The wait for Jon and Kate

So I admit: I had never heard of Jon and Kate Plus 8 until all the tabloid headlines. I'm not a big TV person, and the only thing I ever watched on TLC was Trading Spaces and maybe a few epis of What Not to Wear. But since they've become such a pop culture phenom, I figgered I better tune in. I checked out the season premiere and found it boring except for the drama. I hadn't watched it since, until this big announcement. Yes, boys and girls, Jon and Kate have filed for divorce (as TLC put on the screen in white letters on a black background, like someone died or something).

I found Monday's episode painful to watch. I've been married for seven years, been with the hubby for going on 10, and living with him for nine of those years. I adore him and he me, but marriage can be rough. Throw a kid into the mix, and it puts a strain on even the best marriage. Throw in eight kids in three years...well, I can barely fathom it. So I cringed when they talked about the dissolution of their union. I can't even imagine and hope I never have to. I have to say, I feel for those kids, because they are the ones who are going to suffer. Jon and Kate will move on and meet new people; they will forever be the products of a broken home.

So now they are on hiatus until August. I think that is wise. Honestly, they have a lot of stuff to work out, and I for one don't want to see it. Some things need to be private, even for reality show stars. I hope they -- and all those kids -- come out of this OK. Even though I think Jon and Kate are whores.

5 things you didn't know about sperm

Watched this show about sex myths with Dr. Drew (love him) on the Discovery Channel. Some interesting findings:

1) Sperm can live in a woman's body for up to three days. So while you think pregnancy occurs during sex, it can occur up to three days after intercourse.

2) Not all sperm are created equal. Leading the charge are warrior sperm, which destroy any sperm left from another partner. So if Guy 1 had sex with a woman at noon and she hooked up with Guy 2 at 6 p.m., Guy 2's warriors would kill the sperm from guy 1. These warrior sperm clear the way for the quarterback sperm, which go for the long haul to the egg.

3) Sperm containing male and female DNA behave differently. Male sperm are quicker but less hardy, while female sperm swim more slowly but last longer in the body. Therefore, there is something to be said for timing sex near ovulation to predict your child's gender.

4) When a man has sex with a tall woman, he makes more sperm. It's also theorized that the more powerful the man, the more sperm he produces. The guy on Dr. Drew hypothesizes that the reason there is so much infertility is that the role of men has been downplayed in society.

5) A man's sperm is turned over every few weeks in his body, and it takes several months from start to finish to create new sperm.

Yes, I am a science geek. I think this stuff is fascinating.

Have a great weekend. Ours is action-packed. Get your mind out of the gutter!

Is it me, or did Grey's Anatomy go too far?

Check out these scenes from last night. I have no problem with the lesbian thing. My issue is Mark going down on Callie to show her how to do it. A little much for primetime TV, IMHO. Anyone agree?

Speaking of saving things in a bottle

Can we save this weather? It's amazing.

Watched Grey's Anatomy and that new Life on Mars show last night. I enjoyed both immensely. I only watched half of Life on Mars, since I had to get to bed, but it was damn good. Check it out.

Good weekend. Hanging out with the mom some, since she is in need of a grandson fix.

How could they end it like this?

I hope Derek comes back to Meredith. I hope she waits.

A twisty episode

I used to watch Desperate Housewives religiously. Now it's one of those shows that if it's on, I'll watch it, but I won't knock myself out. Not so with the tornado epi last night. That was just great. Anyone else agree?

Our thoughts on the Family Guy Star Wars episode

Watched the one-hour Family Guy season premiere on Sunday that spoofed Star Wars. I must say, they stayed pretty close to the original story. M's favorite scene was this one with Herbert the Pervert. He called me on my cell yesterday, singing, "Now I've haaaaaaaaad the tiiiiime of my liiife" in the Herbert voice. Classic.

Bad TV writing

As a wordsmithy kind of gal who really hates cliches (like poison), I loved this post from the Chicago Tribune about bad TV dialogue. When I read it, I threw up a little in my mouth.

Driving that train, high on cocaine

M and I watched back-to-back reruns of Family Guy last night. Holy crap, that show is funny. But as M said, they have to be baked when they wrote it. I particularly liked the reference to the yodeler on The Price Is Right.

Apple's newest product

Check it out. Thanks to Sally for the hookup.

My new TV obsession: Scrubs

M and I have been catching the reruns on Comedy Central. Can I just tell you how frigging laugh-out-loud funny that show is? And how adorable I think Zach Braff is? I'm definitely tuning in to the new fall season.

Is it me, or is this crazy?

So. I've been hooked into Bridezillas on WE. And there was a very disturbing two-part episode this weekend.

