY good.

- virus was stopped, but what was the aftermath of it? where's Peter's Irish lass? was that future really avoided? the whole virus storyline sort of just stopped once Peter incinerated the vile. so... is everything cool then? hello?

- Elle maturing is still a fun ride. when she went to face Sylar on her own i was worried they'd kill her off, but i'm glad they didn't. in fact, it was really neat how she smiled when Sylar said that she saved their lives, was their hero.

- the Company using Claire's dad to quiet her was pretty cool, but felt rushed (again, that's why i wish there was another episode with Claire dealing with her father's death). i wish he would have stayed "dead" longer... however, he isn't going to get to BE with his family for a while, so i guess that's interesting.

- i really liked the Nikki/Micah moments between the two of them in the car, but otherwise that ENTIRE storyline was dumb and boring. and now she's "dead" and honestly i couldn't care less. i really haven't liked what they did to her character (and her family for that matter, killing DL the way they did) all season long.

- the Suresh/Sylar/South American chick/Molly storyline was pretty tight. i'm surprised Sylar showed his true self so early to the South American chick, but whatever. oh, and i was kinda sad that she didn't die since i find her pretty annoying - HOWEVER, now that she's on the good side and knows what Sylar did, i think she's going to play a big part in bringing him down. let's just hope she's less annoying.

- yes, Sylar got his powers back, and i guess it was about time. the next "chapter" is called Villains, and as much as i'd like to see Sylar and Adam team up, i think what is more likely is that the Villains are going to be Sylar and the Company... although Sylar knows that the Company was the one that took away his powers, so he's going to be after them as well. very interesting. oh, and they'd BETTER start off next season by showing us what happened to Sylar 4 months ago, how the Company got him, and all that happened to him down in Mexico up until the twins came upon him in the middle of nowhere.

- i liked everything that went down at Primatech Paper with Adam and Peter and Nathan and Parkman and Hiro, but it just should have been LONGER. show Adam and Peter storming the place. show the face-off between Adam and Hiro as Hiro takes him in time and leaves him there. show some more of what's in the vault. and for god's sake did they rush into that press conference thing - where the hell did that come from?!? which leads to my next point...

- they shouldn't have killed Nathan. i mean sure, dead doesn't necessarily mean dead - especially with Claire's blood everywhere now, but for some reason i think they're going to make this one stick. the writer's think it'll serve to strengthen Peter's resolve, that Nathan was just an ends to a means for Peter's character (and Peter is EVERYONE'S favorite, right?). i mean the signs are there - Nathan doesn't have his family anymore, he was a broken man, a drunk, a destitute... they were getting him ready to die. and i HATE them for it. Nathan has always been one of my favorite characters and they SHAT ALL OVER HIM this season (both literally, by making his life hell, and figuratively, by not giving him enough face time on the show). this once-proud Congressman with a family suddenly had NOTHING, and that doesn't make for interesting TV? where was the Nathan-centric episode this season?!? hell, where was he in ANY of the episodes?!?!? and now you have the audacity to kill him?!? you give him a few brotherly lines in this episode and show his quick turnaround back into the man he once was by calling the press conference and you think it's enough? well it's not. if you can't tell, i'm actually livid. if this death sticks, i am seriously going to think about dropping this show.

and that about sums it up. it was a fun ride taken by itself, but the season was missing 2 key episodes (ideally 4) that would have made the package whole. as it said at the end, Heroes returns "in 2008," but with the writer's strike, does that mean it will return for the second half of season 2, or will we have to wait until the Fall for season 3?

i'm willing to give the sloppy pacing and writing a break because of the writer's strike, but if Nathan truly is dead, that's going to be something hard to forgive. if they would have given him his dues this season, i wouldn't mind as much.

but they didn't.

and i do.

damn you Heroes for being so good last season and sloppy - yet still a blast in its own right - this season. and damn you for Nathan's death.

i still love you... but you're on thin ice.

- kawitchate

Heroes - week 10

oh my. the first Heroes impressions post that's not on written the same day as Heroes! well, i wasn't quite home yet from Vegas Monday when Heroes first aired, so i had to download it and watch it last night. reason i didn't post THEN is because i was busy catching up on Journeyman and Chuck (yes i watch Chuck now, it's a guilty nerdy pleasure).

so here it is. hope i remember all my thoughts from last night.

- things seemed to move like molasses the first 8-or-so episodes this season and all of the sudden things are rushing to a conclusion starting this week (and presumably into next). did it feel rushed to any of you guys? like this red-headed woman has been a mystery for a while and Peter and Adam decide to track her down AND find her ALL IN ONE EPISODE?!? and Sylar and the twins took FOREVER to get through Mexico and now they're all of the sudden in New York?!? SLOW DOWN.

- really think they're missing out on telling stories about Nathan's recovery (i mean come on, the guy just learned his brother is alive and... what? what is he up to? is he trying to find him or what?) and Parkman. Parkman especially this week. Parkman last week went into Peter's mom's head (we're led to believe) to get the location of the red-haired older woman hero, so shouldn't we have had a scene with him either meeting up with Peter and Adam at her place or maybe him arriving after she was dead? AND WHAT IS NATHAN UP TO??? my suggestion: skip the New Orleans story and deal with people we really care about.

- tired of the twin chick falling so easily for Sylar and his tricks. i could see maybe, MAYBE her telling her brother to leave, that she didn't need him anymore, but now all of the sudden she's so blindly in love with him that she'll enter Suresh's apartment where this little girl is sleeping (Molly) and basically hold her hostage so that Suresh will show up? no way. oh, and they shouldn't have killed the brother, not yet... but Heroes has a tendency to kill people too fast.

- ok, after all that hate, a little love. i love that Claire's dad is alive and being held by the Company. i ALSO love that Claire is mad as hell and isn't going to run anymore... though the declaration came out of left field, i can't wait to see where it leads.

- you can see Elle starting to doubt her father and the Company. very cool, as long as she doesn't lose that spark that makes her her.

- will the outbreak of the virus be from this super-strain being held in Texas (that we just learned about this very episode by the way - RUSHED) or will it instead be from what Nikki is infected with? that would be more interesting (and a nice case of misdirection) - we think it's in Texas, and that one gets saved, but then because Suresh couldn't get to Nikki in time because Sylar was knocking at his door... Nikki is the alpha case.

- just as i'm tired of Sylar manipulating the twin chick so easily, i'm even more tired of Peter being so easily manipulated ESPECIALLY now that he has his memory back. i know they're trying to say that he cares about this new girlfriend of his more than anything and that's why he's trying to help Adam "stop" the virus, but COME ON! you can't tell me that once he got his memories back he wouldn't have rushed to see his brother and mother!!!

- they are SLOWLY revealing things that the old heroes did in the past, but it's not nearly enough ESPECIALLY now that the writers are killing them all off. i mean come on! we don't even know what half of them can do! what was Hiro's father's power? how about the red-haired older woman? clue us in will ya!

i think that's about it. i didn't see the preview for next week but was told that some of the heroes converge on Texas and have a stand-off against Peter and Adam. i don't know... we'll see how it plays out. oh, and i heard that "2 heroes will die!" - what?!? it better not be anybody important / that i like. well, if they "die," they've always got Claire's blood now to bring them back.

to sum up: writing that was once keeping me happy and on a pretty good (but slow) pace has suddenly turned frantic and hectic. storylines are being neglected and others are being told needlessly. it's sloppy and rushed. i don't know if the impending writer's strike (impending at the time, now it's an actuality) had anything to do with the sudden change, but all i know is that this could be the last Heroes we get for 9 months (if the strike continues) and i just want it to continue to be GOOD while we've got it.

- kawitchate

Heroes - week 9

forgive and forget. i was pretty mad at Heroes last week, only showing us half the stories i wanted to see, but i'm over it now... mostly because i think they WILL show us the rest of the stories (especially Sylar's story - they HAVE to), it's just a matter of when.

Heroes is back on track this week and it was pretty darn good.

notes:

- really liked how this was like a "theme" episode with everyone involved dealing with father issues. i know that Heroes tries to do the whole theme thing (with the Suresh voice over at the start of the episode and at the end tying things together) but never before has it felt so... cohesive. Parkman dealing with potentially becoming his father, Claire and her dad, Elle and Bob, Hiro letting his father go (or rather, accepting his departure from THIS world)... all very cool.

- Parkman's new power is AWESOME... and the way he's got to struggle with not becoming his father now has some real potential. since it's such a powerful power, i hope it doesn't get overused like that reality-bending power got overused in the latter half of last season (the girl that worked for the company and was watching over a kidnapped Micah).

- speaking of powers that could potentially become overused, how about Claire's blood? we saw what it did to her dad... does this mean dead doesn't necessarily mean dead anymore? will anybody really die? i liked it more when the lives of characters were on the line last season, how Mendez died and stayed dead... well, we'll see what happens.

- speaking of what happened to Claire's dad, what a great story. the painting made you (and him) believe it would be Claire and her new boyfriend that would kill him - but it was Suresh and the Company. and of COURSE he wasn't going to stay dead (i'm just surprised they showed him alive again this episode - thought they'd save it for later), but what are the ramifications? does the Company have him now? will they make him work for them, threatening they'll go after his family if he doesn't? could be some interesting stuff to come out of this new storyline.

