Why I love Parades...

Originally uploaded by Orange Cremecicle

This is from the 2007 Rose Bowl Parade. I wish I was there.

B.

For my next birthday: lego cupcakes!

lego cupcakes!
Originally uploaded by hello naomi

I found these on Flickr.

Mmmm... Plastic bricky goodness.

First Post in a While!

Wow, what a busy spring we're having! In the last few weeks, we've registered TWO girls for soccer and TWO girls have started swimming lessons. "Action Girl" (now 7.5 years) is enrolled in "Swim Kids 1" and "Super Girl" (age 4.5 years) is now a "Salamander." When you're 4 and a half, you do well to leave the side of the toddler pool, I realize.

The new car is a lot of fun. Its no Hummer or G-Wagon, but it works well for us and we're enjoying having something that isn't 10 years old. That said, we've kept our other ten year old car and have a little bit of a dilemma with it- the catalytic converter is shot and needs to be replaced. Unfortunately the eco-friendly solution (replacing it) will be about $1000 and the not-so-eco-friendly solution will be about $800-900 less. Hmmm....

On the first of this month I returned to my previous job after about 15 moths away. It wasn't my first choice, but its a job I really like with co-workers I like even more than the job.

B.

Two More BSG Stories

"Galactica": Not To Be Pigeonholed
If You Think This Sci-Fi Series Is Just For Fanboys, You're Missing A Phenomenal, Existential Epic... (from CBS.com)

Exclusive: Caprica casting info revealed (fromTV Squad)
(Information on the BSG sequel/prequel)

TV's Best Show?

The end of M.A.S.H., the premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the last episode of Lost’s First Season, and tonight; these are some of my favourite moment in television history. What’s the deal with tonight? The fourth and final season of the best-written science fiction on television premieres.

I could tell you that Battlestar Galactica (in its 2004-now version) is the best most “realistic” and dramatic sci-fi ever on TV, or that it’s the show that’s best portrayed the effect of mass trauma on a society (boring and social-worky, yes I know...) Instead I want to tell you two things:

1) Battlestar Galactica is a gritty, realistic drama that works on themes of family, survival, and equal measures of fear and hope. Few other shows (with or without killer robots) have managed such dramatic excellence.

2) Whether it was entirely intentional or not, BSG has managed to be the only television show that has addressed the way the world (and especially the US) has changed since September 11, 2001. It works like this: The Cylon attack that wipes out humanity’s home worlds is a society-changing event. On personal and societal levels, part of the show is always about defending humanity militarily while trying to preserve its freedoms and laws. Sound familiar? If this sounds cold and academic, somehow its not! Individual decisions are made about what can be acceptable in a society under threat. Torture, genocide, suicide bombing, its in there... At the same time, family, relationships, and hope become more precious than ever.

The show has a minimalist realism that makes it utterly watachable. Clothes look like our clothes, a chair is a chair, and guns fire bullets, not killer lazers. There are no aliens. Let me say that again, there are NO aliens. The main difference between their society and ours is that they are space-faring. People have real problems and very few things work out perfectly in the end. People fall in love and people die. People sacrifice everything for each other and people cheat, lie, and stab each other in the back. People are people.

The single biggest strength of the show is that its story-telling is not exclusively episodic. The whole series exists (we hope) within a large story arc and every episode advances the story. This can make it harder (but far from impossible) to get into the series but if you’re along for the ride, what a ride it is! It works very well on DVD.

Battlestar Galactica airs tonight on Space: the Imagination Station. Try it, its good for you.

B.

(From MSN.ca) 'Battlestar Galactica': Why It Might Save Your Marriage

A married couple discusses this sci-fi series' cross-gender appeal
By Adam Berliant and Martha Brockenbrough
Special to MSN

TVRemote-control couch fights are an ugly thing. Worse is the sad spectacle of his-and-hers TV sets positioned on opposite sides of the house to prevent the hideous cacophony of his televised explosions mixing with her weeping-orphan monologues.
There is hope, though, for the modern couple torn apart by differing tastes in TV. And, thank the gods, there's no reality TV involved. We're talking about "Battlestar Galactica" — the show that just might save your marriage. It's the Reese's peanut butter cup of programming, mixing his peanut butter in with her chocolate for a delicious blend of sex, cyborgs and good old-fashioned space opera. ..

[Read the rest of the artcle here.]

(From Salon.com) Everything you were afraid to ask about "Battlestar Galactica"

Everything you were afraid to ask about "Battlestar Galactica"
A complete primer on the smartest sci-fi TV show ... maybe ever.
By Thomas Rogers

Sci Fi Channel / Art Streiber

April 2, 2008 When the "Battlestar Galactica" miniseries premiered in 2003, viewers could be forgiven for having low expectations. At the time, the Sci Fi Channel, on which "Battlestar" aired, was a niche cable channel known mostly for "Stargate SG-1" and "Star Trek" reruns, and the show's source material, a cheesy '70s flop for ABC, wasn't exactly "The Sopranos." The series' premise, furthermore, involved enough clichéd science fiction elements -- an evil race of robots, a hotshot fighter pilot and characters with names like "Apollo" -- to make the show's fans wince when explaining it to their friends.
Three seasons later, "Battlestar Galactica" has become one of TV's smartest series. It has won a Peabody Award, made the Sci Fi Channel a semireputable cable outlet and revolutionized science fiction on television. It has proved that the genre, when liberated from the body-hugging Lycra jumpsuits and staid dialogue that have plagued most post-"Trek" science fiction series, can be a vehicle for both scathing political commentary and genuine pathos. The network recently greenlighted a prequel spinoff series called "Caprica," and on Friday, April 4, "Battlestar" returns to Sci Fi after a yearlong hiatus for its fourth and final season...

