Fall TV Line-up Pt. 2 (26-50)

This is a continuation of the list from yesterday in the same format. Apparently the Yahoo! list I was working off of deletes the shows that have already premiered.

• It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - It's a comedy, but promising ... maybe I'll catch it someday on my Blockbuster queue
• 20/20 - Why is this on the list, I thought this was a continuous news program
• In Harm's Way - Don't know what this is, doubt I will find out
• Valentine - Another show on the CW? Does this station has shows running 30 hours each day?
• Easy Money - Again with the CW, won't be watching this
• Dancing with the Stars - I'll check out the final episode if Warren Sapp or Misty May-Treanor are on it
• The Big Bang Theory - The actors voices are so whiny and it's a comedy
• How I Met Your Mother - I love NPH and the few episodes I have seen are great, but I don't see myself watching this on a regular basis
• Heroes - NBC, Monday @ 9 I will be somewhere in the vicinity of a TV to watch this every week
• Two and a Half Men - Funny show, but like How I Met Your Mother I may only see something here or there
• Worst Week - All I know about this show is the title and it really doesn't look appealing
• CSI: Miami - I just can't get into any of these
• Boston Legal - Never watched it except during the couple episodes Micheal J. Fox was in, those were good enough, but not for me to become a regular viewer
• NCIS - CSI in the Navy? ... not for me
• Opportunity Knocks - One of those reality contest things the world could do without
• The Mentalist - saw a commercial for this were he said the victim was gay because he had a pedicure ... terrible choice of clips to show if you want to appeal to the largest possible audience, I won't be watching it
• Without a Trace - CBS, Tuesday @ 10 Love the actors/actresses and their group dynamic but will wait for DVD
• Law & Order: SVU - NBC, Tuesday @ 10 Best of the bunch and the acting is top notch ... plus it has Munch from Homicide: Life on the Street (great Baltimore show), will have to wait for DVD though
• Knight Rider - I watched the mini-movie preview thing in the spring and was let down, the only positive about this show is the car
• The New Adventures of Old Christine - Apparently this is a great show and very funny, I believe it but will leave it to others
• Gary Umarried - No thanks
• Criminal Minds - Best actor left the show (the guy from Dead Like Me - amazing show), don't need to watch
• CSI: NY - See CSI: Miami
• Lipstick Jungle - I don't think I am the intended audience for this show and will comply
• Survivor: Gabon - Not big on the reality shows, especially in their 17th season

Another 25 a little bit later ...

Fall TV Line-up Pt. 1 (1-25)

Since I don't have cable and still haven't gotten the antenna JWER suggested a month ago, my plan is to go to the gym and watch the shows I like while either riding a bike, walking on a treadmill or doing whatever it is you do on an elliptical. I just hope there aren't too many nights with more than one hour-long show playing in a row. The ones I will watch (or would like to someday when they come out on DVD) are in RED. Here is the breakdown of the fall line-up according to Yahoo! Be warned, it's a long list.

