As much as I've been enjoying Cirie's ongoing commentary and rooting for her to stay in the game, I had no idea she possessed the kind of cunning she displayed last night. Wow. Her double-secret, triple-crossing move to oust Courtney had to be one of the most elaborately plotted and best executed schemes this show has ever seen. So much for "flying under the radar" and hoping for the best. From catching a fish to calling B.S. on Terry's claim that the reward challenge gave him and the girls a chance to "take a break from the game," Cirie was ON! Okay, she quite literally sank in the challenges, but who cares? I still can't believe she was able to pull off that game-changing move.
(As a side note, how great was the presentation of that fish-catching incident? Shane's line about how "Captain America" spent three weeks out in the water coming up with nothing, while Cirie just sticks her line in the water and hauls in a fish, was an effective metaphor for the entire episode. Good material, yes, but sometimes I like to take notice of how well this show is edited.)
Anyway, where does everyone stand now that Cirie made her big play? Terry's in the Final Four no matter what, obviously. Whether he has any say on who will be there with him remains to be seen. I suppose he could throw the next immunity challenge in the hopes that playing the hidden immunity idol would allow him to decide who gets outsted. But I don't think he could count on it being a 4-1 vote against him, since Aras assumes he has the idol and must be thinking of a counter-strategy to block Terry. Shane was served notice that his influence in the game is negligible, but unless he's receiving strategy tips on his wooden Blackberry, I doubt he could figure out how to take charge of the game. In fact, he's probably the most vulnerable player left. Cirie, Aras and Danielle now look like a strong, cohesive alliance, and they can't get rid of Terry next, so unless two of them decide it would be in their interest to take Shane to the Final Four, I suspect he's the odd man out. Then again, I thought Courtney was sitting pretty after last week, so what do I know? Maybe everyone will decide Cirie is too smart and get rid of her. I can't wait to find out!
Only one random observation:
Despite all the talk about him being "the biggest physical threat," has Aras ever come close to beating Terry in a challenge? I mean, it is true that Aras is the second-most athletic castaway, but that's like saying I'd be the second-best athlete present if I were in a room with Mia Hamm and the senior ladies' bridge team for some random country club.
Friday, April 28, 2006
The Amazing Race: Are we there yet?
I'm running out of things to say about this show. This season has been too easy, the locations way too tame, and the teams are not memorable. Too bad for Franimal that their inevitable elimination happened primarily because of some bad luck finding a cab, but it was going to happen sooner or later. Barring some kind of miracle, Rolanda will be eliminated next after a non-elimination round next week, and arch-rivals MoJo and the Hippies will trail the Frats to the finish line. I'm sure Eric and Jeremy are already busy calculating how many full-body wax jobs and other manscaping services they'll be able to buy with their million-dollar prize. Zzzzzzzz.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Bribing and strolling
There's a lot to love about Henry's current age. He's curious and excited about everything, and his enthusiasm is infectious. He's an affectionate little boy who loves giving us hugs and one word he uses a lot is "cuddle." Lately he's been adding extra vowel sounds to the end of words, so it sounds like he's speaking pig latin. Very funny. His language skills haven't yet advanced to using two-word phrases, but his comprehension skills are clearly sophisticated. And that's great news for us. Because now we can bribe him.
Yes, bribe him. Sure, some parents might try to pass off these kinds of transactions as "negotiation," but Henry's never been particularly flexible in his demands, so hoping to meet him halfway is always bound to be a quixotic journey. But he knows what he likes, and we know what he likes. So finally--finally!--we have some chips to play with this kid.
I discovered the full power of the bribe last week, when we had day after day of sun and I wanted to get out and enjoy the livelier parts of the city on foot. The problem has always been that Henry does not like sitting in his stroller. Oh no, he does not like it at all. Which is a bummer, because it limits our "walking distance" to his walking distance, which is a few blocks at best. So in the past I've been wary of walking very far with him, because I knew I'd probably have to carry him home when he threw his inevitable anti-stroller tantrum. But the other day I managed to walk all the way to the Glebe and back, making several stops along the way, with Henry happily ensconced in his stroller. And I owe it all to a series of bribes: "If you sit in your stroller, we can go to the library and get new books!" Once at the library, I went with, "If you sit in your stroller, we can go for coffee and you can eat whipped cream." Oh, that one went over very well indeed. Henry loves to eat the whipped cream off a mocha frap. After a delightful stay at Starbucks, where Henry sat in a real chair like a big boy, reading a library book and munching a blueberry bar while I had coffee, we walked home without incident. All it took to get him back into the stroller was a promise to stop at the park on our way. The whole afternoon flew by, and I did not have to resort to my well-honed toddler-wrestling maneuvers even once. And I got to go for coffee and enjoy a long walk in the sun. I almost felt like one of those with-it yoga yuppie mommies who roam these parts, but without the $700 stroller (Have I mentioned my stroller envy? That's a post for another time).
Yes, bribe him. Sure, some parents might try to pass off these kinds of transactions as "negotiation," but Henry's never been particularly flexible in his demands, so hoping to meet him halfway is always bound to be a quixotic journey. But he knows what he likes, and we know what he likes. So finally--finally!--we have some chips to play with this kid.
