All of the TV people on the net are reporting that the great, albeit ratings deficient, Friday Night Lights is coming back for a fourth and fifth season thanks to the NBC/DirecTV cost sharing agreement.
I'm extremely ecstatic to hear that such a great show has a chance to live on despite not getting the ratings that networks love to see. This news proves that sometimes substance means more than just the bottom line. Now, if Chuck gets a third season then I'll be a happy man.
Monday, March 30, 2009
My Local Motion
So, I'm finally back from my trip to Hawaii, and it was amazing. First off, I was in Hawaii so it doesn't get better than that, but it was also nice to be away from Portland for a little while. For those who are interested, here's an abbreviated version of my trip:
Monday, March 23
After a five hour flight to Maui, I was pretty spent so I had dinner with my mom and grandfather. We went to this place called Zippy's, which I guess is the Hawaiian version of Denny's, because my mom insisted that I get their ramen. It was good, way better than Top Ramen, that's for sure.
Tuesday, March 24
We took a little trip to Lahaina, Maui, which is a former whaling village that has become one of the top tourist spots on the island. Going to Lahaina is always fun because it's been able to remain quaint while being touristy at the same time. We were lucky because there weren't too many people in Lahaina, so it was pretty chill. We had lunch at Bubba Gump's (yes, it's a restaurant based on the movie), and it was good food albeit pretty commercial.
Wednesday, March 25
This time around we hit up Paia, Maui which is located up country on the Northshore of the island. I really dug Paia because it was nice, quaint, and had a chill atmosphere. We had lunch at a place called Milagro's which was some kind of Mexican-Hawaiian fusion type place. Pretty tasty stuff. After lunch we headed over to Hookipa Beach where all of the windsurfers play. There weren't many windsurfers, but plenty of regular surfers that day. I didn't try either, but it was nice being on the coast and seeing the ocean.
Thursday, March 26
We left Maui for a bit, and headed over to O'ahu to visit my uncle and aunt. I really love hanging out with those
two, and it's a shame that I don't get to see them that often. I was also able to see my cousin and her new baby, and he was adorable. Usually, I don't get gaa gaa over babies, but this kid won me over. My uncle also drove us around the University of Hawaii campus, the Chaminade University campus, and a local community college because part of my trip was to see if I'd like to live and work in Hawaii. Lunch was at some Chinese place, and the food was OK but not great, and later that night we watched a UH baseball game. The Rainbows lost, but the opposing pitcher did throw a no-hitter so that was exciting.
Friday, March 27
I spent most of the day on the UH campus to get a feel for the environment. It's a pretty decent campus from the looks of it. It's not the most amazing campus I've ever been on, but it's far from the worst. Plus, I had to but some UH gear for the trip home. After walking around UH for a while, my cousin picked me up and we went to this nice Japanese restaurant to meet up with the rest of the family. Before I knew it, my mom and I were on a plane back to Maui.
Saturday, March 28
This was a busy day because we had a memorial service for my grandmother, who passed away four years ago. We went to evening mass with some close relatives before meeting up with others at this local hotel for dinner. It was nice seeing some of my extended family, even though I didn't quite know everyone there.
Sunday, March 29
Headed back to Portland :(
Overall, it was a great trip. I had a blast hanging out with my mom and grandpa, and seeing my uncle and aunt is always a plus. I also realized that being in Hawaii feels like home. I could definitely see myself living there in the future.
Monday, March 23
After a five hour flight to Maui, I was pretty spent so I had dinner with my mom and grandfather. We went to this place called Zippy's, which I guess is the Hawaiian version of Denny's, because my mom insisted that I get their ramen. It was good, way better than Top Ramen, that's for sure.
Tuesday, March 24
We took a little trip to Lahaina, Maui, which is a former whaling village that has become one of the top tourist spots on the island. Going to Lahaina is always fun because it's been able to remain quaint while being touristy at the same time. We were lucky because there weren't too many people in Lahaina, so it was pretty chill. We had lunch at Bubba Gump's (yes, it's a restaurant based on the movie), and it was good food albeit pretty commercial.