• 90210 - Don't care, wouldn't watch it if I was being paid
• The Shield - Can't watch it, I am only through the 3rd season, but will get to it eventually
• America's Next Top Model - Nope
• Bones - Fox, Wednesday @ 8PM (I'll be at a fundraiser at Mad River and so should you) Will catch it online later in the week, great show!
• Ghost Hunters - Don't believe so don't care
• Top Design - If they were designing the interior of my rowhome I would tune in
• Sons of Anarchy - FX, Wednesday @ 10 (see Bones) Can't wait to see the new FX "pushing the boundries" show but it might wait until the season comes out on DVD
• Are you smarter ... I am not finishing that
• Cops - "now the longest running show on TV after the Simpsons!!" really, this is still on the air?
• America's Most Wanted - ibid (does that fit in this situation?)
• True Blood - HBO, Sunday @ 9 Too bad my gym doesn't have HBO on the TVs, I tend to like most of HBO's shows (however, Carnival was a little out there for me)
• Entourage - HBO, Sunday @ 10 Again, no HBO ... but I have been able to wait for the DVD for each of the past four seasons and will do that again for this one
• Terminator: SCC - Fox, Monday @ 8 Will definately be able to ride for an hour and not notice during this show
• The Rachel Zoe Project - Who is Rachel Zoe?
• Fringe - Fox, Tuesday @ 8 I'll try anything by J.J. Abrams at least once ... yes, anything
• Privileged - Any that has the letters CW somewhere in the description is written off by me ... is that being unfair?
• Til Death - I just don't really get into comedies on TV
• Do Not Disturb - Comedy = no
• Kitchen Nightmares - Reality falls into the same category as comedies, just not too into them (there are some that can grab my attention though)
• Don't forget the Lyrics - Won't need to waste time on this
• House - Fox, Tuesday @ 8 This will be a DVD season since I didn't see any of last season yet
• Lincoln Heights - While I believe ABC Family has some good shows, I won't be watching this one
• Biggest Loser: Families - Great concept and if they could just make the cast 200 million Americans it would be awesome (yes, I would be part of that cast)
• Smallville - I think this show has a passionate following, but I am not among them
• Supernatural - It's on the CW but when Best Buy runs a 19.99 (or lower) sale on the first season I might have to break that rule

There are 94 shows on Yahoo's list so there will be 4 more posts just like this one. Depending on how busy I am at work tomorrow, I might be able to get all of them out ... if today's 5 (this being 6) posts are any indication ... the list will be done tomorrow.

Happy Hour for Charity - Mad River 9/03 7-10

Not that I believe anyone reads this blog (I really write everything for me since I don't remember what I did this morning let alone last week), but I figured since I subscribed to Blogtimore, maybe the headline will reel someone in.

Where: Mad River - Federal Hill, Baltimore
When: Wednesday, September 3rd, 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Why: I am on the Dragonboat team for my work and we are raising money for our charity oganization, Anna's House
What: $10 cover (goes to Anna's House), $1 off specials for domestic beer, house wines and liquor (not top shelf though) and 1 free drink ticket with each paid cover, all tips also go to Anna's House and I will be "guest bartending" from 9:00 - 10:00 PM

I appreciate anyone coming out to support Anna's House, they have been great supporting us during our dragonboat practice the past several weeks.

Labor Day Weekend Wrap-up

My friend Vanessa came down to visit me this weekend because apparently the neighborhood she where she lives in Brooklyn is on the edge of the Caribbean section and the was a big parade/festival thing going on that gets pretty out of hand and she didn't want to be there. Saturday she spent all day shopping and lounging around while I was at the Maryland-Delaware football game. On Sunday she and I went out to brunch with my dad and his girlfriend. We went to Eggspectation in Columbia ... one of the best breakfast places there is. I had a waffle with fresh blueberries and she had their strawberry and banana crepes ... the crepes are so good my dad and gf ended up splitting an order as a dessert.

I was tired from the previous day's activities and headed back downtown to take a nap before dinner. Vanessa's bday was earlier this month so I took her to a nice dinner at Flemming's in Harbor East as a belated gift. We had the "Wicked Cajun Barbecue Shrimp" as an appetizer, they were really good but not spicy as the waitress made them out to be. We both ordered the filet mignon (she got the petite) and split a bunch of a la carte sides; a baked potato, chipotle cheddar macaroni and cheese, and grill asparagus. I had a couple glasses of wine (a Cabernet and a Cab-Merlot blend), she left her ID in NYC and isn't a big drinker anyways. She ended it with chocolate lava cake, no desert for me (not a big fan of chocolate or cakes).

Some of each of the sides and my filet

Does it look like I got some sun at the Terps game? (Keep in mind I generally have a traditional Irish (pale) complexion.

