Well, alright then! Adverse Effects aired last night and I felt the the thunk as the cogs in the machinery fell in to place and started turning again. It was an entertaining episode on the whole. Yeah!
I am really liking this new P.I. guy and I like the chemistry between him and House. I have heard rumors that there will be a spin off starring this guy and I will be right there in line to check it out. He and House make a wonderful deviant and brilliant pair of two year olds when they put their heads together.
They plot together to snare a date for P.I. guy with Cuddy. P.I. guy promises to dish up some delectable dirt on House for her if she'll go out with him. And House has had him dishing dirt on all the newbies too. Only thing is, I can't quite figure out who likes Cuddy more. Are House and the P.I. guy competing for her? It seemed like it. Whichever way it is House and P.I. conspire together and put a snapshot of a very young Greg House in his college days as a Lacrosse cheerleader. Hilarious! It turns out to be fake, and not fake. A true Greg House mind screw.
The patient in this episode has a weird hairball thing in his gut. It turns out this hairball thing was caused by antacids and a buildup of experimental drugs that overdoses our man. It wasn't a very interesting case. I think the medical conditions of the patients have become quite secondary to the show. The hospital is now just a very loose backdrop to a show about relationships. Which is working for now because the relationships are so deviant and skewed. Who doesn't like that?
No clinic patients again. I really do miss them for the comic background they provided. Without them House has nobody to screw with or flirt with outrageously. His one liners and zinging cuts are hemmed in by it. Without idiot patients who deserve every bit of the tongue lashing he gives, who we aren't invested in and/or meant to care about, we are getting shortchanged on how funny House can be. He is stuck messing with his team. And that has lost most of its shock value. It used to be that House distributed his crazy better in smaller doses between his staff and his patients.
Having said all of that I am enjoying watching the relationships unfold. Ha! I really like the P.I. guy. The sight of the duet between his piano and House's guitar was a nice way to sing us out.
Oh, and if the show is going for any semblance of reality, Taub's wife had other plans for that money. She got caught, thought on the fly, and bought that car. And if that nitwit thinks she didn't know about his affairs his ego could use the prick its about to get. In reality women ignore these things when it is in their best interests to do so. Or they eat, drink, swallow handfuls of gaily colored pills, collect cats, run charities, shop, breed one more, or cheat like monkeys themselves in order to hold the soft pretty hazy pink glow on the edges of their denial. But, in the end, they always know. Silly boys, they always know.
Hey Raiders! In your face. Ha! My Chargers beat the silly little team from Oakland. Always a good thing these two teams are ugly rivals. It's been going on for a long time. Mostly because Raiders fans are simply unlovely and uncouth people. And also because of a terrible event in 1978 with a forward fumble called the Holy Roller. See also CHEAT. We don't like Dolphins much either. Bad blood you know. So, again I say, ha!
Speaking of football my guys will play the Saints in London on October 26th at Wembly. Oh, I wish I could go. My husband believes we can easily get tickets to the game. Travel might be tough but I can certainly press the tickets in my book. He is just funny isn't he?
I am checking in with a shameful confession to make. I didn't really watch Tuesday's episode. I mean I did...I had it on....but well it was sort of the white noise in the background of my evening. I wasn't too worried because I had DVR'd it. I knew I could watch it again. That turned out not to be so. I switched from cable to dish and lost all of my recordings. I have thus spent this whole week wracking my brains (a limited prospect I assure you) trying to remember what the show was about. All I can come up with, appropriately enough is something about a brain... but not brain. And it keeps ringing in my head. It is mocking me. There. I've confessed.
I do remember that there was a P.I. posing as a janitor wearing argyle socks. Cute in a super cocky toothy, I suspect I may get quite a lot of tail in this lifetime, grinning sort of way. He seemed like a smart guy who bounced fairly intelligent ideas off of the team as they ran their differentials. I think he even had some deep insights into the psychology of House. The disease the patient had was something that acted like cancer, and even responded momentarily to the cancer drugs, but was not cancer.
I don't think there were any clinic patients again this week. What IS up with that anyway? Clinic patients were fun. As a former healthcare worker I can tell you that the rampant stupidity and spine chilling tales of dorkery accompanied by the ding dong looks from the patients were the MOST accurate part of the show. Yes I've helped to take care of people who've reached out to grab the beers that they'd left behind on the curb while trying to push start a dead car and managed to run themselves over. With actual cars. Yes. I have. I have also seen patients who were for every intent and purpose dead from lethal heroin overdoses revived with Narcan. Who during the strip down have such amazing things of denial to say. Such as, when the fully loaded syringes of heroin are found hidden in their socks, and pointed out to them people who have looked the treating physician in the eye and said brilliantly "those aren't my socks". Yup. People, once you realize that you cannot save them from the terminal disease of self, are entertaining creatures. I loved that bit of absurdity and the stories in the show. What ever happened to the donkey loving nuns, the interesting uses for strawberry jelly, Syphilis inspired poetry, and the "because you're orange" morons? Sigh.
Sorry for missing this week. I had a good reason for not paying attention. I missed it because I was deep in discussion and had become distressed to realize that my husband will be out of town again and it will be ME accompanying our 15 year old to the Panic at the Disco concert next week. Now as to the concert, I would rather gouge out my ear drums with a fork. Nibble my own toes off so that I can't walk. Something...anything. I went to GREAT concerts at her age. AC/DC, DIO, Motley Crue, and Cheap Trick. What is WRONG with my own flesh and blood? Sputter...Panic indeed. I have made sure the child can recognize and even quote the classic bands such as Queen and Ozzy and have passed down a rather encouraging fondness for Pink Floyd, Aerosmith, Heart, and Fleetwood Mac but I am shamefully sad to say this thing with the boy bands...persists. Hanging head in shame. I question her maternity. Nay, her parentage altogether.
