TGIF

With Stacey blogging these last few days, I'm beginning to feel like a slacker. So I have returned, with fresh material for you all.

It rained here in Phoenix on Wednesday—conveniently enough, right when I was walking home from work. Can I really complain, though, when my walk is all of 3 minutes long—especially when most of that is through a parking garage, where I have a ceiling over my head? I didn't think so. Anyway, it's really weird to see it rain here, or at least it was for me. It generally doesn't rain much—if at all—here in the summer. They have brief periods of monsoons in the fall (and maybe in the spring), but that's it. I'm just mad that it interrupted weeks of uninterrupted sunlight, which was one of the advantages Phoenix has over Chicago that I thoroughly enjoy. Never fear, however, as things were back to normal today. :-)

Speaking of the nice weather today, I made sure to take advantage of the pool after work. I got a little time out in the sun and some chlorinated fun. What better way is there to unwind after the daily grind? I really noticed how much more relaxed I felt after being outside at the pool for an hour. I'll need to do this a lot more often, at least while I'm down here.

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I was reading USA Today this morning, and I noticed two things which I wanted to comment on. First, they have a little box on the front page with the national price for gasoline compared to the previous day and a year ago. It's called "Gas Gauge," or something to that effect. After looking at the prices, though, I think they ought to replace the word "gauge" with "gouge." Yikes!

My other comment about today's USA Today concerns its TV critic, Robert Bianco. Before I begin my little rant here, I should say that I'm a big fan of The Office, a comedy on NBC. (There was also a British version of the show, which I also loved and which the American show is based off of.) I really enjoy the show not just because it's not a standard, formulaic sitcom (which I'm not a big fan of) but also because the writing and acting are both top-notch. The actors, many of whom are from the improv scene, take the written material and make it seem like it's been ad-libbed, which is exactly what you want for this type of show.

As you can see, I've got a bias with regard to The Office. I freely admit this and make no apologies for my opinion. My beef with Robert Bianco isn't so much with him as it is with critics in general. He wrote a column in the paper with his choices for the nominees for the Emmys (which, I believe, aren't officially announced until next month). In his piece, the man showed no love for my beloved Office, as he didn't choose it or its actors to be nominated for any awards. Now, I may be biased, but I know good TV when I see it, and there is no way there was enough other good TV as to be able to exclude The Office from the ballots. So that's the first problem I have. The second is that he took several pot shots at the show, basically saying that it would receive several nominations, which he felt is undeserved. He actually had the balls to say that Steve Carell is the reason why the show is, in his esteemed opinion, nothing more than a drawn-out SNL sketch. All I can do is shake my head at this guy. I know it's his opinion and he has the right to express it, I just wonder why he has a bug up his ass with regard to this show. You can tell that he loves Arrested Development, as he gave that show several nominations—probably more than it deserves, and definitely more than it will actually get. Now, I didn't watch that show (although I hear it's pretty good), but my point is that you can just see this guy's biases show up in his work. This just goes to show you that a critic's opinion is just that—an opinion. Who knows how they come up with their views on TV shows, movies, books, or whatever else they're reviewing. So just keep that in mind... and make sure to start watching The Office if you aren't already. ;-)

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I'll be once again flying home to Chicago on Friday. On Saturday morning I'm going with Stacey to see our new house—I'm very excited! I know I haven't mentioned it here yet, but we'll be moving into the house in late-July or early August (I'm not sure exactly how that will work). At this point I've only seen pictures, so I won't try to describe it or offer any kind of opinion until after I've actually been inside it. From what Stacey has told me, however, I'm sure I will love it!

After the house viewing, I hope to spend some time with my friends while Stacey is at a craft party at one of her friends' houses. If time permits, we might go visit the model for Mike's townhouse, which is currently under construction. I'm also looking forward to maybe hooping it up, if weather permits (which, sadly, it may not). Then, that night, Stacey and I are going to see X-Men: The Last Stand. She caught up on the two previous movies this week and is ready for this one—and so am I!

Speaking of Stacey, Friday is her last day at her research lab downtown. Come Monday, she'll be a full-time professor of biology. Congratulations to her! I know she'll be relieved to be done with the stress that comes from working in the scientific research field, and she'll also be happy to be teaching, which is a real passion of hers. (That's a good thing, too, because she's very good at it!)

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Before I let you go, I had several articles I wanted to link to and comment on quickly:

How NOT to steal a Sidekick: This page recounts one man's effort to bring justice to someone who found his friend's lost Sidekick and refused to return it. (In case you were wondering, a Sidekick is a PDA/cellphone device. You may remember when Paris Hilton's Sidekick was hacked into not too long ago and all of her personal data—phone numbers, e-mails, and naked pictures—was published on the web.)

Drug revelations enrage Ozzie, Nelson: As you may know, I'm not a huge fan of Ozzie Guillen, and stories like this are the reason why. Basically, he's pissed that a player who got caught using steroids (HGH) ratted out other players who did the same. Now why exactly does this upset Ozzie so much? It's not that I think he's guilty of using steroids, but I'm bothered that he's basically defending the rights of cheaters. I say if you cheat, you deserve to get caught—and you have no right to bitch about the guy who ratted you out, especially if you were stupid enough to take the drugs in the locker room or somewhere else where you could be seen.

Judge orders lawyers to settle their differences with a game of rock, paper, scissors: I, for one, say bravo to this decision.

That's all for now. Have a great weekend!

-Mark