For The Love Of Music

It’s hard to say weather my love of music was something that I was born with or something I learned. Considering that I have 3 siblings that were raised in the same house, and none of them are as music crazed as I am (although they all have a healthy respect) I tend to lean towards "born with". However, having a father that lives and breathes music probably didn’t hurt.

My earliest memories are of sitting on my dad’s lap in front of a mixing board in his makeshift studio in our first house. Or sitting on a stool with headphones much to big for my little head, singing Give Said The Little Stream while dad got his mic levels right. I loved going with my dad on Saturday nights when he and his band played gigs. Dad played lead guitar and I would stand behind him, playing the shaker or tambourine, and singing my heart out while he sang 'Johnny Be Good'. Those were some of my favorite times of my childhood. Dad nurtured my love of music, buying me whatever CD I was dying for week after week. I would spend hours in my room listening and singing. Music was such a huge part of my childhood.

As I got older the recording studio in our basement got better. We sound proofed walls. We had an actual recording booth and dad made a very nice living writing and producing music. I loved to be in the studio when he was working. I loved every step of the process. I would get home from school and spend my afternoons sitting on the couch in his studio doing homework and listening to the music take shape. I would lie on the floor, under the keyboards, and listen for hours. I was very fortunate as a young child to meet some of the best musician around and to be a fly on the wall while they recorded in my dad’s studio. When I hit my teens I got to help sometimes, my help mostly consisted of hitting the record and stop button, but it was awesome. I helped a lot in the sound booth over the years. Dad would give me scripts for different projects, and I would head into the sound booth to record them for him. There was a time that I could be heard on the radio doing an ad for a local pizza joint. I wonder sometimes where dad and I could have gone together if I had been born with a singing voice. Unfortunately for both of us I wasn’t, but that didn’t stop me from loving music with a “purple passion”.

When I tell you that I love music it’s not just that I like to put a cd in my player and jam out, although that’s part of it. The fact is, music speaks to my soul. As much as I love TV and movies, music is the air I breathe. I was taught to enjoy ALL music not just one genre. I cut my teeth on such great artists as The Beach Boys, Ronnie Milsap, Reba McEntire, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac. If you ask me what kind of music I like I will tell you “the music kind”. All music is beautiful, some types speak to me more than others but I appreciate it all. When I listen to music I don’t just hear a song. I hear the drum kit in the back and the rhythms, I hear the bass guitar, I hear the lead guitar, I hear the harmonies, I hear the music in parts and I hear something new every time I listen. I can almost instantly memorize the lyrics to any song I listen to. Not a talent worth much but it’s mine. So, you be the judge, was it nature or nurture? After a lifetime with myself I still can’t answer that question, but I do know I wouldn’t trade any of it.

Stargate Universe – Visitation

I was a little disappointed in this episode. As the lead in to the midseason finale I expected more of a “to be continued”. This episode was more of a standalone episode than any before it.
A couple episodes ago when Rush finally tells everyone that he has uncovered Destiny’s true purpose the “god” card is introduced. Destiny is chasing a pattern that could not have occurred naturally or be manmade. Ok they didn’t go overboard on it, and I suppose when you face death every episode questions about your eternal purpose are probably going to pop up. However, the Visitation episode slams the “god” card front and center.
The Visitation episode begins with part of the crew, who wanted to be left behind on an “Eden” planet, mysteriously reappearing in a completely restored shuttle. (All of them EXCEPT TJ’s baby; another loose thread I’m not sure they are ever going to tie off). After checking out healthy and normal upon their return the reintroduced crew members start dropping dead of injuries that didn’t happen to them on the ship. To help in making the whole thing stranger, every one of them has amnesia. They have no memory of what happened on the planet or how they came to be back on the Destiny. With the use of hypnosis they start to discover clues about what happened. Basically they all died of exposure due to the onset of winter on Eden. They had no food, fuel, or any real shelter and died on the planet. This begs the question WHY??????? Why would the “aliens” resurrect them just long enough to place them back on the Destiny? Why would they go to all the trouble of the resurrection and bringing them to the Destiny just to let them die again? The only explanation given as a closing to the episode is that the “aliens” were not God. They could fix the mechanical but not the spiritual. Only a shadow of their souls was there, not their true selves. So, not only am I left with a confusing episode but the worst part is that it does NOTHING to move the story along. I guess they just needed some filler till the mid-season finale.
Since the restart of the series this season it seems like they have been adjusting their characters, trying to find a better fit. The problem with that is our characters start to feel a little bi-polar. Will Col. Young be up to dealing with whatever crisis the crew is handed this week? Will Rush be forth coming with his information, or will he be keeping secrets? I just can’t figure Rush out, there seems to be no rhyme or reason to why he does what he does, or to what secrets he is keeping from the crew this week. The writers have stuffed Chloe into isolation and don’t seem to know what to do with her. Who knows, I’m probably wrong. I’m sure the writers have a master plan and are laying out the pieces as they see fit. But I’ll be damned if I can follow their logic.
Regardless…..I’m invested in this series. I have become fond of the characters and their struggles to get back home. I am heartbroken for Eli and his loss of Ginn. I am still pulling for Matthew and Chloe that they will find their happy ending. I’m waiting for Col. Young to start acting human and acknowledge the loss of his daughter. There are still many stories to be told here and I am patiently waiting for the writers to figure it out.