- Suresh has some issues to deal with as well after betraying the trust of Noah and sticking with the Company (oh, and murdering someone).

- Elle couldn't get any more cool. however, i'm worried that what Noah told her this week will set her on a path that will make her the Company's lap dog no more (and to an inevitable confrontation with her father)... and while that's cool for character progression, i think i'll miss the Elle that was. we'll see.

- Hiro finding out that Adam is the one murdering the old heroes was cool. it's interesting trying to piece together what exactly Adam is up to. he's telling Peter they've got to save the world (from the virus supposedly, at least that's what Peter thinks) and then he's going around murdering the old heroes. maybe his definition of "saving the world" isn't what Peter thinks it is - maybe it's to rid the world of heroes.

2 more episodes before the end of the Fall season, perhaps the end of the ENTIRE season if the writer's strike goes on too much longer. i really doubt they can wrap up all the open storylines in 2 episodes and save the world but... we'll see. that's what all the ads say is going to happen. what do i think? there'll be a cliffhanger and we'll be left hanging until next Fall when the writers have time to catch up on writing after the strike is over sometime next Spring.

preview for next Monday's episode looked good. most interested in Claire and Elle's confrontation and Sylar and Suresh's confrontation - and if Sylar is there... where are the twins?

- kawitchate

i watched some movies!

what used to be a weekly - if not daily - occurrence has now become a monthly or bi-monthly pasttime. watching movies. i seem to only see them on airplanes or on vacation recently, but in the past 2 weeks i've seen 3 movies worth blogging about. and here they are:

- TMNT -

it probably comes as no surprise that i was a HUGE Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan growing up. that said, i didn't have too high of expectations going into TMNT, the new revitalization of the Turtles movies. how did it turn out? very well i may say.

it wasn't trying to be completely new, which i liked (i kind of put it in the same ballpark as Superman Returns, with it acknowledging the other movies happened, but not being stuck in the rut of their history and style). in fact, i liked it a LOT. it REALLY captured the family that is the turtles, and the overall storyline wasn't too shabby either, with the bad guy having his own twist. it managed to give time to Casey and April, which was neat, and showed the Raph/Leo conflict perfectly. the CGI was spectacular, and the fights were great.

my only gripes are that it could have been longer, could have focused even MORE on Casey and April, and ESPECIALLY more on Mikey and Don (they were, sadly, underdeveloped in the movie). oh, and we could have had more of the Foot, but at least they were in there.

really hope there's a sequel.

- Syriana -

this movie is to the oil industry as The Insider is to big tobacco. it's not anti-American, not anti-Capitalism, not anti-ANYTHING. it just IS.

and that's why i ended up liking it so much.

we get to see a bunch of different people's perspectives on the merger of 2 big oil companies and how it affects everyone involved - from those that run the oil companies to the government that has to approve the merger, the CIA agent put in charge of doing dirty business in the Middle East to those lowly employees put out of a job. i don't think i've seen a more HONEST movie since The Insider.

it's amazing seeing millions upon millions of dollars trading hands in one scene, and then oil workers struggling to eat in the next. Clooney and Damon both put forth excellent - REAL - performances. everyone involved was top-notch.

i can't recommend this movie enough.

- The Departed -

maybe it's because i just saw Syriana the night previous, but i've got to say... i was let down by The Departed a little.

don't get me wrong, The Departed is a wonderfully crafted ride, filled with tons of stomach-churning scenes (from being nervous for the characters involved) and HOLY SHIT moments... but you pretty much knew where the ride was going to end. directing and editing definitely had a style to them, which was cool... and the acting was good, but not as great as in Syriana.

what was cool is that we got to see a little of a lot of characters, but i wish we could have seen even MORE of LESS characters - like the 2 main characters. there weren't enough quiet moments with them. they both had a hell of a ride when it was done, and it would have been interesting to see them experiencing it quietly a bit more - especially Leo.

oh, and while i knew what was going to happen at the end, i'm still not sure i liked it. all i'll say is that i wish one of the people that dies at the end didn't die. i think it would have been more interesting had he lived and no one knew who he was, what he had done.

really makes me want to see Infernal Affairs (the Japanese movie The Departed was a remake of).

OVERALL (out of ****)

TMNT: ***
Syriana: ****
The Departed: *** 1/2

- kawitchate

Heroes - week 8

well, here it is. the episode in which we were promised we'd find out what happened to everyone 4 months ago after the blast. i hadn't been this excited for an episode of Heroes since the season 2 premiere.

i haven't been this let down by an episode of Heroes since the season 2 premiere.

why? i think it's because they both promised things they didn't keep - or rather there's just so much more that they COULD have been. as they were, they were disappointing. they both were half-episodes, only revealing parts, only focusing on a few of the characters - and i'd be fine with this episode if next week were part 2... but it's not. next week we're back to the present. and it sucks.

notes:

- we were promised we'd find out what happened after the blast. well, we found out what happened TO SOME HEROES, not all of them. what happened to Claire and her family? what happened to the cop that caused him to break up with his wife and move in with Molly and Suresh? how did Claire's dad, the cop, and Suresh team up to take down The Company? how did Ando cope with Hiro being gone? and, most disappointing of all - WHAT HAPPENED TO SYLAR??? of the stories we were told, they were pretty cool, but i wanted to hear them ALL. and don't tell me they didn't have the time - Nikki's story didn't need to be as long (or told at all if it meant telling another story in its place), Peter's ran a bit long as well, and i don't know if we needed the twins' backstory at all.

- LOVED finding out what happened to Nathan (burnt to a crisp) and Peter (guilt-ridden per usual) post-blast. cool to see Peter blow up, then fly back and save his brother. also really cool to see the exchange between Nathan's wife and mother (so the mother is the one that broke them up essentially?) - actually would have liked to see MORE of Nathan's story. oh, and how Nathan got back to looking normal? nice.

- i'm not sure how i'm liking how gullible Peter is, first being convinced to join the program to control his powers and now being Adam's puppet to "save the world." it seemed Peter was finally becoming his own man at the end of last season, but now here he is, just as guilt-ridden and gullible as usual.

- MORE KRISTIN BELL PLEASE!!! man her character rocks.

- LESS TWINS PLEASE!!! while their powers are interesting, the constant "i killed people, cry cry cry" "it's ok, it'll be ok, i'll fix it" back and forth between the two is getting a little annoying.

- bringing D.L. back from the dead only to kill him IN THE SAME MANNER (gunshot) was a bit lame, but i did like the story (of her trying to go straight with the pills, then trying it on her own, failing, and him dying sort of as a result). another reason i didn't like it? i think i would have liked it if the 3 of them were doing super-hero stuff like the kid suggested (like the Fantastic 4 - er, 3). it was cool to see him save that girl in the fire... won't get to see that again now that he's dead (for good i'm assuming).

so, i liked what stories we were given, but was pissed that we didn't get them ALL (and that it doesn't look like we will - or won't for a while). the preview said there are 3 episodes left until the first part of the season is over - and after that who knows if we'll get a second half, what with the writer's strike and all - and i'm liking where things are going.

i just didn't like their incomplete telling tonight of where things were... 4 months ago.

- kawitchate

the rainy season

random notes from paradise:

- it's officially the rainy season here and MAN can you tell the difference. this past Sunday was the first day i can remember where the sun didn't come out ONCE during the whole day - it was gray and rainy just like Wisconsin autumns/springs. and the rain? it's not like it was before (where it would drizzle/shower for a few minutes, then clear up - like Florida). now it pours, and it pours for a while. we'll keep you posted as to how the rainy season affects my moped riding and my MOOD.

- parents visited for a week and a half about a week and a half ago. was really nice seeing them. however, when they left it reminded me of just how lonely things can be out here in the middle of the Pacific. oh well. on my days off we did touristy stuff and at night we sat and watched our television shows. the last weekend they were here we went to the Big Island hoping to see some lava flows but came away only seeing the crater/cauldron and some steam and sulfur vents. oh, and there was the most awesome highway in the U.S. it was a pretty awesome trip - such an alien landscape there. definitely have to go again. next time they come out.

- my birthday was last week. thanks to all that wished me a happy one (and for those that didn't, don't worry - i don't care much when it comes to happy birthdays). i'm 26 now, which actually took me a while to figure out. when i first sat down and thought "how old am i turning again?" i had myself CONVINCED that i was already 26 and that i was turning 27. just goes to show you that once you're old enough to drink and drive rental cars, nothing much matters after that. ok, maybe 30. and then 40. after that the stress of being a game designer will probably have killed me.

- i've got lots on the back burner that i've been meaning to write about - finished television shows, video games reviews/news, movie reviews, album reviews, etc. - but i've been busy. one of these days.

laterz.

-kawitchate

Heroes - week 7

another good episode where things (sort of unexpectedly) came to a head for some of the characters, new (surprising) allegiances were formed, we found out what will wipe out New York this time (and it's pretty cool) - and our villain was finally revealed. surprises all around.

notes:

- Hiro's story came to a satisfying conclusion, though the sword battle between him and Takensei could have been more epic... who knows though, that might not be the battle that was in the painting (they may fight again).

