And another thing...

Haven’t done a random thoughts posting for a while. Here ya go…

1) I love the fact that ESPN’s programming on a Fall Monday night is either a) figure skating or b) gymnastics. It’s like they are just saying “We know we are target audience has no desire to watch us right now. Here is whatever is in the vault.” They should just show old XFL games as an attempt to garner the lowest rating ever.

2) As always, flipping to On the Edge of Country makes my life better. Videos by Jack Ingram and Kelly Willis? Sure, both of the videos were six years old but it’s the best music I’ve seen on television in ages. Well, actually the Wilco documentary I Am Trying To Break Your Heart was on HDTV tonight so that might not be true. (Yeah, I have no idea why a black and white documentary with shaky camera footage was shown in HD. Maybe you need to see the scratches in the film to really get the raw emotion of the piece.)

3) You know what I miss? Australian Rules Football on ESPN. We’ve got like seven ESPNs right now, can’t we get at least a recap show? That was so much fun to watch growing up with guys beating the crap out of each other, a referee in a nice hat who shows that someone has scored by basically giving him a thumbs up and a scoring system that was incomprehensible. Wouldn’t you take that over figure skating? And when was the last time you saw a World’s Strongest Man competition on ESPN2? Is poker more exciting than a bunch of guys from Iceland throwing boulders around?

4) Los Angeles was blacked out today as a result of a utility worker connecting some cables backwards. First of all, you wouldn’t believe how common that is. Second, I would just like to state for the record that in my time at the electric company I was never personally responsible for any significant blackout. A couple of insignificant ones, sure, but none that made the news. (Oh, and can I sue PBS for false advertising? I was at the electric company for six years and it was nothing like the television show.)

5) The Family Guy premiere never really hit on all cylinders last night. I tend to like the episodes centered on Brian but this one just couldn’t get going. However, it was still a half hour well spent just for Peter’s trying to pick up chicks at the Miss USA pageant. “Hey, I’ve got a gift certificate to the Sizzler with your name on it.” Ten bucks I use that line at some point in the next two weeks.

6) Jeff Gordon didn’t make the Nascar chase for the cup. I don’t mention this because I think that anyone reading is interested in the fact. I mention it because I can’t believe that Nascar can’t figure out a way to fix their playoffs so that Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are competing in it. Take a lesson from the NBA, the best playoffs are ones that are preordained.

7) Ok, so I’ve discovered that in Dynasty Mode in NCAA Football 2006 you can look at what the press is saying about you. Which means that after losing a game I can read about the alums griping about my performance. Which means that I am critiquing myself. I’m sorry, but that is just too much pressure on me. I don’t want to lose a game and find out that I’ve burned myself in effigy as a result.

8) I have to give props to Illinois, which is 2-0 right now. If basketball season started today, we’d all be a lot happier.