I discovered the full power of the bribe last week, when we had day after day of sun and I wanted to get out and enjoy the livelier parts of the city on foot. The problem has always been that Henry does not like sitting in his stroller. Oh no, he does not like it at all. Which is a bummer, because it limits our "walking distance" to his walking distance, which is a few blocks at best. So in the past I've been wary of walking very far with him, because I knew I'd probably have to carry him home when he threw his inevitable anti-stroller tantrum. But the other day I managed to walk all the way to the Glebe and back, making several stops along the way, with Henry happily ensconced in his stroller. And I owe it all to a series of bribes: "If you sit in your stroller, we can go to the library and get new books!" Once at the library, I went with, "If you sit in your stroller, we can go for coffee and you can eat whipped cream." Oh, that one went over very well indeed. Henry loves to eat the whipped cream off a mocha frap. After a delightful stay at Starbucks, where Henry sat in a real chair like a big boy, reading a library book and munching a blueberry bar while I had coffee, we walked home without incident. All it took to get him back into the stroller was a promise to stop at the park on our way. The whole afternoon flew by, and I did not have to resort to my well-honed toddler-wrestling maneuvers even once. And I got to go for coffee and enjoy a long walk in the sun. I almost felt like one of those with-it yoga yuppie mommies who roam these parts, but without the $700 stroller (Have I mentioned my stroller envy? That's a post for another time).
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Impromptu redecorating
A big "thank you" to whoever invented washable crayons, and to Tom's mom for telling us about them.
Friday, April 21, 2006
Survivor: Bummer for Bruce
Hmm...as soon as I wrote that title I realized I'd made a horrible pun without even trying. And with that, let me say that despite Bruce's painful, unfortunate and anti-climactic exit from the game, I was thoroughly entertained by last night's episode. The interpersonal dynamics of this group are just hilarious, and the classic Antagonizer challenge was the perfect way to amp up the crazy. I laughed through almost the entire episode
As Aras observed, a challenge like last night's is designed to create resentment and rifts, and reveal factions within alliances. A really cagey player might throw the Antagonizer, because the price of winning can be high: your popularity is revealed, and you alienate your tribemates first by knocking them out of the challenge, then not picking them to join you on the reward. So even though Cirie continues to rise on my list of Favorite Contestants Ever, I worry that being outed as the least disliked castaway will not be good for her fortunes in the game. But she reads both her tribemates and the general situation very well, so I hope she manages to laugh her way into the Final Four, although it now seems unlikely that anyone would want to take her to the Final Two.
The real winners of tonight's episode were Terry and, believe it or not, Courtney. Terry for the obvious reasons that a) Bruce's medical crisis was the equivalent of a Get Out of Jail Free card for him, removing a Casaya member without forcing him to give up the immunity idol; and b) Casaya was none-too-subtle in revealing their popularity pecking order. Now he at least has a disgruntled player to work over in trying to build a viable alliance for himself.
For Courtney, the Antagonizer was alienating, but if she can quit her petulant pouting long enough to think things through (a stretch, I know), she might recognize a few things. First, at this stage in the game, people like to keep unpopular players in the game because they're looking ahead to the Final Two. Suddenly she's gold to the smart players. Second, now that she knows her tribemates aren't feeling the love for her, well, screw 'em. She should feel much better about switching her alliance if Terry is smart enough to make a deal with her. Which he should, if he has any brains buried in his brawn. But given what we've seen of his deal-making skills and strategizing so far, who knows if he'll figure it out.
That said, the big X Factor this season is the irrationality of so many of the remaining players. It seems like it's really hard to accomplish much strategically because Courtney and Shane are wack jobs who cannot be reasoned with, Danielle's a little off mentally, and Cirie's just coasting along, not wanting to stir the pot. It's easy to see how Aras could lose control of this group, but it's also hard to see how Terry could successfully peel away three of them to his side. I love it.
And with that, some random observations:
As Aras observed, a challenge like last night's is designed to create resentment and rifts, and reveal factions within alliances. A really cagey player might throw the Antagonizer, because the price of winning can be high: your popularity is revealed, and you alienate your tribemates first by knocking them out of the challenge, then not picking them to join you on the reward. So even though Cirie continues to rise on my list of Favorite Contestants Ever, I worry that being outed as the least disliked castaway will not be good for her fortunes in the game. But she reads both her tribemates and the general situation very well, so I hope she manages to laugh her way into the Final Four, although it now seems unlikely that anyone would want to take her to the Final Two.
The real winners of tonight's episode were Terry and, believe it or not, Courtney. Terry for the obvious reasons that a) Bruce's medical crisis was the equivalent of a Get Out of Jail Free card for him, removing a Casaya member without forcing him to give up the immunity idol; and b) Casaya was none-too-subtle in revealing their popularity pecking order. Now he at least has a disgruntled player to work over in trying to build a viable alliance for himself.
For Courtney, the Antagonizer was alienating, but if she can quit her petulant pouting long enough to think things through (a stretch, I know), she might recognize a few things. First, at this stage in the game, people like to keep unpopular players in the game because they're looking ahead to the Final Two. Suddenly she's gold to the smart players. Second, now that she knows her tribemates aren't feeling the love for her, well, screw 'em. She should feel much better about switching her alliance if Terry is smart enough to make a deal with her. Which he should, if he has any brains buried in his brawn. But given what we've seen of his deal-making skills and strategizing so far, who knows if he'll figure it out.
