DVR disaster.....and Redemption 24-style

So for reasons unknown to me, for the 2ND time now - my DVR failed to record something after I set it up to record. No real disaster there geek - you say. Well - the event that it failed to record........wait for it......

24: Redemption.

After what seems like years (because it pretty much has been that long) of waiting for Jack Bauer to return to my TV screen - FIOS DVR has foiled me yet again.

The bright side to this dark side of the moon - it's available for viewing online (thanks to the gang at fox.com) and it's available on DVD (along with a 15 minute clip of Season 7). Crisis averted.

Armed with that little bit of info - I did take some time to check out the beginning (first 20 minutes or so).

First impressions-
WOOO - guns and stabbing people in the neck....Jack is officially back.
Hello Tom Lennox. Nice to see you again.
Mr. President - you are still a prick.
new MRS. President - pretty spunky. I like it.

Looking forward to the rest of it and the coming season 7.

Who Knew? (Thanksgiving cooking edition)

So it's become one of those semi-traditions that I make a french meat pie as part of our Thanksgiving dinner. This a good thing for many reasons - it's reminds me of Thanksgiving (and Christmas) as a child since its something that I grew up with and have loved for years and years, most people who eat it seem to agree that its pretty darn good, and most importantly, its easy to make so there is very little I can do to mess up the cooking process.

You just heat up some meat, add in some mashed potatoes, chopped onions and then flavor to taste with some allspice and Bell's Seasoning. Throw that into a pie crust and bake the whole thing for about 35 minutes at 375 degrees. Pretty simple huh??

Well - it turns out that trying to find Bell's Seasoning here in Oregon is quite the project. Who knew that it was some kind of New England diety that can pretty much only be found in one of the original 13 colonies - along with Devil Dogs and coffee syrup, prime ingredient in the official drink of the state of Rhode Island.

So after checking Safeway and Fred Meyer, I (with the help of family and friends and the internets) tracked some down at the local Whole Foods. God bless the good folks there.

Chaulk that up as a lesson learned for this Thanksgiving 2008.

Happily - we will now be able to enjoy a properly seasoned meat pie. Phew!

Happy Thanks and Turkey Day to you all.

For your 24 reading pleasure

If you are so inclined, here are a few articles about tomorrow nights movie...

from:
NEWSWEEK

USA TODAY

ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION

SALT LAKE TRIBUNE

WASHINGTON POST

Or you can just go right here to Google News and link to one of the other 200 or so articles about it from around the globe.

Never let it be said I don't like to share.

Jack is back

After a long writers strike induced hiatus from 24 related content, now is as good a time as ever to mention what you all probably already know.

Jack is back.

Sunday night at 8pm on Fox, it's 24: Redemption, a 2hour pre-quel/bridge to Season 7.

Even after the disaster that was Season 6, I am quite excited at the prospect of more Jack Bauer. I'll be giving it a fair chance to impress me and bring me back for more.

What about you???

thank you 2008 red sox!

unfortunately the red sox season came to a close tonight - just 4 wins short (5 if you count tonight) of a 3rd world series championship in the last 5 seasons.

rather than being crushed, instead i basked in the healthy glow of the 2 championships we do have in my lifetime and the never-say-die attitude that this team showed us the whole year.

game 5 was sureal....once in a lifetime...something i will always think about with a huge smile on my face (not unlike THE game 7 in 2004). :: smile ::

while i'm saddened at the loss of my favorite baseball team just short of the prize - i also realize that April is a long way away.

so - Papi, Youk, Pedie, Beck, Les, Paps and all the other Red Sox, thank you for 2008.

i've already begun counting down to April 2009.

....and now it's the Phillies and Rays for the World Series title.

the sound you just heard is Fox executives leaping from the nearest tall building.

wall street bailout??? you tell me.

So i just got this instant message from my sister saying that apparently - McCain's latest idea is to ask the American public what we think they should do to fix the financial crisis.

Are you EFFING kidding me?

How about this...I think in order to fix the financial crisis that the federal government should give any family making less than 150K a year, $1million tax free.......middle class financial crisis solved.

What's his next "solution" (hail mary) going to be??? If I'm elected President - 3 days a week will be "President for a Day" days at the White House.

I can hear it now - "sign up to come in and solve the problems of average Americans all while getting to sleep in the Lincoln bedroom."

Each person gets a single line item veto to use at their own discretion.

Funny? Frightening.

The Debate

So yeah - I watched.

Wait - before I get to what I thought why don't you all go here, take a look at who I'm supporting, make a quick donation, and come on back for my 2 cents.

Welcome back.

Back to the debate. I watched....and I thought it was good. I don't think either candidate delivered that knock out punch (to use a metaphor that's already been grossly overused) that everyone would have been talking about today. I thought it was pretty even across the board.

