There is truth to be announced. If you start losing that, you really step outside what Christianity is. The gospel is something to be taught and to be believed. It is not something simply to be experienced.
DON CARSON (Professor, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School)
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Monday, July 16, 2007
Rimshot, Please
The latest telephone poll taken by the South Carolina Governor's office, asked whether people who live in South Carolina think illegal immigration is a serious problem:
29% of respondents answered: "Yes, it is a serious problem."
71% of respondents answered: "No es una problema seriosa."
Monday, June 25, 2007
Murphy Proof
I hope one day to be financially murphy proof. By that, I mean that one day I hope to have a "fully funded" emergency fund so that when Murphy stops by to visit, it doesn't throw me for a tailspin.
Well, this isn't the day, but, it could have been worse. Coming home from my daughter's ballet recital, I ran over a nail. I felt confident that the road damage insurance that I purchased would cover me. Unfortunately, it only covers you if less than 25% of the tire is worn. Anything else is prorated. I like my new tire with 25 bucks knocked off.
Next came the Xbox with the busted USB connector. Thankfully, I did have a full product replacement plan and I swapped it out with no inconvenience. But, I did purchase another PRP just to cover this one.
Finally, the pool pump motor had a short, and unfortunately it is past warranty. The part is coming in, but, my pool water has not been filtered in over a week. It is getting that nice shade of green. I saved myself some bucks by pulling the motor out and taking it to the Pool store. Hopefully by the weeks end we will be up and running.
Not swimming, unless you like algae.
Well, this isn't the day, but, it could have been worse. Coming home from my daughter's ballet recital, I ran over a nail. I felt confident that the road damage insurance that I purchased would cover me. Unfortunately, it only covers you if less than 25% of the tire is worn. Anything else is prorated. I like my new tire with 25 bucks knocked off.
Next came the Xbox with the busted USB connector. Thankfully, I did have a full product replacement plan and I swapped it out with no inconvenience. But, I did purchase another PRP just to cover this one.
Finally, the pool pump motor had a short, and unfortunately it is past warranty. The part is coming in, but, my pool water has not been filtered in over a week. It is getting that nice shade of green. I saved myself some bucks by pulling the motor out and taking it to the Pool store. Hopefully by the weeks end we will be up and running.
Not swimming, unless you like algae.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
R2, Where are you?
Although I have not seen any of the US Post Office mailboxes "wrapped" with the R2D2 decor, it was only a matter of time before one went missing.I would start talking to the local Jawa community.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Monday, June 18, 2007
Of Mice and Squirrels (and Peguins and Helicopters).
Last year, Jay posted a bit about squirrels becoming the new "in animal" at the movies, replacing the mouse. Since that post, I believe that the penguin has surpassed the squirrel in Hollywood. Too bad, I was really rooting for the squirrel, but, to be honest, he got type casted as a caffeine injected rodent. Funny, I will grant you, but ultimately a one trick pony.
Penguins, on the other hand, can march, surf and dance (and, according to Big Idea, drive space ships). Really, the resume is very impressive. But, I have to be honest with you, the penguins are wearing a little bit thin. I was not one of the masses that thought "Happy Feet" was the best film of all time. In fact, I did not like the sexual undertones in a children's movie (at one point, a penguin breaks in with a rendition of "Let's Talk About Sex" replacing Sex with X). It is the same subject of "March of the Penguins," but there you have a documentary and not some anthropomorphic fantasy. My only thought during "March" was, I paid how much for this film!? I will wait for "Surf's Up" to hit Redbox, thank you.
After watching "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" I have noticed another trend: Helicopter Blades. In "Grindhouse," Helicopter blades are used to chew through a mass of zombies, obliterating them into chunks a liquid. Like the entire film, the scene was overplayed and such an obvious model that it could not be taken seriously. However, "28 Weeks Later" used the same tactic to plow through a rushing horde of Infected. This was meant to be taken very seriously, as was the scene in "FF." A helicopter "crashes" Sue and Reed Richard's wedding, blades dicing through guest chairs.
What's the point? There is none. Just one guy sitting 4rC noticing another trend. BTW, I recommend all of the Helicopter films, but, "Grindhouse" and "28 Weeks Later" are questionable in taste (the former more so than the later). But, I really enjoyed "FF" and would recommend it.
