Fall TV Part I

I've been a bit overwhelmed at the prospect of blogging lately. It's not so much the task itself or the writing. It's the daunting prospect of getting my thoughts on important subjects organized enough to express them in a logical, informed manner. This is somewhat difficult given my schedule at the moment, as work has picked up dramatically at the same time as my family commitments, graduate classes, club meetings, church business, and other things in my life at the moment. So when I do get a few free moments to myself, it's hard to hype my tired little brain up for blogging.

But I'm rarely too tired to veg out in front of the TV for a little R&R. So here I am to blog about what I know well at the moment -- fall TV premieres. My husband and I rely on television for a lot of our entertainment. Not the kind of TV that you just flick channels and happen to watch for hours on end (although I love HGTV for this purpose), but of particular television programs. Somehow be it in book or television or movie or comic strip or comic book format, we are just big fans of serial storylines. He tends more towards sci-fi shows while I tend more towards dramas...and we both enjoy a good comedy to make us laugh on a regular basis.

Given our busy schedules right now...we videotape a bunch of things and plow through shows that we both like on the weekends. The summer was pretty easy...because there wasn't much that we both enjoyed watching. Other than a guilty pleasure episodes of the Real World and Hogan knows best, we both really enjoyed HBO's Sunday night line-up of Six Feet Under, Entourage, and The Comeback (RIP). I also caught a few episodes of the thoughtful and well-done Iraq war dramatization Over There on FX, and that was about it for summertime.

The fall viewing season has made things more complicated though, as we have way more shows we are interested in viewing and many are stacked up against one another (particularly Monday and Thursday nights). Hence here I am to provide a little commentary and insight on the shows I have seen so far. Anything I mention here is worth giving a chance, unless otherwise noted.

Sunday -- We'll be watching Desparate Housewives this evening, possibly some snippets of Grey's Anatomy while half-working. My household is always tuned to the Simpsons at 7 pm. In terms of new shows, we've watched The War at Home twice. The pilot was clever, the second episode not so. I've seen it described as a cross between Married With Children and Everybody Loves Raymond. It's politically incorrect as all get out, but still somewhat amusing. The verdict is still out as to whether it's too crass for my tastes.

Monday -- This looks to be the evening where quality comedies will all be on at the same time and slay one another. Arrested Development is one of our absolute favorite shows. If you enjoy challenging comedy with a touch of sarcasm, please turn it on and give it a chance! It needs all the help it can get ratingswise. I will warn you it's one of those shows with lots of inside jokes regarding past episodes -- consider renting the DVDs of the first couple seasons if you want to catch up.

Kitchen Confidential's premiere was humorous if a bit predictable. Bradley Cooper from (Wedding Crashers, Jack & Bobby, Alias) is charming though, and I think it shows promise. Against it up on CBS, we have How I Met Your Mother featuring Willow from Buffy (Alyson Hannigan) and Doogie Howser MD. Nice comedic timing and really cute show. Why put some of the best new shows up against one another? I just don't think I will ever understand network execs.

Tuesday -- Of course, there's the ever-watchable Gilmore Girls. At this point, it's looked forward to by both members of our household. As a huge Kevin Smith movie fan, I also forced my husband to give My Name is Earl a try. Kind of hokey but also charming and amusing. I understand that the premise of a redneck lottery winner trying to make amends with everyone he's ever wronged in his life may not appeal to everyone...but darn it if that show didn't just work.

That's it for this post, but hopefully I'll get around to blogging the rest of the week soon. Anyone else seen an interesting show they'd like to comment on?

Note of Remembrance

Just a quick note of prayer and remembrance tonight for the families who lost loved ones four years ago today. Hard to believe that it has been quite that long. Some days it feels like a lifetime ago and sometimes it feels like yesterday. However it's starting to slip into our national consciousness sort of like a Pearl Harbor, a D-Day, a day in the past on which we fly flags to remember but are less likely to consider its true emotional impact. Still, I am thankful that today was a relatively uneventful day...and I remember the thousands that perished and others that have put their lives on the lines since to keep America safe.

Michelle Malkin and Instapundit have nice link round-ups for anyone who is interested.

Hail to the Chief

I can't remember a time when William Rehnquist was not Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He'd been on the Supreme Court since 8 years before I was born. I was about 8 years old when he was elevated to the post by President Reagan, so the words "Chief Justice" and "Rehnquist" are somewhat synonymous in my mind.

That said, my heart just sank when my husband came downstairs and told me the news that Rehnquist passed away today. Still all things being equal, it's how I always imagined he would go. Especially since his cancer diagnosis, I have just imagined him working up until the very last second he was able...assumedly because he could not step away from work of such significance. Fittingly enough, I was working to draw up a contract of sorts for our junior high Sunday Schoolers when I heard the news.

Sadly enough, the AP has already started to politicize his loss. The article linked to off Drudge Report editorializes Rehnquist's key career accomplishments as "oversaw the court's conservative shift, presided over an impeachment trial and helped decide a presidential election." Nevermind that these are merely a journalist's opinons and regardless of political position, this was a civil servant and an honorable man who donated decades of service to establishing law and upholding justice in our nation. That's how I will remember him. Rest in peace Justice Rehnquist.