It's Been A While

OK, so it has been just over 4 months since I last wrote a blog post. Here's a summary of what happened.

• After being out of work for month I got a job at a 3PL called Pro Star Logistics.
• I finished my yearly reading of Harry Potter.
  
• My new favorite currently running show "Once Upon a Time" premiered. (LOST is still my all time favorite show in case you were wondering)
  
• The 5th and Final Season of "Chuck" Premiered.
  
• We had a fun Halloween in which I dressed up as a member of The DHARMA Initiative, Alisa was a witch, Collin was a dinosaur coming out of an egg and Liam was a pea-pod.
• We had a fun Thanksgiving at Grandma Norberg's house and one at my in-law's house in Idaho.
• I began my yearly reading of The Lord of The Rings.
  
• We all celebrated Kari's return to her family.
• Season 19 of "The Amazing Race" concluded.
  
• The first season of "Terra Nova" concluded.
  
• Collin (or one of his little friends) threw something at my TV and cracked the screen causing an annoying black line that extends from the crack to the edge of the screen.
• We had a wonderful Christmas.
• 2011 ended.
  
• 2012 began.
  
• I began watching the 4th Season of "Merlin" via iTunes
  
• I lost my job at Pro Star and became unemployed again.
• "Alcatraz" premiered.
• Liam turned 1 year old.
  
• The 5th and Final Season of "Chuck" Concluded.
• Alisa and I started watching the show "Prison Break" on Netflix while up in Idaho and got ourselves hooked.
  
• I finished my yearly reading of The Lord of The Rings.
• Season 20 of "The Amazing Race" began.

So, that's about it. At the moment Alisa and I are waiting for the next few DVDs of "Prison Break" to arrive at the library but my main focus is job searching. Things are going pretty well. I have had several interviews and one coming up tomorrow and I'm actively networking. More posts soon.

Farewell to THE EV∃NT

A little over a week ago I watched the finale of Season 1 of The Event. Unfortunately, it was also the series finale. The Event has been canceled after only one season. Do you know what it feels like to watch the first season finale of a show you really, really love when you already know that the show has been axed? I think it might be a bit like the way you would feel if you watched the dinosaurs go extinct. Or maybe, if you stood at the Grey Havens and watched the last ship sail into the West knowing the elves were gone from Middle Earth and they were never, ever, EVER coming back. OK, the analogies aren't perfect. I mean, both the dinosaurs and the elves were around for more than one year. As sad as it is, I have to admit that I can understand why NBC chose to cancel it considering the below chart showing the shows ratings. Can you say nosedive?

However, in spite of all of this sadness there is one very slight ray of hope. According to this article, the creators of the show are looking for a way to possibly keep the show going on a cable network or through a service like Netflix. I really have no idea what kind of chances something like that has so, though I will keep my eyes open I shan't be holding my breath.

Anyway, this show was good. I really think it could have even been great had it been given a chance. The show reminded me a lot of LOST in terms of the story telling and level of complexity. I guess that's probably why I liked it so much. Interestingly enough, the season finale turned series finale of The Event occurred on the one year anniversary of the LOST series finale. I know; I'm a nerd for knowing that. So, I must bid farewell to The Event. Hopefully, the efforts to keep it going will succeed. If they do you can bet I will be watching.

Oh yeah, and ABC canceled V as well. Grrr!

The Office Season 7

Not a whole lot to say about last week's Season Finale of The Office. With most seasons of this show the finale is a bit of a letdown. However, this one actually felt more like a finale than usual. There are actually a few things that I'm wondering about for next season. Who will end up as the new manager, will Andy and Erin get back together? Than there's the mystery surrounding "The State Senator." So, there is more to look forward to for next season than there usually is. The show has been renewed for another season but I think that, now that Steve Carell has left the show, there's a good chance that the eighth season may be the show's last. I guess we'll see.

Chuck Season IV - Awesomeness

Last week another great season of Chuck ended. Fortunately, I already know that it has been renewed for another season. It has also been announced that this fifth season will be the last for the show. That is sad in a way for me because I'm such a big fan but at the same time, it's nice to have that decision made ahead of time so that the shows writers can give it a proper ending.

In all honesty, I still don't understand why this show has struggled so much over the years. Most every season it has come close to being canceled. Yet, in spite of all that they still manage to get some incredible guest stars: Brandon Routh, Linda Hamilton, Scott Bakula, Timothy Dalton, Chevy Chase, Gary Cole, Stacy Keibler, Steve Austin, Morgan Fairchild, The guy from the Old Spice Commercials. There's a lot more but I think you get the idea.