Penguins, on the other hand, can march, surf and dance (and, according to Big Idea, drive space ships). Really, the resume is very impressive. But, I have to be honest with you, the penguins are wearing a little bit thin. I was not one of the masses that thought "Happy Feet" was the best film of all time. In fact, I did not like the sexual undertones in a children's movie (at one point, a penguin breaks in with a rendition of "Let's Talk About Sex" replacing Sex with X). It is the same subject of "March of the Penguins," but there you have a documentary and not some anthropomorphic fantasy. My only thought during "March" was, I paid how much for this film!? I will wait for "Surf's Up" to hit Redbox, thank you.
After watching "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" I have noticed another trend: Helicopter Blades. In "Grindhouse," Helicopter blades are used to chew through a mass of zombies, obliterating them into chunks a liquid. Like the entire film, the scene was overplayed and such an obvious model that it could not be taken seriously. However, "28 Weeks Later" used the same tactic to plow through a rushing horde of Infected. This was meant to be taken very seriously, as was the scene in "FF." A helicopter "crashes" Sue and Reed Richard's wedding, blades dicing through guest chairs.
What's the point? There is none. Just one guy sitting 4rC noticing another trend. BTW, I recommend all of the Helicopter films, but, "Grindhouse" and "28 Weeks Later" are questionable in taste (the former more so than the later). But, I really enjoyed "FF" and would recommend it.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Maxed Out
If you get a chance, take a look at the film "Maxed Out." It is an eye opening view into the world of the Credit Industry in America and the potential decline into a two class system (debt and debtors).
The movie has an obvious political slant, but (for once) I was agreeing with him. Also, had my man Dave Ramsey, but I could not be sure if the film maker was painting him correctly. If you did not know him, and his stance on personal responsibility, you might think that he's a little stuck on himself, especially the story of getting his jaguar repo'd. He often uses sarcasm and is sometimes self effacing.
Anyways, right up there with "Super Size Me" and "Kilowatt Hours" as another favorite documentary.
The movie has an obvious political slant, but (for once) I was agreeing with him. Also, had my man Dave Ramsey, but I could not be sure if the film maker was painting him correctly. If you did not know him, and his stance on personal responsibility, you might think that he's a little stuck on himself, especially the story of getting his jaguar repo'd. He often uses sarcasm and is sometimes self effacing.
Anyways, right up there with "Super Size Me" and "Kilowatt Hours" as another favorite documentary.
Monday, June 11, 2007
All Good Things...
As it has been said many times before, all good things must come to an end. This past week has been pure relaxation, and I feel charged. I expect this to end somewhere around 10:22 am. I stepped up on the scale this morning, and proceeded to yell at it, calling it a liar. So, I guess I am also back to Weight Watchers. But, I enjoyed every moment of this vacation. Thankfully, I have a half day on Friday.
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Jericho Survives Fallout
Well, Well, Well. Seems like Jericho will be coming back from the ashes after all!! Thanks to the fans (more dedicated than me) who deluged CBS with nuts.
Vacation Recap
Tuesday morning came quickly, and Cindy and I were on the road by eight. We had Tom Tom programmed to take us to the cabin rentals and had about nine hours to enjoy a kid-free ride. It was erie: no fights, no messes, just quiet. If you do not already own a GPS device, these gadgets are worth the entry price.
Our cabin was called "A Garden Blessing," and it was just that. We booked the rental back in March, and got a really good deal. It was the first time that we rented anything that was not a motel. Combine being kid-free with all the amenities of home and that led to more sleep than I have had in a long time. In the spirit of Galinburg, we took a trip down the Parkway.
In case you have never been to Gatlinburg, let me tell you that there is no store front parking. Your best bet is to park at the city garage across from Hard Rock Cafe. They have an hourly rate and a six dollar maximum. There is a private lot next door that charges a flat $5.00 per day. Once you get into the Parkway, you will get charged $8 - $10. How to best describe the Parkway? It's the Myrtle Beach of the mountains: lots of t-shirts shops, candy shops and indoor minature golf.
The highlight of the trip was white water rafting down the Pigeon river. We used the Smokey Mountain Outdoors. After meeting our guide, we went through the safety lesson. Afterwards, I was starting to doubt the sanity of this venture, but, our guide told us that most river guides were full of crap. Seeing that she was a river guide, I was not sure how much stock to put into her statement. We took the "upper tour" and had a lot of fun. One member of our party fell overboard, popped up next to the raft and we got to pull her back in. I was proud that I was able to grab her paddle before it went down stream. If you ever go to the area, I highly recommend this activity. It takes a couple of hours, and there is more flat water than rapids, but it is very fun.