So, clearly you can see, I should be forgiven. I will faithfully watch, if I can find FOX on my dish, next week’s episode. There are like 9,000 channels. Can somebody help me find my local stations?
The season opened tonight. I found it a little difficult to settle in to this episode. I do not know if this is due to the long absence of House in the off season or the actual writing tonight. It also doesn't help that the time has been moved to 8:00 p.m. This is an inconvenient time for me. My children are up and standing on my toes begging for affection and attention and it is difficult to shush them and hear the dialog of my show. When will the importance of my schedule catch up to Hollywood? I finally wised up and paused the show and gave up until after I had put them to bed. It didn't seem to help overmuch. I really did try to be entertained and I did even try to care. But, I just couldn't make my attention stay.
Wilson resigned his post in the show. He decides to pull a change in geography to avoid his pain. House spends most of the episode explaining why he was not at fault in Amber's death and that he has nothing to be sorry for. Everyone else spends their time needling him about it. House limps off in a huff. Cuddy in a nice move has House's cable cut when he refuses to come back to work. It works and he and Wilson end up getting snared in Cuddy's office for couples therapy. It doesn't go very well.
In the end the two of them do finally speak and House apologizes in a sincere attempt to reach out to Wilson. Wilson tells him that he will no longer enable House in his bad behavior and that they are no longer friends. And maybe they never even were. Enable is a crappy new agey word and I detest it to my very toes, thank you very much. There are just some words that press the grind the enamel off of my teeth button. Enable, closure, utilize, guesstimate, and anything having to do with a hundred and ten percent. GRIND. Okay back on topic. And I too wondered in that old musing way of mine, what is the glue in the friendship anyway? It is certainly dysfunctional whatever it is. The stuff typically found between a user and a supplier. Who supplied who, I wonder?
The show ends with House seemingly stunned into silence as Wilson walks away with all of his possessions in a cardboard box.
I didn't find the patient of the week too interesting either. Her outright defeatist attitude depressed me. People like her simply do not exist. At least they don't verbalize the total lack of importance and meaning in their own lives and their satisfaction in that role so readily. I also found number 13 annoying me a bit. I wonder if her test results are real or if House is having some fun with her. It wouldn't surprise me. Which is just bad news. All in all I found the patient and her pretty form of leprosy hard to care about.
Having said all of that I still have faith. The show has had a long absence and they've only just started. I've not cared before and been sucked right back in. I don't put it past this show to do it again. I am willing to wait and see what comes next. There are some fun possibilities for House to sink to some new lows and to open up to his creepy stalker side being presented us. I will be patient and wait.
On a totally personal front I thought Mr. Laurie's hair looked fabulous! Nice! He is just a tall, sophisticated, smooth talkin', awfully damn cool drink of water. Isn't he? Accent? Yes, I am a total sucker. Culture people. It's a lovely thing. I am looking forward to seeing more this season.
Hi all! Our fearless leader Missymomo is back at our helm and feeling fit again. Thank goodness! We were simply left adrift without her. To say I missed her would be a big fat hairy ugly understatement. And I am really not good at those. I tried for simple refined eloquence once and it was the LONGEST 3.6 seconds in my life. It didn't take. HUGS you dear beautiful woman!
As to me? My hard drive crashed. EVERYTHING in my computer? Gone. Poof. Gone. My grief is still keening and fresh. Don't say it!! I forbid the word in my home! Back up. Yes, there I've said it for you. No I did not. And you can bet your brightly blanketed and saddled braying ass I will next time! Of course I said that just before the virus that wiped me out in 2004 struck too. Computers and Cynthia... a marriage made in Vegas...officiated by Elvis...at the drive through window. Sigh. My sorrow is deep.
Ooh, such rumblings as to the new direction coming our way in the 5th season of House. I am open to it. I promise to be entertained. Entertainment is good. I really hope the rumors that Wilson will be gone are false. I would miss that sincerity. But, even then, I promise to be entertained. Catch you all at the beginning.
I forgot to say that I saw Street Kings in San Francisco! I dislike having to say that I was not a great fan of it. I am not a very dedicated nay sayer. I don't really like picking on people as much as I used to. It's just my opinion, and truly, who the hell am I anyway? Let me just start by saying the movie, for me, was sort of doomed from the start. I tend to need copious amounts of booze to forget Keanu Reeves in roles like Little Buddha and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. I don't drink anymore. That makes for some dauntingly bright hot sober lights for poor little Keanu to dance under. It was rough going from the start. I am sure that in real life the guy is a fabulous person and I mean no disrespect on a personal level but, well, yeah. I found the plot to be pretty predictable too. I confess to telling my husband what I thought would happen and passing out about an hour into it. I checked in the morning. I nailed it! And I am not one of those brainy types. I prefer to be mindlessly entertained. I'm easy going that way. It was just bad news for this movie.
