Hello World

Well, Lost happened!

Thu, 14 May 2009 04:11:11 GMT

Okay, I wrote some disjointed stuff about tonight's season-ending episode of Lost.

So. It wasn't Locke at all. It was some dude whom we hadn't heard of until this very episode, who for some reason couldn't kill Jacob (whom, in a sense, we also hadn't encountered until this very episode) until he found a "loophole". And the loophole appeared to involve embedding his consciousness in a John Locke doppelganger so he could convince Ben (who used to at least seem like an assertive dude, but who now appears to be the pawniest) to stab him a few times.

Also, Jacob (who has a very nice name) made special visits to a bunch of people, wherein he gave them stuff (Kate, Sawyer, Jack, Hurley), said nice things to them (Sun, Jin), revived them (John), killed their fiancee (Sayid, but I thought she had died from beingg shot?) and, uh, actually now that I think about it was he even in Juliet's flashback scene? Am I forgetting anybody? At any rate, when he's not off island being creepy, Jacob lives under a statue's foot and weaves tapestries. Which is kind of fatey. Am I right?

Oh right, and Jack + Juliet managed to set off the bomb, I think. And we have no idea what the consequences of that will be.

My theory? Next season will start with the Oceanic 815 crash again, but this time there will be no magical nonsense. Jacob/the Island will both be dead/incapacitated. The original crew will be back together, and need to get home the old fashioned way (survive in the jungle long enough to build a boat to get off the island). I'm not sure whether they will remember their experiences. I'm also not sure whether Paulo and that woman will be there again. But I suspect we will see Boone and his hot sister again!

Either that or the final season will be an epic showdown between Jack and SuperLocke, with the fate of the Island, and the world, in the balance. Okay, probably that second one.

Lots of loose threads, of course. Whither Sayid, Juliet, Dr. Pierre Chang, Desmond, Vincent, and Charlie (or Charles)? What's Claire been up to? Will everybody start next season back in the present? Have we seen the last of Walt? For that matter, when will we find out what Hurley has been carrying around in that guitar case all year? And, for heaven's sake, when will we get RICHARD's flashback episode? Seriously, what is up with that guy?

This was a great season finale, because a lot of stuff actually happened, but nothing was resolved. In fact, as you might expect (and as I demonstrated above), we come out of it with more questions than we started with.

Let the anguish over the wait til 2010 begin.

So what did you guys think?

If there's one thing that could get me to post again, it'd have to be...

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 03:46:55 GMT

Lost spoilers...

Okay then! First of all, Faraday's mother is a total seaward. I mean, wow, that's just cold.

Second of all, baby-Charlotte looked a lot like her, and kind of sounded like her, too. What is that accent, exactly, and do you think they cast for a redhead and tried to teach her the accent? Because it wasn't totally spot-on. But whatever, any episode that Charlotte is in gets an A+ from me!

Third of all, is there any chance that this season won't end with the bomb plan not happening, and the hatch ending up getting put in place just like how we remembered it, but with some minor change in the timeline to demonstrate to everybody that it is possible to change things? And then all next season will be about trying to fix some big thing from the past--maybe the BLACK ROCK's arrival (with Richard in the crew)?

Fourth of all, Daniel's dead now, right? It's not going to be one of those stupid things where the Island heals him and he's like, "mom, I can't believe you shot me!" and she's like "it was destiny... but it's cool, because I knew you would survive!" and he's like "that's still pretty messed up, MOTHER", is it? Because man, I don't want to have to sit through that gibberish.

Fifth of all, Miles is going to save Sawyer and Juliet and Hurley, right? And they'll meet Jack and Kate by the beach, and eat Dharma peanut butter out of cans?

Finally, I have enjoyed this season quite a bit and am excited about how it's going to end.

So those are my rambling, disconnected thoughts on tonight's episode. What did you guys think?

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:40:43 GMT

Oh man you guys, what the F happened on Lost last night? I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT.

Now that's a good episode of Lost.

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 04:23:35 GMT

WOW STUFF ACTUALLY HAPPENED THIS WEEK. And Sawyer did something other than pine over Kate for a while, which was refreshing. Though it looks like we shouldn't get used to it. But at least now it's going to be a completely ridiculous love-quadrangle--does Kate love Jack or Sawyer? Does Sawyer love Kate or Juliet? Does Jack love Kate or the sound of his own voice? Can Juliet ever make a face that doesn't look so weird?

Nice that they have retconned things so that the actor who plays Jin can almost use his normal accent. Good to see Goodspeed (without a time-sickness nosebleed). That powder-blue Jeep looked super-awesome.