- i'm a little disappointed that the allegiance that Suresh and Claire's dad formed to take down The Company has already dissolved. i really would have liked to see that happen - instead Claire's dad is obsessing over this painting of his daughter killing him and Suresh, like usual, doesn't know what to do... so he turns to The Company and spills the beans (which, admittedly, was pretty surprising and cool).

- why doesn't Claire's dad just show her the damn painting and get it over with already?!? oh wait, i know, because otherwise there wouldn't be a story there. duh. it's all going a little over-the-top (especially with him now saying they have to move), BUT, the saving grace could be that The Company is now after Claire to find an antidote to the mutated virus.

- SPEAKING of the mutated virus, it's awesome that that's what wipes out New York (and most of the world from what i heard) in less than a year. very nice tie-in. it was cool how Peter learned about it (as well as you the audience) at the same time as it was happening in the past (with Nikki injecting herself). nice writing.

- Parkman coming into his own and saving the day was pretty cool, though i wish the battle would have been a little more epic between him and his father. ha - that's the 2nd time i've said i wished a battle were more epic in this episode... i don't know, they're HEROES, they have POWERS... i want to see them go all-out!

- Nathan learning his brother was alive and Peter remembering who he is (or at least who his mother is, which is a start) was pretty cool. however, speaking of Peter...

- Adam. my friend guessed correctly as to his identity (honestly i didn't put two and two together, but it makes so much sense), and man is it AWESOME. what does Adam want with Peter? will he have enough sway over Peter if his memory's not back yet? could we actually see the two of them team up and be the bad guys for part of the season?

if the previews are anything to go by, these questions and more MAY be answered next week, as we finally get to see what happened in the 4 months since the Heroes came together last and saved New York (in last season's finale). HELL YES.

this week's Heroes was great, but i think next week's will be even BETTER (and usually i hate the flashback episodes, but not when it's actually telling me something i MISSED).

oh, and again, if you're not watching Journeyman right after Heroes, you should be. week after week i finish watching Heroes and i'm like "ok, man was that good" and then Journeyman comes on and... wow. it always beats Heroes out. no matter how good the Heroes, Journeyman just steps it up a notch. but then again, i like time travel and personal drama.

- kawitchate

Fall 2007 - week 4 & 5 quick review!

Journeyman - continues to be not only my favorite NEW show of the year, but also my favorite show of the year overall. for all my complaints about it moving too fast, it keeps coming up with more personal stuff to pile on, and so i'm alright with it (especially since who knows how long it'll be on the air). every episode has him finding out a bit more about what might be going on, and a lot of personal (but very real-life) stuff in his small web of friends and family. there is at least one VERY personal/dramatic scene each episode, and they are perfectly written, acted, and staged. oh, and we found out in episode 4 Sam Beckett our hero is not (with the planting of the gun and the "do anything it takes" attitude). there's more to say but i'll just say this - i love this show.

House - his team is pretty much 6 people now, and they're all pretty cool. it's really cool watching them play off one another since they're all totally different. however, Foreman is returning this week so we might see the return of the old team sooner than i would have liked. oh well.

Damages - had its season finale last week and i have to say... good stuff. this show was one of the best new shows of the summer. it's only faults are that it stretched a little long (13 episodes, should have been 8-10) and sometimes was a little twist-happy (too many twists). however, the perfect acting and near-perfect story more than make up for it. i could go on about it but will save it for its own post (if i ever have the time). i'll end with this: it's supposedly coming back for another season, but i don't know if i'll tune in. this season wrapped up pretty neatly and next season there's a black-and-white in place (one character is good, the other is bad) that wasn't there for part of this season... and this show is at its best when it operates in those shades of gray.

South Park - its in the midst of a 3-part story right now about terrorists hijacking our imaginations and it's PURE GENIUS. i think they could have probably done the whole thing in just 2 episodes instead of 3, but oh well. this new half-season of South Park is GOOD.

Bionic Woman - was really good 2 weeks ago, but last week it lost me a bit. they're introducing a love interest and i don't think she needs one at all - in fact, i think it goes against her trying to be an independent, strong, BIONIC woman, raising her sister on her own, saving the world on her own... and now she needs a man. ugh. and i'd be fine with it too if she just ran into him once in a while, but the preview for this week's episode shows him in it AGAIN. not cool.

Life - if you're not watching it, watch it. i'm afraid it might get canceled and IT CANNOT GET CANCELED. there's enough in place for a 5+ year storyline and i want it to be told!

The Office - missed the final hour-long episode 2 weeks ago, but saw the first 30-minute episode of the season this past week and it was pretty solid. in fact, what's funny is that after seeing all the hour-longs it felt like the 30 minute episode could have been longer!

all settled in to the new season of television. Damages is done... so is Mad Men (my favorite new show of this past summer) but i missed the final 4 episodes of that, so i'll have to post my feelings on it later. also keep forgetting to download Prison Break (i'm a few weeks behind on that), so more on that later as well. what i'm catching on TV, i'm liking.

- kawitchate

Heroes - week 6

another week, another good Heroes. feel the same way about this week's Heroes as i did last week's - the stories march on, one or two things are revealed, and many more questions arise.

notes:

- Claire's dad being a total bad ass and stepping over a line in this episode had to be my favorite part this week (maybe of the entire season). he's back to being a tough guy, but he's doing it for completely different reasons this time.

- The Company changing their ways seems to be a new theme (as it was brought up numerous times in this episode). is it true? could they really be under new management?

- i liked Suresh's storyline this episode, where he refused to inject the girl with the mutated virus. Nikki showing up to be his bodyguard/spy for the company however... not so much. i thought it was going to be someone that could read minds or something (which would make more sense if The Company wants to keep an eye on Suresh).

- thought: if the mutated virus is supposed to suppress powers (or get rid of them completely), is that what happened to Sylar? did The Company get him, inject him with the stuff, and then leave him on his own to see how it works?

- pretty bored with Claire's storyline this week. was pretty bored with Hiro's as well until the very end where we find out he may have screwed up things in the past. most of you know, i'm a sucker for time travel stories... mainly for all the things that could go wrong (or be put right) from time traveling.

- got to see a glimpse of the remaining paintings but couldn't really tell what was going on in them other than Hiro facing off with Takense. the others? pure speculation, but one of them had a hand that looked to be holding a test tube (maybe of the mutated virus?)... another looked like Nikki trying to break out of a window... and another was some haggard-looking dude with a gun (my guess is it's Peter or Alejandro).

- finally, we get to see where this season is headed: another freakin' large-scale problem in New York City just around the time the season's over. now, i've been pretty quiet about how this season is pretty much a rehash of last season in terms of storytelling and pacing... but this just takes the cake. COME ON! the only thing worse they could have done is had "save the _____, save the world" again. i'll give it a chance, but i'm not liking it right now.

- there IS a plus. there's a new, unseen character: Adam. the bald guy working for The Company had a file with his name on it in this episode, and he's the one that left a note for Peter in Montreal (hell, he might be the guy that gave Peter and his girlfriend the vision of New York). could he be Adam as in "Adam and Eve," the first hero??? whoever he is, i'm intrigued.

missed the preview for next week, so i'm completely in the dark as to what's coming. and i'm still pretty excited.

- kawitchate

Heroes - week 5

not much to say about this week's Heroes other than the stories keep marching on. there were a few twists and a new character, but all in all a pretty run-of-the-mill episode. not disappointing, not surprisingly great... a good, solid episode.

notes:

- i like the new girl (chick from Veronica Mars). she was such a goody goody on her last show it's nice to see a complete 180. i also like that she's working for "daddy." and who IS daddy? my guess is the bald guy that's the face of The Company this season... either that, or she's Parkman's half-sister.

- Hiro's story was unnecessary this week. should have either told more (and finished it off) or kept it out.

- Peter's story is getting better. what's up with Montreal? why is he getting pulled/being led there? has there ever been a mention of that city before?

- really cool twist was when Suresh showed up at the "copycat's" door. be interesting to see where it leads.

- Nathan and Parkman going to confront Parkman's dad, getting duped by him, and then facing their nightmares and battling each other was pretty cool... though i actually saw that exact same setup (2 friends battling each other thinking they were in a nightmare) on an anime recently. weird.

- again i ask: who or what does the "burnt Nathan" represent? was that how Peter looked as he blew up? was that how Nathan looked after the blast and someone healed him (maybe his mother, whose power we still don't know)? or is it just a personification of the guilt inside him?

- so glad we got a break from Claire this week.

- where did it look like Claire's dad and the Nigerian man were? somewhere in Europe? Russia maybe? very interesting.

very solid episode that wasn't TOO heavy-hitting, but not really lacking either.

- kawitchate

Fall 2007 - week 3 quick review!

- Journeyman was good, but again i'm worried that they're going too personal, too soon. in a perfect world i would have had the wife not even believing he time-traveled until like mid-first season, and THEN you start in on the problems with the web of characters. i guess it's good i'm worried about the longevity of the show because that means it's good enough that i want it to LAST! :)

- House was again good. he gambled with the life of a patient and lost. oh, and House died and didn't see the white light. pretty interesting. also, the team of candidates is still entertaining. however, one of his former team members got fired from their job SO i'm guessing they'll be back sooner than i expected/wanted.

