Just a Thought...

Most articles in recent entertainment sections report the various shows that have or shortly will halt production due to the writer's strike.

Since I rarely watch network television, I won't feel the full force of the picket line.

But for the few shows I do watch, you mean the writing is going to get even worse?

Pop Culture References for the Week (okay, the last one is a bit iffy but it makes me laugh)

1 - The other day, my boss was in an adjacent office explaining the drop-down features of an Excel spread sheet. As soon as she said "drop down", the juke box in my head started signing Beyonce's Get Me Bodied ("Drop down , almost touch the floor with it"). Melissa and I play that song almost every morning as it's the perfect get-going song. It's also my ring tone.

2 - I want to punch Pam Beesly in the nose.

3 - Observing the hurry-up-and-wait methodology of legislation can be tedious, at times. Observing floor action, however, is like watching a baseball game especially when it comes to amending pending legislation. If you know what to look for and how to analyze what just happened, both competitions (baseball and law making) are quite fun.

Senator Brimer showed why I hold nothing but warm memories when he passed his amendment to SB248.

We Interrupt This Program For A Brief Message...

I hate commercials. I don't need gimmicks to persuade me to purchase your product. All I need is a good product on the market and I'll find it myself. In fact, excessive advertising often has an adverse effect on my personal consumer habits.

My philosophy toward consumerism en masse: if everybody else wants it, how good can it really be?

Typically, the viewing of these 30-seconds respites is not a problem; we DVR enough programming to where we can often fast-forward through them. But even that has its setbacks. Now, commercials have integrated themselves into the actual programming. Additionally, I view enough sports programming that commercials afford timely breaks to stock up again on snacks.

Don't even get me started on Super Bowl commercials.

Every so often, however, there are certain commercials that catch my attention.

Over the past dozen or so years, SportsCenter has had the best commercials, by far.

Rich Eisen during commercial break ("Cut me; cut me, Lou!"), Tomlinson sorting mail, LeBron fixing the copier ("The Chosen One, huh?"), Kobe at the vending machine ("Very Jordanesque"), the Manning brothers touring the Bristol campus, and, of course, the Y2K Test ("Follow me! Follow me to freedom!"). Those were innovative and funny.

Additionally so since they don't attempt to persuade me towards a certain behavior; I'd watch the show regardless.

Of late, the commercial that always must be viewed is the one with Little Richard selling Geico insurance. For the past couple of months, not a day has passed where Melissa or I don't sing "Mashed potatoes! Gravy! Cranberry sauce! Whooooooooooh."

That never gets old.

My Name's Neil and I Have a Baseball Addiction

I got my tv the other week but have not been able to enjoy it as much as expected.

The weekend I bought it, I spent all day Sunday at the Colonial.

The next weekend, we were out of town for the holiday weekend.

Next weekend, we'll be in Wimberley for a family reunion.

The final straw that prompted the purchase- a couple of weeks ago, I was watching a Yankees/Sox game. The score was (I think) 8-4 Yankees in the ninth, but the 8 looked like a 6. The Sox drove in two runs and I thought the score was tied. I started to yell at the tv until the announcer called out the score. Cool that the Yankees won, but bad that I couldn't see what I seeing.

Now, not only can I discern the correct score, I can count the individual blades of grass in the outfield.

But, I have to listen to my wife's mocking- "Wow, it's like we're really there."