ABC: All the Best get Cancelled

I suppose, in the long run, I should be grateful.

I used to watch only a couple of hours of TV a week: generally, my watching revolved around Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy, and that's about it. But moving in with Todd brought with it a full slate of shows that I now enjoy. Our regular schedule in the fall got up to nine hours a week of prime-time programming, plus specials like American Idol and Dancing With the Stars.

Or, should I say, I enjoyed a full slate of shows. ABC-branded networks have dropped a good chunk of the programs from my list. That weekly schedule included Kyle XY, Eli Stone and Pushing Daisies — all unceremoniously dropped. (It also included Ugly Betty, which is on some weird mid-season schedule-shuffle hiatus.) I'm just glad we weren't fans of Dirty Sexy Money or Life on Mars. New shows on ABC don't stand a chance these days.

The single greatest sin of Eli Stone? It was on at 10. NBC realizes this is the kiss of death for live watching, or they wouldn't have put Jay Leno there. Shows at 10 get DVRd in our house, and probably many others. It was one of the best shows on TV: well thought out, entertaining and well acted.

And Kyle, though not the best-written show in history, was engaging. And it was the only show on ABC Family we watched. Their series finale was a complete and utter letdown — a cliffhanger that should have been a season finale, not a never-again series finale, with no resolution for the characters. I'm still hoping for a satisfactory wrap somewhere for Eli and Daisies.

The irony is that now, ABC has eliminated most of our DVRing. We use it for Private Practice and Brothers & Sisters, but no longer need it for simultaneous-programming issues. (Dancing With the Stars gets DVRd but has been so lackluster this season, I really don't care who wins. And the fanboys knock it off and let Woz go.)

Now, we see previews for new ABC series, and both of us have the same reaction: why bother investing in a new ABC show now? We can always wait a season or two and see if it's still around, then go rent the DVD to catch up.

Armchair Quirister

As someone who's been pretty involved in the local gay chorus — singer, Board member, committee chair — I've caught a few people by surprise by taking leave of the group as of late. It may be just for this concert … or maybe not.

It's no secret that I love music — especially choral singing. It's been a life-long love affair for me, both in listening and in being a member of various singing groups. I was in school choirs, chamber choirs and the like from junior high up into college … I was such a choir geek, I was even in a children's choir and spent a brief stint with the local Chorale in my hometown. I love listening to complex harmonies (my main complaint against Bananarama was their vocals were too simple), and dragged my dad to an outdoor jazz festival with Manhattan Transfer in concert in the Portland area. (We were there so the whole family could all see "Cats" on tour. How gay was I?)

As much as I love music, there is something of a road bump: my incredibly high tendency to introversion. Which may be why I realized that I enjoy the socializing that comes with rehearsals, the time in a community that's not work and not home, and the learning new music and new singing techniques … and could not care less if I actually completed a staged performance of the works we rehearse. Performances come with tons of stress and politics and drama, and for the last few I've been in, that's completely stripped the fun out of the whole process.

(And that doesn't even touch on how I feel about the trend toward "choralography" — the somewhat synchronized movement that's become a local staple as of late. For me that's a fun-drainer all its own. But railing against that is a completely losing battle.)

So oddly enough, I'd be content to go to rehearsals (skipping the choreography lessons, which unfortunately usually eat up half the rehearsal period), and then sit back and let others do the performing. It's odd, I know. Anyone I say this to looks at me like I have absolutely lost my mind.

I'm not sure where this will lead, quite yet. I do miss spending the time with Todd, who's still singing this show, though he wants to take the next one off, which means my next window of opportunity and decision-making time isn't until August, for the holiday show. I'm not sure going but not singing (the "Support" section) will be quite satisfactory enough. I may be looking for a new vocal home, and just deal with the sorrow of not singing alongside my love. Time will tell.

My 99

Sure ... why not.

The rules are relatively simple: bold the items you’ve done; don’t bold items you haven’t done.

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disney World / Land.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped. (As Mike Says, well, said: hell-to-the-no.)
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning. 
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitchhiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill. (And it's been YEARS since I did that.)
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a Marathon.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Been to Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David.
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie. (Not pro, and not THAT kind.)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a lawsuit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.

Is my life boring, or what?

The Long Haul

My company is one of those that recognizes Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as an official holiday, so to me, it marks the end of the multi-holiday season. Thanksgiving (and the day after), Christmas, New Year's, and MLK all come in rapid succession. It's almost as if the four-day week were the norm, with a few longish five-day weeks interspersed.

That illusion ends now, as those of you who don't get MLK off (and if you're not a government-related employee — isn't there, like, a day a month at least?).

For us, the next company-wide day off is Memorial Day. That's 18 weeks away.

Or, put differently, 125 days — that's over 1/3 of the year from now!

At least it's only 88 more work days, after today.

Hang in there!

The Honeymoon's Over Before It Began

Five days out from Inauguration Day, and I just heard the folks on the Today Show discussing a new poll: whether the President-elect has handled his transition well. Does that really matter? Is it really news?

In any case, I figured that kind of question might wait until, I don't know, he actually is done with the transition and is President. Maybe that's just me.

Sweet Jesus

On my drive to work, the road skirts a couple of tornado magnets trailer parks. One manufactured home unit, I realized last week, has a somewhat unique holiday display. It's subtle … sort of. They have a set of the plastic, lit-from-within creche scene with Joseph, Mary and manger, surrounded — one might even say "guarded" — by …

… a bunch of multi-colored, lit candy canes.

Movie-ing Through The Holidays

Our dog, Maya, has no idea what hit her. We've been gushing over her and spoiling her (more than usual) for nearly a week.

This, in and of itself, is ironic. I grew up afraid — no, terrified — of dogs. Not spurred on by any specific incident that I can recall. They were just potentially aggressive and unpredictable. But when I moved in with Todd, a dog came as part of the package. And she quickly found her way into my heart, and has me wrapped around her paw. I absolutely adore her.

So what got us all mushy anew? Marley & Me. We went to see it on Christmas Day.

And cried. No, SOBBED. If you are a dog owner, were a dog owner, or are in general a pet-lover, bring the Kleenex. Seriously, we weren't quite right for a day or two after.

I'm not saying the film is depressing — it's largely comedy, but also real-life — but it was definitely a cathartic experience that I highly recommend.

(It's worth noting that we did not enjoy Benjamin Button. At. All. OK, that's a bit extreme — there was a great sequence somewhere in the middle of those nearly three hours. But we were expecting something far and away, completely different … and better. But your mileage may vary.)