Blogging about the other stuff

It's been a while since I've blogged about my life outside TV and video games, so it's time for some updates on other topics. For your reading pleasure, this post starts with the light stuff and slowly builds to the not-so-light stuff.

Brewing

Other than this introductory post, I rarely talk about brewing on this blog, instead posting Facebook statuses every Saturday about what was brewed on that day. At one point, I was thinking about using this blog to keep a journal of homebrewing activities, but instead I've been relying entirely on BeerSmith Brewing Software for that purpose. And that works quite well.

It's been nearly one year since the first all-grain batch, Centennial Blonde Ale on April 4, so I figured that this was a good time to note some of our more interesting brewing achievements and factoids from the past year of all-grain brewing.

Number of all-grain beers brewed: 32
Approximate total volume: 575 L
Mass of grain used: 156.2 kg
Most popular base malt: 2-Row Pale Malt (89.6 kg)
Most popular adjunct: Crystal Malt 40L (6.3 kg)
Mass of hops used: 2.3 kg
Most popular hops: Cascade (444 g)

Average competition result: 29 / 50
Best competition result: 37.5 / 50 for Scott's Stout 2
Worst competition result: 24.5 / 50 for a supposedly infected Biere de Garde

Personal picks for best beers so far:
1. Scott's Stout 2, brewed 2009/12/05
2. 122 American Pale Ale, brewed 2009/12/30
3. BrewDog Punk IPA Clone, brewed 2009/01/23
4. Scottish Ale, brewed 2010/01/16
5. Matrimonial Ale 2, brewed 2009/11/14

I have very high hopes for a few of our more recent brews, including the Vanilla Porter, Scott's Stout 3, Matrimonial Ale 4, and last week's awesome Imperial Stout.

Shaping Up?

No, not yet.

Pets

There has been a change to the population of my animal playhouse. New tally: 1 human, 1 dog, 3 cats.

Squeak has moved to Calgary to live under the capable care of my ex-wife, a former unofficial veterinary assistant. Basically, Squeak has now been put in a nursing home.

I have done test runs with letting Furlicity roam upstairs in Squeak's old domain, but I can't commit to letting that demon cat roam unsupervised just yet.

Monies

With a full six months of post-separation data compiled in my budget spreadsheet, I can now assess the financial benefits of living alone. The only benefit I can see to living alone is financial, so how much of a benefit is it really?

The first area where I expected to see significant cost savings was my utilities. My ex-wife worked out of the home, and often at night, which had obvious implications on power and gas usage. Comparing the last six months to the same six months of the previous year, my utility savings (usage, not dollars) were as follows: power, 30%; gas, 20%; water, 34%. So, in summary, there were utility savings, but certainly not enough to be considered much of a benefit.

It is worth noting that the water savings would have been in the 50% range easily, if not for homebrewing. In the month of September, prior to the start of brewing at my house, my water usage was 55% lower than the previous year. I have only that one data point, but I strongly suspect that pattern would have continued. Water usage being half with half as many people in the house makes perfect sense.

The gas data is the most surprising to me. I have kept my house significantly cooler (a couple degrees) on average this entire winter, including dropping the temperature threshold while I was out of the house, something I was unable to do last year, but the savings were still rather minimal. I haven't adjusted for weather differences between this winter and the last, so maybe that would help account for the disappointing results.

The area that should see the biggest financial benefit is the following of a budget and the paying down of debt. With only myself to worry about and blame, I am definitely better able to control overall household spending. I had to deal with numerous separation expenses in September and October of 2009, plus I definitely (justifiably) indulged myself with some major purchases for myself in those months, so I didn't see any benefits in this area until November. I have monthly financial obligations to my ex-wife that take a large chunk out of the household spending, but even including that chunk, my overall household spending is down 23% on average so far. I fully expect that percentage to increase as this year continues. Even with a newly revised, much more forgivable, easy to follow budget, I am solidly on pace to be debt free (you may recall from an earlier post that I do not consider my mortgage to be debt) in the first quarter of 2012.

Dating

In response to some recent self-discovery (an epiphany of sorts), I have pulled all of my online dating profiles and am in the process of reassessing what I am looking for in a relationship. "Physically fit, atheist geek girl without kids" (to paraphrase my profile) doesn't quite cover it anymore.