Basically, Anita is a 46-year-old first-time bride who's marrying Dion, who's 36. Anita has a daughter, Christina, who's in her early 20s and still lives at home rent-free. Christina has her undies in a bunch because her mom is spending all this money (and time) on someone who's, umm, not her. So she's a royal ass to Dion and accuses him of using Anita for her money. And then she says: "I bet he won't even show up."

Well, guess what: Christina's craziness coupled with her sisters' shrewishness succeed in driving the groom away. He never shows up for the wedding, leaving Anita despondent and still trying to have a wedding party without a groom. I felt so bad for her.

But here's the crazy twist: Dion calls the next day, cries and begs and says he was wrong, wrong, wrong to leave her and baby, let's elope to Vegas. And THEY DO, with the attitude of, ha ha, the family tried to break us up, but no one can break us up. The last scene is Christina the daughter crying her eyes out because her mom stooped so low.

There's something to be said for standing up in front of your family and friends and declaring your love for your spouse. And the fact that Dion wouldn't do that would make me not want to marry him. Not to mention the humiliating me in front of everyone I know thing.

Anyway, here's the official Bridezillas episode summary.

And yes, I think too much. Hence the name of this blog.

Prepare for a new episode-less fall

According to this article, the networks are starting production early and stockpiling shows like reality-based programming and game shows in case there is a strike come July. I remember the writers' strike of the late 1980s and how much all those reruns sucked. I hope they can work it out.

If I hear that Office Depot commercial one more time...

I listen to WBZ in the morning to catch up on my news. And they keep playing this damn commercial:

Wooaaah, Office Depot, woooah, can I lend you a hand, and for all that you do, we hand it to you, wooahhh.

What ad genius thought of that one? Seriously?

And here's Jay Leno's take:

Christine Tries to Give Back

After Idol, I tried to call in for my girl Jordin, knowing the votes would be turned into charitable contributions as part of Idol Gives Back. And tried. And tried. Couldn't get through. Tonight's special will probably be good.

And now, back to your regularly scheduled whining

Last night's Idol rocked. As does Tony Bennett. As do Thursday nights at my house -- AI followed by House.

That is all.

Feelin' kinda toothy

I had my root canal this morning. I was scared stiff. Bless M for rescheduling his morning so he could come with me. We did get stuck in the backup from that Route 2 rollover this morning -- what was up with that?

Anyway, the endodontist was amazing, as was his nurse. They saw what a wreck I was and immediately took steps to calm me down. They also gave me three shots of Novocaine and one in the tooth, so I really didn't feel a thing. I have a temporary filling over it now and will need to go back in three weeks for them to fill it with a rubber epoxy. But as the endo said, I'm about 95 percent done at this point. So yay. I stayed home today to recover from the Novocaine -- it always knocks me out.

So I was thinking about my earlier post bitching about all my minor irritants this year. And here's the thing: While I've had a bit of a run of bad luck, every issue has healed quickly and nicely. I'm walking fine, wearing my contacts again and sinus infection-free. So I can't complain. And now I really won't.

Completely unrelated note: Did anyone watch the new David E. Kelley show last night, The Wedding Bells? I thought it was quite entertaining, and I'm glad to see DEK back on TV again.

Best singer on American Idol: Melinda Doolittle

Here's the proof:

I am the Tetris queen

Young and sweet, older than 17.

Last night, I kicked ass on Tetris. I got to almost 25,000 points and 110 lines completed. I play it during commercial breaks or when M is watching something I'm not interested in -- in this case, Emeril. I find Emeril very entertaining to watch, but he's usually cooking something with shellfish, which I am allergic to. So I just listen. Anyway, I am proud of my video game accomplishment and had to share.

Feeling grey over Grey's Anatomy

So. All week long, I was jazzed for last night's Grey's Anatomy. Would Mere die? Who else was going to kick it? Was she in limbo?

Stop reading right now if you haven't seen the epi yet. OK, if you read on, don't say I didn't warn you.

I thought last night's episode was kind of maudlin and contrived. I felt very emotionally manipulated at the end of it. Also, I knew what was going to happen before it did -- partially because of my unbridled addiction to spoilers. A few scenes made me tear up, like when Denny passed by Izzie in the hallway and she felt him. The otherworldly hug (or the Celestial Massengil moment, as someone called it on the Television Without Pity boards) made me teary too. I thought the "try one more time to save her" line was pretty lame. I will say I thought she was going to kick it when they were telling her in the afterlife that there was no more time. I had to play Tetris during the commercials to keep from biting my fingernails.

I will also say that the afterlife in general is a very emotional subject for me. Both me and M have lost friends our own ages to cancer. The only thing that keeps me comforted about losing my friend is the thought she goes on. Talking to me about it is like touching the third rail -- just very sharp and real. M and I have agreed to disagree on this. But I digress.

Good part of the epi: Mer/Der. Man, great acting jobs all around. You really believe these two are soul mates and adore one another -- much to Addison's chagrin. Maybe that's why she may be shoving off.