Toddling moppet Charlotte is no substitute for haughty, exotic, graduate-degree-holding adult Charlotte, though. And I don't look forward to the endless "can we escape the inevitable future" crap about whether Daniel can prevent Charlotte's untimely time-death.

But hey, a bunch of cool stuff happened (WHO IS GOODSPEED'S SON???) and, most importantly, the four-toed statue made a cameo!

What did you guys think?

Lost!

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 05:34:17 GMT

Lost!

Locke is so easily manipulated. Widmore had 5 minutes with him and Locke's on board for whatever. Then Ben has 5 minutes with him and he's ready to do whatever Ben wants. Um, and then Ben kills him a little bit. Which was, in my opinion, very predictable, once Ben talked him down.

Anyway, what did we learn tonight? Walt has Dreams. Abaddon was cool as hell (til he died). Locke, dead or alive, is an idiot. Jack's beard is a reverse-Samson situation--whenever he has it, he's craaaaaaaaaaazy. And Ben is a total dickhead.

I dunno. Some of it was cool, but really this episode told us nothing until the last scene, where we learned that... um, we didn't learn anything there, either.

Between Top Chef and Lost, tonight was pretty undramatic and disappointing. Ah well, it beats having a social life or a productive hobby, I guess.

I didn't watch the scenes from next week (I like to be surprised), so don't tell me about that, but this post is open for other comments about Lost, Top Chef, or whatever.

What is new with me?

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 15:17:28 GMT

It's been a while, friends. I've been around, reading the internet, but I think my muse must have been doing Pilates or something for the last month or two.

So what have I been up to? Nothing really. Working a lot, watching a lot of Battlestar Galactica, running a pathetically-small amount three times a week, and socializing occasionally. But I know you've come to depend on me for inane and shallow opinions about Top Chef and Lost, so here we go.

Top Chef:

Sad to see Fabio go, but he's clearly going to be fine. He'll shamelessly market himself based on his heartwarming run here (I hear he's already got a tv show in the works). So don't worry about him. Now let's discuss the contestants still in play.

Carla. Wow. The producers did a good job of portraying her as a lightweight (a quirky caterer with crazy eyes) early on, but it's clear that Carla is actually a very good chef. I still don't see her winning it all, but I've been wrong about her before and nothing would surprise me at this point.

Hosea, meanwhile, has had the opposite journey. He started out looking like a serious contender, but up until last week he'd been on a streak of mediocrity that made him look pretty bad (more creative editing, perhaps). Considering how poorly he's done on most seafood challenges (all while he's a chef at a seafood restaurant), he hasn't comported himself too well. But he has made it to the finals, so I guess you can't completely count him out. (Sidenote: the way he and Leah acted was sooooo annoying. You're adults, stop acting like middle schoolers. You both have people at home who are going to see this--be responsible and cheat on them after the cameras are off.)

Obviously I've got my money on Stefan. He is an arrogant foreigner, that's true, but arrogance doesn't matter as long as you put out great food. He hasn't looked too great for the last couple of weeks, but I think that's as much about how he's been edited as about what he's actually done. For example, you think he was the only chef to take a smoke break last week? I don't. I suspect it's a combination of Stefan dialing it down a bit, just trying to get by without taking any risks, and a need for Bravo to create drama (and judging by the promos for the finals next week, they aren't planning on abandoning that strategy anytime soon). But when it comes down to it, he's been the best chef in just about every challenge, and I think he'll rise to the occasion next week.

Predicted finish:
1. Stefan
2. Carla
3. Hosea

On to Lost:

I'm not sure what to say. I haven't written anything about it all season, I don't think, so way too much has happened to sum up here. Basically, though, I think this season has been really, really strong. It hasn't always made much sense (why do they have to reenact the flight that got them there in the first place, other than that the weird British lady said so? And why is it good enough to kind of reenact it, but not exactly?) but it has been riveting television. What I really like is that they have clearly decided to reward people who have been obsessively watching from the beginning--at this point, they're not picking up new viewers, so they can stuff the last two seasons with callbacks to characters and events only Lostpedia regulars will remember.

Speaking of which (and not at all germane to this season's episodes), I just want to say that I don't think the show will ever be more of a revelation than it was at the end of Season 4, when we learned that those crazy bear cages (the setting for a number of truly boring episodes) were actually used to train polar bears to turn the wheel and move the Island. That was so awesome (and so understated--nobody on the show even hinted at it). Still, without approaching that particular moment, this season has been pretty great.

Watching each week's new episode has been really enjoyable, is what I'm saying (although I mourn the tragic loss of Charlotte, who was the smokin'est cultural anthropologist to ever suffer from Time Sickness). I'm excited to find out more about what the hell this show is about (although I also kind of dread the numerous reveals of who is related to whom, which appears likely to be a dominant theme going forward).