Plot in a nutshell? Alcoholic renegade cop named Ludlow (Reeves) breaks rules along with fellow officers. Falsifies reports and rearranges faces wherever and whenever necessary. He doesn't bat a Hollywood eyelash until a former partner turned whistle blower is gunned down and the crime is pinned on him. Both the politically climbing captain (Whitaker) who is not above carefully gathering dirt to use as blackmail and a hand tied IA Captain Biggs (Laurie) use Ludlow in any way they have to clean up some dirty messes. Poor Keanu's character is a pawn. Pawns just hate being the butt of chess analogies. And so too, Keanu's character. As you can imagine it's a guns blazing sort of mess. The blackmailing captain is taken out by Ludlow. It turns out that this is what Captain Biggs hoped for in the first place. Every body's problem solved. Somebody buy that Ludlow guy a drink!
If I said Hugh Laurie played his role very convincingly it seems kind of flat. But, really, I just don't have too much to say about the movie. Forest Whitaker, who I am seeing everywhere these days, was his usual low key and understated brilliant self. It's like that guy snuck up on us one deceptively mild easy going role at a time until suddenly he's just too sexy for the script and much too talented for us all now. Except I HATED the accent he used in this film. It was some strange East Coast thing, perhaps Philly, or something close. I'd have to read the book to figure out for sure what it was. I am sure he actually did it quite well, whatever it was meant to be, it just grated on my ears. Hugh Laurie plays an American in this role too. His accent was non non-descript and flowed nicely. It wasn't a bad movie. I just don't have too much to say about it. The movie is due on store shelves August 19. Perhaps it's more your cup of bourbon than mine.
Missymomo our website Master at Arms is under the weather. She's been hospitalized now for a couple of weeks. The doctors could benefit from some David Shore-ish-ness, as the cause of her illness is still unknown. Missymomo is a soft hearted woman with a will of steel who has survived a stroke and a heart attack. She didn't let that stop her and I am positive that this is unlikely to do anything but cause her to find somebody on the hospital wing to encourage and/or mentor.
Missymomo learned from scratch, while in her 60's, how to provide all of this mystical web wizardry that still baffles the crud out of me. She managed to encourage me and tell me that I had a gift to share at a time when I needed it. And now it pays off for me. All of it starting with a bit of goofy writing over a silly actor. No offense, but dude has made a holy high art of goofery. And just why the hell not? Well done, you big beautiful master of laughter, say I! Anyway, I just wanted to post a shout out to Missymomo. If you've had contact with her then you KNOW how big an encouragement she is. It would probably be impossible to say just how many people she's nudged up and along and out into some light. Get better MissymoMOM my dear. I miss you. Plus my MSN crashed and I can't figure it out! GET HOME and manage me!!! Computers is TOUGH. Cheers my dear.
Hi guys! Oh my gosh I never blogged about the last two episodes. I thought that Shore and crew put together a really nice season ender. I got the ending in a very slow kind of way as the dream woman was gently sliding her amber necklace between her fingers on House’s dream couch. House’s couch…hmm…lucky dream girl. It is a known fact that lovers of green and shimmering pools of icy cool emeralds notice amber because all shades of yellow offend our eyes. It’s just simple science really. Anyway, I had it from that point. I was sort of shocked at the decision to wake Amber up in order for Wilson to say goodbye. But, then I decided to just lean back, shut up, and be entertained. And I was. It was great to see the whole crew in action. I do miss them. Robert Sean Leonard has serious acting chops. Ignoring the fact that Amber and Wilson had only dated briefly, I was able to easily slide right on in, and I truly believed that his character loved hers deeply. Have I mentioned the power of the puppy eyes on that guy??? I always wanted deep brown chocolate don’t kick me puppy eyes. Anyway, his eyes suck you right on in and you hang there like honey and believe every outrageous thing his lips are saying. Nice on him! I really do enjoy the talent of both these leading guys. The writers showed themselves to be alive and kicking as well. I can end this by saying that I am really hopeful and looking forward to next season. So bring it guys!
On a personal note, and I have been assured that some of you do enjoy reading about that stuff, it has been a great few weeks for my family and me. We went on vacation and decided to stay pretty close to home this time. We spent a week in San Francisco and then moved up into Yosemite and the Sierra’s. As a Navy brat I was born in the Army hospital in that fine city of San Francisco. But, I’d never spent any time there. It is a beautiful place. The sky line is all in white, with the notable exception of the dark B of A building, which sticks out like a missing tooth in that otherwise pristine smile. There is a lot of history there and it thrives and hums with cultures from all over the globe.
As far as Yosemite goes let me just say that you can know all the scientific and geological principals that go into creating and forming a place like Yosemite like the back of your hand. But, it flies right out the window when you are gaping up and feeling the spray of those waterfalls or standing lost somewhere in the shadow of the rock formations. It’s purely God’s hand there. It’s His show alone. And you’d be an absolute dunderhead to not know it. How insignificant are we anyway? Like Goofy, I was suddenly reduced to an awestruck gulp and an appreciative GORSH!
After, to wash away that fresh nature smell, we left California and stopped off in Vegas for a few days. Vegas is a hoot. I love the brightly colored feathers and exuberant noise and the belly aching glut created by the sudden collision of sin of every conceivable kind. All of it crammed together and fighting for space under the bright lights. Which once I thought about, and I do think occasionally, all boils and distills on down to a single one of excess. Excess is sin in its most simplistic and heady form. And while in Vegas it’s okay to brush up against it, get your picture taken with it, eat all of it you can for only $7.99, and walk away guilt free. Ahhh! Ain’t that America something to see? Say what you want to about America. I have two things. One, California, both in and out of the smog, is one of the jewels of the United States. It is a living breathing thing of beauty. Two, we Americans do know how to put a big fat neon glittering fabulously tacky oooooooh inspiring cherry on top of a city like Vegas and we do it all with a pretty smile from our pearly Yankee white teeth. Yeah baby!!