That said, the big X Factor this season is the irrationality of so many of the remaining players. It seems like it's really hard to accomplish much strategically because Courtney and Shane are wack jobs who cannot be reasoned with, Danielle's a little off mentally, and Cirie's just coasting along, not wanting to stir the pot. It's easy to see how Aras could lose control of this group, but it's also hard to see how Terry could successfully peel away three of them to his side. I love it.
And with that, some random observations:
- I wonder which circle of hell Bruce though he'd fallen into as he lay on a thin mat in the jungle, writhing in pain from a GI tract backed up tighter than the Lincoln Tunnel on a Friday afternoon. If that wasn't bad enough, on one side he's got Courtney hovering over him offering to sing (sing!?!) to make him feel better, and on the other, Shane is prancing around naked. FORTHELOVEOFGODNOOOOO!MERCY!MERCY!AAAAHHHH!
- At the end of every episode I give thanks to Aras, Courtney and Danielle for convincing Shane to stay in the game back when he wanted to bail. If you haven't heard, it turns out he's a professional actor, which makes me wonder if his teeter-totter personality is, in fact, an act. Then again, I don't really care one way or another. The guy is flat-out entertaining. Plus, it's possible that he's both an actor and a total nutbar.
- I loved it when Aras used the "who couldn't survive on their own" question to throw a big diss Terry's way. Way to bring the trash talk, skinny dude. Man, this can't be much fun for Terry. I get the sense that the other contestants honestly don't like him, and not just because he's a threat and an outsider. Our upright, uptight, overachieving military man really doesn't fit in with the fire-dancing, yoga-doing, nic-fitting, fauxhawk-sporting band of freaks, plus Cirie. It's almost like a Red State/ Blue State thing. Hmmm...I wonder if its possible for Terry to get fewer votes at the final tribal council but still win the election? I mean, the million bucks?
- You know you're self-absorbed when someone else's medical emergency is "the cherry, the icing, the hot fudge" on top of YOUR bad day. Yes, I'm looking at you, Courtney.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Amazing Race: What just happened?
Okay, now I have no idea what's going on with this show. Franimal wins the leg? BJ whines like a spoiled princess while Princess Barbie powers through a dirty, difficult Road Block? The Frats struggle? Who are these people?
Since I've been dismissive of their chances up to this point, let me bow down at the feet of Franimal for coming in first. I honestly hope they have a blast on that trip to Rome. I think they'll enjoy it more than the Frats will enjoy their upcoming African safari. If nothing else, our resident Inspirational Oldsters proved that good things happen if you can avoid screwing up royally while staying in the pack. Woo-hoo! I still don't see them in the final 3, but hey--they deserved this one. Also, bonus points for a tank-top-free episode, Barry!
Now that I have the kudos out of the way, I'll admit that I found myself wondering if the show's producers, recognizing the utter lack of drama that's developed so far, slipped a few bills to the Frats and suggested they drive around in circles for awhile and try to reach the Pit Stop via some crazy, off-the-map, dirt road "short cut" through the desert, just to spice things up a bit and give someone else a chance to win a prize. That's the only thing I can come up with to explain their boneheaded decision-making and worse navigating in this ep. Nevertheless, watching them stumble gave me some hope that things might get shaken up before the end of the season. But I knew the shakeup wasn't going to come last night, since we were way overdue for a non-elimination. Oh well.
Speaking of the non-elimination, what is up with the Hippies? Two crummy legs in a row. Are they losing it? Almost every season there's a "searching" Road Block that is completed without incident by most teams but completely stymies one team for reasons that are difficult to discern. (The worst was a few seasons back, when a team went from the front of the pack to dunzo because they couldn't find a clue hidden in one of the giant hay bales spread throughout a field. Other teams found clues way inside an hour, but this team spent over 8 hours looking and never did find one. Phil actually showed up at the field to tell them they were eliminated.) ANYWAY, what took BJ so long with the search for the buried oven? Maybe it was just bad luck, but it looked to me like he wasn't digging deep enough in each pile. Next week they better, you know, dig deeper if they want to stay in this thing. Har har har! But as bad as they were on this leg, BJ's spot-on impersonation of Lake and canny summaries of the other fallen teams earned the increasingly erratic Hippies a bit of affection in my heart, so keep your freak flag flying another day, boys.
This week's random observations:
Since I've been dismissive of their chances up to this point, let me bow down at the feet of Franimal for coming in first. I honestly hope they have a blast on that trip to Rome. I think they'll enjoy it more than the Frats will enjoy their upcoming African safari. If nothing else, our resident Inspirational Oldsters proved that good things happen if you can avoid screwing up royally while staying in the pack. Woo-hoo! I still don't see them in the final 3, but hey--they deserved this one. Also, bonus points for a tank-top-free episode, Barry!
Now that I have the kudos out of the way, I'll admit that I found myself wondering if the show's producers, recognizing the utter lack of drama that's developed so far, slipped a few bills to the Frats and suggested they drive around in circles for awhile and try to reach the Pit Stop via some crazy, off-the-map, dirt road "short cut" through the desert, just to spice things up a bit and give someone else a chance to win a prize. That's the only thing I can come up with to explain their boneheaded decision-making and worse navigating in this ep. Nevertheless, watching them stumble gave me some hope that things might get shaken up before the end of the season. But I knew the shakeup wasn't going to come last night, since we were way overdue for a non-elimination. Oh well.