- Damages was EXCELLENT. i believe we're finally 2 episodes away from the finale (it's been a long time coming - my only complaint about the show) and WOW what a twist. just when you think you know something, the rug is pulled out from under you and it turns out you were completely wrong... and they're not all cheap twists either, twists for the sake of twists. these are genuine twists. great show.

- this week's South Park was probably the best of season 11 so far! the entire thing was full of double meanings (the episodes that have double meanings are the best, have the most to say about society as a whole). and maybe it also hit home with me because i really hate Bono of U2. the whole thing was genius - from the Emmy message that kept popping up on the screen to Bono answering the phone "Hello Hello!" it was all priceless. totally looking forward to the rest of the season now!

- Bionic Woman moved from the run-of-the-mill episode of last week to one that really mattered, that fit in with the overall story. alliances were formed, enemies were made... it was really well done. if Bionic Woman can keep the formula fresh - run-of-the-mill missions mixed with overarching story that matters - i'll be a happy camper.

- Life continued with its formula of "cases that aren't that interesting and are wrapped up in one episode, but characters that are rich and deep enough to sustain seasons of the show" this week. really liking this show.

- The Office had its funniest episode of the season. it seems like they're going to run with the theme of bringing Dunder Mifflin into the 21st century and on to the world wide web, and that's kinda cool. in past seasons there wasn't much of an overarching story, but it could work this season, especially since things are getting a little stale and Jim and Pam are together... of course, another thing they did to make it more interesting in the relationship category is break up Dwight and Angela, which is pretty interesting in itself.

pretty good week of television. here's to hoping for a repeat!

- kawitchate

Heroes - week 4

all i can say is hopefully this will be the episode i point to a little later down the line as to when the season REALLY got going.

this. episode. ROCKED. and it was a different kind of rock... it was a lot darker than Heroes usually is, and i liked that.

notes:

- gone were Hiro and Peter, and i've got to say thank god. their stories were getting old, running 3 weeks straight. i'm glad the show seems to be back to focusing on half the heroes one week, and half the next (hopefully).

- i hope they explain how this happened later (he was in a jungle and 3 days later he's in the desert???), but Sylar joining up with the South American twins was pure GENIUS on the part of the writing staff. the power the 2 of them have seem like something that Sylar would LOVE to get his hands on.

- something's bugging me with Sylar however (other than his sudden appearance in the middle of the desert). last episode he seemed to remember WHO he was, it's just that he didn't have his powers. this episode he was acting more like he's got memory loss - calling himself Gabriel and looking at his watch (with "Sylar" written on it) as if he recognized it, but didn't know what it meant... and then the tic-tic-tic that came later seemed more instinctual than anything, as if he was surprised by it. i don't know. it was also the first time i remember that he heard the ticking on a normal human before he killed them...

- they promised that we'd learn more about the original 12 and we DID! not only that, but we know who the nightmare hero is! way to deliver on a promise!

- i like semi-cleaned-up Nathan trying to get his life back. very nice. oh, and the face he saw in the mirror... what do you think? i think it's either what he saw happen to Peter OR Nathan's got healing powers (given to him somehow by Peter?)...

- making Parkman (the cop) more important to the story - AND explaining a bit more what happened between him and his wife in between seasons - was awesome. i like the actor and also the character.

- i could do without the New Orleans story simply for the fact that it seems like they're abusing the Katrina catastrophe instead of just setting a story there and letting post-Katrina New Orleans be the backdrop (like K-Ville is doing... even though i don't like K-Ville for other reasons). also i'm not that invested in the girl or her story yet, but we'll see.

- still not liking Claire's story (with her new boyfriend and how he's going to turn her against her father) BUT it was a little more tolerable this week. i just don't understand why the father wouldn't come right out to Claire and show her the painting... the 2 of them seemed closer than ever when the season started. also, he knows that the painting is the last in a series, and the first painting just happened a few days (a week?) ago, so he should have some time before the 8th painting comes to fruition - so he should nip it in the bud while he can! ...oh well.

and that's it! overall a lot less complaints about this episode and lots more questions than previous weeks.

all that said and i STILL liked Journeyman just a bit more (it really stepped it up this week too). do yourself a favor - if you're not watching Journeyman, start.

- kawitchate

a good time to be a fan of (my kind of) music

i can't tell you the last album i was excited about. there's been a few here and there that i discovered and liked a lot - disasterpeace, The Action Design - but none that i had been really looking forward (i couldn't be excited for disasterpeace or The Action Design because i didn't know the bands existed, thus i couldn't be excited for something i didn't know was out there).

and all of the sudden there's 3 i'm excited for.

Dethklok - The Dethalbum. came out a few weeks ago, and man was i excited for its release. it's an album by the guys that created the cartoon Metalocalypse on Adult Swim. since the cartoon is about a death metal band, they decided to create a full-length album and put it out under the name of that fictitious band.

and wow does it kick ass.

i was actually expecting it to be a little more death metal, but it's surprisingly accessible (more metal than death metal - well, maybe "death metal lite"). some of the riffs you can tell came from other songs they did for the show, but all in all, pretty good effort from guys that created a cartoon.

then this week Thrice's new album is finally coming out. for those that don't know, Thrice is one of my favorite bands - some might call them screamo, i call them awesome.

i guess the new one is a concept album about the elements (earth, wind, fire, water) on 4 discs - something like that. i'm expecting it to fluctuate between melodic and hardcore even more than they did on their last album. here's to hoping the concept works.

and finally, next week Coheed and Cambria's new album comes out! this band is another favorite of mine, but i was a little let down with their last album because it sounded the same as their older stuff. so i'm excited for the new one, but cautiously so.

yay for new music!

- kawitchate

yes i read my comments

for those of you NOT commenting on my blog because you wonder if i even read the comments - and for Ben who WAS commenting and wondering if i even read them - yes i do. and i'll do my best from now on to respond to them ASAP.

Ben, check the posts you commented on - i responded! wow!!!

- kawitchate

Heroes - week 3

- good to see Nikki and Micah back, but their scenes were a little melodramatic and stilted. also, Micah's father is dead? damn, didn't see that coming (though i'm not particularly broken up about it). be interesting to see what comes of Nikki going to the Company.

- speaking of melodramatic and stilted, is it just me or have there been a large number of these types of scenes so far this season? Nikki and Micah, Peter and that Irish chick, Hiro and that girl, Claire and her new boyfriend... i don't remember there being so many scenes like this last year, and when there WAS a melodramatic scene, it was better written/acted than they have been this year so far.

- also good to see Sylar back, and i'm glad that at least something is preventing him from getting back to his old tricks again so soon (what that something is, i have no idea). who saved him? the girl mentioned something about employers, or the people she worked for... the Company?

- Hiro ALMOST came back to the present and i was ALMOST happy. then he stayed in the past. and i was sad. that story had better get a lot more interesting, and fast.

- Peter staying with the Irish folk on his own free will? god it's almost a worse plot device keeping him from moving forward as a character than the memory loss! ugh. that said, every time he uses his powers... super-cool.

- that brother and sister better get out of Mexico and into the states soon, because i'm losing interest in their story as well (since it's followed the same pattern of "oh, roadblock, how do we pass it?" "oh, there goes my powers... people are dead..." "it's ok, i'm here to take it away, let's keep going" every episode so far).

- NOT liking the direction the Claire/Claire's father relationship is headed. she HAD to have known that he did some pretty nasty stuff in the past, and now she's letting some new boy in her life manipulate her, pitting her against her father (well he hasn't started yet but you know he's going to)? she's stronger than that. it just doesn't fit. and i don't like it. that said, if it turns out that this boy knew all along who her father was and is turning her against him on purpose, trying to get closer to the one that hurt him (the father)... then it might be cool enough to pass. we'll see.

- one old Star Trek crew member leaves the cast and another joins. cool.

- next week we find out more about the First Ones, the one hunting them down, and the man from that little girl's nightmares. and clean-cut Nathan is back. let's do this.

overall, another good episode that wasn't great... par for this season so far.

- kawitchate

Fall 2007 - week 2 quick review!

just to let you all know, i don't plan on writing paragraph after paragraph about EVERY show i watch - that first week was just special is all, being the week where most of the shows i watch premiered. i'll dive in and write more on a show when i get the itch to, have the time to, or have something more to say about it (good OR bad).

that all said, i'm still going to try and write longer reviews of Heroes (since i sorta started that last year with a few of you via email)... and i'm also going to try and do these quick reviews. if i don't have anything to say about a show i watched, i won't say anything.

so here we go. Fall 2007 - week 2 quick review!

- Prison Break was par for the course. lots of stuff happened - more than i think should be happening if they want to have something interesting to show in a few weeks (the show moves too fast for its own good in my opinion) - and there was a twist at the end. what's in the box? if they killed off...

- House i liked that he's got like 20 people he's picking from to create a new team, and they all have their own personalities and histories (well, maybe like 6 of them do so far). what i didn't like is that they're bringing back his old team too quickly. they should have stayed out of the picture just a bit longer and let House be about House. my guess? they'll be back together for November sweeps.

- Damages continues to twist and turn and there's STILL no end in sight. my guess is that there's maybe 2-3 episodes left - 2-3 episodes longer than the show really needed to go. still good though!