I'll blog away the summer if you wish to check back. Thank you for the emails. And, yes, I am still a fan of House and Hugh Laurie. It's just that life ebbs and flows sometimes. Just now House ebbs and life flows. Plus parenting a toddler was a much easier prospect when my husband and I had Britty in our 20's. I'll leave you with some photos a great big fat giggle. Ready? I will have one child heading for university and one to Kindergarten in the same year. Yeah, I stopped doing the math after that one. I personally plan to attend the parent night at the school providing the best cookies. Cheers y'all.
Living the Dream opens with a soap star from House's favorite show in the middle of a scene. He's playing the part of a darkish-drunkish doctor. He's knocking back from his flask at nice rate just before heading into a t.v. surgery. Oh and just as a by the way, if your surgeon happens to be alcoholic, you really want him to slug back a few before heading in. If it comforts you, chug them with him, but do encourage your drunk t.v. surgeon to indulge a bit before he goes spelunking all willie-nillie into your brain. It sounds counter intuitive, but trust me on this, plus you wouldn't be up for surgery if your brain weren't all addled anyway. So, ignore your better judgmet in that situation. A female co-star reads her line about not drinking before surgery and also about how she is having his baby. Our, even faker than House t.v. doctor, gives a pause before delivering his line and then suddenly swoons in a rather convincing faint. He springs back up and we see that it was written into his script. Our even faker than House t.v. doctor walks out of the studio and gets into his limo. The driver turns the wrong way and it is then that we notice some familiar eyes in the rear view mirror. Our man House snaps down the locks and commences to kidnapping the soap star. He tells him that he is obviously dying of a brain tumor because his line read has slowed down by 8 seconds. He convinces the soap actor to allow him to run one test and if it is normal he will let him go.
The hospital is under inspection and Cuddy is trying to get House's old team to help him solve the case as quickly and quietly as possible. Chase shows quick wisdom by assuring himself that he won't be fired for not helping and then exits stage right. Cameron is on board though and up to her old tricks. It was nice to see the team together in some capacity and not as disparate entities who occasionally must brush shoulders.
House and Wilson meet up for their weekly chat in the hallway. Wilson is hobbling along and House asks if him if he's mocking him in some way. Wilson tells him that his back is hurting because of Amber's bad mattress. He launches into a conversation about how they plan to buy one together later that evening. House predicts that by "they" Amber really means "she". He prophesies that Wilson will end up picking out whatever it is that she wants and holding her purse by the end of the deal. House then sticks a needle in the neck of the faker than him t.v. doctor's neck as he tries to escape in the elevator after his normal test result. The soap star faints for real.
The team rejects the idea of a brain tumor by MRI. Of course all kinds of ideas are thrown up and then shot down like little doomed skeet pigeons. I sort of caught this one. I had the idea that it would be a problem with faker than House guys flask. Which it almost did turn out to be! It seems that it was the quinine in the tonic water of the guys fake made for t.v. gin and tonics. Seems he was slugging them down daily on set. He developed an allergy. House had won the round and treated the guy for allergy. He thought it was an allergy to flowers in the guys dressing room. He rules that out and is shocked when his therapy works anyway. House is baffled and cannot explain why the therapy for allergy should have been the cure. He tells Cuddy she shouldn't have allowed him to treat. It is later that night, after the patient has left, that House is moodily drinking his bourbon and watching the soap that House spots the quinine. He lovingly calls Cuddy to wake her and let her know.
The living the dream part comes from Wilson being given two mattress choices by crafty Amber. She has a favorite one at the store and Wilson has one of his own. After haggling the poor under matched little sales guy down ruthlessly like a fisher wife she gets her purse back from Wilson and tells him that the choice is his. Really. Wilson...have we done overdone noodle boy yet? Okay. Tissue paper boy, of course, brings home Amber's choice. She, in a rather stunning moment, gains my reluctant respect when she tells him not to do that. She tells him not to turn her into his ex-wives because of his need to please and eat great heaping spoonfuls of poor me. Damn those writers! Stoppppitttt! I am meant to dislike her intensely. She is my fake t.v. competition. Got it? Anyway, Wilson confides in House that he has always wanted a water bed. Which was a choice not on either list. House tells him to live the dream.
The show ends with Wilson sleeping on the living room floor and Amber coming out from the sloshy water bed to be with him. He is puppy sad that the bed is horrible and uncomfortable and that he will return it in the a.m. She, does it again, by telling him that she is glad he bought it. I was really glad he did too.
I can relate to the cloying taste of bitter that is dream let down. For me it was a two hundred dollar dinner in Hollywood California at a very famous chef's restaurant early in my marriage. I had always been sure that I would love Fettuccine Alfredo because it sounded so romantic. Understand that I had no idea what it was. It just sounded so good. So, all dressed up in the candlelight, I ordered it. To my horror I realized that Fettuccine Alfredo is basically buttered noodles drenched in a creamy butter sauce. I detest butter. Truly. I have since earliest childhood. Anyway...sad....sad Cyndi with a big plate of butter in front of her. I am saved these days from a total lack of dairy in my life by the fact that I have never met a cheese that I couldn't abuse. I think the sudden shattering of a dream is a tinkling little sound we can all relate to. Poor Wilson!