And this may be kind of dumb, but I am REALLY looking forward to buying the box set once it's complete, and watching the entire thing all over again.

Predictions:
1. We'll be seeing Charlie again (Charlie Pace, I mean--although I suspect we'll be seeing more of the other Charlies as well)
2. Ben did not kill Penny last week. He tried to, but she and/or Desmond fought him off. Now Desmond knows that Penny won't be safe until Ben is dead, so he's gonna sail back to the Island to fight it out. They'll both die.
3. Kate is totally preggers. Sawyer is going to be super pissed when he finds out.
4. Dead or alive, Locke will continue to be an overconfident moron whose legs keep getting hurt. Seriously, I'm getting sick of watching everybody manipulate this guy--and I wish he would just stay in that coffin.
5. Charlotte will come back to life and time-jump to my apartment and marry me. I'll let her have cake before dinner if she wants.

I guess those predictions are probably all wrong, but I'm looking forward to finding out.

It's time.

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 03:27:31 GMT

Time, that is, to change every single password I use. I've been stuck on some variant of the same one since... holy crap. 1996 or so. I have changed it to some degree over that time but it's basically still the same. Well it's time for me to move onto a password that I have never typed into Pine or ICQ.

My plan is to adopt some kind of simple (yet robust) system so that every website has its own unique password, based on some universal root. I'm pretty sure I've read about such frameworks, but a rudimentary websearch isn't coming up with anything. Do any of the nerds out there have a tip?

As for the basic root... I'm going to make sure to stay away from any of the top 500 worst passwords. I'm thinking about my general interests for the starting point. How about "t0Pch3f_harold4pres"? Or "encin0mannum1fan"? Okay, last possibility: "mac&cheese4breakfast".

Am eager for suggestions from the peanut gallery.

Stopping by on my way to festivity-fest '08.

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 23:36:22 GMT

2008 was pretty eventful. I'm rooting for 2009 to be even eventfuller. In a good way.

Merry New Year, everybody!

life update

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 19:00:36 GMT

I have been working a lot. That looks to be the situation for the foreseeable future. It is good (I probably won't get fired!) and bad (I'm at work all the time!). After a couple more hours of working I think I may have the rest of the weekend off. That would be quite nice.

Lost is back on tv next month. Top Chef has been good lately. I want to see Schenecdoche, NY, and some other movies. I think Valkyrie ("WE HAVE TO KILL HITLER") looks horrible. I'm almost done watching The Wire, sadly. It is in fact a great show and if you haven't seen it you should see it.

That is what is up.

Update: I spoke too soon. Working all day tomorrow.

Frustrations

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 17:56:39 GMT

1.
Why do cheap optical mice have a weird thing where the cursor starts moving of its own accord, when the mouse is just sitting there doing nothing? I've also noticed this with those little navigation nubs some laptops have. Anyway, it makes me angry.

2.
Speaking of laptops, check out this problem: every time I reboot my laptop, it seems to have cleared all of the firefox cookies. I have to log back in to every site I use, even those I have set to just stay logged in (including, but not limited to livejournal). So every time I log into my bank account, I have to jump through the extra hoops they set up for computers they don't recognize.

I've checked the usual suspects (i.e., Firefox isn't set to clear its cache or cookies every time I run it, or anything--it accepts all cookies, including 3rd-party cookies, and keeps them til they expire) but no go.

For what it's worth, I am running Vista. Thoughts, nerds?

3.
Yesterday, "Black Friday", I went to both the Apple store and the Verizon Wireless store. The Apple store was very busy, but we knew what we wanted to buy and were out of there in about 15 minutes. The Verizon Wireless store was half-empty, but although we also knew what we wanted to buy there it took an hour and a half to get it.

What's up with that?

Oh. I'm thankful for the many blessings that have been bestowed upon me in this special season.

life update

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 02:05:50 GMT

Somehow I managed to pass. I'm a lawyer. Soon, I will be a lawyer who has had a bunch of drinks.

Highly recommended.

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 03:47:20 GMT

I walked the streets with thousands of ecstatic citizens last night. If you ever get a chance to do that, I suggest you go for it.

So yeah. It actually happened. Now we can start working on convincing California to treat everyone (not just chickens) with respect and dignity.

A smattering of content.

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 12:19:46 GMT

Name an album that blew your mind the instant you started to listen to it.

I'll start: "Tha Carter III" by Lil Wayne, who is a tiny genius. "3 Peat" was the first Lil Wayne song I ever listened to (how I got that far in my life without hearing anything of his I do not know). I even discovered the album late--I had heard about it all last spring, but didn't buy it until mid-summer. That track was put first on the album because it is such a revelation--a slow-developing mad genius announcing his arrival on the world stage. It's everything about Lil Wayne--his weird voice and delivery, his obsession with sex, his "I almost died" story, his giddy joy of language, and his over-the-top caricature of hip-hop swagger--concentrated into just a few great minutes.