2009 Corolla 1

2009 Corolla 1
Originally uploaded by Binky's Photos

Okay, here is our actual new car- a black 2009 Toyota Corolla with LE trim.

Yaaaaay.

"A new car every ten year whether we need it or not..."

The "More to Follow" Update

A very good point was made by an old friend and loyal reader not to leave you folks hanging, so:

1) The thing about the cat: Super Girl (age 4) does not want to get a cat. She's talking about how our last cat used to scratch her and how scared she is that the new one might come into her room at night. Gently, she doesn't want to seem to budge.

2) We should get our new car Thursday or Friday. Yaaaay!

B.

March Break TO DO List:
[X] Take girls to regional indoor amusement park
[X] Get new car
[ ] Get new cat (May be canceled... More to follow)
[X] Rip up carpet in basement
[X] Interesting visits from fabulous people
[ ] Add to list

2009 Corolla... Ours!

Here is our new car! (Note- not actually our new car, just one we test drove and the same colour as the one we will own in a couple of days).

March 25th Update:
Okay, maybe black, not dark grey like the one pictured here. More to follow....

Interesting Blog for the Visual Learner in All of Us

Life, explained through index card-sized diagrams:

I N D E X E D

Thanks to CCC for the tip.

B.

Helicopters with Floats and Orange Blankets Mar 5-08

Helicopters with Floats and Orange Blankets Mar 5-08
Originally uploaded by Binky's Photos

The seal hunt is here, er... there and the helicopters are here.

B.

Lost: March 6, 2008: "The Other Woman"

Once again, have fallen asleep and missed Lost. Am trying to watch this ep. to comment on it.

More to follow,

B.

LOST: "The Constant" Feb 28-08 Part II

Last night, we had a chance to watch a copy of the "The Constant." As someone had suggested me to on Facebook, I think this was one of, if not "the", best episode so far this year. Desmond's tightly written back-story was coupled with the urgency of his time hopping made for an exciting ride for which I was glad to be on the bus. In fairness, the taped copy someone had lent me had no commercials and this added to the experience.

I've been hoping for some Desmond back-story for a while. When did they shoot it to get him with short hair. Realistically, they must have filmed it some time ago/at the same time as his original shooting. This fills me with some confidence as its the best evidence I've seen in a while that the writers have a plan (and that its a good plan).

I would love to "read" the Black Rock ship's log. That would be a back-story episode I could stay awake to watch.

A Couple of nit-picky points: Desmond's squad leader orders the squad to make a "right face." This is solely an American term, not a British (or Canadian) term. Also, Penny Whitmore has wedding and engagement rings on her right hand when she's talking to Desmond on the phone. By the way, how exactly do telephone calls to mysterious islands (which may or may not be Purgatory) work? Do they have their own area code? Or, is it a party line? How is it that Penny keeps "calling" the ship when she's trying to get the Island?

Does anyone else think that Charles Whitmore was a little scared of Desmond? There was something a little off in their interactions...

I'd like to see some more Desmond back-story. In fact I'd love to see what he gets charged for- now that we know that he's in the Army in 1996, too late for the first Iraqi War and probably too early for the second. This means no Sayid/Desmond in Iraq connection. Oh well...

B.

LOST: "The Constant" Feb 28-08

Greetings,
After a great deal of refection and consideration I have come to the conclusion that if I fall asleep 30 minutes before the episode actually starts, its probably not fair to write a great deal about it.

Hmmmm....

B.

MENSA Picks the Top 10 Show of ALL Time

(Click here for article.)

So what are the ten smartest television shows of all time? MENSA thinks it knows. Then again what doesn't MENSA know?

1. M*A*S*H
2. Cosmos
3. CSI
4. House
5. The West Wing
6. Boston Legal
7. All in the Family
8. Frasier
9. Mad About You
10. Jeopardy!

What shows would you add to this list?

B.

Lost Episode 4.3: "The Econmoist"

So... In our area, ASN airs the previous weeks' episode at 9PM and the new episode airs at 10PM on CTV. What's more, the 9PM episode has the captioning, a la Pop Up Video. Neat...

Mr. H. was right. Sayid is the fourth member of the Oceanic 6. Well done.

The Holy Grail of Kitch: So Wrong, So Very Wrong

Some people refuse to believe that the Start Wars Holiday Special of 1978 ever existed. With Youtube's help I now set the record staright. I was going to save this until next Christmas but I can't resist posting it now. So wrong, so wrong. I will have nightmares...

The Return of Jericho: The Walls Go Tumblin' Up

Tonight one of the most interesting dramas on TV returns, after an extended break between its first and second seasons. Jericho follows a small mid-western town in the months after the majority of America's cities are destroyed by nuclear weapons. I tend to be a nuclear apocalypse junkie (something that could bother me if I thought about it), but Jericho stands on its own as a drama.

Basically, the strengths of the story deal with the complexity of relationships between family members and neighbours in the wake of the worst day of their lives. They re-build, care for each other, fight when needed, and move on/survive. The show was originally canceled last year but is back for seven episodes after an unprecedented number of complaints and lobbying by viewers.

Its on CBS at 11 Atlantic tonight and on Space some time this weekend. Its worth your time. You can also watch the first 5 minutes of the episode on CBS' website.

B.