I found this show to be refreshing. I am enjoying and able to keep up with the lighter episodes. It was great to see Cuddy, Foreman, and Cameron as REAL contributing factors to the plot. I am looking forward to next week's two parter.
No More Mr. Nice Guy aired last night! I found my brain sluggish and grasping to keep up. It was like a marathon runner who’s gone all doughnuts, Budweiser, and couch bound for a couple months. House is like a muscle. And mine has gone flaccid. It took me nearly the whole episode to catch up with what was going on.
The show opens with a nursing strike in front of PPH. Oh, what chuckle heads those writer’s are. Clever! A couple is out picketing saying lovey- dovey things to each other. A UPS guy walks up and attempts to cross the line and the girly half of the couple asserts her right to stop him for 15 seconds. I never knew that there were such specific rules and protocol for striking! The guy rams her with his dolly. Instead of being angry the woman’s husband sets to be all rational with him. The UPS guy gets more and more insistent and suddenly the husband’s eyes start spinning around in his head and he passes out. Both my daughter and I yelled out Bo-Bo at the same time. We had a retarded cat whose eyes used to flick back and forth like that at one time. Poor old Bo-Bo. Dubbed Sir Spitty Spat Bernardo of Whiskers the 3rd upon his entrance into our home. Reduced to Bo-Bo the commoner by dint of his low IQ…
The show opens with House hiding from Cuddy behind the nursing station in the ER. He glances over and see’s Jeff, who shall henceforth be known to us as Bo-Bo, sitting on the bed smiling peacefully in that vacant Bo-Bo way. House is immediately intrigued especially once he R/O’s the possibility of the patient being Canadian. Funniest line of the show by the way. House see’s this utter niceness as a sure sign of a devastating disease process that he is sure will spread. He sets out to put a cork in the contagion.
Kutner then gets the idea based on the theme that if niceness is a disease process so is jerk- wad-ishness such as House displays. Somehow, magically in that crazy TV way that we are supposed to suspend our disbelief over, he finds a sample of House’s blood sitting in the lab and runs a couple of tests. Turns out both the patient and our beloved jerk have Syphilis. There are pus pockets in their brains causing inflammation that is pressing on the nice and the jerk parts of our Jekyll and Hyde’s . The team confronts House en masse and produce Penicillin for him. And oddly, we think, he actually takes it. We sit about the rest of the episode to watch House become more vacant, and yes, kind.
House sets about to get his friend back from the clutches of the evil CB. He decides to split Wilson up as if he were a child caught in between warring parents in a divorce. I found this…baffling….But, who am I? Oh, yes, I am a fan trying to hang on. Amber and even Cuddy agree with the plan. Wilson in true door mat fashion has no opinion. ??? House sets himself up as the mother figure in the scenario. House goes about to screwing with Amber during his mommy and me time. Mostly by ensuring that Wilson won’t be screwing anybody or anything. There is sniping back and forth between Amber and House about being 15 minutes late here or there on drop off time, and, Amber is irritated with House’s tactics at disabling Wilson sexually with alcohol.
It comes out later that House has deliberately left out the blood sample and tainted it with Syphilis. He doesn’t really have it. In some way this is a tactic to screw with his team. Or is it Wilson he is feeling out for trustworthiness? He confides it to Wilson and extracts a promise from him that he will not tell Amber. This of course is exactly what overdone noodle boy immediately does. Wilson bleats like a stuck sheep and Amber runs screeching to the team to rat. House? Jerk-wad-ishness as a disease process? Still un-proved. Oh, and there is the idea that perhaps Cameron had slept with House at some point in their past. Chase confronts her saying that the STD necessitates that he know. She never confirms or denies. Which gets Chase’s panties all a-twist. You’d think he’d be way more concerned with Hunting guys coughed up HIV blood. Which she has at least 9 years of testing ahead of her to completely rule out. But, again who am I?
Going on in the background are employee reviews. House’s team reams Foreman for being a useless figure head caught in House’s evil blue eyed web whose purpose is to screw with them. But, in actuality they say, Foreman has less or equal power then they do. House calls Cuddy miserable. He says she is a person who tries but never succeeds in getting what she wants, is clueless as to what she needs, but is proud of her success. And he nails all of his team with thoughtful reviews. Of course they are all carbon copies and exactly the same for every member.
Long confusing secondary story short, it isn’t Syphilis. For either of them. With House it is his insatiable need to mess with people. For Bo-Bo it’s something he picked up during his days in the Peace Corps. A parasite who has been wriggling around and living for ten years on the delectable tissue of his fuzzy little brain. Nibble nibble. In screwing with his team House distracts himself to the point that it is not he who discovers the diagnosis. It’s Kutner. Ooh…straight to the back sucker!
I am still willing. Still a fan. Do you hear me? I am determined to see this season through. But, if I am honest I have to say that this episode, while it may have worked for Hugh Laurie’s character and those of the new team members, completely left the other’s hanging out to dry. Wilson, Cuddy, Chase, Cameron and Foreman frankly looked like secondary idiot’s that they were shoving in as an afterthought. I know the show is called House and that the character of main focus is House…but isn’t it still an ensemble? I invested time into those characters. Sigh… We’ll see what Shore has up his sleeve. After all…he knows what we really want. He’s the expert. Didn’t he say so?
