Wednesday, November 26, 2008

"I sweat when I eat"

My favorite NYPD Blue quote, and one of my favorite all-time TV quotes. Ever the smooth talker and ladies' man, Andy Sipowicz tells his future wife, A.D.A. Sylvia Costas (whom he had previously told, "'Ipso' this, you pissy little bitch!") that he sweats when he eats. They're having dinner, on their first date no less, and he doesn't want her worrying that he's having a heart attack or dying on her, but simply that he sweats when he's eating. Naturally, she falls for him hook, line and sinker. Who wouldn't?

Speaking of flawed cops, and really, Sipowicz was the prototype for the modern flawed police detective, the series finale of The Shield was last night. My God, this show kicked ass. As is par for the course, it wasn't the ending I expected, and it wasn't the ending I thought might happen because it was the opposite of what I expected. As usual, they come up with a third option that is more fitting for the characters and the story and completely blow me away! It wasn't exactly a happy ending, but it wasn't as slam-bang an ending as one might have expected, given how the series started off, but damn if it wasn't a fine piece of writing. It also appeared that the writers put in little tidbits for the loyal fans to let them know that they appreciate the people that stuck around for 7 seasons. Not huge scenes, but just little asides. For example, toward the end, Julian is riding down the street with his partner, Tina (who will always be Maria Quesa Dilla to me). He looks over and sees a gay couple holding hands and playfully laughing. It is a reminder that, while it was not something that needed to dominate his character, or become the defining characteristic, the writers haven't forgotten who he is. He is a cop. He's the senior officer to his rookie partner. He's a black man. He's gay. He may not be open about it, in fact, he is in denial. But it's there. I thought it was a nice touch. One among many. Damn, I'm going to miss this show.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Hopefully, Just the Beginning...

We've done it before. Hopefully, the Redskins' 20-17 win over Seattle on Sunday will be the beginning of our end-of-the-season win streak. Hell, I'll settle for 4 of the last 5. That would put us at 11-5, which would probably get us a wild card berth. Unfortunately, the way the Giants are playing, I think they'll clinch the division. We'll see. Maybe this Sunday will be the beginning of the Giants' downward spiral. *crosses fingers* I won't be holding my breath. We just weren't looking crisp. We did well enough to win, but Seattle was 2-8 and struggling. We can't do "well enough" against a team like the Giants. We gots to bring our "A" Game. Fortunately, we tend to play to the level of our competition. Earlier in the season, we beat the Eagles by 6 (when they were still playing well), and the Cowboys by 2 (both on the road). Then we get beaten by the Rams at home. So who knows?

In non-football news, I'm very sad that one of my favorite shows, The Shield, is ending tonight. After seven seasons, the finale is tonight. For seven seasons, Michael Chiklis has been portraying Vic Mackey, L.A.'s toughest, most morally ambiguous cop (this, from the guy who played The Commish!). He sums it up perfectly in season 1, when a suspect asks if he has come in to play "bad cop" and he responds, "I'm a different kind of cop." He really manages one of the most subtle, nuanced characters on TV. He does things that make him seem irredeemable, yet he doesn't completely lose our sympathy. It is a credit to the writers as well as to the actor that the character is as good as he is. It is a crime that in 6 seasons so far, he has only been nominated for an Emmy 3 times, and has only won once.

Friday, November 21, 2008

It's Snowing!!

Yaayy!! Ok, it's just a light flurry, but it's snow nonetheless. I love snow. Chrissy keeps saying she hates it, but I keep trying to tell her it's not snow she hates, it's ice. And, of course, the idiot drivers who freak out when they see one flake and drive 10 mph in a 55 zone. Or the idiot drivers who think just because they have an SUV, that it's safe to drive 85 in a 55 zone in 3 inches of ice. Or the jackasses who freak out when there's even a forecast of snow and run out to the store to buy bread, milk and toilet paper, like they're going to be holed up in their homes for the next three weeks... But the snow itself, I love it! Yaaayy!

I guess if this is my worst problem....

I'm doing ok. So, as you can see from the list on the right, I have a TV few shows that I watch. Well, the list is about to get shorter. The other day, My Own Worst Enemy got cancelled by NBC. Yesterday, it was Pushing Daisies. Then, as I type this, I realize that the last episode of The Shield is next week. *sigh* Well, at least 24: Redemption is on this weekend (are we going to have to call it 26 now?). Then Lost and Big Love are coming back in January. I guess I'll be fine.

Of greater concern, however, is the Redskins' loss to Dallas on Sunday. It was nice to see CP in the game, but I'm not sure what's up with our O-line. No pass protection for Campbell whatsoever! D-line isn't getting any pressure on the opposing QB, either. Though I read an article yesterday about Defensive Coordinator Greg Blache, and he said not to expect a bunch of sacks this year. His philosophy is basically to stop the run and guard against the big plays in the secondary. As long as we do that, he's happy. I guess since our defense is ranked 4th overall, I can't complain. Now if only our offense can pick it up...

Friday, November 14, 2008

Facebook

I think I'm beginning to see the fascination of Facebook. It's kind of like mini-blogging, but more immediate. People don't have to actually go to your blog page. Any updates just pop up on their own home page. I can't even imagine what those pages look like for people with hundreds of friends. I only have 15 (at last count) friends on my Facebook. Is that sad? I'm sure I will accumulate more. I've only been playing with it for less a week now. Chrissy went berserk on her page last weekend, so I thought I would check it out. I'm enjoying it so far. We'll see if the interest sustains.

I'm excited about the Skins game this weekend. This will be my first Skins/Cowboys game. I'm in my 2nd year as a season ticket holder, but last year, I threw my back out the day before the Dallas game and watched from an emergency room bed. Fun times. Turned out being Gibbs' last game at FedEx Field, too. Bummer. But, God willing, I will get to see Zorn's first Dallas game at FedEx!

Friday, November 07, 2008

Colin Powell

Ok, I will be the first to admit that I am not overly knowledgeable about politics. However, a few weeks back, when I watched Colin Powell announce his support of Barack for President, one of my first thoughts was, "In return for the support, I'd love to see Obama appoint Powell as Secretary of Defense." I think he'd do a great job. He would certainly be a popular choice. I don't think anyone could claim that he wasn't capable. I just wonder why his name hasn't come up yet. The only other name I am familiar with that has been coming up has been John Kerry for Secretary of State. Works for me!

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Happy Anniversary!

Today marks three years of marriage to my wonderful, beautiful wife. Between that, and the election results, this has been a pretty good week. Only thing that could have made it better might have been a Redskins win Monday night. But that might have been bad news for Obama. Ah well. Given the choice, I'll take the loss if it means Obama wins. So here's to the last three wonderful years and hopefully an even better next four years!

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

President Obama!!

Wow. I am speechless. I was so nervous tonight. When the initial numbers started coming in, at one point, with nearly 40 million votes in, there was only 320,000 votes separating the candidates! As the night went on, the numbers separated and President-Elect Barack Obama pulled farther and farther ahead! As I type now, Obama is projected (by CNN) to have 338 votes in the Electoral College to McCain's 155. I really hope that he can accomplish even 10% of what I think he is truly capable of. It is an amazing day in America. It is a great day!