Wednesday, March 25
This time around we hit up Paia, Maui which is located up country on the Northshore of the island. I really dug Paia because it was nice, quaint, and had a chill atmosphere. We had lunch at a place called Milagro's which was some kind of Mexican-Hawaiian fusion type place. Pretty tasty stuff. After lunch we headed over to Hookipa Beach where all of the windsurfers play. There weren't many windsurfers, but plenty of regular surfers that day. I didn't try either, but it was nice being on the coast and seeing the ocean.
Thursday, March 26
We left Maui for a bit, and headed over to O'ahu to visit my uncle and aunt. I really love hanging out with those
two, and it's a shame that I don't get to see them that often. I was also able to see my cousin and her new baby, and he was adorable. Usually, I don't get gaa gaa over babies, but this kid won me over. My uncle also drove us around the University of Hawaii campus, the Chaminade University campus, and a local community college because part of my trip was to see if I'd like to live and work in Hawaii. Lunch was at some Chinese place, and the food was OK but not great, and later that night we watched a UH baseball game. The Rainbows lost, but the opposing pitcher did throw a no-hitter so that was exciting.Friday, March 27
I spent most of the day on the UH campus to get a feel for the environment. It's a pretty decent campus from the looks of it. It's not the most amazing campus I've ever been on, but it's far from the worst. Plus, I had to but some UH gear for the trip home. After walking around UH for a while, my cousin picked me up and we went to this nice Japanese restaurant to meet up with the rest of the family. Before I knew it, my mom and I were on a plane back to Maui.
Saturday, March 28
This was a busy day because we had a memorial service for my grandmother, who passed away four years ago. We went to evening mass with some close relatives before meeting up with others at this local hotel for dinner. It was nice seeing some of my extended family, even though I didn't quite know everyone there.
Sunday, March 29
Headed back to Portland :(
Overall, it was a great trip. I had a blast hanging out with my mom and grandpa, and seeing my uncle and aunt is always a plus. I also realized that being in Hawaii feels like home. I could definitely see myself living there in the future.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
My Spring Break
One of the few upsides to being in grad school is I still get a Spring Break, so I'll be on a plane to Hawaii in less than 24 hours! It's been a while since I've been back to Hawaii, and I'm really excited. It'll be nice to see some family, relax on the beach, and not have to worry about stupid school stuff for a whole week. I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts...
Thursday, March 19, 2009
My Home Sweet Home
Wednesday is becoming my second busiest TV night thanks to Scrubs, Better off Ted, and one of my new favorite shows, Man v. Food. Tonight, I caught up on MvF by watching the Austin episode, and I was homesick while watching Adam Richman chow down on amazing BBQ. Man, I really miss good BBQ.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
My Vikings
Woody Paige picked my Portland State Vikings to upset Xavier in the NCAA Tournament. It's cool that the Viks got a shout out on national TV.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
My Movie Marathon
So, my weekend's pretty free aside from some research that I have to do for my final paper (which I'll probably put off despite telling myself not to), and I've decided to have a male-angst movie marathon.
Now, there are tons of things that men have to be uneasy about, but one takes the cake...the ladies. So, for my marathon I've picked a few movies that depict how crazy guys can get over a woman, and they cover multiple life stages:
Pre-teen/Teen: Little Manhattan
Early 20s: I'm Reed Fish
Mid/Late 20s: Garden State
Early 30s: The Last Kiss
Mid 30s: Numb
Late 30s: Stranger than Fiction
Early 40s: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
I'm in for one heck of a weekend.
Now, there are tons of things that men have to be uneasy about, but one takes the cake...the ladies. So, for my marathon I've picked a few movies that depict how crazy guys can get over a woman, and they cover multiple life stages:
Pre-teen/Teen: Little Manhattan
Early 20s: I'm Reed Fish
Mid/Late 20s: Garden State
Early 30s: The Last Kiss
Mid 30s: Numb
Late 30s: Stranger than Fiction
Early 40s: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
I'm in for one heck of a weekend.
