Bloggers Block Begone!

It's the middle of August already, you guys. How did that happen? I'm convinced the Universe has this month set on ludicrous speed simply because it knows how much I am dreading my kid starting Kindergarten. Please note that *I* am dreading it. Charley is very excited for it. As long as he gets his Spongebob backpack and football ice pack, he will be a happy camper. Let's hope the enthusiasm stays with him on that first day when we drop him off. Also, go ahead and send me all sorts of "no crying" vibes so that I don't start bawling at his feet when he walks in the classroom that first day.

Since it is mid-August, that means the Olympics are over. I know, I know, we are all sick of hearing about them but there is something about watching that level of greatness compete night after night that inspires me. I love knowing how motivated people are (probably because I'm so lazy) to do well for their country and I love watching their families cheer them on. Now, I'm not saying I'm going to go out and train to do a Carly Patterson dismount off the balance beam or anything, but it just makes me happy seeing people excel at something they've worked so hard for. It's neat. It's also entertaining and provided me with two weeks full of laughter and happy tears.

Here's what I learned from the 2012 London Olympics:

• Ryan Lochte is a tool. From his Grill, to his peeing in the pool, to his awful interviews, I was so not impressed with this dude.
• I used to think Michael Phelps was a bit of a conceited hole but then I watched his journey in London and totally got a new perspective of him. He's just really awesome at what he does and he knows it. He's also not perfect and he knows that too. He's also a really great interviewee and "gets" the enormity of being "the most decorated Olympian ever". I think that's cool.
•  I want to be BFF's with Missy Franklin. That girl is 17 years old and has herself 4 gold medals and 1 bronze from her first ever Olympics. She is so happy all the time and has a wonderful relationship with her parents. I love that.
• How cute is Nathan Adrian?? Seriously, guys. He's SO cute. 
• I really enjoyed watching Fencing. I like how animated the athletes are. They get so excited or angry!
• As well as Archery. No, not because of Katniss (maybe a little because of Katniss). It was really interesting to watch their techniques and surprisingly nail biting when it got to the final rounds. It was also fun to see who had giant red indents on their faces from the bow string. LOLZ
• Women's Beach Volleyball was so much fun to watch. Misty May-Treaenor and Kerri Walsh brought so much life to that court. You can tell they love each other and that they love the game and that they worked so freaking hard for that gold medal. I bet they would be so much fun to hang out with.
• Gymnastics was all sorts of exciting. The girls kicked ass but I felt sorry for the boys. They kind of got the shaft since they didn't perform up to the girl's high caliber. Not even that one boy's magic towel could help them in the team all around final. I also enjoyed watching the Russian girls mess up, cry and shoot the other participants evil eyes after their performances. Those girls mean business!
• NBC really did make me feel like I was missing stuff but I don't know that they could have done much different to fix that. I will say that they royally screwed up the closing ceremonies by interrupting it to make people watch their new show Animal Practice. If ever there was a way to turn off potential viewers to a new sitcom, that was the way to do it! 
• Jeff and I love watching the trampoline competitions. NBC only showed us about 10 minutes worth of that so we were disappointed... until we saw who was going for the gold medal. Dong Dong of China. DONG DONG! Spoiler Alert: He won. 

With summer coming to a close, we get to look forward to Fall TV.  Here are the new shows that I am going to give a shot in the coming months:

Revolution (NBC, Premieres September 17th @10pm)- This is a J.J. Abrams show, so you know I am all over it. It also stars Billy Burke (AKA Charlie Swan/Hot dad from Twilight). It takes place in a post apocalyptic future. 15 years after an unknown source disabled all forms of technology. No television, no electricity, no cars etc. The series focuses on a group of people trying to figure out why it happened and how to reverse it. Oh! Also, Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet) from Lost is in it!! Here's a preview:

666 Park Avenue  (ABC, Premieres September, 30th @ 10pm)- This one seems a little creepy. It's about a hotel and focuses on the owners and tenants within it. It's basically a "if you could have anything you ever wished for, what would you do to get it?" situation and would you be willing to pay the consequences? It's all supernatural-like and stars Terry O'Quinn (guess what? he's from Lost too!) and David Annabel (Reunion, Brothers and Sisters), as well as lots of others but those are the two I am watching it for. Here's a preview.

Elementary  (CBS, Premieres September 27th @10pm)- This stars Johnny Lee Miller. I ADORE Johnny Lee Miller. It's a modern take on Sherlock Holmes and stars Lucy Liu as Watson. Here's a preview:


The Mindy Project  (FOX, Premieres September 25th @930pm)- This one stars Mindy Kaling (Kelly, from The Office) as an OBGYN who is trying to navigate through her personal and professional life, all while surrounded by witty co-workers and friends. I think it looks cute. Here's a preview:


So, that's that. We'll see how long these new shows last. I also might give Nashville a shot, as well as Matthew Perry's new sitcom,  Go On (even though I think he is cursed and it will probably get canceled).

Last night, Charley told us he wanted to watch "that collection show". We had no idea what he was talking about. When we asked him questions about it (who is in it? what do they do in it?), he just kept saying "It's NOT a kids show!" and "No! not Pawn Stars!" Well, after we noticed that he had been watching the SyFy channel, Jeff figured it out: Collection Intervention. It premieres tonight at 10pm. After you watch the preview, you'll understand why my kid wants to watch this show and you'll love him even more because of it:


Fall is also bringing us a plethora of good new music:

• For the first time in 14 years, Ben Folds Five will be releasing a new album; The Sound of The Life of The Mind. It will be out September 18th and I CAN'T WAIT! They will also be here in concert (at The Fillmore) on October 2nd. This makes me giddy!!! GIDDY!!!
• The Killers will be releasing their new album; Battleborn on September 18th as well. Again, excitement overload on this one. I love their new single, Runaways and can't wait to hear an entire album full of new Brandon Flowers vocals. 
• Mumford & Sons new album; Babel will be out September 25th and I am anxiously awaiting that one as well.

See?? So much new music coming out!! It makes my ears happy!

Speaking of music, I have a new favorite artist in Ed Sheeran. He's a British singer/songwriter who is just starting to get popular over here. He performed a Pink Floyd cover at the closing ceremonies for the Olympics and I have been listening to him non-stop since then. I will now share with you my favorite song/video of his... The song is great but you'll see why I love the video so much: