Hummer is BACK!

It is official; Hummer the Hummingbird has returned to our apple tree. Today I was out in the yard and I looked up to notice that her old nest looked a bit bigger than it had been. So, I got up on the ladder and looked inside to find two little eggs that looked just like a couple of white jelly beans. I saw her a couple of times since then. Good thing I got the hummingbird feeders up a while ago. I'll let everybody know when the eggs hatch.

Chuck Season III

Well, last week I watched the season finale of Chuck. It was a lot of fun. And, one of the best parts is the fact that, unlike last year, NBC has already renewed it for another season so I won't have to keep checking my "online sources" to find out if it is coming back.

So, this season was great. I really like how the new intersect program allows Chuck to access abilities as well as information. The new guitar playing, kung-fu fighting Chuck was really fun. The season ended great. I was sad about Papa Bartowski dying but I was glad to see that Mama Bartowski is still alive so I'm excited to see who will be playing her next season. I guess the destruction of the BUY MORE was inevitable. I mean, now that (practically) everybody in Chuck's life knows he's a spy his working there would quickly not make sense anymore. I was glad that Casey's daughter knows about him now. I'm not sure how I feel about Ellie knowing what her brother really does. I think that the show needed to have someone close to Chuck who was still in the dark about his being a spy. And, I really hope they make her a little less naggy next season. Anyway, we'll see how that all works out.

And that's a wrap. All my regular season shows have had their season finales now. Hopefully, the shows I have coming up for the summer will be enough to tide me over until September.

Jack Closes His Eyes - The End of LOST

Well, I guess it's about time I write my LOST Series Finale blog post. I have decided to spare the one or two of you who read my blog from having to sit through an intolerably long post. I mean, I know when I go to other people's blogs I skip the really long entries. So, I will try to keep it relatively brief.

Anyway, let's dive in. I have already stated in my preliminary LOST blog post that the Finale was AWESOME so now it's time to explain a little about what made it awesome. There are several things that are necessary for any story to be able to enjoy long term popularity. One of these is that it has to answer enough questions for the audience to come away from the experience feeling like the story came to a satisfying conclusion but it also needs to leave enough questions unanswered so there are still things left to wonder about, to talk about and to theorize about. If a story doesn't do this though it may enjoy a lot of popularity while the story is still unfinished the popularity will likely fizzle out not long after the last episode airs, the last movie comes out or the last book is published. LOST managed to get the balance right. The finale (well, really the whole final season) provided enough answers to make me feel like the story wrapped up nicely. But, there is still plenty to wonder about. What was so special about Walt? Why did the big Egyptian looking statue only have four toes on it's foot? Did the man in black actually have a name? What is the nature of the island? Why was Micheal's spirit doomed to spend eternity on the island for committing two murders while Ben who killed a lot more people didn't get that punishment?

Now, as great as this was there were still a few problems. The biggest one was that there were some things in the finale that made it look as though everybody had actually died in the plane crash and that everything that we've been watching for the past six seasons was just these people in purgatory or it was all a dream that happened in someone's dying moment. Basically, it got some people a bit confused about whether everything we have been watching actually happened or not. But, in spite of the confusion, this is defiantly not what happened. First of all, the whole "everybody-really-died-in-the-crash" theory has been around since the beginning of the show but the creators made it clear very early on that the people of Oceanic flight 815 were not dead and that the island was a real place that physically existed somewhere in the world. Also, if this theory was correct that would be a big, fat smack in the face to all the fans because it would essentially be saying that we wasted all these years invested in a story just to find out that none of it really happened. As Sawyer would say that would be quite the "Long Con." Fortunately, that is not the case.

I like how the exact nature of the "sideways universe" is still somewhat up for grabs. However, it seems the basic idea is that it is a place our characters collectively created in the afterlife to allow them all to find each other so they could move on together. I thought that was a really great way to rap things up especially since they brought so many people back that we hadn't seen in a long time. The best part though was the final scene and the way it mirrored the opening scene of the series with Jack lying in the same spot and seeing his eye close as he died.

Well, so much for not writing a long blog post. I should have known I couldn't do this in less than a bajillion words. I could go on forever but I shall end now by saying this: As far as I am concerned LOST is the greatest TV show ever made and if it ever falls from the top spot it won't be for a long time. So, it is time to bid farewell to LOST. It's been great. As corny as it may sound there has never been a TV show that has meant as much to me as this one has. Oh, and by the way, the complete series comes out on DVD August 24th (three days before my birthday. Hint Hint!).

It's A Sign!!

I grow some pretty awesome pumpkins. In fact my pumpkins have been described as legendary and epic (mainly by myself). So, I decided that I needed a sign to mark Ryan's Pumpkin Patch that would be just as epic as the pumpkins themselves. Unfortunately, I don't actually have the skills or the materials to make an epic sign. What I did have was some old pieces of scrap wood, a drill, some random rusted screws I found in the shed, a can of left over exterior white paint that we had used to paint our door jam, some brushes and paint pilfered from my wife's old arts and crafts supplies and a couple random pens. These I took and and was able to throw together this little sign. Yeah I know, I'm a bit of a dork.

Birdless

So, as many of you may remember, last year a hummingbird took up residence in one of our apple trees. I have not seen her yet but I really do hope she ends up coming back. Well, a few weeks ago I happened to look up in our other apple tree and I found that a bird had built a nest up there as well. I was very excited. However, though I have checked the nest on a regular basis I have never seen a bird in it and there are no eggs inside. Sadly, I have had to face the fact that this nest has been abandoned. You know, this just goes to show how bad the housing market really is. I mean, little birdies can't even keep their homes for crying out load!

LOST

LOST Series Finale. AWESOME! NO time to write at the moment! Will write full review in the next few days!

Fringe does it again!

OK, so we had the Fringe Season 2 Finale back on Thursday and it was DYNAMITE! This is a great show and it had another great season. Last season's finale was awesome but this one was even better. Like last season this one ended with Olivia stuck in the alternate dimension. However, the great thing about this one is that nobody knows it yet because the Olivia from the other side has taken her place. I also have to wonder if we have really seen the end of William Bell. I can't wait to see how everything will play out next season. I think they did a really great job with designing the alternate universe. I think it is effective because they differentiated it from our world in very subtle ways. Though there are some pretty hefty differences (The blimps, The Statue of Liberty being a different color, Madison Square Gardens being encased in a giant wormhole) most of the differences are in the small details. I think that makes it more believable for the audience than it would be if the other world were vastly different.

In addition to this season ending well it also had some really great episodes along the way. One of these was the episode "Peter" in which we get to flash back to 1985 and see the story of how Peter ended up on this "side." I also thought it was great how Peter finally figured out the truth about where he came from. Though, I think the best episode was "Brown Betty." It was a really creative episode and I loved how they presented it as Walter telling an old fashion 1940s detective story but still having modern elements mixed in.

All and all, it was a great season and I look forward to watching it again when it returns in the fall.

Just Another Office Episode

Well, The Office has been rather hit or miss this season. It had some really good episodes (like the Jim & Pam wedding) but some that just weren't that funny. Unfortunately, just like last year the season finale was a bit of a disappointment. Like last year it really didn't feel like much of a finale; it was just like a regular episode and not even a very good episode. Now don't get me wrong it wasn't a complete disappointment. There were some funny moments and it looks like there's a chance of Holly coming back next season which should be good. But, next season may be the last chance because Steve Carell's contract is up at the end of the 2010-2011 season and he has stated that he may not be coming back. And let's face it, if he's gone, the show won't make it. So, if the end of the show is coming I hope they make it a good one.

The "V" Season Finale

Well, it's that time of year again. That wonderful yet sad time when season finales air and I say goodbye to my TV shows for at least a few months if not forever. Anyway, last night I watched the finale of the first season of V. Not much I can really think to say except that it was an exciting episode right from the start.

This was one of those season finales that ended with a big cliffhanger. There are a lot of unanswered questions that I will be anxious to have addressed next season. Now that Chad Decker knows the truth about the Vs, what is he going to do about it? Is Anna really going to start the invasion of Earth right away? What will become of Ryan and Valarie's baby? Is Marcus actually part of The Fifth Column? How many people who watch V will go through their lives thinking that the term "The Fifth Column" is an invention of this show? OK, that isn't really a question raised by this episode but in case you are wondering the term originated during the Spanish Civil War. For more information Click Here.

Anyway, this show had a really good first season and, fortunately, I have confirmed that ABC has renewed it for a second season. So, we'll see our alien friends again in the fall. But, until then remember; "We are of peace. Always." NOT!!!

Dan & Jordan Win The Amazing Race 16

Well, another season of The Amazing Race has come to an end and I have to say; I cannot believe that Jet & Cord didn't win! I'm even more surprised that Dan & Jordan actually did win. Let's face it, I don't think anybody would have predicted that. During the last few minutes of the show I sat on the edge of my seat with my heart pounding and hoping that Jet & Cord would pull ahead and manage to win. When I saw Dan & Jordan come through the gates and start running to the finish I began to feel a little bit sick. Now, don't get me wrong; it's not so much that I dislike Dan & Jordan (in spite of their little stunt at the airport). I just really, really wanted the cowboys to win.

I'm also glad that Brent & Caite made it into the final three. Much more glad than Carol & Brandy were. Brandy's little tirade against Caite at the finish line was an embarrassing display of what it means to be a sore loser. She thinks that Caite was stupid to U-turn her and Carol? As Caite pointed out, if she's so stupid, why is she the one standing on the finish mat while Miss Carol who thinks she's so smart is not? Personally, I think that Brent & Caite were absolutely right to U-turn them. If I were in the race and some team was treating me or my teammate with the kind of contempt and rudeness that Carol & Brandy were showing Caite, I would want to get rid of them too.

Anyway, that's a wrap for now. I look forward to September and the premiere of the next season of The Amazing Race.

It's that time of the year again!

Well, yesterday I planted the 2010 crop of pumpkins. I planted a bit late last year and by Halloween I still had a number of green ones so I've planted this years pumpkin patch about 2 and a half weeks earlier. Another big difference this year should prove to really be a "big" difference. This year in addition to planting the regular pumpkins I have planted some "big max" pumpkins. Those are the kind that people grow for the competitions. Now, I'm not anticipating that I will have any 1000 lbs pumpkins. That would require a lot more work than I'm willing or able to put in. But, I am hoping for some that will be at least 50 lbs. I will of course keep you all posted.

10 Months from Today!!

A couple of days ago I found out some wonderful and exciting news. I went to the blog of one of my favorite authors, Patrick Rothfuss and found that FINALLY there is a release date for the second book in "The Kingkiller Chronicle" trilogy. The Wise Man's Fear will be released on March 1, 2011; exactly 10 months from today. Awesome!