- South Park came back with the first episode of the second half of season 11. while it was funny, i still have that sinking feeling that the show is growing old on me (felt that way all last season). still, it was one of the better episodes of season 11.

- Bionic Woman got into the groove of things, having her join the team and go on her first mission. there's a nice blend of light comedy along with the dark drama that keeps it from going too dark. liked it quite a bit.

- Life also got into the groove of things, but faltered a bit. the case that the detectives worked on was a little lame, but the characters themselves... wow. the main story of this guy trying to figure out who set him up - along with the side story of his self-destructive partner - is just amazing. i fear that the cases that they have week to week won't be so amazing. liked it.

- The Office had its second hour-long episode in a row (and i think there's 2 more to go) but unlike last week, this one had enough material for the entire hour. this episode really should have been the season opener - it was a lot stronger than the first episode and had more stuff happen in the lives of the characters than usual. very weird. still a little worried that it's getting a little old, but this episode in particular was great.

that does it for me.

- kawitchate

you got your Heroes in my Journeyman

yes, unfortunately, the header pretty much sums it up - Heroes was like a prelude this week to something better, an appetizer to the main course. maybe it's because Journeyman is still brand new and Heroes is suffering a bit from the sophomore slump, maybe the writing is slipping on Heroes, or maybe i'm just a sucker for time travel stories. at any rate, i liked Journeyman this week a lot - and Heroes?

- Heroes -

now granted, i missed the first couple minutes of the show because i was late in getting home from work, but i seriously doubt i missed anything SO pivotal as to change my mind about the episode as a whole.

notes:

- last year i think they did a good job juggling tons of characters, only showing the stories of maybe half of them (or less) each week. THIS year they've decided to focus on the same handful of heroes now for 2 straight episodes. it's weird, and i don't like it. granted, next week we saw that Jessica and Sylar are back, so that's a change, but still... weird.

- they're focusing WAY too much on Claire (probably because she's one of the more popular heroes and they're trying to get the younger crowd in), but it's just BORING. and, i hate to say it, but i feel the same way about Hiro's story. things only JUST got interesting with the white samurai turning out to have healing powers of his own... but damn did it take long.

- it all feels like stall tactics, like everything that happened in the last 2 episodes could have been done in one.

- as much as i don't really like Peter's memory loss story, i do have to admit - it was really, really cool seeing him unleash his powers on those bad guys and being like "what the... ?" that's what i really like about the show: heroes discovering their powers. we need more of that this year.

- i know i just said i like seeing heroes discovering their powers, and the Guatemalan (Mexican? where the hell are they?) twins are interesting... but the writers are taking too long with revelations there. again, it's just too slow... stall tactics.

- the Haitian is back. i seriously thought they were going to make the mistake of killing him off just to show how powerful this virus thing is. man am i glad they didn't, especially since he's teamed up again with Claire's dad.

- the scene between Claire's dad and her mother was really cool. no secrets between them anymore. i like the change.

so i guess it boils down to this: there's a lot going on underneath the surface, but the writers are focusing too much on the wrong characters and neglecting others. also, they're not revealing enough, and i was actually getting bored watching parts this week... but next week looks to change that. i hope at least.

- Journeyman -

tonight we got a better idea of what the formula of the show looks to be, and here it is in a nutshell: guy travels back in time 3-4 times crossing the path of one person's life, and changing it a little bit each time (or at least learning something that will help him ultimately change it). however, he can't control when he leaves, so this causes problems at home. ALSO causing problems is the fact that he keeps running into himself and his web of friends back in the past, stirring up old feelings. oh, and his supposedly dead fiance is also a time traveler... or something... so you get a few clues as to what's going on there each episode as well.

it's a formula that i think will work as long as some episodes stay away from all the personal stuff and just tackle the case he's on, the person he's supposed to save. otherwise things could get old quick, like the wife saying "where were you?!?" for the 30th time, when she KNOWS where he was, and what he was doing.

it's a formula that worked wonderfully tonight.

the one minor problem? a time travel one. ok, so the guy traveled back and went to his old apartment to charge his old cell phone that he brought with him from the future (so he could use it when he travels back in the 90s - he had the phone not the charger). however, his younger self came in and interrupted so he stole the cell phone charger.

now, if the writers would have added a line like "so that's where my charger went!" when he stole it, that would have been smart writing... because, you know, you think you'd remember the theft of something like a cell phone charger (i mean this thing was huge, not like today's chargers). but nope, they missed it, and i caught it.

oh well, maybe the guy's got a bad memory.

- kawitchate

my Thursdays - Fall 2007

Thursday nights are in disarray for the first few weeks of the season - what with my half-hour comedy shows all having hour-long special episodes, my favorite show of the summer still finishing up its season, and another favorite comedy of mine just starting their oddly-paced season - so i honestly have no idea what my Thursdays will end up being.

however, these are shows that i watch that are on Thursdays... right now.

Mad Men
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
The Office
My Name is Earl
30 Rock
Scrubs

- Mad Men -

my favorite show of the summer is wrapping up the latter third of its season and it's still one helluva show. ad men in the 60s, bringing to light issues today by showing them in the past? come on, you remember it. i'll do a longer post when it's all done.

- It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia -

the first season of this show was comic genius. it was made up of the kind of stuff that comedians write and rewrite for years and years and finally someone with enough gumption comes along to finance it. it was their baby, the best of them.

season 2 suffered from the sophomore slump. the laughs were cut almost in half, the episodes weren't all as tightly written, and the shock jokes that worked in season 1 were just there for the shock in season 2. that said, it was still funnier than a lot of "comedies" out there.

needless to say, i had hoped the crew would be able to get over their sophomore jinx and go back to the drawing board with season 3.

SO FAR... it's been more of season 2. it's like season 2 part 2.

the show is funny, but i'm starting to wonder if it'll ever reach that level of comedic genius that it started on way back in season 1.

verdict? watching these idiotic friends do idiotic things with/to each other is still FUNNY, so i'll stick around. it just hurts knowing it could be so much better.

- The Office -

now entering its fourth season, the American version of The Office has managed to squeeze somewhere around 50 episodes out of a series that only lasted 14... well, that's not completely fair. our The Office found its own footing somewhere in the second season and became it's own beast. now, however, the series is starting to feel tired again - not from rehashing the British series, but from rehashing itself.

tonight's hour-long premiere was good, but not great. i still laughed out loud heartily at many of the jokes, but looking beyond that... i could feel that it's a little played, that the formula is wearing thin.

so, i'll just try to appreciate it "in the now" as i watch and laugh my ass off, not worrying about its shelf life - not for America (they love it), but for me - and hope that they can keep it rolling another season or two (again, for me, not America).

verdict? i've loved this series since it found its own, and i'll be around until they decide to call it quits (which i believe, and hope, will be at the end of season 5).

- My Name is Earl, 30 Rock, Scrubs -

nothing much to say about these shows because i really only watch them when i've got the time and/or when i'm waiting for The Office to start... though i did see Seinfeld is going to be on 30 Rock's premiere next week. might have to check that out.

- kawitchate

my Wednesdays - Fall 2007

South Park at 7pm (starting next week)
Bionic Woman at 8
Life at 9

- Bionic Woman -

you know, when i first heard they were doing a remake of an old 70s show i laughed. then three things happened. 1) i saw some of the previews, and they looked good. 2) i heard some of the people involved with it are also involved with the new Battlestar Galactica. 3) i realized there was nothing else to watch on Wednesdays.

so, i decided to give it a shot, even started getting a little excited to check it out. and i've got to say... i'm pleasantly surprised.

the show is a mix of Dark Angel and the new Battlestar i guess. i'd put it under the category of dramatic action, but it looks like next episode (when she starts to help people out), it might delve into light-hearted fun a bit - which is fine, as long as they keep up the drama and action.

some parts of the story were a bit cheesy, some of the pacing was off, and some of the acting was just ok... but they've weaved enough rich characters and backstory into it that i can see it going for years - which is like the opposite of Journeyman, which i'm worried will run out of stories to tell - and her awakening to her powers and dealing with it on a personal level looks to be another cool focus of the show as well.

verdict? it's doing more things right than wrong, so i'm on board. i mean come on - what else am i going to watch?

- Life -

if i was surprised by how much i liked Bionic Woman, i was SLAPPED IN THE FACE with how much i ended up liking Life.

low expectations for the win?

every new year brings a new show or two about quirky detectives. these shows are usually quickly canned because it's a tired formula that wraps up everything neat by the end of each episode and has a lack of supporting characters. the last show i attempted to watch like this was Raines last year (same network as Life), and, while i liked it, i know why it got canceled.

whereas every new quirky detective show gets it wrong, Life somehow managed to get it right.

the guy is quirky, yes, but it's more than that. he's hiding things to the point where we the audience don't even know 1) what exactly he's up to, 2) if he's really that good a guy anymore, and 3) if he's even sane (well, i'm pretty sure he is, but he sure skates the edge from time to time).

throw in a partner with an interesting history and a self-destructive nature that she keeps bottled up, a lawyer friend that wants to be more with the main character (again, seemed like there's a deep history there), an accountant that's living out of the guy's garage (he's the comedic sidekick), and a lieutenant that has something up her sleeve and you've got yourself a supporting cast!

i'm not saying the show doesn't have its flaws... the "quirky" nature of the main character isn't always that funny, or even necessary... and the main actor takes some warming up to... but damn if this didn't have good writing (i mean the scene with his partner and her lieutenant in her office talking about past things without having to spell it out to the audience - i.e. not writing to the lowest common denominator?!? awesome!), a great supporting cast with lots of history, HUMOR sprinkled in somehow, and overarching stories that don't need to be tied up nicely at the end of an episode (although it had a story that was self-contained, and it sorta sucked... but we'll let that slide for now).

like Bionic Woman, i was surprised by the quality of Life (haha). and, like Bionic Woman, it isn't without its flaws. however, the good outweighs the bad.

verdict? you don't have me for "life," but i'll stick around, see how things turn out. or until you're canceled (which i'm sure will happen first).