The second highlight was horseback riding. Again, there are several to choose from, but we used the Smokey Mountain Riding Stables. We saddled up on Porter Cole and Christy for an hour long trail ride through the Smokey Mountains. Although this was fun, about fifteen minutes into the ride, I had serious doubts that I could make this. First off, the saddle. I am not sure how it is with the ladies, but fellas, I got to say, it was rough. Next, my horse, Christy, was a lazy horse. The stable hand told me that I can use the reins to "whip her like you want to whip your wife." I told him politely that it was my wife who usually used the whip (just kidding, or course). But, Christy just kept getting behind and every now and then I could get her to trot to catch up. Attending Katie's riding lessons must have helped a little. If you think walking was hard, fellas, trotting takes up the pain a notch. I am sure that there was plenty that I could have done to make this easier, but, I am a dude (a person who does not know how to ride a horse). I have a new found respect for what Katie can do on her horse.
Horseback riding took more out of us than we thought, so we cancelled our hike and instead went minature golfing. You have many choices, but we went to Hillbilly Golf. You take a ride up the side of a mountain, and the course takes you down the mountain. I had a respectable lead on Cindy until she dropped two strokes on a par 3 and sunk the final put to win. It did not help that I completely flubbed one of the holes. Oh well, all is fair in love, war and Hillbilly Golf.
As far as eating out goes, we pretty much went on the cheap. We did eat at a local TGI Fridays on the Parkway the first night we were there. The experience was not good, and I would not recommend going there. We also ate at the Alamo Steak House after Hillbilly Golf. We were put in a back room that felt very tight. We split a surf and turf special, and the steak was exceptional. Cooked over oakwood, it gave the meat a distinctive smokey taste. However, most of the prices start around fifteen dollars. Before rafting, we did have a spot of lunch at a nearby Food City grocery store, and this would be a great location if you were looking for eats to take on to a picnic. Our favorite dining out experience was at the Gondolier Italian Restaurant and Pizza. We stopped here after rafting and had a large "Gondolier Special" Pizza. The feta cheese added something new, but the crust was fantastic: flakey like Unos, but not as doughy. We had enough left over to have a nice lunch the next day.
Coming home we went a different route to get to Williamsburg to ride the Griffon at Bush Gardens. The lines were short and we were in and out of the park in under two hours. After stopping off at Firehouse subs, we came home to a grand reception by our kids waiting for us on the corner. All though I enjoyed our peace and quiet, I was glad to see them again.
Our cabin was called "A Garden Blessing," and it was just that. We booked the rental back in March, and got a really good deal. It was the first time that we rented anything that was not a motel. Combine being kid-free with all the amenities of home and that led to more sleep than I have had in a long time. In the spirit of Galinburg, we took a trip down the Parkway.
In case you have never been to Gatlinburg, let me tell you that there is no store front parking. Your best bet is to park at the city garage across from Hard Rock Cafe. They have an hourly rate and a six dollar maximum. There is a private lot next door that charges a flat $5.00 per day. Once you get into the Parkway, you will get charged $8 - $10. How to best describe the Parkway? It's the Myrtle Beach of the mountains: lots of t-shirts shops, candy shops and indoor minature golf.
The highlight of the trip was white water rafting down the Pigeon river. We used the Smokey Mountain Outdoors. After meeting our guide, we went through the safety lesson. Afterwards, I was starting to doubt the sanity of this venture, but, our guide told us that most river guides were full of crap. Seeing that she was a river guide, I was not sure how much stock to put into her statement. We took the "upper tour" and had a lot of fun. One member of our party fell overboard, popped up next to the raft and we got to pull her back in. I was proud that I was able to grab her paddle before it went down stream. If you ever go to the area, I highly recommend this activity. It takes a couple of hours, and there is more flat water than rapids, but it is very fun.
The second highlight was horseback riding. Again, there are several to choose from, but we used the Smokey Mountain Riding Stables. We saddled up on Porter Cole and Christy for an hour long trail ride through the Smokey Mountains. Although this was fun, about fifteen minutes into the ride, I had serious doubts that I could make this. First off, the saddle. I am not sure how it is with the ladies, but fellas, I got to say, it was rough. Next, my horse, Christy, was a lazy horse. The stable hand told me that I can use the reins to "whip her like you want to whip your wife." I told him politely that it was my wife who usually used the whip (just kidding, or course). But, Christy just kept getting behind and every now and then I could get her to trot to catch up. Attending Katie's riding lessons must have helped a little. If you think walking was hard, fellas, trotting takes up the pain a notch. I am sure that there was plenty that I could have done to make this easier, but, I am a dude (a person who does not know how to ride a horse). I have a new found respect for what Katie can do on her horse.