After dinner we walked across the street to the Landmark Theater and saw Pineapple Express. Good movie and a lot more violent than I expected. Reminds me of when James Franco and Seth Rogan were on Freaks & Geeks (great show, everyone should see it)

I dropped Vanessa of at the train Monday afternoon and went to my mom's in Columbia for her bday celebration (it was last Thursday). My friend and former roommate Ali came and we had a great time. Basically this was a weekend of great meals .. better than the ones I had in Vegas the previous weekend (except maybe the Wynn's buffet). My mom's bf made steamed mussels from his "secret" recipe (we have these whenever there is a big dinner at my mom's and they are amazing). My dad and his gf (yes, my mom and her bf and my dad and his gf all had dinner for my mom's bday at my mom's house; my dad's sister was there too) brought the drinks, white sangria with lots of fresh fruit in it mixed with a splash of ginger ale. Both my sisters were there and one brought her bf (the other's bf was hosting a dinner of his own so she came for dinner than left to go back to his cookout). We had steaks from the Laurel Meat Market (one of the best butcher's in the area) cooked on the grill by my dad and seasoned to perfection. There were left-over grilled mixed veggies from my tailgating that we re-heated (on the grill) and added to fresh ones that I grilled at the time. Desert was angel food cake with fresh strawberries, raspberries and blueberries topped with whipped cream. I know what I said about deserts and cake, but there is something about angel food cake that I like, maybe how light it is ... i don't know. My mom opened her cards and gifts and then we all went our separate ways. It was a great end to a great weekend.

The Amazing Race

Please disregard the napkins, they are so we could judge how much was spilled. This was a redo because Brian didn't know how to record using my camera and it turned out pretty bad. I feel like this was a poor performance on my part, and I assume on Dundalk's too because this is about 3 hours into the tailgate after lots of food and drinking.

Me vs. Dundalk Rob

Maryland vs. Delaware

Several things came together to make Saturday a great day:

- Terps football season opener

- Opponent was Delaware (a bunch of my friends went there)

- Tickets were easily available

- Game was at 3:45

- Tailgating started at 11:00

- The rain decided to stay away

- We didn't run out of beer

- The food was awesome

- Maryland won (even if they looked pretty bad)

The rest will be shown through pictures and captions.

Me displaying finesse required to play cornhole

Jones and Bob waiting to throw

Can you say vegetables?

I think it's going in the hole

Waiting for the food to be ready

"It's Paris, with an E"

Meggett about to run over some Blue Hens

"Go Terps!"

Watching in the stands

The end result

Back from Vegas

So, I got back from Vegas over a week ago and am only now finding time to post about it. The trip was mostly relaxing and not nearly as crazy (or crazy at all) as I had anticipated. I blame it on the fact that I have an addiction to poker ... not gambling, just poker. I spent about 16 hours playing poker when I should have been out at clubs or seeing a show or doing something more exciting than sitting at a table with 9 other guys (and the occasional woman) giving my money to each of them in small chunks. On the plus side, my friend Brian that I went with is a food lover so we definitely ate well while we were out there and tried a variety of places. I don't regret the trip because I needed the rest, but wish I chose to go somewhere intended to be relaxing, like a cruise or something. Next time I go it will be like my last trip when I went with a larger group and we tried everything.

The next time I go to Vegas I have decided that the following conditions must be met:
- At least six people going
- Thursday - Monday
- During March Madness
- Someone assigned to keeping me out of the poker room
- Stay at the Wynn
- Go out every night
- Go to at least one show
- Drink fewer triples of SoCo straight up before noon

And now some pictures for fun:

Out the plane's window over the Grand Canyon

View from our room in the MGM Grand (New York New York straight across and Excalibur on the corner)

Last course of breakfast from the MGM's buffet (worst of all the food we had)

One of the lion's from the indoor habitat in MGM Grand

Me in front of the lion habitat

Some of the food from the Wynn buffet that Brian won by signing up for a player's card (the best buffet food I have ever had)