An idea was implanted in my brain a few months back as a result of some innocuous reading, but the gears only really started spinning a few weeks ago. I can't remember if there was a specific event that got those gears spinning, but it definitely involved more reading, and I quickly realized that there was a lot of truth in this idea. It explained a lot of things that had for a long while defied/demanded explanation. I have discussed this idea with the only person I can have this type of discussion with (my ex-wife) and have been convinced to let the gears keep spinning a while longer before writing something I might regret on this blog.

No, I'm not gay. Not that there would be anything wrong with that.

No, I don't have some weird fetish. Not that there would be anything wrong with that, either, although I certainly wouldn't talk about that on this blog.

For me, this was a profound realization that caused me to reevaluate my entire adult life. For you, you would probably just not understand nor care.

Summer

My summer staycation is scheduled for June 11th through 27th. This will be a time of great joy (two weeks away from work!) and... uh... awkwardness? Not only do I have a fucking 15-year high school reunion six fucking days before what would have been a fucking 5-year wedding anniversary, but my ex-brother-in-law is getting married the week before that, and I am quite possibly attending both events, apparently because I am a fucking idiot.

This is the worst possible year for a high school reunion--goddamn! I never thought I'd say these words: I wish we would have had a 10-year high school reunion. 2005 would have been the perfect year for a high school reunion. I was as happy as I will ever be, everything was going well, and I could have walked into that reunion with my head held high. 2010? Gah. The obvious question of why attend is tough to answer. Because I'm curious about my fellow grads? Because it might be interesting to see some of my old friends again? Because I can't come up with a good excuse not to?

Compared to the high school reunion, the wedding of my ex-brother-in-law might actually be fun. At least the drinks will be cheap at that party. It will certainly be awkward at first to see and talk to my ex-family-in-law for the first time since the separation (other than my ex-mother-in-law, whom I've seen and talked to a few times), but since my ex and I are still friendly, that awkwardness might fade. Seeing as there was always awkwardness between her family and I, as there is typically awkwardness with me and any group of new people, it actually might not be too much different from every other family gathering. It's mostly different because instead of being part of the family, I am now just one of the friends.

Week in Review, Mar 22 to 28

The Week in Video Games

Again this week I had limited video gaming time, but I did manage to finish Tales of Monkey Island Chapter Four, "The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood." While it wasn't quite as enjoyable as Chapter Three, it was certainly another worthy entry in this very good point & click adventure series. The story ramped up significantly, as it should in act four of a five act series, and the laughs were still plentiful, thanks in particular to the return of Stan (and his amazing jacket) and the hilarious Bailiff Hardtack. This chapter featured a huge cliffhanger ending, so I couldn't resist briefly diving into Chapter Five, which definitely has a very memorable opening sequence. I should have time during this coming long weekend to finally wrap this series.

The Week in Television

Monday, March 22nd
Loved: Chuck (3x11)
Liked: How I Met Your Mother (5x18), The Big Bang Theory (3x18)

"Chuck Versus the Final Exam" defied my expectation of tidy resolutions to last week's hanging threads and instead took the series and characters to new and even more interesting places. I know that eventually all of these changes will be somehow reset to normal, because that's how TV series in this genre (that are not Alias) work, but the ride is certainly an entertaining one and I'm glad I'm taking it. It is amusing (but somewhat distressing) that much of the Chuck fandom is frustrated by this third season, while I think the show is leaps and bounds better this year than it was in its first two seasons. In the last half of the second season the writers started a trend of tighter storytelling and continuity, and that's the direction the series has continued on in its third season. But Chuck fandom wants a return to the "good ol' days" of Chuck stumbling humourously through lame standalone missions. It's true what they say: people know what they like, and they just want you to keep giving them that. Except that they also want Chuck and Sarah to get together, without acknowledging that consummating central relationships is always a huge game-changer for a series, and it's often a move that a series will never recover from ("jumping the shark," if you will). Anyway, none of the fandom whining will matter, as the ratings this season have now hit a level where cancellation is very probable. However, everyone thought Chuck was a goner at the end of season two as well...

"Say Cheese" is the type of How I Met Your Mother episode that made me a fan of the series, with smart use of continuity and flashbacks, and effective use of all of the characters. There were a few misfired gags that slightly tarnished the quality of the storytelling, but on the whole, this was much better than most episodes of late.

