I like Harry's Law. I ran into in last summer with reruns.
I've never been a fan of Kathy Bates, yet she's a hoot in this show. It's right up my alley, being set in Cincinnati, my home town. And that's why I watch it, for the intros & outros with commercials, where you see the local shots, otherwise known as filler.
The premise is ridiculous. I know my friend James Vogele, an Cincinnati attorney, would agree. An older female lawyer has a breakdown, leaves her established firm, and opens up an off-the-street office. It's supposed to take place in Over the Rhine, a poor and mostly black, belt-shaped area between Downtown and the University of Cincinnati/Clifton. (If you think of a hill, the University is on the crest, Over the Rhine is where the incline starts, and the city is in the lowlands on the Ohio River. From the riverfront to the University is only a few miles.)
The producers should have done some location shots there, even shot some footage. Instead, the pilot looks like the back lot of the studio (which I'm sure it was). The Rhine doesn't look like the show, and the buildings aren't that clean. It's the 'inner city' and doesn't look pristine.
Someone in Hollywood is either from my fair city, or spent a lot of time there. Over the years I've been very amused by the references to Cincy I've heard in a number of shows. Whether it was a comment about White Castle tiny steamed burgers (now called Sliders) or to the one-day-a-season break we experience because of crazy weather (yea snow days, among other things), they've all been very accurate. And now a show that is set there.
This isn't the first show, of course. We loved WKRP in Cincinnati. Those outside our city may have thought it was funny, but if you were a local the appreciation for jokes was far greater. Only we knew just how spot on those jokes were.
Cincinnati is a funny town with gorgeous architecture and lots of history. I'm glad someone is bringing attention to it.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
All Magic Has Its Price (or The Importance of Integrity)
There's an old saying "There's no such thing as a free lunch."
In the ABC show Once, Rumpelstiltskin says that "all magic has its price."
Yesterday, Dr. Conrad Murray was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson.
Personally, I was rather surprised by the decision. I didn't follow the trial, and I saw a few highlights here and there on the news. I knew a defense position held that Michael pushed the fatal dose himself, and I was impressed by the testimonies that patients of Dr. Murray offered on his behalf.
I was disappointed by the crowd's response outside the courthouse. "Involuntary" means it was an accident, like if a pedestrian is hit by a car and dies. The driver did not intend to hurt or kill the victim, but they did. The crowd reminded me of a lynch mob. Nothing is going to bring Jackson back, not even a guilty verdict.
One has to realize that Jackson had his weaknesses and dependencies, and searched for someone that would give him what he wanted. Several turned him down. For $150,000.00 a month, Dr. Murray accepted.
And in one moment, although it played out over a long period, he lost his income, his medical license (and career), and his freedom. How very, very sad. At $150k a month he would have a massive impact on his life. There were personal costs involved, like being up all night (interrupting your natural sleep cycle for a long period is very difficult). And just like that, it's all gone.
"All magic has its price."
Today, the Jerry Sandusky/Joe Paterno/Tim Curley/Gary Schultz/Graham Spanier/Penn State scandal broke. No details yet, just the accusations and the initial response.
WOW.
Here's a group of men, who have worked closely together to build a legacy for 50 years, ready for retirement and passing the torch. At the end of his race, there are accusations that there has been sexual abuse against children, that's right child molestation, that was known and ignored.
That, in and of itself, is unbelievable. How do you see a crime, especially a crime against a child, and not report it?
The response of the accused was equally unbelievable. What arrogance to see themselves as untouchable and above the law!
Several heads are definitely going to roll. People will be fired, probably tomorrow.
Was excelling at your interest (college football), worth breaking the law? Ignoring crimes against another? College football at Penn State is very lucrative. Millions of dollars are made per game for the school. Was the magic lure of the money worth the cost of their moral compass?
If there is something you are doing or considering, count the cost before it's too late. Read the fine print. Money is not evil. The love of it is. Money is like air - life is better with it than without it.
In both of these situations you had careers built on an objective. And then came really big money, and compromise. And when the truth comes out (and it always does) individuals are harmed or killed, careers are destroyed, legacies are shattered and reversed, and the money lure evaporates like a vapor, all in an instant. It's very sad.