- kawitchate

my Tuesdays - Fall 2007

House at 8pm
Law and Order SVU at 9
*Damages at 10

*show from the summer that is still going - looks to have at least 2 more episodes to go, but that's what i've been thinking for the past few weeks, so what do i know? maybe it's running until mid-season.

- House -

i've always only been a casual viewer of House, catching it on reruns, a few first-run episodes here and there, and on friends DVDs. last season i decided to tune in for the last several first-run episodes because nothing else was on and when it got to the season finale, i knew i had to return this season.

sure House has a formula (i've seen a few parodies by various comedy troupes, all spot-on and hilarious), but if you can get past that, i really like the character of Dr. House... he's an interesting guy - especially his relationship with Wilson and Cutty (Cuddy? i have no idea).

what made things even MORE interesting was when his staff left him at the end of last season. that's right - House, which had a main cast of 6 for three seasons, had half its cast depart.

ballsy move.

now, did they go back on that move like most shows would have done? i'm happy to report that no, they have not. not yet at least.

this first episode had House trying to deal with life without his team. it had no cameos from those that are supposedly gone, and no hints that they might be coming back - in fact at the end of the episode House looks like he's recruiting for a new team.

i love it.

even if they DO bring back the team (and i'm pretty sure they will eventually), kudos for those behind the show to actually be going in this direction - i mean think of Friends without Ross, Joey, and Monica... or Seinfeld without Elaine and George. the creators are showing us that this is a show about HOUSE - a tragically flawed brilliant doctor that cares about the case but not the patient.

verdict? you've got yourself a new fan - until you pull some stunt like that cop that investigated House last season, or the rich guy that bought the hospital the season before.

- Law and Order SVU -

first thought? wow the cast looks old and tired... which can be a good thing for the show, don't get me wrong. it's showing what this line of work can do to people. it was kinda cool.

the story was pretty average, but then again most of the stories the past year or two have been pretty average at best. what i'm hoping they stay away from this year is all the personal drama - last year they had WAY too much of it. i'm fine when we get to see bits and pieces, but i don't want episodes upon episodes based on their personal lives - make it about the case. that's what Law and Order has always been about.

verdict? you know you already have a fan for life, but please don't let me down.

- Damages -

i'll probably write a longer post on this series when its over, but let's just say that i'm still enjoying it quite immensely. it does suffer a little from TOO many twists, and there are episodes where you know you've been taken on a ride but when its done you've moved like 5 feet... but it's still a great ride.

but perhaps the best part is the incredible acting.

verdict? i'm with you 'til the end, but i do hope the end is near... as it's seemed like the end has been quite near for a few weeks now.

tomorrow night: Bionic Woman and Life

because there's nothing else on.

- kawitchate

my Mondays - Fall 2007

the REAL start of the Fall 2007 TV season has arrived, and thankfully it's a bang and not a whimper (like last week's unofficial start).

Prison Break at 7pm
Heroes at 8
Journeyman at 9

this will be my Monday nights for the next few months (barring any cancellations). funny enough, that just so happens to be my level of excitement for each show after this week - starting with luke-warm (Prison Break) and ending with HOLY SHIT (Journeyman).

- Prison Break -

after last week's shaky start that seemed to be both a restart to the series and a rehashing of the first season (he's back in prison after all), things were much better this week. maybe i've just accepted the new digs, new cast, and new plot - i dunno. it just felt better.

i do feel that it's moving way too fast and that they'll run out of things to do by episode 10 of the season, but i've always felt that way while watching Prison Break and they manage to find something new (and sometimes surprising) to do.

however, this season might still be my last, as the next logical step after another prison break would be to go on the lamb again/take revenge on those that were controlling you - and that's basically what the second season did. so it would be another rehash.

verdict? i'll stick around, and i'm mildly excited about doing so.

- Heroes -

ah, the show i was probably looking forward to the most this fall has had its first episode of its sophomore season. what did i think? overall i liked it just about as much as normal, but here are some random notes:

- what disease spreading through the 'heroes' population was Suresh talking about at the start, and why was it just kinda thrown out there (he mentioned it right away, then later in the episode, but that was it - no explanation). bad writing for something that's probably going to be a major plot point this season.

- i am not going to like Claire having a boyfriend, especially him. he practically stalked her at school and knew all the right things to say (maybe just bad writing). AND he's got powers too? come on, what are the chances? unless he turns out to be evil or something, i'm not going to like this part of the story.

- REALLY didn't like how they pulled the "4 months later" crap. i wanted to see the immediate aftermath of Peter exploding, of them all coming together. hell, i was really wishing that, once together, more of them would decide to STAY together. as it is, it's going to be the same setup this season as last - everybody is spread across the globe trying to get to one place all at one time and they'll finally come together again in the end. REHASH. all that said, at least the cop, Suresh, and Claire's dad are still working together to bring down the company. THAT'S cool.

- didn't like the sloppy "explanatory" writing of the cop suddenly being divorced and living in NY with Suresh and Molly. and come on - isn't it a little creepy nowadays for a grown man like that to divorce his wife and then immediately turn to living with a little girl? it's just weird.

- don't like that they're already starting with killing off characters, albeit secondary ones. that's one of the ways shows like 24 and Prison Break went stale so fast.

- REALLY am not going to like Peter not knowing who he is. come on, memory loss? that's the best you've got?!? and yeah, maybe it'd be cool with the right story to go along with it, but to take a tale as stupid as guys using him as the ultimate weapon, constantly dangling the carrot of "don't you want to know who you really are?" in front of his face? PLAYED OUT. stall tactics at its worst.

it sounds like i really hated the show, but i didn't - honest. i really like Hiro in the past (and how it looks like he himself is going to be his own childhood hero - weird), Nathan the drunk (which is cool because it's a total 180 degrees for his character), Suresh, the cop, and Claire's dad infiltrating the company, hearing about "the nine" heroes of old (and what might be going on with them that one of their own is killing the others off), Molly's dream of the coming shadow, the 2 new brother and sister heroes, and the Bennet family trying to start over and lead a normal life.

i guess that's one theme i kinda liked that ran throughout - the heroes are trying to fit in again, to be normal. i like that Claire doesn't want to fit in anymore now that she knows who she is and who she ought to be.

even though i like the theme of them trying to lay low, i can't wait until the heroes come out and play again, when they stop trying to fit in... and maybe a bit of my disappointment comes from the fact that i thought this season we would see that - a formation of a team or something. i guess that would be moving too fast. oh well.

verdict? i'm hooked, just like last season.

- Journeyman -

i'm going to preface this by saying maybe i like this show a little more than i should simply for the fact that it's got time travel and an interesting web of characters. that said, the show really is basically Quantum Leap, but instead of never returning home, our hero goes home quite often - and he's got a wife and kid waiting for him.

this episode was all about setting up the backstory of the characters, and it did a good job while weaving in his first time travel experiences. what i liked is that they didn't try to explain the time travel itself at all... that would have been too much. he time travels, he comes to accept it - even embrace it at the end.

this episode got out of the way the whole "where have you been? are you on drugs? are you crazy? we're worried about you!" thing with his friends and family and after struggling with trying to convince his wife he's time traveling he finally figures out a way to do it. while it would have been cool for the hero to be estranged from his wife for longer than just an episode, i'm glad he's got at least someone on his side.

besides, the whole "dead/not dead fiance" thing throws enough possibilities in for estrangement from his wife for future episodes.

what do i think is limiting in this show that might lead to cancellation?

- why he's time traveling will have to eventually be revealed (based on a strange hint we were given this episode at least), and then there goes that mystery.

- while the web of characters is intricate, it's rather small. now Quantum Leap managed to pull it off with just Sam and Al, but there was no "web of characters" in that show. each episode was a new story. something tells me this show is going to dip into that tangled web of characters quite often - probably more often than it should - and not let each episode tell a story itself.

- Quantum Leap had the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s to play with, and each of those decades were VASTLY different from one another, leading to tons of rich stories. from what i can tell, it looks like this show won't be going any further back in time than the 70s, which is too bad since the 80s, 90s, and 00s are all rather similar when compared to the 50s-80s.

- Quantum Leap had Sam leaping all across the country. from what i can tell Journeyman will have the hero leaping back just in his home town of San Francisco, which will get old after a while.

until this show is canceled, they've got a fan in me. the pilot met and even exceeded my expectations.

verdict? i'm looking forward to this show just a little more than Heroes.

at least for this week. we'll see what next week brings.

tomorrow night: House and Law & Order SVU.

