Studio 60
I’ve been looking forward to the fall TV season since Entourage went off the air back in early August. All of the television pundits claim that this is a banner year for TV with many great new shows coming out this fall. I’ve had my eye on a few, but I don’t know if I’ll find a way to watch all of them…I can’t imagine that one won’t be cancelled soon.
We’ve checked out a few shows so far, with a few more to come. Here are my initial thoughts:
‘Til Death - I had high hopes for this show starring Everybody Loves Raymond star Brad Garrett and Eddie Kaye Thomas (Finch from American Pie). We’re two episodes in and there’s not much good to say. The show has some funny moments, but for the most part, it’s just another sitcom with a lousy view of marriage. The premise of the show is that some newlyweds move next door to a couple that has been married for a long time. The older couple does everything they can to undermine the enthusiasm of the newlyweds with their pessimism and crankiness. If the show doesn’t get better quickly, it’s getting cancelled from the DVR season recorder.
the class - An ensemble sitcom from the creators of Friends? Count me in. The first episode was last night and I think it kind of served to set up some storylines, but it could be interesting. The only people even remotely recognizable (could be said for any of the Friends cast too, initially) are Andrea Anders (who co-starred with Matt LeBlanc on the oft-maligned Joey) and Jason Ritter (son of the late John Ritter). If the writing is smart, it could be a good show. I’ll give it 4 or 5 episodes to wow me, but not more than that. It has the benefit of being on Monday before How I Met Your Mother (which also started last night…YES!), so it might get a little more leniency.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - This has to be one of the most anticipated shows of the new season. Giant cast (Matthew Perry, Amanda Peet, Bradley Whitford, Steven Weber, Sara Paulson), high-profile writer (Aaron Sorkin of The West Wing fame), and a decent time slot (it only really has to compete against the juggernaut, Miami-flavored, awful David Caruso starring CSI. I really was looking forward to this show, especially to see what Matthew Perry would do in a more serious role. The show is centered around two guys who have taken over a Saturday-Night-Live-esque show on the fictional network NBC…errrr….NBS. I never really was able to get into The West Wing, but I LOVE this show. Alli and I are really excited because we finally have another hour-long show to replace Alias. The first episode was fast-paced, riveting, and well-acted. I thought Amanda Peet was terrific and I’m really excited for this show over most of the others that will likely get cancelled. By the way, they are showing the entire first episode on nbc.com.
So that’s it for now. There are others coming up that I’ll be recording, particularly Twenty Good Years with John Lithgow and Jeffrey Tambor, which looks good, although I don’t know if there will be enough scenes for each of these guys to chew. I also am anticipating Tina Fey’s first foray into sitcom writing with 30 Rock, although I can’t assume that NBC will put THAT many good shows on TV. Let’s hope though. I’m also looking forward to JJ Abrams’ new show Six Degrees. Could be interesting.
I’m a TV freak, I know, but hey…that’s me.
5 Years
While I realize that my personal experience on September 11, 2001 pales in comparison to those of anyone who lived in New York City or Washington, DC, I can’t help but ruminate on the morning 5 years ago that changed everything.
I was on my way to work and Alli and I were driving together as we did back then. Just before I dropped her off, we heard some news on the radio: something had happened in New York City - a missile or something had hit one of the two towers at the World Trade Center. We were safe and sound back in Kansas City, but my dad was working for a New York-based company at the time and his office was in Chelsea, a mere 20-some blocks from the World Trade Center.
I immediately called my dad and this is about what our conversation went like:
Me: “What’s going on?” (in a panicked voice)
Dad: “Not much. How are you?”
Me: “Can you see the World Trade Center from where you are at?”
Dad: “I can see it from the balcony. Why?”
Me: “They’ve said that it got hit by something, maybe a plane or a missile. I’m surprised you didn’t hear it.”
Dad: “I’ll go outside and check it out.”
…
Dad: “Oh my…it’s like something out of a movie. The top floors are all smoking.”
Me: “I heard it on the radio and had to call to make sure you were OK.”
Dad: “I’m fine. I’m fine, but…HOLY SH!T…something just hit the other one.”
Me: “What? Something hit the other one?”
Dad: “Yeah. I think it was a plane. I need to let you go.”
Me: “Are you OK? I’m worried.”
Dad: “I’m fine. I’ll call to let you know what is going on. I need to go now.”
Me: “I love you, Dad. Be safe.”
Dad: “I love you too. Tell Mom and Jake that everything is OK.”
Me: “I will. Love you. Bye.”
Dad: “Bye.”
It was the weirdest day. I went into work, but I watched TV in our training room for most of the day. I was the only one in the office who had family in New York. It was surreal. I remember watching the towers come down and I don’t remember thinking about terrorists or patriotism or anything like that at the time. I just remember thinking: I want my dad home. Right now.
It was several days before he could get on a flight and come home. I think that he was on one of the very first flights that left LaGuardia when planes started flying again. I was so happy to see him when he returned. So glad that he was safe. The following days were a blur. That morning, I remember thinking that we would be lucky if there were less than 20,000 people that died that morning. If it was about luck, then we were more than lucky. A much lower number lost their lives that day, but the effects continue to resonate through our daily lives today.
I don’t know if our lives will ever be the same. We’ve been at war seemingly since that day and there isn’t an easy end in sight. The chain reaction of events has been felt around the world as the United States’ war on terror travels around the world. Thinking back to that day, I can’t believe that it was only 5 years ago. It’s amazing to think how much time has passed, yet we still haven’t found any semblance of normalcy. I hope that it is in our future, but my fear is that it may not be.
Today, I just wanted to remember - to remind myself of the amazing strength that the city of New York showed in a time of adversity. It made everyone proud to call themselves American and it made everyone admire the city’s resilience. Most of all, for me, it make me remember how much I love my dad and how glad I was to hear his voice on the other end of that line and how glad I was to see him return home.
Tiling Update
We began at about 8:30 a.m. or so on Saturday and when the last tile was laid, it was almost exactly 12 hours later. Many thanks go out to our tile helpers -Â Brett, Dave, and Tom - and our yardwork helpers - Carol and Ashley (who in a stroke of pure genius, did our mowing and weedwhacking because there wasn’t much room for them to help in the kitchen). And Mom for taking pictures during the day.
There were no major injuries (save Tom’s sleepy foot and my small hand gash, see below) and the final product looks amazing. We are so excited to finish up the grout and then to tile the area under the fridge (had to wait on that one).
We could not have done it all without the help of Dave and Brett. They were so crucial in us getting this project done and we are so thankful for their leadership and assistance. We tiled just over 300 square feet in about 12 hours and the final product (well, almost final…no grout yet) looks amazing. Alli and I are anxious to get all our stuff back into our new kitchen. It looks awesome so far…can’t wait to see it when it is totally done.
Below is the best picture of what it looks like. Once we get everything in, we’ll take more photos and post them up.