I am conflicted about The Big Bang Theory's "The Pants Alternative." On one hand, I enjoyed the first three quarters of the episode without reservation, but on the other hand, Sheldon getting drunk and going all stand-up comedian didn't really work for me. I also felt that this episode needed a stronger end tag than seeing more of drunk Sheldon (although the title is a reference to the tag's gag), such as seeing some of the fallout from Sheldon's activities.

Tuesday, March 23rd
Loved: Lost (6x9)

Lost's "Ab Aeterno" finally told the sad story of poor Richard Alpert, mysterious ageless assistant to Jacob, and it did so very, very well. Surprisingly, they managed to tell his story without spoiling too many of the island's secrets, other than showing us the Black Rock's dramatic and statue destroying arrival on the island, and presenting a little bit more background material on the Man in Black and Jacob. But answers to the big questions won't come until the big series finale, so until then, I'll continue to enjoy the Lost ride, which is easy with storytelling as good as this.

Wednesday, March 24th
Liked: Modern Family (1x18), Survivor (20x7)
Meh: South Park (14x2)

This week's Survivor was much better than the last episode, probably because we finally got to see some strategic action from the much more interesting Villains tribe. The way Russell played Tyson was fantastic, even though Tyson's idiocy will likely have damaging effect on Boston Rob's standing in the game, and then I will be pissed. On the Heroes side, they wised up enough to take out injured James, but they are still idiots for taking out Tom last tribal council. And I don't get why no one ever suggests getting rid of Rupert; I'm pretty sure even an injured James is more useful than that fucking guy.

I appreciated the message of South Park's "The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs," but much of the humour fell flat for me. When my biggest laugh was due to Matt Lauer spitting a couple times after vomiting, you know the episode was a little lacking.

I am finding that I have very little to say about Modern Family's "Starry Night," another solid if unremarkable half-hour of family comedy. The family sitcom is a genre of show that I normally don't watch, because it usually doesn't add up to much. I can laugh throughout an episode of Modern Family, but after a few hours I have a tough time recalling what all happened. It's funny, but it's also forgettable. Don't get me wrong, Modern Family is a damn good family sitcom, and the characters are great, but the threat of boredom is definitely looming.

Thursday, March 25th
Loved: Parks and Recreation (2x20)
Liked: 30 Rock (4x16), The Office (6x21)

Parks and Recreation had the most enjoyable Thursday half-hour with "Summer Catalog," a consistently funny episode that made great use of all of the characters. I'm a big fan of Andy and April as a couple, as anyone that has been reading these posts for a while should have noticed, and this was a big episode for them. Also great: Ron's hunger, Tom's photo-shoot, and an awkward picnic.

I enjoyed The Office's "Happy Hour" much more than the previous couple of episodes. Other than a few frustrating (but admittedly awkward-funny) moments with "Date Mike," this was a light, enjoyable excursion out of the office with the characters. Each of the couples had some good moments, including pre-"Date Mike" Michael with Pam's friend. I'm frankly shocked by how well Dwight and Isabel worked as a couple in this episode.

The part of 30 Rock's "Floyd" that worked the least for me was actually the title story with the return of Liz's old boyfriend. The rest of the episode was quite hilarious.

Friday, March 26th
Loved: Spartacus (1x10)
Liked: Caprica (1x9), The Ricky Gervais Show (1x6)

Wow. I did not see that coming. Another Friday, another awesome Spartacus episode. "Party Favors" started off as an unusually fun, light episode, especially coming on the heels of last week's darkness, and I should have known some ugly shit was going to go down in the end. Fuck. I was worried that this series might stagnate and get boring if it was just gladiator fight after gladiator fight, but the writers have avoided that trap very nicely in this first season by constantly switching things up.

Wow. I did not see that coming. Or that. Or that! WTF just happened!? Caprica's mid-season finale, "End of Line," had so many cliffhangers and deaths and surprises, that it was almost too much. There is certainly no way anyone can accuse this series of being boring anymore. Next week, Stargate Universe is back for the second half of its first season. I would much rather see the rest of Caprica's already-in-the-can first season... fucking Syfy.

Saturday, March 27th
Liked: Legend of the Seeker (2x15)

Legend of the Seeker's "Creator" was pretty good, despite the fact that it was a clip-show, and ignoring the egregious use of clips from LAST WEEK's episode. The first season's clip show was rather awful and pointless, but this episode's framing story was much better, tied directly into the season's main storyline, and actually introduced some interesting new mythology into the series. I wish they didn't have to resort to clip shows with this series, but producer Rob Tapert has always used clip shows to allow certain bigger episodes to go way over-budget.