- kawitchate

the fall 2007 TV season has arrived

i'm coming off perhaps my busiest work week EVER - 10+ hour days, 2-3 hours of work when i got home at night, and 6-8 hours of work this past weekend - so i REALLY needed something to relax to this week.

lucky for me, the fall season has arrived.

now, the majority of the shows don't start until next week, but this week Fox decided to start early and premiere Prison Break Season 3 and a new show called K-Ville. you can look at an earlier post i wrote to get my thoughts on these series, but let's just say i was pretty excited to see them.

how do i feel now?

well, both shows were a bit of a letdown. let's start with Prison Break.

Season 1 was all about the escape. Season 2 was them on the run. Season 3... well, it looks to be a grittier rehash of Season 1... and i'm fine with that if the writing were any good. there was just something missing in this first episode.

first off, there was NO recap for new viewers - me being an old viewer, i was even hoping for one, since i couldn't remember exactly what happened 4 months ago.

then, everyone just seemed to be going through the paces... not the actors, but maybe the writer. i don't know, it was weird.

also, there's a lot less friendly faces - like where the hell is Sarah? we got a shot of her back, and then the previews mentioned her but didn't show her face... could they not get the actress back for this season? that would be a real bummer, as she was important to the show.

i was worried about the show last season when i learned that they had broken out (i mean for gods sake, the name of the show is Prison Break and you've had them escape?) but them on the lamb managed to make for some good episodes. now that we're back to square 1 but with less friendly faces? i don't know.

it's sort of had the same thing happen to it as 24 - they kill off way too many characters, try to go way too quick, then run out of new stories to tell and start to rely on the formula too much. 24 is still a good show, but not a great show. Prison Break was never really a "great" show (maybe a "really good" show at its best), so this season it might just be so-so. i'll continue to watch, since there's nothing else in the time slot on, but i'm not holding out TOO high a hopes.

now, on to K-Ville.

when i first heard about the series i wasn't sure if it was bordering on exploitation of the damage the hurricane left behind or trying to bring it to light through a gritty cop show. after seeing the first episode i'm STILL not sure.

ok, take The Shield, water it down for network television, and add formulaic stories that can be solved in one episode's time (instead of sprawling season-long stories). that's K-Ville. the pacing of the whole thing was off, the stories were cliche, the acting was over-the-top...

the setting of a post-Katrina New Orleans, however, is almost worth the admission.

it's easy to forget that the city is still in shambles 2 years after the storm. i HOPE the series isn't exploiting it and rather is using the show as a vehicle to remind us of the work that needs to be done there... but i don't know. maybe it's a little of both.

my expectations were above average for this show, and now sadly they've plummeted. since it's going to be on at the same time as Heroes, you can guess which show i'm going to be watching... BUT, i'm a sucker for pain, so i think i'm going to download the episodes for a few weeks to see if it grows into its own... or until it's canceled (sad to say it, but it had "cancel me" written all over it).

ok, NEXT week the fall 2007 officially starts. i don't want to count this fizzle-of-a-night as the first night. :)

- kawitchate

on being burnless

for those that know me, you know i don't often change my appearance. after my radical transformation from a hippy caterpillar into a lovely, more socially-acceptable butterfly five years back i haven't done much with myself.

since then i've let my facial hair grow to a semi-full beard before shaving sometimes, and even let my hair grow out for a few months before cutting it... then there was that "experiment" that i let grow on my chin for over a year that had mixed results (i liked it, others didn't really)...

but the one thing that stayed pretty much constant? my sideburns.

sure they would grow and shrink in size depending on how i shaved them for the week, but they have always been with me in one shape or form for over five years now.

and now? they are gone.

i'm burnless.

fret not. since i'm scared of too much change, i'm not completely hairless. i've got a stubble beard. yes, for those of you in the know, i've pretty much been keeping a short beard while in Hawaii - letting it grow for a week, then trimming it down pretty low. so all is almost as it was, except now i'm burnless.

how does it look? surprisingly not bad. i wish my hair were a little shorter to match (been about a month since my last haircut, and she screwed up and didn't clip it short enough, so i'm about due in another month) but yeah... i'm already used to it! weird.

how does it feel? i feel a little bit of a difference. not bad. cooler.

next up? i keep telling myself i'm going to do something different with my hair, but every time i go in for a haircut i chicken out... maybe because i have no idea WHAT i would do (i think i'd just ask for it really short). either that or i'm deciding on what to do next with my facial hair - might be a more controlled version of what i grew up in Vancouver... might be a full-on goatee... might be a fuller beard...

stay tuned!

- kawitchate

on The Kill Point - Season 1

the second of my five summer shows had its season finale this past Sunday and i just caught the episode tonight. did it finish as good as it started, or did it fizzle and die like John from Cincinnati?

i'm happy to report that, while it might not have finished as strong as it started, it did have a pretty satisfying ending.

to refresh your memories, this is the show about a bank robbery turned hostage situation. most episodes dealt with the robbers trying out a new plan to get out of the bank. when the planning or negotiations weren't happening, the show got quiet and would focus on the hostages, the robbers, or the police - without getting too melodramatic. it was a pretty good blend of action and drama.

the length was pretty perfect as well. with a show about a botched bank robbery they knew they couldn't stretch it out too long or they would simply run out of things to write about, so they kept it to 8 episodes. you know, if anything the last episode felt a little rushed... i wouldn't have minded if they took it to 10. BUT, a tad too short is better than way, way too long (Mr. Cincinnati).

the story of the robbers is also pretty good. it's a platoon of men following their sarge in because they feel their country owes them. however, not all is well with the platoon and once the hostage situation begins the team starts to unravel. it reminded me a bit of The Shield actually - you're watching these men that do mostly bad things, and you should really probably hate them, but you can't because they also do good things. in fact, when bad things happen to them you feel bad for them. however, you have to keep reminding yourself that they are both shows about the unraveling of a team. for Vic it started with the act he did at the end of the first episode. for the robbers here it happened when they stepped foot into that bank. excellent scenarios. i like my writing with shades of gray.

HOWEVER, one spot the show faltered is in how they painted the characters. everyone should have shades of gray, but unfortunately only the robbers did. the robbers and hostages were all painted in a rather sympathetic light, but then the SWAT team and negotiators were painted in a negative light. they TRIED to keep it impartial but in the end they just couldn't help it. maybe the actors didn't help either, as i really disliked the main SWAT lady, the SWAT member that was waiting to breech, and the sniper. i think it was partially the lines given to them but also their bad acting.

another spot where the show would falter is in the technicalities. it suffered from some sloppy writing. without going into too much detail my least favorite mistake the writers made is to overuse a bug SWAT planted in the bank and then mistakenly have it work OUTSIDE THE RANGE THEY PREVIOUSLY SAID IT WOULD WORK. what, you didn't think we'd remember?

as you can see by the title of this post, this was the end of what the creators are saying is Season 1. without giving too much away, i'll just say that another season of The Kill Point wouldn't sit well with me. the hostage situation was resolved, and so either you focus on the robbers in a new season, or you focus on the police team who are brought into another hostage situation. both situations pose a problem. these actors/characters worked pretty well together, but apart they wouldn't be as interesting - especially the police team. i guess you could focus on the hostages but wow the show would be way different.

so i think i'm going to take my Season 1 of The Kill Point and just enjoy that. it had a great blend of action and drama, pretty good acting (robbers yes, police no), a great story about a team unraveling, and some pretty cool twists and turns that kept you guessing.

i'd say it's worth a viewing.

- kawitchate

on The Hoax

saw 2 movies on the flights to and from Wisconsin. one was Spider-Man 3, which i previously saw when it first came out. i'm happy to report that it holds up to a second viewing... in fact, i was even more forgiving of the end sequence than i was initially (probably because i knew what was coming). Spider-Man 3 - a great movie.

the other movie i saw was The Hoax. it came out last year, stars Richard Gere as the author in the 70s that tried to claim he was writing the autobiography of Howard Hughes - with Howard's help of course. the whole thing turns out to be, well, a hoax of course, but even though you know the end it's still quite a trip.

Richard Gere's acting was magnificent, and i'm not normally a fan. however, Alfred Molina as his comedic sidekick stole the show. everyone else did pretty good as well.

the movie is directed by Lasse Hallstrom - who directed other great movies like What's Eating Gilbert Grape, The Cider House Rules, Chocolate, and The Shipping News - and it shows. under the direction of almost anyone else this movie would have taken a "dark" turn (think A Beautiful Mind) later in the movie... and it might have been interesting to SEE what someone else would have done with the source material... but i think it's even MORE interesting to see what Lasse did, because he took the road less traveled.

The Hoax. if you're a fan of Lasse Hallstrom's work, it's definitely worth a viewing. if you have no idea WHO Lasse Hallstrom is, it's still worth a viewing. it's not your typical Hallstrom movie but you can feel his presence, no doubt.