There are a bunch of excellent songs on the album--"Got Money", "Mr. Carter", "Playin With Fire", "Let the Beat Build", and "I'm Me" are my other faves--but "3 Peat" is a tour de force. The first 12 minutes (the first 4 tracks) of "Tha Carter III" are basically irresistable. If that had been the only thing Lil Wayne ever did, it would have been enough.* And that's why this album completely rules.

Other nominations:
Flaming Lips: "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" ("Fight Test" is a goddamn awesome song, and the next two tracks are pretty good too.)
Daft Punk: "Discovery" (after "One More Time", "Aerodynamic", "Digital Love" you're like, who are these guys? I'm enjoying this! And then BAM--"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" kicks in and your brain melts into a shallow pool of awesome.)
Old 97's: "Satellite Rides" (From the first song to the last, "Satellite Rides" is basically the best album anyone has ever made. If you haven't heard it, I want to punch you in the face. GO GET IT AND LISTEN TO IT YOU LUCKY BASTARD.)

* Next year in Jerusalem.

Feel that cool air.

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 19:23:48 GMT

Autumn is the best, guys. Totally the best.

hey computers!

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 18:38:31 GMT

Went to a costume store for a halloween outfit. Found it so pathetic/depressing that I decided to get the hell out of there.

I'm going to be Andy Bernard this year. I wonder if anyone will get it. Maybe if I keep mentioning Cornell.

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:00:47 GMT

HEY NEW YORK SEE YOU THIS WEEKEND.

Well, this is pretty disturbing.

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 23:31:35 GMT

Again, I'm not saying anything. Just posting a video.

Well, okay, I might secretly have an opinion. But you'll never guess what it is.

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 01:50:59 GMT

I'm not saying anything here. I'm just mindlessly posting a video about which I have no opinion.

Hello.

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 02:38:47 GMT

I've been kind of out of the loop.

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 21:02:00 GMT

Who's this Sarah Palin I've been hearing about?

I live in DC now. I have furniture and clothes and everything. Also, my apartment faces Rock Creek Park (and a parking lot, but you can only see the parking lot from right by the windows)!

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 21:50:04 GMT

I don't really have much to say about this whole Palin fiasco, except this: John McCain sure is a maverick.

News you can use.

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:58:22 GMT

I don't live in Boston anymore. I'm staying in NYC for the long weekend, and then I will be back in DC forever.

YOU WANT A BORING LIVEJOURNAL POST? YOU GOT IT.

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:54:42 GMT

I'm at Panera bread. The girl sitting in front of me is updating her livejournal too. I feel like a big loser now.

I just spent 10 days in Michigan. Apparently August is the best time to be there, weather-wise. I had a good time, although I think I spent 1/3 of my waking time doing tech support. I guess that's what happens when your household has half a dozen laptops and desktops. But it was fun to feel useful.

Now I'm back in Boston for the next week, packing up. I just started today and I'm actually surprised at how little stuff I'm bringing. I've got some clothes, but it's mostly just books and DVDs. And consumer electronics. But anyway, packing shouldn't be too bad, especially because some professional strong dudes will be doing the actual carrying for me. Once that's done I'm going to NYC for labor day weekend. Then I'm going to DC for the foreseeable future.

I may go see the new Woody Allen movie in 45 minutes. You know why? Because I can.

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 21:23:02 GMT

You know, I don't really care about the Olympics, but I keep staying up late watching it anyway. I suspect there are other people out there who fit this description.

In other news, Michigan is pretty nice. There is sun and water and food.

I left out the part about how nice canadians are, but I figure everyone already knows that.

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 19:37:12 GMT

If you're interested in reading about what I've been up to since I finished the bar, here's a writeup (featuring a snowmit cameo).

Hello World

Well, Lost happened!

If there's one thing that could get me to post again, it'd have to be...

Now that's a good episode of Lost.

Lost!

What is new with me?

It's time.

Stopping by on my way to festivity-fest '08.

life update

Frustrations

life update

Highly recommended.

A smattering of content.

Feel that cool air.

hey computers!

Well, this is pretty disturbing.

Well, okay, I might *secretly* have an opinion. But you'll never guess what it is.

Hello.

I've been kind of out of the loop.

News you can use.

YOU WANT A BORING LIVEJOURNAL POST? YOU GOT IT.

I left out the part about how nice canadians are, but I figure everyone already knows that.

Well, okay, I might secretly have an opinion. But you'll never guess what it is.