Anyway, on to the awesomeness of this season. Well, the season was awesome. Not much else I can say. I thought it was great that Chuck and Sarah finally got married. I loved the way it ended with Chuck and Sarah purchacing the Buy More and going into business for themselves to figure out the big conspiracy that is the Intersect Project. Oh, and the great twist at the end . . . Morgan is now the Intersect! Season Five can't come soon enough for me!

2010 in Review

Well, I have to say that 2010 was a MUCH better year than was 2009. Let's review some of the highlights shall we?

• After approximately 14.5 months of being out of work I got a job. More importantly, I still have said job.
• The LOST Series Finale lived up to all my expectations. You know, I even watched it while wearing my suit so I could be dressed like Jack was in the series pilot. Nerdy? yes.
• Patrick Rothfuss announced the publication date for The Wise Man's Fear.
• Alisa continued to become more beautiful.
• Alisa and I found out that we would be having another little boy.
• NBC premiered The Event.
• Chuck began its best season so far.
• I grew my first "Big Max" pumpkin.
• My dad gave me a 42" plasma TV. BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!!
• We purchased a new furnace just in time to get all the 2010 rebates.
• On the last day of 2010 I made the switch to a Blu-ray Disc player.

So, that about sums it up. Happy 2011 to you all!

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.

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 Great Merlin Conundrum

So, many of you will remember a few months ago I wrote a glowing post about the British show Merlin that aired on NBC over the summer. Ever since the first season finale aired there has been uncertainty regarding whether or not the show's second season would make the journey across the pond to us in America or not. NBC was less than happy with the ratings but many of us who became fans were hoping that it would come back. Well, a little while back the fate of this show was revealed. The good news is that the second season of Merlin (which has already aired in the UK) will indeed be returning to American TV beginning April 2nd. The bad news is, it will be airing on The SyFy Channel; not on NBC. That is a problem for me because no matter how much I adjust the antenna up on my roof, it will never pick up The SyFy channel. Now, I am not one to concede defeat easily. I have no intention whatsoever of not seeing the second season (or third for that matter) of this magnificent show. I have thought long and hard and I have determined that I have several options:

1. I can spend a ludicrous amount of money and get cable or satellite.
2. I can wait for several months until the show comes out on DVD and either buy it or try to check it out at the library.
3. I can try to find someone who gets The SyFy Channel and by employing my considerable charm and mad baking skills convince them to record the episodes for me.
4. I can look into buying the episodes on iTunes as they become available.

Of course, there may be other possible solutions to this sticky problem but, those are all the ones I can think of at the moment. If anyone has any bright ideas I will be happy to hear them.

2009 In Review

Let's be honest; 2009 kinda sucked for me and my little family. But, I'm not gonna spend a lot of time talking about that. Instead, I have decided to list some of the good things that happened over the past year. So, here we go:

• I increased the size of my coin collection.
• The International Astronomical Union did not eliminate any more planets from the Solar System.
• Josh Whedon gave the world of television a wonderful, albeit short lived, gift. And the gift was called "Dollhouse."
• Alisa got prettier
• Patrick Rothfuss turned in his first draft of The Wise Man's Fear to his editor.
• Collin got cuter.
• I acquired The Ultimate Recording Device.*
• J.J. Abrams' remake of Star Trek was just plain awesome.
• Chuck got renewed for a 3rd season.
• I got a new nephew and a new niece.

*The Ultimate Recording Device is a VCR/DVD Recorder Combo with a digital tuner. This device allowed me to continue to record my TV shows after the digital transition.

Merlin – Jolly good show!