Count the cost of what you do before you do it. It's the importance of Integrity.
"All magic has its price." "There's no free lunch."
In the ABC show Once, Rumpelstiltskin says that "all magic has its price."
Yesterday, Dr. Conrad Murray was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson.
Personally, I was rather surprised by the decision. I didn't follow the trial, and I saw a few highlights here and there on the news. I knew a defense position held that Michael pushed the fatal dose himself, and I was impressed by the testimonies that patients of Dr. Murray offered on his behalf.
I was disappointed by the crowd's response outside the courthouse. "Involuntary" means it was an accident, like if a pedestrian is hit by a car and dies. The driver did not intend to hurt or kill the victim, but they did. The crowd reminded me of a lynch mob. Nothing is going to bring Jackson back, not even a guilty verdict.
One has to realize that Jackson had his weaknesses and dependencies, and searched for someone that would give him what he wanted. Several turned him down. For $150,000.00 a month, Dr. Murray accepted.
And in one moment, although it played out over a long period, he lost his income, his medical license (and career), and his freedom. How very, very sad. At $150k a month he would have a massive impact on his life. There were personal costs involved, like being up all night (interrupting your natural sleep cycle for a long period is very difficult). And just like that, it's all gone.
"All magic has its price."
Today, the Jerry Sandusky/Joe Paterno/Tim Curley/Gary Schultz/Graham Spanier/Penn State scandal broke. No details yet, just the accusations and the initial response.
WOW.
Here's a group of men, who have worked closely together to build a legacy for 50 years, ready for retirement and passing the torch. At the end of his race, there are accusations that there has been sexual abuse against children, that's right child molestation, that was known and ignored.
That, in and of itself, is unbelievable. How do you see a crime, especially a crime against a child, and not report it?
The response of the accused was equally unbelievable. What arrogance to see themselves as untouchable and above the law!
Several heads are definitely going to roll. People will be fired, probably tomorrow.
Was excelling at your interest (college football), worth breaking the law? Ignoring crimes against another? College football at Penn State is very lucrative. Millions of dollars are made per game for the school. Was the magic lure of the money worth the cost of their moral compass?
If there is something you are doing or considering, count the cost before it's too late. Read the fine print. Money is not evil. The love of it is. Money is like air - life is better with it than without it.
In both of these situations you had careers built on an objective. And then came really big money, and compromise. And when the truth comes out (and it always does) individuals are harmed or killed, careers are destroyed, legacies are shattered and reversed, and the money lure evaporates like a vapor, all in an instant. It's very sad.
Count the cost of what you do before you do it. It's the importance of Integrity.
"All magic has its price." "There's no free lunch."
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Am I a Gleek?
I hardly ever catch it on TV (what night is it on?), love it when I catch reruns shown as filler for other shows (what channel is Fox on?).
When Glee was near the end of it's second season, my college buddy Guy Klose recommended it to me. He said it was really funny.
I caught a few episodes, and was mortified by the "loser" logo, and by Sue Sylvester's (Jane Lynch) treatment of the students. "This is funny?" I wondered. Guy must be half-baked.
But I trust Guy. I've known him a long time, and we like a lot of the same things. If he likes it, I must be missing something. So I took the time* to dig around a little more, and found old episodes of Glee on the web. I watched, but my thoughts hadn't changed.
And then I saw "Preggers." This is when the only male gay student (Kurt) joins the football team with his half-brother (Finn), and the team breaks out mid-game when they are losing to perform "Single Ladies," complete with Beyonce choreography.
I laughed so hard I almost cried. Guy, you were right.*
Recently they ran 2 hours of season two Glee episodes as filler before Simon Cowell's new show started. I caught the end of Glee's Rocky Horror Picture Show and Silly Love Songs. Both of these were aired before Guy told me about the show. And I to see the whole Rocky Horror episode. I watched the movie many, many times during college. Midnight showings, Race & 6th, Cincinnati.
Let's do the time warp again!
Am I a Gleek? Are you?
* That is the Power of Influence.