Woohoo! So, I caught Hugh Laurie on the Leno show. I am on the West Coast and don’t get any East Coast feeds so I had to wait. Does anybody know how late that show is on? Goodness. Do you think that could be why they call it THE Late Show? Anyway, I confess to making it all the way through to the Jay Walking segment before realizing I had TiVo and flicking out the lights to pass out. Oh, and I can never get our own Vice President straight. Unless I see him with a shotgun that is… I watched this morning. Oh, it was a lovely way to wake up. Thank goodness I am old and tired. It was much better to wait. Coffee, sunlight streaming in, bunny slippers, and a snuggling corn chippy Chihuahua in those quiet moments before anybody else had figured out that I was awake to bug. YEAH!
Hugh Laurie looked so relaxed. I don’t believe I’ve seen him that at ease during an interview before. I have seen him appear somewhat at ease with Craig Ferguson but I think it’s the Brit bonding and motorcycle love that glues them. In my experience he has just seemed so uncomfortable without a script. He always seems to look about to bolt to me. But, not last night, err…this morning. He just seemed very at ease and comfortable in his own skin. In a way I’d not really seen him be before. I am limited to my American media experience with him, so, I could be off the mark here. Do you think Leno showed him his cars? It seemed like the two guys had just come off a man date, or, at least that they genuinely like each other. They both seemed to be having a good time.
Hugh touched on some of his school experience with the piano. And the dreaded playing route orchestral music and being limited in that experience. He talked of feeling confined by the music he was expected to play from a very young age. Poor Hugh! I’m so glad I’m born and bred blue collar! He also spoke a bit about his mother being an environmentalist during the early 70’s before recycling was cool. He mentioned that people of that generation couldn’t abide waste having come out of times of food rationing as late as the 1950’s. He said he’d single handedly been responsible for banning bottled water on set of House. He and Leno both expressed how lucky we are in America to have such clean tap water. Hugh explained that he saw the need to drink ever cleaner and cleaner water as a form of baptismal. He said we were trying to wash away original sin with bottled water.
He also talked about his time spent during the strike. He said he was like a lizard on a warm rock. He said he struck a pose and sat there for three months. Then he did strike a goofy pose to illustrate. He talked a bit of fans and learning to be comfortable with them. He told a story of a woman who was driving next to him who took both hands off of the wheel to snap pictures. He joked that he responded by taking his off of the handle bar and striking lizard poses again. He then went on to talk a bit about the band and how he is not performing as much because he is unable to keep up with the rehearsals. Oh, yes, sorry Britty and huband O’mine you are NOT ingrates. Mommy is so mean! Blush. Foot shuffle. He wasn’t performing on A.I. Gee, awfully sorry guys.
He was his usual self deprecating self. Though not in a morose way, which in my opinion, he occasionally crosses into. I think he needs to watch that, here in America, at least. The man is talented! I do understand the thought process, as I engage it myself quite frequently, but the need to say it can drive me around the bend. Not on this show. He cruised the line perfectly. He seemed so at ease! It was good to see. I love his gentle sense of befuddlement. Sigh. Nice. I cannot wait until Monday. I am excited to see what the rest of the season of House brings. It will be a bright blip in an otherwise bleak television landscape.
I must have really offended God or something. I watched an entire 2 hour and 5 minute episode of American Idol and somehow managed to miss the band's appearance. Obviously I did not see the entire show then. Because I was watching, or so I thought, I didn't bother to record. I know...GASP. A Hugh Laurie fan who doesn't record. Never say it should be so! I am now uncovered. But!!!! I had The Tonight Show appearance on my TiVo for a really long time. I do have a cranky one year old. I knew reading Brown Bear and that the second go with Goodnight Moon was an error in judgment on my part. I missed it somehow. I asked the remaining members of my family to watch for me and yell out if they saw it. I blame Teri Hatcher and Jesse Spencer. I think they expected to see Hugh Laurie come out and stand center stage, by himself with a harmonica, and a light shining down on him from Heaven, and a neon arrow above his head pointing down saying "this is it, here it is!". As a matter of fact I am POSITIVE it was Teri Hatcher that distracted my husband. Ingrates! Both of them. I'm sorry. I am sure Missymomo saw it and will cap it for us.
Do you think it was the whole stick, dog, feng shui, head-shrinking heathen thing? Oh no! I apologized and lit a candle. Should I go back and light the cathedral?
Annie Lennox's segment got me. The AIDS crisis is just so unspeakably sad. As a former health care worker I know that it is no longer the death sentence that it once was. Or at least, but for own human ignorance, it no longer should be. It is a matter of getting the proper treatment consistently, and, in time. That we stand back and watch is beyond comprehension to me. They had a still picture of a baby up behind her while she sang and I saw my son morphing in and out. Blue eyes to black and back again. Do you ever sometimes see your child in every child? Bag it. The second go with Goodnight Moon was worth every second it took.
I recently saw Stephan Fry's documentary on HIV/AIDS by accident while flicking through the Sundance channel. His was very enlightening too. Apathy to causes that we see as outside of ourselves, or as beyond our scope of reach, and the denial and shame our silence creates are vicious killers.