Speaking of the non-elimination, what is up with the Hippies? Two crummy legs in a row. Are they losing it? Almost every season there's a "searching" Road Block that is completed without incident by most teams but completely stymies one team for reasons that are difficult to discern. (The worst was a few seasons back, when a team went from the front of the pack to dunzo because they couldn't find a clue hidden in one of the giant hay bales spread throughout a field. Other teams found clues way inside an hour, but this team spent over 8 hours looking and never did find one. Phil actually showed up at the field to tell them they were eliminated.) ANYWAY, what took BJ so long with the search for the buried oven? Maybe it was just bad luck, but it looked to me like he wasn't digging deep enough in each pile. Next week they better, you know, dig deeper if they want to stay in this thing. Har har har! But as bad as they were on this leg, BJ's spot-on impersonation of Lake and canny summaries of the other fallen teams earned the increasingly erratic Hippies a bit of affection in my heart, so keep your freak flag flying another day, boys.
This week's random observations:
- Rolanda aren't the world's most exciting people, are they? No, they are not. Even their fights are dull. I couldn't figure out what they were bickering about, beyond some garden-variety frayed nerves, or why they were still mad at each other hours later. Nor did I really care. If you're going to fight, let's see some fireworks, people!
- Also re: Rolanda. The worst possible combination in this contest has to be the person who can't read a map teamed with the person who can't or won't follow directions. Pretty much lose/lose. But good luck with that relationship thingy.
- I'm starting to wonder if their ability to stay with the pack consistently (see above) and a lucky break or two could lead to a MoJo victory in the final leg. Who knows--stranger things have happened.
- Was it just me, or did they keep showing the same building as each team remarked on the beauty of Oman?
Monday, April 17, 2006
Easter on the farm
Braving hordes of small children and gigantic strollers, we spent Easter morning at the Canada Agriculture Museum , which is a short drive from our house. Henry hunted for chocolate eggs and pet a nice, docile bunny rabbit or two. The most excellent thing? The tractor exhibit, hands down. Closely followed by the chocolate Easter eggs. We let him indulge on more than one of those. It was good clean family fun, but the fact that Henry was terrified of every creature larger than a turkey kind of limited the scope of activities in which we could participate. I don't blame him for being scared, though. Dairy cows are huge animals, and sheep "baaaa" really loudly.
Even though he spent a good portion of his time at the farm with his face buried in his daddy's shoulder to hide from the monstrous beasts, we're hearing a lot about "cows!" "sheep!" and "fordeeah" today. (We finally translated that last one as "farm" after much confusion. Context is everything with toddler babble).
I'm trying to post pictures, but Blogger isn't cooperating. I'll try again later.
Even though he spent a good portion of his time at the farm with his face buried in his daddy's shoulder to hide from the monstrous beasts, we're hearing a lot about "cows!" "sheep!" and "fordeeah" today. (We finally translated that last one as "farm" after much confusion. Context is everything with toddler babble).
I'm trying to post pictures, but Blogger isn't cooperating. I'll try again later.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Survivor: An unexpected outbreak of strategy (almost)
Whoa--did I detect tension and suspense as last night's episode drew to a close? Yes, yes I did. Unfortunately it didn't add up to anything in the end, but a fun ride nonetheless.
It's hard to blame Terry for not giving up the hidden immunity idol. Even if what he was scheming had worked, it wouldn't have gained him much. Now the dysfunctional alliance will have to beat him twice to knock him out of the game. I just can't see that happening, unless there's a fire dancing challenge next week, followed by a cigarette speed smoking challenge the week after that. And he'd probably win those ones, too. Yep--The Robot seems destined for Final Two at this point.
But there's still a lot of game left to determine who will be going up against him for the big payday. I'm starting to like either Bruce or Cirie for that role, just because they're prototypical "under the radar" types in a parade of jaw-flapping freaks (On second thought, Bruce is a jaw-flapping freak too, but I don't think anyone takes him seriously as a threat to anything besides their patience). Plus, it's becoming apparent that Aras's arass is grass, Shane is going to self-immolate soon, and the two girls are bound to piss someone off before final tribal council. And even if it wasn't for all those factors weighing on my prediction, I'd still be rooting for Cirie. Man, she's awesome. I hope she makes it to the final four so she'll be available to share her wicked commentary until the very end (and provide free exams of sensitive areas for her fellow tribemates).
Now, about the Cheeseburger Challenge: Excellent twist. Way to rachet up the tension and resentment, producers! And with the exception of Shane, who should have competed in the immunity challenge, all the players made the right choice for themselves. Bruce, Cirie, Danielle and Courtney had no real shot at winning, so why not eat? But Shane had at least a decent shot at winning (okay, not really--It's pretty damn hard to defeat a cyborg robot), and he chose not to compete purely out of hubris. And no good comes to the hubristic. Seeing Aras's face fall when he realized no one else in his alliance recognize how important it is to at least challenge Terry while they still have numbers was priceless. I'm sure he screwed up the puzzle out of sheer panic and frustration. I don't think there's anything that can save him now, except a bunch of immunity wins. Oh well.