When Glee was near the end of it's second season, my college buddy Guy Klose recommended it to me. He said it was really funny.
I caught a few episodes, and was mortified by the "loser" logo, and by Sue Sylvester's (Jane Lynch) treatment of the students. "This is funny?" I wondered. Guy must be half-baked.
But I trust Guy. I've known him a long time, and we like a lot of the same things. If he likes it, I must be missing something. So I took the time* to dig around a little more, and found old episodes of Glee on the web. I watched, but my thoughts hadn't changed.
And then I saw "Preggers." This is when the only male gay student (Kurt) joins the football team with his half-brother (Finn), and the team breaks out mid-game when they are losing to perform "Single Ladies," complete with Beyonce choreography.
I laughed so hard I almost cried. Guy, you were right.*
Recently they ran 2 hours of season two Glee episodes as filler before Simon Cowell's new show started. I caught the end of Glee's Rocky Horror Picture Show and Silly Love Songs. Both of these were aired before Guy told me about the show. And I to see the whole Rocky Horror episode. I watched the movie many, many times during college. Midnight showings, Race & 6th, Cincinnati.
Let's do the time warp again!
Am I a Gleek? Are you?
* That is the Power of Influence.
Monday, October 31, 2011
MYSTERY SOLVED!
LOL, we are watching Jeopardy! and the questions were on sea animals and shells (how Providential!).
Sure enough...our ice cream cones were included..."They are named after this carpenter's tool they resemble"
None of the contestants got it..."The answer is: What is an Auger?" Thanks Alex!
Therefore...we found over 300 auger shells...
And the squiggly thing...it appears to be a Worm Shell, only ours is calcified.
Now if someone finds the sand dollar in the photo...
Sure enough...our ice cream cones were included..."They are named after this carpenter's tool they resemble"
None of the contestants got it..."The answer is: What is an Auger?" Thanks Alex!
Therefore...we found over 300 auger shells...
And the squiggly thing...it appears to be a Worm Shell, only ours is calcified.
Now if someone finds the sand dollar in the photo...
It's the Great Google, Charlie Brown!
Have you seen Google today? They are doing their twist on the Great Pumpkin(s)...and these pumpkins are HUGE - larger than the hay bales they are resting on.
Fun stop action photography vid on pumpkin carving. Surprise ending!
It's a must see. Go!
Now engineers and creative people...tell me how this is done....please! It cracks me up!
Fun stop action photography vid on pumpkin carving. Surprise ending!
It's a must see. Go!
Now engineers and creative people...tell me how this is done....please! It cracks me up!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Great Finds at the Beach Tonight!
Tonight was awesome on the beach! We found over 20 perfect scallops, over 300 "ice cream cones" including rare colors of all black and all white, oyster shells (a first); a lobster tail (another first, and it still had meat on it!); crab heads and claws, one large fully intact crab; muscles of all sizes; some wild stuff we don't even know what it is, barnacles growing barnacles (a first); and best of all a 6-7/8" purple starfish (a definite first)!
Can you find the sand dollar?
The wild squigly stuff is in the upper left corner, by the oyster, crab and muscle shells. Gray and twisted. My son says it looks like hardened intestines, it is so twisted!
Ice Cream Cones are our favorites. We usually find a few, never the motherlode we found today. I called it a "cone convention that got busted." The question would be...what were they busted for? LOL We usually hunt and hunt and find one or two, but today we would look down and have them all around us.
We had never seen black cones before, then I found a tiny white one. So rare (to us)! Usually cones are brown or mottled brown. I even found one that was a skeleton of the shell. So cool.
If you know what we found, please post!
I went from "never finding a cone" to find easily 100. Unless it is a scallop, I'm the worst at finding shells. I'm always looking at the sunset!
God's creation is awesome. The beauty of creation reflects the infinite beauty of the Creator and ought to inspire the respect and submission of man's intellect and will.
Perfection is in the little things.
Bolsa Chica State Beach, Warner & PCH, Huntington Beach, CA
High tide was about 12:30pm; and this was about 5:30pm - 6:30pm. Very low tide, and a large flat shelf.
Can you find the sand dollar?