It wasn't a wash. I thought a lot of the performers were great! Heart, lord, I miss them. Made me want a Budweiser and a smoke! A smoke! Do you hear me? Whoo...okay...Cyndi no longer smokes. Smoking is BAD. BAD!! Which means, Cyndi, is naturally a fan. Jimmy Kimmel was funny. And Simon Cowell was a good sport. I dig sportsmanship with an accent. I missed Hugh Laurie's band but I saw Miley Cyrus. TWICE. Lucky me. Somebody want to explain to me why a 15 year old girl was doing a Little Miss Sunshine routine on the floor? Thank goodness my 14 year old sticks to ballet. It's dignified and there is very little shaking of the body. Shaking of the body, in public, is suspect if you ask me. I am sure Mo got the caps. I hope she did...can somebody tell me HOW I missed it?????
Have you ever started a conversation with a misguided fool who desperately needed straightening out with the best of righteous good intention...see, some of you have probably evolved enough that already you are saying uh-oh...only to find yourself suddenly yelling about a dog's mixed parentage and obvious sub-par pedigree? And you knew in full crystal clarity that you'd gone slightly left of topic. Okay, WAY WAY off topic. You, yourself, are wondering what in God's name dogs have to do with society's greater good? How'd we get here? You ponder this, as you veer ever further off the path. This isn't at all the topic you led with. You were in full utter possesion of the knowledge of that little nugget of fact, grasped it fully, but then couldn't resist tacking on the suggestion that your target do something anatomically incorrect---and you can't quite remember what it was that you so lovingly said---but that it may, allegedly, have involved small pointy heads, stick removal, and tight asses? Yeah. I did that. It's been such a long time since I've gobbled up the bait like that. When did you outgrow the need to enlighten the heathens? When did you stop your fiery crusade to nip this stuff in the bud, by God! And, at what age did you finally gain wisdom and know to stop meddling in the affairs of, poking at, molesting, otherwise disturbing, and/or frightening the head-shrinking heathens? I guess the larger question is, will I ever NOT be such a douche? And will I ever learn to walk with any degree of grace in my big girl shoes? Just wondering. If you know, email me, we'll have a party that day. I'll make little sandwiches and cut the crusts off. And serve them smothered in blicky butter just because it's what grown-ups do. Sigh. Yes...I apologized. But, just between you and me, I truly do not know how she is able to fit both. The head AND the stick. My suggestion, in actuality, is just good feng shui. I'm right, she's wrong. God just saw fit to give me a silver tongue in a pretty pirate mouth, or so, my husband always says. I am off to find my slippers and my own obviously muddled blight of a Chihuahua. I take my irony in small bites these days. I find it much too rich to eat in the amounts I used to.
Knock knock....Anybody here? Oh, hey there little tumbleweed. How are you? Well the itching and tremors have eased off of my House withdrawal. The depression was a bit tough. I'm now reduced to a generalized malaise and mild funk of spirit. I've never actually had a true funk of spirit. I've decided to enjoy it. There is just nothing on television and I draw the line at Dancing with the Stars. Standards people. We must have them if we call ourselves civilized. Name brand tuna, Best Foods Mayonnaise, two ply toilet tissue, Frosted Flakes and no Dancing with the Stars. Standards. I do feel sort of dejected. I've become entirely too comfortable with my elliptical machine and bonded with my dog in the void created by the long absence of my favorite show. I look great but I've nothing interesting to say. Whatsoever. Damn it, bring back my House!
I actually popped on to say I watched Peter's Friends again. Missymomo and I had one of those rare moments of...erm...not seeing things the same way on that one. She loved it and I...like... Motown better. Out of my love for her I sat down with it again. You know what? She was righter. I like the word and it stays. It's been a long winter. Was I pregnant or irritated with my husband when I watched it the first time? It wasn't what I remembered it to be. It was still full of melodrama. I still think we should call it the British Chill. But, I found myself growing fond of it this time around. Rita Rudner's scene in helping Emma get her groove back was pretty priceless. I'd forgotten it. I only remembered her character causing me to grind the enamel off of my teeth. Kenneth? Still owes me $4.36 for the first rental. I think that's fair don't you? A woman should never back down on a challenge. But, Hugh Laurie, Stephan Fry, Imelda Staunton, and Emma Thompson were so brilliant. Emma always amazes me in that way that Hugh Laurie does. I always wanted to be one of those quiet "say it with the eye's" kind of woman. She really impresses me in everything she touches her hand to. They all were brilliant truth be told. I see this time around the long continuous shots they used while filming and it looked as if they were having a good time being together. Loved the jarring language. Wish I could let fly like that and sound so brittle and cool. Icy blue. Sigh. It's that innate talent thing again, I guess. Anyway, I think what bugged me cross eyed before was that this movie seemed so...American. To me it seemed as if the writing just didn't rest easily on their shoulders. The actors I mean. Perhaps I was off mark. It wasn't a bad flick. And I am going to buy the soundtrack.
I cannot wait for Hugh's band to be on TV. And very soon a new episode of House will be aired. Thank the sweet lord above. Until then, I wish you a pair of happy comfy bunny slippers and a warm corn chip smelling Chihuahua on your lap! If you don't know the comforts of which I speak, you are missing out my friend. YEAH!
So House is absent until April. Guess I'll just watch Paula Abdul try to keep her eyes open until then. Lord help me, and the Celebrity Apprentice too. Derth. I understand the meaning of this word. A derth of good television. I am depressed. Shuffles off in dejected bunny slippers.