So, in an attempt to lift the caliber of summer TV, NBC decided to import a couple of foreign shows to add to their summer lineup. I had the pleasure of watching both of them. The Listener, a hit Canadian program from last year about a mind-reading paramedic, got pulled after only 8 episodes due to low ratings. I was sad about that but fortunately, the other show stayed. That other show was Merlin.
Merlin (which, not surprisingly, comes to us from the U.K.) follows the adventures of the teenaged, budding sorcerer Merlin as he comes to Camelot and becomes the servant of the than Prince Arthur. Merlin has the ability to perform magic but must keep it secret because Arthur’s father King Uther Pendragon has outlawed all magic and is ready to execute anyone who he thinks is practicing (or even capable of practicing) magic. I’m sure that there are many who are more familiar with the Arthurian legend than I am who are simply groaning when they see the amount of artistic license and the numerous anachronisms present in the show. Of course since most scholars agree that there was never a King Arthur in the first place it doesn’t really matter that much. I mean, since it is pure fiction why not have a bunch of Polynesians living in 6th century Britain? Anyway, I loved this show. It was fun, imaginative and significantly more family friendly than the majority of my TV shows. In fact, my wife actually enjoyed watching an episode with me every once in a while. I really enjoyed the interaction between Arthur and Merlin. In a lot of ways it reminds me of me and my little brother Shane when we were younger. Just like Arthur and Merlin we both liked each other very much but neither of us were willing to admit it.
So, since the season finale a few days ago I have been keeping an eye out for information about whether NBC is planning to bring it back next summer. If they don’t they can expect a sternly worded e-mail from me.

I’m Wasting My Life, Get Me Out Of Here!

Oh, the dark and dreary wasteland that is Summer TV. The 3 ½ week saga I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! finally came to an end last night with the great Lou Diamond Phillips being crowned King of The Jungle. Torrie Wilson had been my first choice to win but if she couldn't take the prize I’m glad that Lou did. I did enjoy watching the show but to be honest, at the end of the finale I found myself wondering why I had wasted so much time watching a bunch of D-list celebrities running around in the Costa Rican jungle doing Fear Factor style stunts. Well, I can’t get those weeks back but at least it gave me something to watch while all my real shows are off the air for the summer.

CHUCK LIVES!!

It looks like all the death/bomb threats that have been directed at NBC for the last couple weeks may be taken back. Chuck has been renewed for a 3rd season!! All the online “Save Chuck” campaigns seemed to have done the job. The show has been renewed (with a reduced budget) for 13 episodes with the promise of an upgrade to 22 if the ratings are good enough.

I would personally like to thank all my fellow "Nerd Herd" wannabees who joined with me in rallying to save this show. We pulled it off!

ROCK THE CASBAH BABY!!

May 19, 2009 UPDATE: My sources tell me that Chuck's budget will indeed NOT be cut as previously reported however, the show will not be returning until March 2010 after The Winter Olympics. March? Are you kidding me? I don't even have to wait that long for LOST to come back! Oh well, what can ya do? If ratings are good enough the show will continue into the summer.

THE OFFICE

Well, I watched the season finale of The Office last night. To be honest I was a bit disappointed. It didn’t really feel like a season finale at all. It was cute and very funny but it didn’t have that really good ending that you expect from a finale that makes you look forward to the next season. I won’t give away the ending since there might be a few of you out there who haven’t seen it yet. Though it was a neat little thing to end with it was a little obvious what happened even though they didn’t come right out and say it. However, I did enjoy a lot about the episode. I enjoyed the stuff with Dwight and Angela during the volleyball game and I was really glad about the return of Holly. I’m very much looking forward to next season.

DON’T CHUCK CHUCK

OK, so our good buddies at NBC announced their fall lineup for the 2009-2010 season a couple of days ago. Well, kinda. They actually only announced part of it. They acknowledged that certain shows like Heroes and The Office are being renewed for another season but they will not be announcing the complete lineup until May 19th. So my big question is: WHAT ABOUT CHUCK? There has been a lot of speculation online that Chuck might not be renewed and that has made a very large number of people rather annoyed at NBC for not giving a straight answer. I happen to be one of those people. I say “DON’T CHUCK CHUCK.” Chuck is one of NBC’s biggest hits and let’s face it; NBC doesn’t have a whole lot of those at the moment. I really love this show and if it is not renewed there will be blood in the streets of Burbank!! Of course, it will not be shed by me because hey; I’m a lover, not a fighter. But, from the comments of other Chuck fanatics I’ve been reading online I can tell you that if NBC unwisely gives the axe to this show there will likely be upheaval and riots such as the world has not witnessed since the Vandals sacked Rome.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, I feel rather passionately about this show. I mean, I may be out of work but I’ll be darned if I’m gonna let a bunch of network executive types put Yvonne Strahovski and Zachary Levi out of work! If they cancel the show everyone associated with it will lose their jobs thus increasing the unemployment rate. And in this economy that’s just plain un-American! I have already sent a message to NBC telling them my thoughts on this issue and I would encourage all the Chuck fans out there to join with me in making their voices heard.

NERDS UNITE!!