My Second (or Third or Fourth) Thoughts
I stumbled across a pretty sweet job opening down in San Diego. I might have to re-think this whole "only Portland or Texas" stance.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
My Purple Giraffe
Today, I was killing time until class, so I started watching Season 1 of How I Met Your Mother on my iPhone, and it was a reminder how great that show was. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
My Two-Cents on Becks
I've always had this odd fascination with soccer, and I've been a quiet supporter of Major League Soccer since its inception, so I was pumped when David Beckham joined the L.A. Galaxy a few years back.
For those out of the loop, Becks was loaned out to AC Milan so he can be eligible to play for England in the 2010 World Cup, but sports writers and fans knew that he'd want to stay in Italy for good, and they were right.
After some drama, it was decided that Beckham will play out the rest of the season in Italy before heading back to the States to play for LA. There are going to be critics who slam Beckham for doing this and claim that his time in America was a failure, but I don't think they really understand the importance of playing soccer in Europe. ESPN gave Becks the chance to state his case:
Now, whether or not Beckham's time in the US was a failure cannot be determined just yet. People come out to see him play, and he created some buzz by coming over, so while he didn't make the biggest impact in the world, he did make a splash. I'm glad he'll be coming back for a bit, and if he decides to play the rest of his career in Europe, I'm not going to hold it against him because I enjoyed watching him in the MLS.
For those out of the loop, Becks was loaned out to AC Milan so he can be eligible to play for England in the 2010 World Cup, but sports writers and fans knew that he'd want to stay in Italy for good, and they were right.
After some drama, it was decided that Beckham will play out the rest of the season in Italy before heading back to the States to play for LA. There are going to be critics who slam Beckham for doing this and claim that his time in America was a failure, but I don't think they really understand the importance of playing soccer in Europe. ESPN gave Becks the chance to state his case:
Now, whether or not Beckham's time in the US was a failure cannot be determined just yet. People come out to see him play, and he created some buzz by coming over, so while he didn't make the biggest impact in the world, he did make a splash. I'm glad he'll be coming back for a bit, and if he decides to play the rest of his career in Europe, I'm not going to hold it against him because I enjoyed watching him in the MLS.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
My Must-See Vampire Flick - Part 2
For my birthday, I watched Let the Right One In for the second time with a friend, and I'm still convinced that this movie was the best vampire film (if not one of the best overall films) of 2008. I posted my initial review a few months back, but I just wanted to show it some more love.
P.S. - It's coming out on DVD this Tuesday, so everyone had better put it in your Netflix queue!
P.S. - It's coming out on DVD this Tuesday, so everyone had better put it in your Netflix queue!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
My Birthday
I can't believe that I'm 28. What's even crazier to think about is the fact that this year is my 10 year high school reunion. Man, I'm getting old...
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
My Half-Blood Prince
I don't want to sound like all of those other fanboys, but I'm getting excited for the new HP movie.
My Handy Man
For those who doubt Nathan Fillion's brilliance, just check out this clip:
Only a great actor can pull something like that off.
Only a great actor can pull something like that off.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
My Castle
Castle is a new crime dramedy from ABC, so more than likely it will be canceled before it gets its fair shot.
I'm actually really excited for this show because it looks like it's something new and fresh from ABC (but then again, so was Pushing Daisies and Eli Stone).
Plus, Castle has Nathan Fillion, and I'll watch whatever he does. The show also looks like it has some good, believable chemistry between the leads, and while it may not be as good as Malcolm and Inara, it's way better than that manufactured crap on The Bachelor.
I'm hoping Castle finds its audience and does well because I want Fillion to be on a show that lasts more than 14 episodes (but this show's not on FOX, so that might be a good sign).
I'm actually really excited for this show because it looks like it's something new and fresh from ABC (but then again, so was Pushing Daisies and Eli Stone).