Sunday, March 28th
Liked: The Amazing Race (16x7)

The cops were finally knocked out of first place this week by the first major bunch-up in a few episodes, allowing perpetual middle-of-the-packers Steve and Allie to win a leg. And I'm pretty happy that the cowboys were saved by the second non-elimination leg. They may be complete idiots that make numerous dumb mistakes, but they are quite entertaining despite themselves. I'd like to see a final three of the brothers, cops, and cowboys.

Week in Review, Mar 15 to 21

The Week in Video Games

In the limited spare time I had this week (I had a couple house guests this week--not complaining!), I completed Chapter 3 of Tales of Monkey Island and started Chapter 4. Chapter 3, Lair of the Leviathan, was easily my favourite chapter so far, featuring some of the funniest moments of the entire series and some of the best puzzles. I especially enjoyed the face-off battle and manatee date that captured some of the magic from the insult sword fights in the original Secret of Monkey Island. Chapter 4, like all of the chapters before it, is quite different so far--the diversity in this series has definitely been one of its strengths--but I'm too early into the game to judge its overall quality.

The Week in Television

Monday, March 15th
Liked: Chuck (3x10)

"Chuck Versus the Tic Tac" was an important episode because it finally provided some background information on John Casey, but the storytelling wasn't quite up to the standard set by this season. The best scene had Morgan and Captain Awesome learning that they both now know the truth about Chuck. I imagine that the unexpected ending will be quickly resolved in next week's Chuck, but I'd love to be wrong there.

Tuesday, March 16th
Liked: Lost (6x8)

"Recon" was a lesser episode for this final season of Lost, although there were many good moments, and con-man Sawyer is one of my favourite characters. It didn't seem like much of importance was established on the island, except for the minor reveal that Not!Locke had a crazy mother. The alt-reality storyline was enjoyable, with Miles continuing to be awesome, but it didn't really have any pay-off.

Wednesday, March 17th
Liked: South Park (14x1)

South Park returned to the air this week with "Sexual Healing," hilariously making fun of the media's shoddy handling of celebrity sex scandals. The Tiger Woods jokes were initially lame and unfunny, but once it was revealed that the scenes were a part of EA's new Tiger Woods golf video game, I laughed pretty hard. I enjoyed Butters' and Kyle's struggles with their newly discovered sex addiction, and loved how the voice of reason was not Stan but a random extra.

Thursday, March 18th
Loved: 30 Rock (4x15)
Liked: The Office (6x20), Parks and Recreation (2x19)

"Don Geiss, America and Hope" was a terrific 30 Rock episode, picking up where we left off last week with Liz's completely incompatible future husband and Jack's transition from GE to Kabletown. Tracy's struggle with being outed by the media as a faithful husband was also hilarious.

The Office's "New Leads" featured a jarring main storyline that could have used some more build-up. I just didn't buy the fact that suddenly all the sales staff were a bunch of dicks and the office had this huge schism. If we had seen some of this schism hinted at in previous weeks, it may have worked better in this episode. Laughs-wise, this episode was also below average for me.

"Park Safety" was a really funny Jerry-centric episode of Parks and Recreation. Jerry has been the go-to office punching bag, so it was nice to have an episode that humanized him a little while still delivering plenty of laughs at his expense. Also good: Andy Samberg had a great guest-turn as the loud-talking park ranger, Ron taught everyone self-defense, and Anne finally realized that something is going on between Andy and April.

Friday, March 19th
Loved: Spartacus (1x9)
Liked: Caprica (1x8), The Ricky Gervais Show (1x5)

Goddamn, Spartacus Blood and Sand is a twisted motherfucking series. For a series that started out as a mediocre Gladiator meets 300 bore, it has come a long way, now reliably delivering awesome fight sequences, political intrigue, shocking violence, and softcore pornography on a weekly basis. "Whore" was another fantastic episode, developing all of the major storylines and characters, and ending with a completely unexpected game-changer.

Caprica's "Ghosts in the Machine" featured some tense moments as Daniel tried to torture the truth out of Cylon Zoe, culminating in a frightening sequence where Zoe was ordered to shoot the family dog. Is that worse than being forced to tear off your own arm? The other major storyline was also strong, with Joe Adama running wild in New Cap City.