That said - it was GREAT to read that the consensus out there was that Obama won the debate. I think he let several chances go by where he could have slammed McCain but I also think that was his plan. I believe he is looking at the debates as a 3 part mission. In the first, the goal was to look even handed, smart and "Presidential". Mission accomplished (no aircraft carrier needed!). I expect that in the 2nd debate he will take a few more shots and be a bit more on the attack and in the final debate, he will bury him.

Last night was a debate about foreign policy. It was supposed to be right in McCain's wheelhouse but instead of coming off as knowledgeable and as a wise old foreign policy sage, he came off as snarky and a bit condescending. Just like everyone at the love-fest they called the Republican National Convention.

How's that working out for ya these days??

Next up....the train wreck that is Sarah Palin and the VP debate.

The popcorn is in the microwave!

Big Brain News of the Day

from the good folks at UCLA - apparently prime numbers go pretty darn high.

it looks like they managed to discover a 13 million-digit prime number!

the result of all that brain power - a chance at $100k.

i think my only shot is the lottery.

pimping USA network

psych returns for an all-new season THIS FRIDAY NIGHT at 10pm on USA network.

be there or be square.

holy ---- its summer!

i figured that now is a good a time as any to dust off the 'old keyboard and get back into the middle of this whole "blog" business that used to be a bit part of my life.

its not like anything major has happened in the last 6 months like WE BOUGHT A HOUSE! yep - we are now the very proud owners of our very own 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath townhome on the outskirts of beaverton, oregon. we're not quite into hillsboro but we can see the city line from our window....not that there is anything at all wrong with the great city of hillsboro. we've kept ourselves busy getting settled but there is still so much to do. no real surprise there. its just a very rewarding feeling to be paying ourselves each month (so to speak) rather than pissing away rent money into someone elses pocket.

but - rather than spilling 6 months worth of experiences out in one big geyser i think i'll just splash out a bit here and there and ease back into things. i've got to keep you (all) on your toes and wanting more right???

bye for the moment.

the countdown to DARK KNIGHT is down to 3 days.

yeah i'm pretty excited too.

sweet

just saw this bit of news on....24!

24 Makes Up for Lost Time This Fall

The producers of 24 on Wednesday began securing cast members for a two-hour movie that will air in the fall and bridge the prolonged, strike-induced gap between Seasons 6 and 7. The "prequel," as the Reporter is terming it, will effectively set the stage for the show's January 2009 return.

What's the title going to be, "2"?

Production on the Washington, D.C.-based Season 7, which had eight episodes in the can before the work stoppage hit, will resume in April.

so we've got that goin' for us now - which is pretty cool.

looking forward to the prequel.

18-1

So...things didn't quite go according to the "master plan". The Patriots record setting offense was reduced to rubble and the defense couldn't protect the late lead and lost by a fingertip.

So what's a Pats fan to do? Get over it. Sure, the last few days have been a combination of denial and running screaming from the room every time Eli Manning shows up saying he's going to Disneyworld. Other than that I'm just fine.

Honestly - I was able to put things into perspective pretty quickly. 3 Super Bowl titles in 7 years is nothing to sneeze at. As for the "perfect" season. We all know that no one was ever going to give them the credit they would have deserved because of Spygate and an un-healthy hate of all things Patriots. Would it have been cool? No doubt. But now it's gone and we all have to deal with it.

I am already looking to the new baseball season and enjoying the resurgence of the Boston Celtics.

There is more to life than football.

But man it would have been REALLY cool.

The Big Game!

Yeah yeah yeah. The new season of LOST is REALLY good! Lots of new questions and an appearance by our old pal - SPOILER ALERT - Charlie! More on that later.

For now its all about Super Bowl 42. By this time tomorrow night the NFL will have crowned itself a new champion and if all goes according to the "master plan", for the 4th time in 7 years, the name on the trophy will say Patriots.

I've got 3 words for you....MVP - Wes Welker.

I'll be donning my 83 home jersey and cheering he and the rest of the team on to victory.

Darn its going to be a blast!!!!

GO PATRIOTS!!!!!!!

Santana to Gotham City

What better way to make a triumphant return to the blogosphere (on the eve of the return of LOST) than to comment on Johan Santana and his apparent move to New York.

How can I say that with a straight face?? Because it's the Mets we are talking about and not the hated Yankees.

My reaction?? Good for the Mets. Good luck in 2008.

Am I upset that he didn't end up playing for the Sox?? Not really. I will be happy to enter 2008 with the current crop of vets and youngsters populating the roster. The same vets and youngsters that won the World Series this past October. With Sir Joshua of Beckett leading the charge I expect another season of kicking ass and taking names.

So bye bye Johan. Have a blast in the National League winning your 3rd Cy Young award! We are certainly happy to not have to face you anymore in the AL.

Lastly - thank you for not ending up with the Yankees.

On to Florida!