Horseback riding took more out of us than we thought, so we cancelled our hike and instead went minature golfing. You have many choices, but we went to Hillbilly Golf. You take a ride up the side of a mountain, and the course takes you down the mountain. I had a respectable lead on Cindy until she dropped two strokes on a par 3 and sunk the final put to win. It did not help that I completely flubbed one of the holes. Oh well, all is fair in love, war and Hillbilly Golf.
As far as eating out goes, we pretty much went on the cheap. We did eat at a local TGI Fridays on the Parkway the first night we were there. The experience was not good, and I would not recommend going there. We also ate at the Alamo Steak House after Hillbilly Golf. We were put in a back room that felt very tight. We split a surf and turf special, and the steak was exceptional. Cooked over oakwood, it gave the meat a distinctive smokey taste. However, most of the prices start around fifteen dollars. Before rafting, we did have a spot of lunch at a nearby Food City grocery store, and this would be a great location if you were looking for eats to take on to a picnic. Our favorite dining out experience was at the Gondolier Italian Restaurant and Pizza. We stopped here after rafting and had a large "Gondolier Special" Pizza. The feta cheese added something new, but the crust was fantastic: flakey like Unos, but not as doughy. We had enough left over to have a nice lunch the next day.
Coming home we went a different route to get to Williamsburg to ride the Griffon at Bush Gardens. The lines were short and we were in and out of the park in under two hours. After stopping off at Firehouse subs, we came home to a grand reception by our kids waiting for us on the corner. All though I enjoyed our peace and quiet, I was glad to see them again.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Well, I'm Home.
I will post more tomorrow about my Gatlinburg getaway. I've uploaded some pictures to my flickr badge if you are interested. The last 560 miles of the journey started this morning when I got up at a quarter to seven. I had just completed a restless night sleep, where, near twelve AM, I resorted to watching "I Love Lucy" to try and fall asleep. Luckily, we got on the road at 7:45. The first destination today was Bush Gardens in Williamsburg. Our goal was to ride the new roller coaster, "The Griffon." Finishing that ride (and a couple others) we hopped back in the car and made it back to Chesapeake and a warm reception from the girls.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Loving My Birthday Gift
I have never understood the appeal of an MP3 Player/Ipod. In the past, I have owned a CD player that plays mp3 and a smaller capacity (128mb) player, but, it never took off for me.
The Sansa E280R is an 8GB MP3 Player that uses the Rhapsody Music service in much the same way that IPods use ITunes. One big difference is that if I wanted to use Urge, I could.
However, I have found myself really liking Rhapsody because of Rhapsody channels. I imagined that my first weekend of ownership would involve burning my CD collection to a hard-drive and then loading up the player. With Rhapsody, I did not have to do that. I could go and find an album that I own and add it to my library. By default, Rhapsody saves nothing to your hard drive, but, I found an option that will tell Rhapsody to download the track in WMA format. Once downloaded, I can use my media-player extender and send the music to my Xbox, which is conveniently hooked up to my sound system.
Another feature of Rhapsody that I really like is "Rhapsody Channels." This feature allows you to pick a style of music (Soundtracks, 80's, 70's etc) and it will load your Sansa with songs. The other day at Starbucks, I secured a big comfy chair, listened to a Classic Rock Channel enjoyed my Starbucks, Blue Berry Coffee Cake and my copy of "Prank the Monkey." It was at that moment that I realized, I really love my birthday gift.
15 Year Get-A-Way
I posted last week about our fifteen years of wedded bliss, today we take off for Gatlinburg, Tennessee, for several days of rafting, horseback riding and something called Hillbilly Golf. Cindy's parents got into town yesterday afternoon, so they will be watching the kids. We are also hoping to snag a hotel Friday night somewhere near Williamsburg, Virginia, so that we can go to Bush Gardens Solo on Saturday. They have this new ride called the Griffon that we want to ride.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Microsoft Surface
Coming soon to your living room. Check out the three videos here for an overview of Microsoft's Surface.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Wow, 15 years ago
15 years ago this past Sunday, Cindy and I got married for the first time. Yes, we have been married twice.