Saturday, March 20th
Loved: Legend of the Seeker (2x14)

Sister Nicci returned in "Bound," a very good Legend of the Seeker episode that diverged quite far from its source material to interesting effect. With Nicci and Kahlan bound by a nonsensical (but dramatically useful) maternity spell, Richard was forced to work with Nicci to do Rahl and the Keeper's bidding, ultimately introducing elements of the awesome Faith of the Fallen very early into this canon. We were also introduced to Kahlan's father in a surprisingly effective storyline with some of the best guest acting this series has ever featured. I'm still unsure about the new actress playing Nicci; she had some good moments here, though, easily besting her first awkward appearance.

Sunday, March 21st
Liked: The Amazing Race (16x6)

The cops finished first again!? I have to admit that they ran a clean leg, while a number of the other teams did not. One of the clues in this leg was rather tricky, and it led a lot of teams astray, including Team Big Brother who were at the back of the pack all the way until their well deserved elimination. Brent and Caite's bickering was quite entertaining in its immaturity, but they are hopelessly stupid and are surely the next team to go home.

Week in Review, Mar 8 to 14

Seeing as I was busy skiing in the mountains for the last half of this week, I didn't have much in the way of free time to do anything. Just catching up on the television I missed while in Alberta was time consuming enough.

The Week in Television

Monday, March 8th
Loved: Chuck (3x9)
Liked: The Big Bang Theory (3x17), How I Met Your Mother (5x17)

"Chuck Versus the Beard" was an awesome episode, changing up the series in ways I did not see coming. I've always been iffy with Morgan, liking him some times, finding him annoying other times, but I'm excited about the possibilities for Chuck's best friend now.

The Big Bang Theory's "The Precious Fragmentation" was an okay episode. In theory, a The Lord of the Rings themed episode should have been an automatic winner with me, but the jokes were mostly stale and predictable.

"Of Course" was a much better How I Met Your Mother episode than the past few, but there is still a lot of room for improvement. It finally provided some fallout from the Barney and Robin relationship (late is better than never), and it had some great moments with Ted's "super date" song and the recurring ridiculousness of the "bang, bang, bangity, bang" song. But the resolution of Jennifer Lopez's character's storyline was frankly stupid.

Tuesday, March 9th
Loved: Lost (6x7)

"Dr. Linus" was a fantastic episode of Lost. But Ben has always been one of my favourite characters, so it's not too surprising that I would love this one. Everything about this episode worked, including the extremely unlikely coincidence of Alexandra Rousseau being alt-reality Ben's star pupil, giving him a second chance at redemption. In the island reality, there was more good material with Ben choosing his side, but the highlight for me was Miles' hilarious and unexpected call-back to Nikki and Paulo. The Nikki and Paulo flashback episode in season three was a contentious one with fans, but it is actually one of my favourites.

Wednesday, March 10th
Liked: Modern Family (1x17)

"Truth Be Told" was an average Modern Family episode. The biggest laughs came from the usual sources (Phil, Manny, Alex, Cameron), and the individual stories were thematically linked to the title. I don't mean to sound negative, though, as an average Modern Family episode is better than the best of most family sitcoms.

Thursday, March 11th
Liked: 30 Rock(4x14), The Office (6x19), Parks and Recreation (2x18)
Meh: Survivor (20x5)

Parks and Recreation's "The Possum" had some hilarious moments and some stupid moments. The depiction of the Animal Control department was terrific and any scenes involving Andy or Ron were great, but April and Tom were a little misused at times.

I wasn't a huge fan of The Office's "St. Patrick's Day." It just didn't add up to much, despite oodles of potential. I appreciated the return of some fun Dwight and Jim rivalry, Andy and Erin were cute as ever, and Michael surprisingly managed to be an effective boss in the end, but this was the least (and last?) of Kathy Bates' appearances, and the laughs were pretty minimal throughout.

I love that 30 Rock managed to get even more comedy out of Liz's dentist visit with "Future Husband." The rest of the episode didn't do much for me, other than make me laugh repeatedly at all the stupid shit that was going down.

After last week's awesome blindside, this week's Survivor sucked balls. Dammit, Heroes, WTF?

Friday, March 12th
Loved: Spartacus (1x8)
Liked: Caprica (1x7), The Ricky Gervais Show (1x4)

Caprica's "The Imperfections of Memory" was an important episode for story/plot maneuvering and development, but the episode on its own was somewhat boring and uneventful until the very last line of dialogue. I think that this episode would play much better in a marathon than as the weekly fix.