Midseason Premiers

There is something refreshing about taking a small break during the winter from all your “normal” shows and try on some new ones.

SERIES PREMIERES/RETURNS
* All times are in EDT PM, unless otherwise mentioned.
* New series premieres are in Bold Italics

NOVEMBER
Wednesday, November 17
8:00 Human Target (FOX)

Monday, November 22
9:00 Skating with the Stars (ABC)

Tuesday, November 30
10:00 Strange Days with Bob Saget (A&E)

DECEMBER
Sunday, December 5
10:00 The Hasselhoffs (A&E)

Monday, December 6
10:00 Men of a Certain Age (TNT)

Tuesday, December 7
8:00 Minute to Win it (NBC)

JANUARY
Monday, January 3
8:00 The Bachelor (ABC)
8:00 Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family)
9:00 Greek (ABC Family)

Tuesday, January 4
8:00 The Biggest Loser: Couples (NBC)
9:00 V (ABC)

Wednesday, January 5
9:00 Ghost Hunters International (Syfy)

Thursday. January 6
10:00 Jersey Shore (MTV)

Friday, January 7
10:00 Merlin (Syfy)

Sunday, January 9
8:30 Bob’s Burgers (FOX)
9:00 Californication (Showtime)
9:00 The Cape (NBC) – two hour premiere
9:30 Episodes (Showtime)
10:00 Shameless (Showtime)

Wednesday, January 12
10:00 Off The Map (ABC)

Monday, January 17
9:00 Being Human (Syfy)
10:00 Harry’s Law (NBC)

Tuesday, January 18
10:00 White Collar (USA)

Wednesday, January 19
8:00 American Idol (FOX)

Thursday, January 20
8:30 Perfect Couples (NBC)
9:00 Royal Pains (USA)
10:00 Fairly Legal (USA)

Friday, January 21
8:00 Kitchen Nightmares (FOX)

Wednesday, January 26
10:00 Face Off (Syfy)

FEBRUARY
Monday, February 7
9:00 The Chicago Code (FOX)

Tuesday, February 8
9:30 Mixed Signals (FOX)

MARCH
Wednesday, March 16
9:00 America’s Next Great Restaurant (NBC)

APRIL
Wednesday, April 6
9:30 Breaking In (FOX)

Supernatural - Live Free or Twi-Hard

SERIOUSLY!!!!! How funny was the opening of this episode???? One thing that I totally love about this show is their ability to laugh at themselves and the world around them. Being a dark dramatic show is great but if you can’t relieve the tension with a laugh once in a while, what good are you? Supernatural does that with a perfect 10 in this episode. I was laughing so hard I had to rewind and watch it again. I am a Twilight fan so don’t think I’m a hater. I enjoyed the books and enjoy the movies as well. But like most things in life you just can’t take it to seriously. Well done Supernatural!!!!

The first couple minutes of this video will have you rolling!

Dark Blue Down and Out

We love cop dramas in this house (that’s no big surprise I’m sure). Dark Blue was the cop drama where the good guys got to do everything they shouldn't do in real life. They broke all the rules to get their man, but that is what made it fun to watch. There was lots of great drama and lots of great bad guy take downs. The show revolved around a team of 4 cops who were given license to do what needed to be done with no questions asked. Maybe one of its downfalls was how complicated each of the main characters were. Each dealing with so many personal demons that it was a little hard to keep track of who was having what crisis. I’m sad to see it go. I would have enjoyed a 3rd season. If you never watched I would definitely recommend catching it on the flip side.