I first met Cindy in the winter of 1987 when I changed majors from Physics to Music Education. She was sitting in the back row of Dr. Phillip's history class wearing on of those white pantsuits so popular in the eighties. Since I had not seen her in marching band, I quickly figured out she was either voice or strings. She was a violinist. She also turned about to be a pretty nice person, and soon I had a new friend.
We remained friends until 1990. I remember running into her as she was leaving McMaster, and there was, no lie, just something different about her. Almost like I was seeing her for the first time. We went out that night for, what was to become a tradition, Buffalo Chicken Wings. We dated until August of 1991 when I, with the help of David and Jay, pulled off the best wedding proposal ever.
I was meeting Cindy at Sidney Park for a walk. As we came down one series of steps, Jay was standing at the bottom, dressed in suit and tie. "Table for two? Please follow me." We follow Jay down to the bottom of the waterfall where a small table for two was arranged. Dave came over with two glasses and a bottle of champagne.
These two had been setting this whole thing up in Sidney Park, and had drawn the attraction of many people (including a Cop). Quite the crowd was remaining up at the waterfall level to see what the outcome was going to be. David pops the cork, pours the bubbly, and then brings the covered ring. I go on one knee, and before God and everyone in that park, ask Cindy to marry me. She says yes. Everyone cheered and applauded.
So, last Sunday was fifteen years since we were married the first time. The Air Force has a rule against counting your fiancée as a dependent. Since I was being sent to Okinawa one week after our planned wedding, we decided to go ahead to the Panama City Beach Courthouse and get married by the Justice of the Peace.
I first met Cindy in the winter of 1987 when I changed majors from Physics to Music Education. She was sitting in the back row of Dr. Phillip's history class wearing on of those white pantsuits so popular in the eighties. Since I had not seen her in marching band, I quickly figured out she was either voice or strings. She was a violinist. She also turned about to be a pretty nice person, and soon I had a new friend.
We remained friends until 1990. I remember running into her as she was leaving McMaster, and there was, no lie, just something different about her. Almost like I was seeing her for the first time. We went out that night for, what was to become a tradition, Buffalo Chicken Wings. We dated until August of 1991 when I, with the help of David and Jay, pulled off the best wedding proposal ever.
I was meeting Cindy at Sidney Park for a walk. As we came down one series of steps, Jay was standing at the bottom, dressed in suit and tie. "Table for two? Please follow me." We follow Jay down to the bottom of the waterfall where a small table for two was arranged. Dave came over with two glasses and a bottle of champagne.
These two had been setting this whole thing up in Sidney Park, and had drawn the attraction of many people (including a Cop). Quite the crowd was remaining up at the waterfall level to see what the outcome was going to be. David pops the cork, pours the bubbly, and then brings the covered ring. I go on one knee, and before God and everyone in that park, ask Cindy to marry me. She says yes. Everyone cheered and applauded.
So, last Sunday was fifteen years since we were married the first time. The Air Force has a rule against counting your fiancée as a dependent. Since I was being sent to Okinawa one week after our planned wedding, we decided to go ahead to the Panama City Beach Courthouse and get married by the Justice of the Peace.
Wow, 30 Years Ago
I was a geek before Star Wars, but, George Lucas firmly cemented me into that category with his 1977 adventure film. I was in fourth grade that year and can vividly remember seeing a condensed version at Shajey's Pizza Parlor. It felt like a long time before my sister and I sat down to watch the epic at the original Irwin Fuller Theaters at Dutch Square. I am sure that it did not affect her in the same way. This was the version that did not have the "Episode IV" moniker, Han shot first and I still swear that Biggs came up to Luke before the Battle of Yavin.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Thanks Evelyn
I want to thank Evelyn at Chase for making the cancellation of my Amazon Chase Card so easy. Since starting my baby steps to financial freedom, I have not used the card since November. The only problem that I have since had was being refused a game rental at Blockbuster Video: they would not take my Visa Check Card as insurance that I will return there game. Instead, I traded in a few older games and got the game I was going to rent for free. I have had the card completely paid off since February.
I have completed the first two baby steps and am well into the third. The fully funded emergency fund may take me another year. But, that was always my "credit card" belief...that I needed it for emergencies. Now, I have cold hard cash for emergencies and can depend on that rather than Chase (who does not have my best interest in mind).
