Friday, September 25, 2009

Some Random Thoughts

First of all, today’s Penny Arcade was laugh out loud funny. Bear in mind, I do love my seasonal microbrews.

It’s been a full week this week. I’ve been working constantly to get one of the books on my list done. It’s always been this huge behemoth of a title and in its new edition we’re having to cut out 400 pages of content while still keeping it up to date. This is… a challenge. We’re almost home, though.

The last two weeks have been about playing just one game: Beatles: Rock Band. I quite simply cannot get enough of it. My inner achievement whore wants me to make this my first 1000 point game. Unfortunately, that will never happen and not just because I can’t play the drums. Some of the achievements in this game are just brutal. Three separate achievements in which you have to rate gold stars on four songs? A couple more in which you have to get 100% of a specific song’s hammer-on/pull-off sequences without strumming? No chance. On the plus side, there’s one for getting at least 85% of the solos (expert guitar) for 22 different tracks. I got to 20 no problem, but Back in the USSR and Taxman were giving me trouble. I don’t know if I was in a zone or what, but I got them both, back-to-back, last Saturday. It was a moment of triumph. I’m at around 450 points so far. My guess is I don’t get past 600.

I have become a full-on convert of the show Burn Notice. During the summer I was staying at my mom’s for the weekend and watched an episode. I wasn’t blown away, but I was intrigued so I put season 1 in my Netflix queue. I’m into season 2 now and every time a disc shows I put it in that night and pretty much watch the whole thing. Bruce Campbell FTW!

Dollhouse renews tonight. I really hope the season 2 premiere hits the ground running. I need for there to be one show on TV penned by either Joss Whedon or Aaron Sorkin and it doesn’t look like we’ll be seeing any new Sorkin shows anytime soon.

I thought the 2-hour House premiere on Monday, which was basically a big showcase for Hugh Laurie, was among the best episodes of the show.

I’m a big fan of NCIS, but I thought the season premiere sucked. I always worry when a show I like starts out a new season feeling as off as this one did. Often it’s a sign there was a change in the writing staff, director, etc. There was a lot I didn’t like, but the big thing that stood out to me is how much the character of Tony seemed to have become a caricature of himself. I’ve seen it happen with a lot of shows that I liked and it’s always a really bad sign.

The magic number for the Detroit Tigers to win the AL Central is down to 8. It’s such a wonderful thing to be a fan of a baseball team in a pennant race. It doesn’t hurt that this is such a likable team. Also, Comerica Park on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week. Nice!

Michigan should reach 4-0 by the end of the day on Saturday (they play Indiana). No, I don’t think they’re going to challenge Penn St. or Ohio St. for the Big 10, but after 3-9 last year, they don’t need to. Just beat Michigan St. in two weeks and I’m happy.

The Lions. Sigh. Let’s just say I’m just glad I told DirecTV to take their Sunday Ticket package and stick it. Seriously, it’s $300 this year. That is insane. As for the Lions, I like the new coaching staff. I’m hopeful about Stafford. But right now they’re still just an awful football team. I’m setting the over/under for the season at 4 wins. I’m hoping for over, but if they lose at home to Washington this week it won’t happen.

Have a good weekend, everybody!