Now, about what really should have happened with all the scheming and plotting regarding the hidden immunity idol: I think Sally could have made a game-changing play in there somewhere. It would have involved creating a super-secret alliance with the rest of the women to go to the Final Four together. Next step, tell Terry that they had two of the other women in a secret new alliance, but only if he gives Sally the immunity idol so that the women can vote against Sally at Tribal. See, this would keep the new "alliance" secret but still send Aras home with two votes when Sally's immunity is revealed after the vote. Next step, let Terry think he's running the show and "go along" when he suggests getting rid of Shane at the next vote. Then Bruce. Don't reveal the new alliance unless a) Terry wants to vote against a woman instead of one of the guys (just surprise him at tribal council by voting for a dude instead); or b) Terry loses an immunity challenge himself (in that case, get him the hell out of the game!). The key would be to give Terry a compelling reason to give up secret immunity. As long as he has that, he's pretty much invincible. And you'd have to count on Courtney and Danielle to keep their traps shut about the double-secret probation situation, which could be too much to ask.
All moot, all moot. But it was great to watch the show and see an opening for some strategy to come into play. Sigh. If only these people would change their game plan when the game changes. Loyalty is the downfall of so many middling players. I wonder if Sally ever tried to make an alliance deal that didn't involve Terry. She needed to. Might not have worked, but she should have cut the cord on that relationship when he couldn't pull anyone to his side after the merge.
It's hard to blame Terry for not giving up the hidden immunity idol. Even if what he was scheming had worked, it wouldn't have gained him much. Now the dysfunctional alliance will have to beat him twice to knock him out of the game. I just can't see that happening, unless there's a fire dancing challenge next week, followed by a cigarette speed smoking challenge the week after that. And he'd probably win those ones, too. Yep--The Robot seems destined for Final Two at this point.
But there's still a lot of game left to determine who will be going up against him for the big payday. I'm starting to like either Bruce or Cirie for that role, just because they're prototypical "under the radar" types in a parade of jaw-flapping freaks (On second thought, Bruce is a jaw-flapping freak too, but I don't think anyone takes him seriously as a threat to anything besides their patience). Plus, it's becoming apparent that Aras's arass is grass, Shane is going to self-immolate soon, and the two girls are bound to piss someone off before final tribal council. And even if it wasn't for all those factors weighing on my prediction, I'd still be rooting for Cirie. Man, she's awesome. I hope she makes it to the final four so she'll be available to share her wicked commentary until the very end (and provide free exams of sensitive areas for her fellow tribemates).
Now, about the Cheeseburger Challenge: Excellent twist. Way to rachet up the tension and resentment, producers! And with the exception of Shane, who should have competed in the immunity challenge, all the players made the right choice for themselves. Bruce, Cirie, Danielle and Courtney had no real shot at winning, so why not eat? But Shane had at least a decent shot at winning (okay, not really--It's pretty damn hard to defeat a cyborg robot), and he chose not to compete purely out of hubris. And no good comes to the hubristic. Seeing Aras's face fall when he realized no one else in his alliance recognize how important it is to at least challenge Terry while they still have numbers was priceless. I'm sure he screwed up the puzzle out of sheer panic and frustration. I don't think there's anything that can save him now, except a bunch of immunity wins. Oh well.
Now, about what really should have happened with all the scheming and plotting regarding the hidden immunity idol: I think Sally could have made a game-changing play in there somewhere. It would have involved creating a super-secret alliance with the rest of the women to go to the Final Four together. Next step, tell Terry that they had two of the other women in a secret new alliance, but only if he gives Sally the immunity idol so that the women can vote against Sally at Tribal. See, this would keep the new "alliance" secret but still send Aras home with two votes when Sally's immunity is revealed after the vote. Next step, let Terry think he's running the show and "go along" when he suggests getting rid of Shane at the next vote. Then Bruce. Don't reveal the new alliance unless a) Terry wants to vote against a woman instead of one of the guys (just surprise him at tribal council by voting for a dude instead); or b) Terry loses an immunity challenge himself (in that case, get him the hell out of the game!). The key would be to give Terry a compelling reason to give up secret immunity. As long as he has that, he's pretty much invincible. And you'd have to count on Courtney and Danielle to keep their traps shut about the double-secret probation situation, which could be too much to ask.
All moot, all moot. But it was great to watch the show and see an opening for some strategy to come into play. Sigh. If only these people would change their game plan when the game changes. Loyalty is the downfall of so many middling players. I wonder if Sally ever tried to make an alliance deal that didn't involve Terry. She needed to. Might not have worked, but she should have cut the cord on that relationship when he couldn't pull anyone to his side after the merge.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
The Amazing Race: Rome if you want to
Season 9 just is not shaping up to be one of the all-time Amazing Race classics. Not enough suspense (oh gee--the Frats won another leg? Didn't see that one coming), no truly memorable contestants/characters, too limited in geographic scope. But it's still a good way to kill an hour, with enough entertaining interludes to keep me engaged throughout. Case in point: Greco-Roman wrestling.
Given how much I enjoyed the sand wrestling challenge earlier this season on Survivor, I think it's safe to say that I find amateur wrestling inherently funny (Hey--I never claimed to have a sophisticated sense of humour). So I laughed out loud as the racers embarked on that sumo-esqu challenge. I can only imagine what went through the Greek guy's mind when Rolanda walked into the circle and proceeded to cart him out of there like he was a ceramic figurine they picked up at the airport gift shop. The guy should have imitated a javelin if he wanted to give Ray more of a challenge (and weren't you surprised by how badly he did at that event? I guess muscle mass counts for less than coordination in javelin throwing). I also wonder if either the wrestler or the crew begged the hippies to keep their shirts on for the wrestling challenge. Next time maybe the Frats will do us all a favour and turn the Hippies on to that miracle of modern chemistry known as spray-on tanner. Let's hope so.