"Mark of the Brotherhood" was another strong Spartacus episode, firmly establishing Spartacus as the bad-ass gladiator champion and finally bringing Crixus back into the fold. Also important: Ilythia stepped up her game, Ashur's loyalty was tested, and Varro reacted poorly to his wife's news from last week.

It is hard to believe that Karl Pilkington is a real person. Goddamn.

Sunday, March 14th
Liked: The Amazing Race (16x5)

It is hilarious that something as straightforward and easy as Morse Code took out asshole Joe. The cops are idiots that have somehow finished first twice in a row (but, if the cowboys can do it, anyone can), and delivered the WTF line of the night when they nonsensically compared the impressive war simulation to their detective work, but using the U-Turn on Joe and Heidi was an awesomely effective move.

Week in Review, Mar 1 to 7

The Week in Video Games

I didn't do much gaming this week, but I did put a few hours into Telltale's Tales of Monkey Island series, completing Chapter 2 (The Siege of Spinner Cay) and starting Chapter 3 (Lair of the Leviathan). While I didn't enjoy Chapter 2 as much as I had enjoyed Chapter 1 when I played it way back in July, and had to sadly resort to a walkthrough for a couple of the trickier puzzles, it was still an entertaining and funny game with great dialogue throughout, and Chapter 3 seems like it will be even better based on what I've experienced so far. I like this concept of episodic gaming, and I wish I had been able to continue playing these chapters as they were released, but between July 7th (the release of Chapter 1) and August 20th (the release of Chapter 2), life interrupted. Now that I'm able to put Bioware's big games on the backburner, I should be able to get through the rest of the series in a few weeks.

The Week in Television

I stayed home for half of this week with the worst cold of my adult life, which gave me ample time to complete the BBC series catch-up I started two weeks ago. First, I watched the rest of the second and third (mini-series) seasons of Torchwood. And I pretty much loved all of it. There aren't many series that could make a multi-episode story arc revolving around a dead character work. There were a couple weak episodes in the second half of the second season, but the two-part season finale was terrific. The Children of Earth mini-series was even better. Bring on season four! Once I was done with Torchwood, I jumped back into the second season of Merlin. While I certainly could have done without the two-parter involving a farting troll queen (yeah), there were a number of quality episodes, and the darkness of the series was ramped up significantly. I was a little disappointed in the series' insistence on maintaining the status quo, which is actually unique for BBC series that I have watched (Torchwood and Doctor Who are certainly examples of the opposite), but there were some welcome developments with Morgana and the dragon at least. I will likely watch season three as it airs next fall, instead of saving it for another marathon, which is a good indication that I am more interesting in where the series is going now.

Monday, March 1st
Loved: The Big Bang Theory (3x16)
Liked: Chuck (3x8)
Meh: How I Met Your Mother (5x16)

"Chuck Versus the Fake Name" was not my favourite episode of this season, but it was still a typically entertaining and fun episode of Chuck. It was a little tough to buy Chuck's impressive thespian skills as he impersonated an assassin, but I loved the two mobsters he was working for. And I wasn't too pleased with an early break-up in one of the new relationships, but I'm hoping that was only a blip in a longer storyline. As an aside, I have recently started re-watching Chuck's first season, and I think I am appreciating the early episodes more now, knowing how good the show gets in its second season.

"The Excelsior Acquisition" was my favourite episode of The Big Bang Theory in a long while. It was consistently funny throughout, a quality that has been lacking in quite a few episodes this season, making good comedic use of all of the main cast. Pairing up Sheldon and Penny usually leads to good things, and this episode was definitely not an exception. And I loved Raj's Personal Soundtrack t-shirt (a great Thinkgeek product).

How I Met Your Mother has always had silly episodes like "Hooked," mediocre attempts to be a new Seinfeld with lame catch-phrases such as "on the hook" and "right now," but since I watched most of this series in a couple of days, these episodes would blend in with the good ones and be mostly forgotten. Watching on a week to week basis, these episodes just come off as dumb. For a show as normally concerned with continuity as this one, giving Ted a desperate "on the hook" co-worker out of the blue for the plot's sake was particularly glaring. And having Scooter show up as a lunch lady for the sole purpose of giving Lily and Marshall something to do in this episode wasn't much better.

