The - tada! - Return of Random Question Friday

Alrighty, readers, thanks to Dirk I've been pondering what, exactly, I should ask about for the glorious return of Random Question Friday.* Then today during my afternoon nap - which lasted approximately as long as it takes light to travel halfway across an atom - inspiration struck. Television! Of course!

Now, for all my intellectual pretensions about T.V. and our complicity in the consumerist gulag, I've loved me some T.V. shows over the course of my life. I was a West Wing devotee and am currently hooked on Lost. Two and a Half Men cracks me up, too, but I don't organize my life around it.

And thinking back, there were others: E.R. used to be a Thursday night staple until it jumped the shark many car wrecks ago, and before that I was hooked on Northern Exposure, which not only gave us one of the best lines ever ("Detroit? I hear it's like Cleveland but without the glitter"), but also gave us Maggie. Ah, Maggie.

My pubescent television experience went pretty much by the numbers, with Airwolf and Miami Vice ruling the roost. And then we get closer to those shows which truly shaped not just my nightly schedule, but even my playtimes as well; shows so compelling they became archetypical in my pre-pubescent fantasies. At bedtime I'd doze off thinking about playing Magnum P.I.'s sidekick, or would concoct vague paths to guest appearances on Simon and Simon.

But even before then, way back in the mists of the early '80s, my mom and I used to watch The Greatest American Hero together. I remember the theme song clearly, but literally nothing from the show other than the cheesy special effects when the dude went flying through the air. And somehow I think that is still my favorite T.V. show - not because of the show itself, mind you, which was probably intolerably stupid by anyone's standards today - but because I have great memories of the act of watching the show, just hanging out with my mom in our rec room.

The question then, readers, is this: what is your all-time favorite T.V. show, and why?
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*Yes, I know I'm writing on a Thursday night, but I'm a busy guy and Fridays are full-blown nuts. Deal.

Uh, I Dunno

Crazy nuts busy around here, folks. The new job is fun and getting better, but I have very little free time. I'm really looking forward to this weekend - with the new cable and internet, Saturday will likely involve little more than several cups of strong coffee, college football, and cleaning my apartment. Wheeeee!

The Weekend

It was busy.

My dad and stepmom flew in for the weekend. We ate out a bunch, went fishing once, and that was about it. But now I have just a ton of work to do, so I may not update again for a bit.

Some of You Have Already Seen This, But What the Hell

Chickapah, Chickapah, Chickapah Pieeeeeeeee

Who doesn't like chicken pot pies? Wrong people, that's who. People who are wrong. Only wrong people and/or the criminally insane don't like chicken pot pies.

Which is why I splurged and had one for dinner tonight, along with a glass of Turning Leaf 2005 riesling.

Now, I have several things to say about this post's title, chicken pot pies, and riesling, but I'll keep this one brief because I have approximately a metric ton (or would that be "metric tonne?") of work to do tonight.

First, the first reader to correctly identify the reference in this post's title wins a pony. Second, chicken pot pies pretty much rock. Third, although I've done some remarkably stupid shit thanks to white wine and had sworn off it for the better part of a decade, I've found that I really like riesling a whole lot. It will join port and pinot noir in my wine selection, ruling my kitchen as a triumvirate of grapey goodness.

Hallelujah and Praise Jebus!

I have internet again. Look for more posts, more frequently.

You may commence the celebration.

Another Random Update

Hey, readers!

I'm at the library again, avoiding a half hour of agony spent on the bike trainer watching Katie Couric anchor CBS news. If pressed I'd have a hard time picking which one is more agonizing.

Actually, no I wouldn't. Ms. Couric is a horrible anchor and I can't wait until my $15/mo. basic cable package kicks in. Two more weeks until I get NBC Nightly News back. . .

Kathryn came up this past weekend for the first anniversary of our relationship. We had a good time, as she so thoroughly notes, but now I'm back to a daily routine that doesn't seem to change much.

1. Wake up at 6.
2. Eat toast with a cup of coffee.
3. Walk to work.
4. Wrangle badgers.
5. Walk home.
6. Get on the bike trainer for half an hour.
7. Cook dinner.
8. Plan for the next day.
9. Talk to Kathryn.
10. Go to bed at 9:30.

Lather, rinse, and repeat 5 times weekly.