This episode also featured a line from Joseph that makes my short list of all-time classics: "Lift up your spirit before I get pissed!" What a sentiment! Wasn't it the basis of a huge hit on the Christian Contemporary charts last year? I know I came away feeling inspired. But I don't blame him for being frustrated with Mo. Princess Barbie is one moderately difficult challenge away from a Flo-worthy emotional meltdown at a critical juncture. Personally, I can't wait.
On the downside, we also got a glimpse of the truly ugly side of Lake's personality. Boy am I glad to see them leave the show before we had to sit through much more of that. Plus, as I've said before, I just didn't find him very entertaining as a villain. There's gotta be more than a nasty streak for this stock reality show character to really work. For example, psycho Jonathan was horrifying, but he was so jaw-droppingly insane and self-deluded that I did experience that "can't look away from the smoking wreck on the side of the road" effect when he was on. And I loved--LOVED!-- to hate Colin and watch as his intensity boiled over and led to classic incidents like the time he almost got himself arrested in Tanzania over an argument about his cab fare, and when he was reduced to screaming "my ox is broken!" in the middle of a rice paddy when a challenge wasn't going his way. Now that's good television. In contrast, hearing some twitchy loser call his wife "bitch" for no particular reason is not good television. It's just uncomfortable. In short, will not miss the Lake and Michelle show.
As for the rest of the show: still too easy. I've been to Rome, and it's a crowded, confusing place with many twisty streets and hidden treasures. In other words, the perfect place to really challenge teams by making them search for something other than, oh, two of the best known, most centrally located tourist sites in the place, which are very close to each other to boot. And boy--what a head-scratcher that DaVinci Code tie-in/distraction was! I can't believe any of the teams were able to decipher the clue. Yeah, not so much. At least the teams are headed to a tougher locale next week. I'm curious to see if Franimal can stay in the game if it gets more physically demanding. My guess is they've benefited the most of any teams from the lackluster caliber of the season's itinerary. The dearth of competent teams hasn't hurt their chances, either. Speaking of competence, I was pretty shocked to see the Hippies make such a critical navigating error. Was it a one-time event, or are they slipping back into the crowded race for second place?
Given how much I enjoyed the sand wrestling challenge earlier this season on Survivor, I think it's safe to say that I find amateur wrestling inherently funny (Hey--I never claimed to have a sophisticated sense of humour). So I laughed out loud as the racers embarked on that sumo-esqu challenge. I can only imagine what went through the Greek guy's mind when Rolanda walked into the circle and proceeded to cart him out of there like he was a ceramic figurine they picked up at the airport gift shop. The guy should have imitated a javelin if he wanted to give Ray more of a challenge (and weren't you surprised by how badly he did at that event? I guess muscle mass counts for less than coordination in javelin throwing). I also wonder if either the wrestler or the crew begged the hippies to keep their shirts on for the wrestling challenge. Next time maybe the Frats will do us all a favour and turn the Hippies on to that miracle of modern chemistry known as spray-on tanner. Let's hope so.
This episode also featured a line from Joseph that makes my short list of all-time classics: "Lift up your spirit before I get pissed!" What a sentiment! Wasn't it the basis of a huge hit on the Christian Contemporary charts last year? I know I came away feeling inspired. But I don't blame him for being frustrated with Mo. Princess Barbie is one moderately difficult challenge away from a Flo-worthy emotional meltdown at a critical juncture. Personally, I can't wait.
On the downside, we also got a glimpse of the truly ugly side of Lake's personality. Boy am I glad to see them leave the show before we had to sit through much more of that. Plus, as I've said before, I just didn't find him very entertaining as a villain. There's gotta be more than a nasty streak for this stock reality show character to really work. For example, psycho Jonathan was horrifying, but he was so jaw-droppingly insane and self-deluded that I did experience that "can't look away from the smoking wreck on the side of the road" effect when he was on. And I loved--LOVED!-- to hate Colin and watch as his intensity boiled over and led to classic incidents like the time he almost got himself arrested in Tanzania over an argument about his cab fare, and when he was reduced to screaming "my ox is broken!" in the middle of a rice paddy when a challenge wasn't going his way. Now that's good television. In contrast, hearing some twitchy loser call his wife "bitch" for no particular reason is not good television. It's just uncomfortable. In short, will not miss the Lake and Michelle show.
As for the rest of the show: still too easy. I've been to Rome, and it's a crowded, confusing place with many twisty streets and hidden treasures. In other words, the perfect place to really challenge teams by making them search for something other than, oh, two of the best known, most centrally located tourist sites in the place, which are very close to each other to boot. And boy--what a head-scratcher that DaVinci Code tie-in/distraction was! I can't believe any of the teams were able to decipher the clue. Yeah, not so much. At least the teams are headed to a tougher locale next week. I'm curious to see if Franimal can stay in the game if it gets more physically demanding. My guess is they've benefited the most of any teams from the lackluster caliber of the season's itinerary. The dearth of competent teams hasn't hurt their chances, either. Speaking of competence, I was pretty shocked to see the Hippies make such a critical navigating error. Was it a one-time event, or are they slipping back into the crowded race for second place?