- kawitchate

on shipping issues

living on an island has its ups and downs. up - the weather is always almost near-perfect and the lifestyle here is a little more laid back. down - there isn't always things that i want that are easily accessible here so i need to buy them online and have them shipped here.

now, i've had quite a few things shipped to me since i've been here - quite a few video games, my repaired Xbox 360, my new PS3, etc. - but lately my luck with shipping has not been so good.

case #1: i ordered an HDMI cable for my PS3 at the end of July. it shipped no problem, and actually made it to my island (according to online tracking) - however, it was never delivered because the post office claims that they couldn't find my address. so they returned it to sender. then THEY took their sweet ass time sending it BACK and so they shipped it sometime last week and i'm STILL waiting to get it. and this time the online tracking isn't working, so who knows what's up.

case #2: i preordered a video game - BioShock - a couple of months ago and it just was released last week Tuesday. the tracking says it shipped out Wednesday, but there has been NO update to the tracking of the package online since. again, it's being sent via USPS like the cable above, so maybe the USPS has a problem. at any rate, i'm really itching to get this game, as everyone is talking about how good it is.

case #3: ordered some contacts a month back, they arrived promptly later that week. fast forward a few weeks and i take a closer look at what they sent me - wrong prescription. now, this isn't EXACTLY a shipping issue except for the fact that i now have to sort this out with the people on the other side of the transaction and THEN have to wait for them to ship me out new ones... when i really need them NOW!

island life. a blessing. a curse.

i blame the USPS.

- kawitchate

back from hiatus

hello. it's been a while.

main reason: i was away on a business trip that doubled as a personal trip (seeing as the business i had was in my home state, Wisconsin). we had day-long pow-wows all week long last week trying to hammer out some writing issues in the game. good news? i think the trip was successful - and even if it turns out it wasn't, it was sure successful on a personal level. it was really nice seeing friends and family again, if only for a little while.

however, i have been back since Saturday and still i waited to post until tonight. why? simply put, i haven't really had much to say! but if i start letting these postings slip i'll get so far behind i'll never want to start up again. so - it's posting time!

again, thanks to all my friends and family that welcomed me home with open arms. i hope my next visit is non-work related (and yet is paid by my company again somehow - that part was nice).

- kawitchate

on the Fall 2007 schedule

well, most my summer shows are still going strong, but i'm already being teased with my fall shows... and, while it seems like only yesterday that they went on hiatus, the majority of them start in just a little over a month. here's what i'll be watching:

Mondays:
- Prison Break Season 3
- Heroes Season 2
- K-Ville Season 1
- Journeyman Season 1

Tuesdays:
- House Season 4
- Law and Order: SVU Season... uh... 100?

Wednesdays:
- South Park Season 11 Part 2
- Life Season 1

Thursdays:
- My Name is Earl Season 3
- 30 Rock Season 2
- The Office Season 4
- Scrubs Season... 6?
- It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 3
- Drawn Together Season 4

Fridays:
---

Saturdays:
---

Sundays:
- Family Guy Season... 5?
- American Dad Season... 4?
- Curb Your Enthusiasm Season... 6?

and coming Mid-season:
- 24 Season 7
- New Amsterdam Season 1
- The Shield Season 7
- Ashes to Ashes Season 1

as you see, there are quite a few Season 1s that i'm checking out. most of these i could drop at anytime if i don't like them, but from the previews i've seen, i'm interested enough to check them out. here's why:

- K-Ville is about a cop duo down in New Orleans after Katrina trying to keep the peace. it looks a little like The Shield but tamer, and with a different setting. what really got me was the main black actor - he was on The Shield Season 4, and he was AWESOME. what might ruin it? i don't like the white actor, and the storytelling could get a little melodramatic.

- Journeyman is about a dude supposedly time traveling. that's all i know and that's all i NEED to know. you simply mention "time travel" and i'm on board.

- Life is about a detective wrongly accused and goes to jail for a crime he didn't commit. well, things get turned around and now he's out, and back to being a detective. i took a look at the talent involved in front of and behind the camera and i figured it was worth a look.

- New Amsterdam is about a detective in New York that doesn't age? that premise alone has me intrigued. however, Fox pushed it back to mid-season when it was supposed to air this fall, so i wonder if there's something wrong with it, like maybe it didn't test well...

- Ashes to Ashes is the spinoff series from Life on Mars, which is one of my favorite shows of all time. it's supposed to be a little more hammy, but i just HAVE to see the gang from the 70s make the transition to the 80s.

what shows am i most looking forward to? Prison Break, Heroes, Journeyman, House, The Office, 24, The Shield, and Ashes to Ashes.

here's to a great Fall 07 (and Winter/Spring 08).

- kawitchate

on preorders

you may have noticed on my looooooong sidebar that i have a section for preordered video games. these are games i've already paid for so that when they come out i'm shipped a copy. you may also notice that the list has been growing.

now, those of you that know me know that i'm usually a spendthrift when it comes to buying anything, especially entertainment - DVDs, CDs, video games, etc. oh sure i'll buy stuff, but i'll usually wait to find it used or on sale. why then have i changed my habits?

well, i haven't really. every game up there i've saved at least $5-15 on, so i'm still getting my deals. and as to why i'm buying them now, when i have so much to play already? well, i want to lock in my deal, but also i've decided that i want to buy first-hand video games to support the developers and producers as much as i can from this point forward. since i'm a developer now it seems only appropriate.

secondhand, or used, video games aren't making the developers or producers any money, just the store that bought it back from someone and is reselling it. i was fine with this when i was supporting my local store back in my hometown, but now that my only main outlet for used video games is Gamestop, i'd much rather throw my support the developer's way.

but man am i going to have a lot to play in the coming months...

- kawitchate

from hurricanes to earthquakes to tropical storms to tsunamis

living in the middle of the Pacific Ocean sure has been a trip this week!

first there was news Sunday that a hurricane was headed our way and that it was looking to be a pretty bad one. it wouldn't hit us directly but it would bring with it strong 100mph winds and torrential rain. it was said to hit Wednesday.

then there was news that an earthquake had hit miles off the coast of the big island of Hawaii Tuesday morning. magnitude of 5-something. the last earthquake to hit around that area was a 6-something magnitude and it managed to take out the power here on Oahu for over a day back in November. guess i lucked out, i didn't even feel this new one.

then the hurricane got downgraded to a tropical storm and headed more south of us than anticipated Wednesday. it turned out to be not that big of a deal, and we have had pretty much normal weather outside of a few gusty times during the past few days and a little chillier weather at night. 100mph winds and torrential rain my ass. our "hurricane" got so weak it actually got pushed off the front page for the newer, more hip hurricane/storm in the gulf headed toward Texas. ah well, fame is fleeting.

and NOW we've got a tsunami advisory (not a warning). this is in response to the 7.5 mag earthquake that struck Peru earlier today. i guess being stuck out in the middle of the Pacific like this we could get pretty much any aftershocks that come from any coastline. yay us. the tsunami advisory isn't really that serious, but it's just icing on the cake after this week.

- kawitchate

state of the human(oid)

i wrote last week on how i try to avoid recap posts but now i'm starting one. from time to time, when i don't have a lot to say about one thing but i've got enough little things to say i'll post it in a "state of the human(oid)" post, letting you all know what's what.

from last week:

- cell phone is still fine, but i haven't taken the kiddy gloves off yet when handling it. i treat it like a delicate princess.

- the cut on my finger is healed over, but now there's a chunk of skin missing. it's pretty cool actually, i wonder if it's going to leave a scar. neato!

- no update on the status of my missing USPS package with my HDMI cable inside. if i don't get it before i take off next week i'll be pretty upset.

- no update on my ticket. what can i say, i'm lazy. i plan to write a letter denying my guilt and sending it along before i take off next week.

new news:

- there's a freakin' HURRICANE coming my way! never thought i'd be saying that... but yes, i'm now living somewhere where a hurricane is a possibility, albeit a small one - everyone here keeps telling me they haven't had one in 10 years. anyway, it's not passing OVER us, but it is passing pretty close south of us, so we're due for heavy-duty winds and rain Wednesday. needless to say, i'm a bit worried about me on a moped, but i've been assured that if we have work, someone can give me a ride. actually, i'm worried about tomorrow as well - the winds and weather have already changed somewhat, and, while i can handle gusts on my moped, i don't like it (and i don't know how strong these'll be). and the funny thing about all this - i didn't even know we were going to get hit by a hurricane until my parents told me. my parents - in the midwest.

- if our island is still here next week, and if the airport is still fully operational, i am headed back home to Wisconsin - for work! i'll be there Tuesday AM until Saturday AM, hoping to hang with some WI fools one or two nights while i'm there. should be busy - but good - times.

- this week i'm trying to finish things. at work i'm trying to get a bunch of stuff done before i take off next week. at home i'm trying to finish off a few video games - Scarface for the PS2 and Fable for Xbox - before the onslaught of video games hits later this month. BioShock, Heavenly Sword, Eternal Sonata, and Halo 3 - all in the span of a month. i'm going to be bu-sy. oh, and i'm STILL trying to finish Babylon 5. i'm now on Season 5, Episode 3.

- not helping with my "trying to finish things" mentality, i've started playing a racing game. that's right, a racing game. Forza Motorsport 2 for the Xbox 360. it's... addicting. the last racing game i played was Colin McRae for the PSOne, and that was only casually. the last racing game i played heavily was probably Top Gear Rally for the N64 (now that's old school). what's so cool about Forza? the cars you win, the amount you can customize... i honestly don't know. all i know is i'm having fun.

this has been the state of the human(oid).

- kawitchate