The wild squigly stuff is in the upper left corner, by the oyster, crab and muscle shells. Gray and twisted. My son says it looks like hardened intestines, it is so twisted!
Ice Cream Cones are our favorites. We usually find a few, never the motherlode we found today. I called it a "cone convention that got busted." The question would be...what were they busted for? LOL We usually hunt and hunt and find one or two, but today we would look down and have them all around us.
We had never seen black cones before, then I found a tiny white one. So rare (to us)! Usually cones are brown or mottled brown. I even found one that was a skeleton of the shell. So cool.
If you know what we found, please post!
I went from "never finding a cone" to find easily 100. Unless it is a scallop, I'm the worst at finding shells. I'm always looking at the sunset!
God's creation is awesome. The beauty of creation reflects the infinite beauty of the Creator and ought to inspire the respect and submission of man's intellect and will.
Perfection is in the little things.
Bolsa Chica State Beach, Warner & PCH, Huntington Beach, CA
High tide was about 12:30pm; and this was about 5:30pm - 6:30pm. Very low tide, and a large flat shelf.
 |
| Where's Waldo?...find the Sand Dollar! |
 |
| 6-7/8" and still soft (but very dead). Love the purple color! |
 |
| The bottom of the Star Fish. The blue lines on the bottom right leg are drying cracks that have begun. The holes in the center are fascinating! |
Saturday, October 29, 2011
How I Love The Patriot!
We are watching The Patriot (2000) with Mel Gibson, a very young Heath Ledger, an even younger Gregory Smith, Chris Cooper, Tchéky Karyo and a diabolical Jason Issacs, and Kristian Truelsen.
I love how it begins with delightful scenes of Colonial life in South Carolina, A Christian family, homeschooling (children teaching children), a story of family, honor, character, perseverance against all odds, and of course, patriotism.
I'm not sure I've seen it since it was in the theatres. I don't know why! It is very bloody, but so is war.
And at times, Gibson looks very Braveheart (1995). And if he was younger, I'm sure the part of Jean Villeneuve, the French man based on Lafayette, played by Tchéky Karyo would have been played by Gérard Depardieu. They look so much alike, I immediately though of Depardieu. But then, he did seem to fill every roll of a French man in American films for a long time.
So who in the world is Kris Truelsen? He played Hardwick (first seen about 58:30 into the DVD), and is the one that gives away the location of Benjamin Martin's (played by Gibson) men in swamp by the mission. He is subsequently burned in church with the others of the community.
And he's the brother of my college friend, Jeffrey Scott Truelsen, of Ithaca, NY/Cornell/Gorges Greyhounds . My first summer of college Jff used to read aloud Kris's letters (they corresponded frequently) and his name is a link to many fond memories.
Always a pleasure to see you Kris. I hope you make royalties on your work. Please put your picture up in http://www.imdb.com/! The one on your home page is a fantastic shot!
I love how it begins with delightful scenes of Colonial life in South Carolina, A Christian family, homeschooling (children teaching children), a story of family, honor, character, perseverance against all odds, and of course, patriotism.
I'm not sure I've seen it since it was in the theatres. I don't know why! It is very bloody, but so is war.
And at times, Gibson looks very Braveheart (1995). And if he was younger, I'm sure the part of Jean Villeneuve, the French man based on Lafayette, played by Tchéky Karyo would have been played by Gérard Depardieu. They look so much alike, I immediately though of Depardieu. But then, he did seem to fill every roll of a French man in American films for a long time.
So who in the world is Kris Truelsen? He played Hardwick (first seen about 58:30 into the DVD), and is the one that gives away the location of Benjamin Martin's (played by Gibson) men in swamp by the mission. He is subsequently burned in church with the others of the community.
And he's the brother of my college friend, Jeffrey Scott Truelsen, of Ithaca, NY/Cornell/Gorges Greyhounds . My first summer of college Jff used to read aloud Kris's letters (they corresponded frequently) and his name is a link to many fond memories.
Always a pleasure to see you Kris. I hope you make royalties on your work. Please put your picture up in http://www.imdb.com/! The one on your home page is a fantastic shot!
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