So much for Endless Winter
I was way off in my dire predictions about the local weather. I call it protective pessimism: expect the worst, and when it doesn't come to pass, be pleasantly surprised! I think it's a much smarter strategy for these parts than even cautious optimism. All that aside, I submit the following evidence that spring is here for real:
ANYWAY--we're also on the verge of a four-day long weekend for Easter, which means little to non-office workers like myself and my dear husband except that the grocery stores are closed on Friday and Sunday, and our daycare provider takes Monday off. I have to say, I find it a little strange that secular, multicultural Canada still has statutory holidays for such overtly Christian events as Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday (the Biblical significance of which is completely unknown to me). I suppose no one wants to give up a holiday weekend, no matter what it's for. We're going to take Henry to the Agriculture Museum for an egg hunt and baby animal interaction. Should be fun.
- The snow is gone
- The Canal is almost entirely thawed (next question: when does the city fill it back up again?)
- The crocuses are blooming and tulips are sprouting all over the city
- You can go outdoors without a parka
- Last but not least, the Smart Cars are back!
ANYWAY--we're also on the verge of a four-day long weekend for Easter, which means little to non-office workers like myself and my dear husband except that the grocery stores are closed on Friday and Sunday, and our daycare provider takes Monday off. I have to say, I find it a little strange that secular, multicultural Canada still has statutory holidays for such overtly Christian events as Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday (the Biblical significance of which is completely unknown to me). I suppose no one wants to give up a holiday weekend, no matter what it's for. We're going to take Henry to the Agriculture Museum for an egg hunt and baby animal interaction. Should be fun.
Friday, April 07, 2006
Survivor: Preempted by human interaction
I have nothing to say about last night's episode because I didn't watch it. Instead, we had our friend John from Richmond over for dinner. There's a big academic conference going on this weekend, so the city is crawling with people we know from various institutions of higher learning. Tonight we're having our friend John from Madison over for dinner, and Tom's meeting someone he knows from his time at Winterthur for a drink tomorrow. It's a social whirlwind around here!
We haven't had anyone besides our parents over for dinner since we moved here, so I splurged and served rack of lamb. It was totally deelish and surprisingly easy to prepare, even thought I'd never made it before (yes, I love trying out untested recipes on guests). Since I was a vegetarian for so long I still feel like an amateur when it comes to cooking up animals. In my zeal to avoid overcooking the meat I tend to really undercook it, but there are worse things you can do to a dish. Anyway, cooking vegetarian meals that look and taste fancy takes a lot of effort and skill, whereas a good-quality cut of meat does most of the work for you. But for tonight's dinner I'm headed back to the vegetarian classics to give our arteries have a chance to clear out.
I recorded last night's episode, but I'm not going to watch it. That's what online recaps are for. Sounds like I didn't miss much.
We haven't had anyone besides our parents over for dinner since we moved here, so I splurged and served rack of lamb. It was totally deelish and surprisingly easy to prepare, even thought I'd never made it before (yes, I love trying out untested recipes on guests). Since I was a vegetarian for so long I still feel like an amateur when it comes to cooking up animals. In my zeal to avoid overcooking the meat I tend to really undercook it, but there are worse things you can do to a dish. Anyway, cooking vegetarian meals that look and taste fancy takes a lot of effort and skill, whereas a good-quality cut of meat does most of the work for you. But for tonight's dinner I'm headed back to the vegetarian classics to give our arteries have a chance to clear out.
I recorded last night's episode, but I'm not going to watch it. That's what online recaps are for. Sounds like I didn't miss much.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Amazing Race: Tank Top Tragedies
Whew--what a brutal, crushing, devastating leg. I can't believe what those poor racers went through this time! I mean, having to count to 41 while jogging around a sidewalk? Playing kayak water polo against a bunch of human pylons? And driving a stick shift--again!?! It's too much.
Seriously, what's going on here? Have they changed the concept to "The Amazing Cakewalk"? When the most exciting part of the episode is catching a glimpse of Big Philly Style busting a move on The Amazing Finish Mat, you know the season might be headed downhill. Come on, producers--ramp it up! I want to see these people gagging through a fear-factoresque eating challenge while riding public transportation in a hostile third world country where no one speaks English. Pronto!
Now, about those tank tops. First, Princess Barbie's choice of a bright white tank top would not have been a smart one even if she was just on a leisurely tour of Europe (which she kind of is, given the way the show's developing, but I digress). For a race, it was utterly stupid. Since she was such a crybaby dramaqueen about the whole detour, I was happy to see her get coated in fish barf. But it least her wardrobe choice wasn't painful for the audience, unlike the other sartorial missteps we witnessed, namely:
Franimal: I have one word for you, Barry, and that word is "sleeves." Please. As the loyal Home Front reader also known as my Mom put it, "He has GOT to get rid of the tank top--ugly hairly skinny arms." Word.
Michelle: Hoboy--Someone should have told her about the schedule change to the family-friendly 8 p.m. slot before she treated us to that tank-top and money holder/string bra look she was rocking at the kayak polo stop. Yikes! I had to sit in a darkened room for a few minutes to rest my eyes after witnessing that.
In other news:
Seriously, what's going on here? Have they changed the concept to "The Amazing Cakewalk"? When the most exciting part of the episode is catching a glimpse of Big Philly Style busting a move on The Amazing Finish Mat, you know the season might be headed downhill. Come on, producers--ramp it up! I want to see these people gagging through a fear-factoresque eating challenge while riding public transportation in a hostile third world country where no one speaks English. Pronto!