Plus, Castle has Nathan Fillion, and I'll watch whatever he does. The show also looks like it has some good, believable chemistry between the leads, and while it may not be as good as Malcolm and Inara, it's way better than that manufactured crap on The Bachelor.
I'm hoping Castle finds its audience and does well because I want Fillion to be on a show that lasts more than 14 episodes (but this show's not on FOX, so that might be a good sign).
My Condemned 'House'
House has been one of the few shows that I started watching from day one, but I officially removed this once great show from my TV viewing schedule.
One of the biggest reasons I stopped watching House was because it moved to Monday nights, essentially putting it up against Chuck and How I Met Your Mother, and since my DVR can only record two shows at a time, House lost out.
Scheduling conflicts weren't the only reasons I stopped watching, there were many, and I stumbled across a blog that summed up my feelings about the Hugh Laurie vehicle.
At this point, I don't know if I can make my way back, but I do miss the cantankerous House every once in a while.
One of the biggest reasons I stopped watching House was because it moved to Monday nights, essentially putting it up against Chuck and How I Met Your Mother, and since my DVR can only record two shows at a time, House lost out.
Scheduling conflicts weren't the only reasons I stopped watching, there were many, and I stumbled across a blog that summed up my feelings about the Hugh Laurie vehicle.
At this point, I don't know if I can make my way back, but I do miss the cantankerous House every once in a while.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
My Blues & Grays
So, Texans might be overweight, but at least they're happy...unlike Portlanders and Seattleites. Hmm, I wonder if there's a connection? I'd be unhappy too if I had to eat granola and rabbit food while being rained on day after day ;)
In all seriousness, I don't take the findings of this report to heart because any study can skew its data to say whatever it wants. Portland's not that bad of a place to live, but I could do with some better food and more sun.
In all seriousness, I don't take the findings of this report to heart because any study can skew its data to say whatever it wants. Portland's not that bad of a place to live, but I could do with some better food and more sun.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
My Spulazers
I'm spending my Sunday evening watching the Blazers-Spurs game on TV. I could have been at the game live, but all of the people I wanted to go with were not available. Sure, I could've found someone else, but I really didn't want to go with just anyone. Ah well.
Really, I'm not upset that I'm not at the game mostly because both teams are not at 100%. Greg Oden (Portland) is out with a knee injury, while Manu Ginobli (San Antonio) is injured as well. I wasn't expecting Tim Duncan (San Antonio) to be playing, but apparently he is. It would have been fun to watch Tony Parker (San Antonio) take on Brandon Roy and Rudy Fernandez, but I'm sure I'll have the chance to see these two teams face off some time in the future.
Plus, the Spurs are playing kind of sloppy, so it might not have been the best game to watch this season, but it's obvious that this rivalry is the changing of the guard because the younger Blazers are giving the veteran Spurs fits. I'll be happy regardless of which team wins, but I'd be slightly happier if the Spurs end up with the W.
Really, I'm not upset that I'm not at the game mostly because both teams are not at 100%. Greg Oden (Portland) is out with a knee injury, while Manu Ginobli (San Antonio) is injured as well. I wasn't expecting Tim Duncan (San Antonio) to be playing, but apparently he is. It would have been fun to watch Tony Parker (San Antonio) take on Brandon Roy and Rudy Fernandez, but I'm sure I'll have the chance to see these two teams face off some time in the future.
Plus, the Spurs are playing kind of sloppy, so it might not have been the best game to watch this season, but it's obvious that this rivalry is the changing of the guard because the younger Blazers are giving the veteran Spurs fits. I'll be happy regardless of which team wins, but I'd be slightly happier if the Spurs end up with the W.
My Waste of Time
I've been sitting on my computer for a few hours now, and I should be doing productive things like working on my paper that's due next week, or e-filing my taxes, or applying to jobs, but that would make way too much sense, so I've been finding people to follow on Twitter (which is worse than Facebook stalking because it's like you're in their head). Maybe I'll start on something that will actually benefit my life...maybe not.
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