When we talk about financial stewardship in church, we are reminded that "it all belongs to God anyways." But we are quickly reminded that "God does not need our money." Followed with "God loves a cheerful giver." Follow the line of thinking and I sometimes feel that I am in the middle of a Mafia movie where the boys are using euphemisms for rubbing somebody out. Stewardship becomes defined as how much we give. Nuts.
Stewardship is being responsible with what you have been given.
We live in a society that encourages us to spend money that we do not have. If you do not have the money for xy or z, you can always find some company willing to loan you the money. Usually in under ninety seconds. Go to Kohls and you can open a line of credit with them (and save 10% on your purchase) right at the cash register (I know, I've done this). If easy credit was not enough, they entice us with Zero Interest and Reward Plans.
I felt burdened with all of the debt that I was carrying. How could I be a cheerful giver? I was looking at 10% of my income going to the church while I was making a decision on which creditor to pay? No, we should be teaching our brothers and sisters how to handle money and start spending only what you have and save for that rainy day.
Dave has a pretty good program. And now, I am a very cheerful giver. And not just on Sunday mornings. The greatest financial feeling that I have ever had was giving an anonymous cashiers check to a sister in need.
The borrower is servant to the lender. Proverbs 22:7
I have completed the first two baby steps and am well into the third. The fully funded emergency fund may take me another year. But, that was always my "credit card" belief...that I needed it for emergencies. Now, I have cold hard cash for emergencies and can depend on that rather than Chase (who does not have my best interest in mind).
When we talk about financial stewardship in church, we are reminded that "it all belongs to God anyways." But we are quickly reminded that "God does not need our money." Followed with "God loves a cheerful giver." Follow the line of thinking and I sometimes feel that I am in the middle of a Mafia movie where the boys are using euphemisms for rubbing somebody out. Stewardship becomes defined as how much we give. Nuts.
Stewardship is being responsible with what you have been given.
We live in a society that encourages us to spend money that we do not have. If you do not have the money for xy or z, you can always find some company willing to loan you the money. Usually in under ninety seconds. Go to Kohls and you can open a line of credit with them (and save 10% on your purchase) right at the cash register (I know, I've done this). If easy credit was not enough, they entice us with Zero Interest and Reward Plans.
I felt burdened with all of the debt that I was carrying. How could I be a cheerful giver? I was looking at 10% of my income going to the church while I was making a decision on which creditor to pay? No, we should be teaching our brothers and sisters how to handle money and start spending only what you have and save for that rainy day.
Dave has a pretty good program. And now, I am a very cheerful giver. And not just on Sunday mornings. The greatest financial feeling that I have ever had was giving an anonymous cashiers check to a sister in need.
The borrower is servant to the lender. Proverbs 22:7
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Jericho Nuked
Jericho was a CBS television show that I stumbled on to at the "Watch Now" web site. It chronicled what happens to the small town of Jericho after nuclear weapons are detonated across America.
As I posted earlier this week, survival movies work for me. But, obviously enough for the show to get renewed.
The season finale was this past week. The town of Jericho was defending itself against a nearby invading town. The war was being fought over farmlands and a salt mine. As the two sides square off, the screen goes black, and gun fire erupts. And then silence. The show is over.
This is my problem with shows. The "Cliff-hanger" finales. Then, when they get canceled, there is never a complete story. Even though 24 is getting thread bare (what ever you do, don't move to Bauer's LA), at least they tell a complete story. It's a cliche born out of the who shot Jr time frame and it needs to stop.
You wanna know how to get us drawn back for next season? Write good stories. Write interesting characters that we can get involved with. Do something different, stray from the formula (think Pulp Fiction or Momento). Just can the cliff-hangers and complete your major story threads by the last show. If I like you, I will be back next year.
As I posted earlier this week, survival movies work for me. But, obviously enough for the show to get renewed.
The season finale was this past week. The town of Jericho was defending itself against a nearby invading town. The war was being fought over farmlands and a salt mine. As the two sides square off, the screen goes black, and gun fire erupts. And then silence. The show is over.
This is my problem with shows. The "Cliff-hanger" finales. Then, when they get canceled, there is never a complete story. Even though 24 is getting thread bare (what ever you do, don't move to Bauer's LA), at least they tell a complete story. It's a cliche born out of the who shot Jr time frame and it needs to stop.
You wanna know how to get us drawn back for next season? Write good stories. Write interesting characters that we can get involved with. Do something different, stray from the formula (think Pulp Fiction or Momento). Just can the cliff-hangers and complete your major story threads by the last show. If I like you, I will be back next year.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
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