Now, about those tank tops. First, Princess Barbie's choice of a bright white tank top would not have been a smart one even if she was just on a leisurely tour of Europe (which she kind of is, given the way the show's developing, but I digress). For a race, it was utterly stupid. Since she was such a crybaby dramaqueen about the whole detour, I was happy to see her get coated in fish barf. But it least her wardrobe choice wasn't painful for the audience, unlike the other sartorial missteps we witnessed, namely:
Franimal: I have one word for you, Barry, and that word is "sleeves." Please. As the loyal Home Front reader also known as my Mom put it, "He has GOT to get rid of the tank top--ugly hairly skinny arms." Word.
Michelle: Hoboy--Someone should have told her about the schedule change to the family-friendly 8 p.m. slot before she treated us to that tank-top and money holder/string bra look she was rocking at the kayak polo stop. Yikes! I had to sit in a darkened room for a few minutes to rest my eyes after witnessing that.
In other news:
- Tom noted that Lake's accent sounds like Jon Stewart's imitation of George W. Bush. Ah-ha! Now I know why I can't take that guy seriously!
- I knew Nerd Love would be eliminated sooner rather than later, so I wasn't terribly invested in them. But they also ended up being strangely short on personality, and they seemed to be getting worse as the race went on, not better. It didn't look like they were handling the bickering and frustration very well. Oh well--they had no chance of winning, and I'm sure they'll have a happy life in Nerd Love Land.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Toddler OCD
The line on toddlers is that they crave routine. Apparently it gives them some sense of control over the big, confusing world. Or something. Knowing this, Tom and I developed a bedtime routine for Henry last year that works pretty well for all of us. That's about as far as we can take the whole "schedule" thing. I'm just not organized or motivated enough to work out a daily schedule, let alone live by it. Lately Henry's been picking up the slack by winnowing his routines and preferences down to an exclusive list of must-haves and must-dos that now form the core of his existence. All extraneous details have been edited out. It's like he's assumed the role of some ultra-trendy tastemaker who cannot bear to be around anything that isn't The Coolest Thing Ever. But stuff that is cool, he wants to be around all the time. To wit:
Music: If it's not The Wiggles, it's crap. Don't even turn it on.
TV: Bob The Builder--done. Mighty Machines--over. It's all about The Baybee. The only thing he'll watch is home videos from last year. They're charming the first few times. Not so much the 31st time. I never thought I'd miss Bob. But at least that show has a plot, and I don't get self-conscious watching it.
Books: Suddenly, "Goodnight Moon" is the only thing worth reading. We've had this book since before he was born, and before last week it wasn't a particular favourite. But that's because he never noticed the cozy fire burning in the little bunny's bedroom before. Fire, as we all know, is totally intoxicating. The discussion goes like this:
[Gasp. Point.]
"Do you see the fire burning in the fireplace?"
"Hot!"
"Yes, the fire is hot."
[Pause]
"BopPop?"
"Yes, I think Granpa made the fire."
[Pause]
"Jon?"
"Yes, Uncle Jon helped him."
[Gasp. Point. Repeat on each subsequent page that shows the fire burning in the fireplace].
That's the script, pretty much verbatim. And our bedtime routine includes three stories. For the last week, that's meant reading "Goodnight Moon" three times, and having the Gasp-hot-BopPop-Jon discussion for each page. It's pretty funny. Then Henry takes the book to bed with him. That crib of his is getting pretty crowded. Besides Puddles the Dog, Toop the Plow, and Goodnight Moon, he insists on bringing at least one other toy truck with him to bed, sometimes more, and sometimes a book about trucks as well. But once he's settled in with all his stuff, he'll sleep through the night. So we're happy to indulge him.
Yes, toddlers are funny little creatures. And fun, too.
Music: If it's not The Wiggles, it's crap. Don't even turn it on.
TV: Bob The Builder--done. Mighty Machines--over. It's all about The Baybee. The only thing he'll watch is home videos from last year. They're charming the first few times. Not so much the 31st time. I never thought I'd miss Bob. But at least that show has a plot, and I don't get self-conscious watching it.
Books: Suddenly, "Goodnight Moon" is the only thing worth reading. We've had this book since before he was born, and before last week it wasn't a particular favourite. But that's because he never noticed the cozy fire burning in the little bunny's bedroom before. Fire, as we all know, is totally intoxicating. The discussion goes like this:
[Gasp. Point.]
"Do you see the fire burning in the fireplace?"
"Hot!"
"Yes, the fire is hot."
[Pause]
"BopPop?"
"Yes, I think Granpa made the fire."
[Pause]
"Jon?"
"Yes, Uncle Jon helped him."
[Gasp. Point. Repeat on each subsequent page that shows the fire burning in the fireplace].
That's the script, pretty much verbatim. And our bedtime routine includes three stories. For the last week, that's meant reading "Goodnight Moon" three times, and having the Gasp-hot-BopPop-Jon discussion for each page. It's pretty funny. Then Henry takes the book to bed with him. That crib of his is getting pretty crowded. Besides Puddles the Dog, Toop the Plow, and Goodnight Moon, he insists on bringing at least one other toy truck with him to bed, sometimes more, and sometimes a book about trucks as well. But once he's settled in with all his stuff, he'll sleep through the night. So we're happy to indulge him.
Yes, toddlers are funny little creatures. And fun, too.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