Life Unexpected not expected to make it

This makes me so sad. I adore this show. It’s about a girl who was given up for adoption by her high school aged parents. Now a teenager looking to free herself from "the system" Lux seeks out her birth parents who are stunned to find out she was never adopted. The show was iffy to return for its second season this year. When it was announced that it would return for season 2 I rejoiced. I just knew that given another shot people would discover its heart warming brilliance. Fast forward to today. Here we are at mid season and Life Unexpected is still struggling. I feel like they have made a valiant effort this season kicking up some of the drama to entice people but ultimately the results have been slim. If you want MY opinion the biggest problem with this show is Kate. Now don’t get me wrong I love Shiri Appleby. She stared in Roswell and thus is tattooed on my heart for all time. The problem is the way they have written her character. She is CRAZY. You never know who you will be getting from episode to episode. Because of her personality roller coaster it is VERY hard to setup in her camp. And as a second problem they married Kate and Ryan. As I’ve said before, people WANT their main characters to get together. While Kate and Ryan were just engaged or breaking up (whatever the week may be) there was hope for Baze. Now with the entrance of Baze’s new love interest (who is really not likable) our hopes fade even further. They are pushing the story to fast, not letting us get to know the characters. Helping us understand why they are who they are. All that said, I will be watching this show until the bitter end. Reports say that at the end of the second season they will find a way to satisfy the fans with some sort of an ending all the while hoping for a miracle renewal for a 3rd season.

The Changing of the Guard

In February of 2003 my husband came home with his birthday present and changed my life forever. Now if you know me and my husband it is glaringly obvious that this “present”, while in the disguise of his birthday present, was actually for me. Yep my husband is awesome like that. He came through the door with a brand new, sparkling, TiVo DVR. This was a revolution in the way you watched TV. Now, instead of rushing to put the kids to bed during commercials, I had all the time in the world. That pause button was like MAGIC!!! But WAIT you can set up season passes????? The TiVo magically recorded all my favorite shows for me to watch at my leisure. Could life get any better?

The TiVo and I bonded quickly. Very soon I had Brent up in the attic running a second cable so that my fancy new toy could record 2 shows at once!!!! Crazy talk!!!! And so went our lives. Every time we moved (and there were several over the next few years) the last thing to be unhooked was my TiVo. It was the very first thing to be plugged in at our new house and Brent would be back up in the attic running that second cable for my TiVo. My point in telling you all this (despite the fact that you will realize the level of my craziness) is so that you will understand how attached I am to my TiVo. This machine and I have been together for 7 ½ years. During the good times and the bad it was always there waiting for me. Holding all the things that made me happy and NEVER forgetting a single show. We were a team.

So, you can imagine my horror when I started noticing “glitches” during the play back of some of my shows. Being the tuff cookie that I am I did the only logical thing………..I pretended it was a fluke. Nope, it’s not happening. There was a storm the night that show recorded that’s what the problem was, it will go away……..it didn’t. The glitches started to get worse. Brent started to notice the glitches and started to talk foolishly about my TiVo being on its last leg. “It is just fine” I told him. My TiVo and I were going to grow old together. Brent quietly began researching new DVR’s when he thought I wasn’t looking, but I knew what he was up to. He was going to take my TiVo on a long walk and not come home with it. NOT on my watch buddy!

Then it happened, the glitches started to take over, even during live TV. They got so bad that I could no longer deny that my time with my TiVo was coming to an end. I mourned. It actually hurt my heart to think about being parted from this friend that had been with me for so many years. It had kept me company when my husband had worked 6 years of graveyards. It had given me peace after long nights of sick babies. It had never let me down. Forget that my TiVo could only hold 35 hours of recorded shows at a time and this new DVR would hold 100 without breaking a sweat. Forget that instead of just the Standard Definition that my TiVo was capable of this new DVR would show me things in HD. While the upgrades were intriguing, I was saying goodbye to a friend. I actually cried.

The time had come, the new DVR was delivered and it was time for the “Changing of the Guard”. Brent, being the sweet and caring man that he is, was patient with me. He talked gently about the things that needed to happen as not to startle me into a complete meltdown. He moved through the changes slowly helping me to adjust to the idea. When Brent unplugged my TiVo for the last time, he handed it to me and I sat on my bed with it wrapped in my arms and a lump in my throat. He plugged in the new DVR and handed me the remote. A new era was about to begin.

I have started the moving on process. It bugs me that I don’t have the buttons on this new remote memorized. It bugs me that the menus are different and I can’t move through them as fast as I would like. It bugs me that I have to enter every single one of my 53 season passes back into this new DVR, but we are getting through it. We are slowly starting to understand each other and I know that in time we will be great friends. My TiVo still sits next to my bed; I’m not quite ready to send it away for good yet. I’m sure it won’t be long before Brent comes through and cleans it right out of our house but for now we are saying a slow goodbye. I hope it knows how much I love it. I hope that it was happy spending all those years with me. I will never forget my first TiVo, the way it changed my life and the happiness it gave me. RIP TiVo, you will be missed.