Tuesday, March 2nd
Loved: Lost (6x6)

Lost brought the action with "Sundown," an awesomely dark Sayid episode. Sayid kicked some ass in both realities, trying his damnedest to kill Not!Locke, giving Keamy his second death in the series, and then viciously killing the leaders of the Temple Others. I also loved an early hand-to-hand fight between Sayid and Dogen. Even Ben was scared shitless of hardcore Sayid. Sides are being chosen for the island's war, and the coming battle is going to be awesome.

Wednesday, March 3rd
Liked: Modern Family (1x16)

"Fears" was a solid episode of Modern Family about, unsurprisingly, the characters' fears. Specifically, Manny's fear of roller-coasters, Haley's fear that she would fail her third driver's test, Alex's fear of not being asked to dance, Phil's fear of the dark and confined spaces, and Mitchell and Cameron's fear that their daughter's first word would be "Mommy." The biggest laughs of the episode, as per usual, followed any time Phil, Manny, Cameron, or Alex spoke.

Thursday, March 4th
Loved: The Office (6x17/18)
Liked: Parks and Recreation (2x17), Survivor (20x4)

Is it wrong that I felt bad for Coach during his emotional breakdown in this episode? It must be because I didn't see his first season, because I know the fan consensus of Coach is much more negative. However, he did completely undermine that empathy shortly afterward by ridiculously comparing himself to legends like King Arthur. And I certainly found Tyson's advice to him hilariously on-the-nose. As for the rest of this episode, it was actually nice to have two challenges again, the immunity idol hunts spiced up the game, and I absolutely loved the blindside at the end.

I'm so used to The Office not being on TV (due to its Olympics hiatus) that I forgot to review this week's episode when I first hit the post button. Anyway, to quickly throw some comments together: the hour-long "The Delivery" was quite good, one of my favourite episodes from this season. In particular, Dwight had some great moments, which has been sadly rare lately. Plus, Andy asking out Erin in the worst way possible was perfect. I also enjoyed this week's Parks and Recreation, with Ron hilariously winning a "Woman of the Year" award.

Friday, March 5th
Loved: Spartacus (1x7)
Liked: Caprica (1x6), The Ricky Gervais Show (1x3)

Spartacus's "Great and Unfortunate Things" was a critical episode for the series, because it had to give the main character a reason to continue fighting, and it was pretty successful in that regard. However, the best material in this episode centered around Doctore, first kicking Spartacus' ass for his actions last week, and then investigating Barca's freedom and Ashur's involvement. There were also some unexpected and depressing developments for Varro and Pietros, and a satisfying death-by-cliff for one particularly nasty gladiator.

"Know Thy Enemy" introduced a couple major villains to Caprica. Daniel's nemesis Tomas Vergis was particularly effective, providing some much needed tension in Daniel's storyline. Fanatic STO terrorist Barnabas (James Marsters!) didn't have as much screen time in this episode, but the promise for that character is also quite high. Also great this week: Philo's date with Zoe and Joe Adama trying to use a holoband. Caprica still hasn't quite knocked me over with an episode yet, but they are getting closer every week.

The Ricky Gervais show was more of the same this week, which is to say pretty damn hilarious. I'm almost tempted to listen to some "spoilers" by downloading the podcasts.

Sunday, March 7th
Liked: The Amazing Race (16x4)

Non-elimination legs are a necessary evil for The Amazing Race, to allow the show to get 12 legs out of 10 teams each season, and thus be as cost effective as it is possible for the most expensive and elaborate reality show on television to be. I still remember the good old days of the first couple of seasons, when during the opening credits of the show, Phil would actually give away whether an episode featured an elimination or non-elimination leg by saying "Who will be eliminated tonight?" or "Who will be eliminated next?" Now it's always "next." Anyway, I actually would have missed the idiotic bumbling of Team Big Brother if they had gone home this week, so I was relieved by this first non-elimination leg.

And, as I do every year, I also watched The Academy Awards, despite having seen so few of 2009's movies. (Quick tally: Star Trek, District 9, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Up, Avatar... that might be it. Fuck, I used to be a movie buff.) Or at least had it on in the background while finishing up this blog post. Pretty lacklustre show this year. Neil Patrick Harris' opening song was decent, but Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin bored with their opening mono--uh, dialogue? Tina Fey and Robert Downey Jr had the best moment of the entire show, by far--so far, anyway, since the show's not yet over as I'm posting this.