A poem for you. It's all about the freedom of coming into yourself and letting go of the things that just won't stay. Let em' fall sister. There is beauty in your mess. Strength in the surrender. Peace y'all.
Pretty Pieces
She flung all the pieces and let them fly
The destruction of the walls she had built
Was a surprisingly beautiful thing
The fragments of her life glittered and shimmered as
They arced beyond her and caught the light
For the briefest moment they took flight
For one stunning second she thought they might
But then losing the battle they fell swiftly to earth
And scattered prettily upon the dirt
All the things she had thought important
Tossed about suddenly without pattern at all
All the parts she once fought to cover now naked
And laid bare for all the world to see
Shards poking out tearing holes into the last of
The design until only the memory remained
Freedom blew in on a sudden breeze
Peace drifted up from within
A thought came in to make her smile
She had never needed all that room
Anyway~
By Cynthia N.
Happy Valentine’s Day! It snowed today in San Diego. It was a really pretty thing. It caught us all off guard as the forecast called for drizzle in the morning. By evening snow chains were required at some very low elevations. Chihuahuas do not like snow.
Winter
~Winter blew in early that year The trees gave up their Autumn coats And settled into stark black and gray Branches pointed bare angry fingers Up to the steely sky A solitary bird stirred suddenly to flight Taking to wing with a lonely cry The last of the season to make his way The wind whistled and howled, calling out Savage and lost, Searching for an answer back Rage intensifying with every breath It cried in vain that day To nobody there Even the clouds found it too cold To stay~
I just finished watching the Biography Channel's hour on Hugh Laurie. My cable package had not previously included The Biography Channel. I confess to adding it to my package solely for the purpose of watching THIS show. I was so excited about it. I had un-plugged the phone, shushed the children, and told my husband to go out with the guys. I was all ready. I have to say that I was disappointed with the show. I came to a very quick understanding that this had to have been un-authorized. I wonder who these "experts" on Hugh Laurie were. They were a bunch of journalists I'd not heard of before. I didn't see one face I recognized and I don't believe even one of the people who spoke about him actually knew him. Some of the comments made me cringe. They discussed some really personal issues such as his relationship with his mother. One of the journalists actually went so far as to make statements as to how Hugh Laurie must have felt upon her death. I was mildly horrified. My finger twitched on the remote and I very nearly changed the channel. Hugh Laurie didn't give an interview for it, and neither did any cast members from House, or from any of his movie roles. Another peeve was that the pictures they showed did not jibe or match up to the time or events that they were speaking about. It was distracting. Many of the shots they did use seemed to be the ones that have been recently seen in the gossip rags. Such as the awful ones of Hugh Laurie trying to get away from the cameras in the boat. The whole thing just seemed regurgitated. Yes, I know that there is probably in reality very little new stuff to be gleaned about the man at this point, but it did seem poorly done. It was a disappointment. A very sloppy effort on the whole. If you missed it, you really haven't missed much. I have to say that the biography on this site surpasses what I saw tonight. Its done in a spirit of fun but is still highly informative. A great deal of time and effort have been spent at gathering accurate information. But, we've steered clear of anything personal. Please feel free to stop by to see it.
Back again. "Don't Ever Change" opens at a Hasidic Jewish wedding. It's actually shot in a nice way. I wonder was it somebody different directing? Anyway... for a moment or two I forgot I was watching House. Kudos to the director! The wedding is going really well. The couple breaks the glass and get raised up on the chairs and danced around in happy celebration. The bride, who is not in her first blush of youth, suddenly looks distressed. The camera pans down and we see blood. Eyes roll and THUMP she's on the floor.
House is stalking Wilson. He waits for him in the hallway of the hospital to go on the attack. Wilson points out that House is only worried because the relationship has a shot. Really? Damn. I HATE that I LIKE that girl. Its worse than my whole Sean Penn thing. Do I need therapy? Again?? DAMNIT!! House is offended that he didn't know that he was dating Amber. He spends his free time in this episode stalking both Wilson and Amber. He even ends up rescuing Wilson's McGill Sweatshirt from Amber saying "pit stains don't become you". House is simply lost without his Wilson. And House cannot believe that people change. Ever. This includes his patient, and certainly, Cut-Throat with her particular brand of ravenous ambition.
House thinks the bride is a masochist, or insane. He finds her switching from rock and roll and crotch less panties to Hasidism, at 38 years of age, in the span of six months suspicious. He sees it as a definitive symptom of whatever it is that is ailing the lass. He has Foreman fiddle with her IV placement to cause pain while she is in an MRI to see if the pleasure center of her brain light up to prove his theory. It lights up. But, uh oh, she was also praying at the same time. We may never know if religion is proof of insanity.
It is while stalking Amber and Wilson at a party that House has a great revelation. In sleeping with Amber, Wilson, is for all intents and purposes sleeping with him. At least his female form. That's right folks; I told you months ago, Amber is House. Thus Wilson is sleeping with a blonder, smoother and (possibly) leggier version of Dr. Cranky-Stubble-Pants. House says so in a moment of shock. He passes Wilson a drink as they both have a moment of visible mental gear shifting. It's awesome face play. A really good moment. In the end of the episode House offers Amber a job if she can solve the case. Only one twist, she's to stop seeing Wilson, but its standard in the employee contract. There's a whole bunch of posturing and whiz contesting between the two. And I think Amber wins! Which probably means she is leggier too...House backs down. People change. And I think it's House who does the majority of it this week.
Our bride has nephro...bag it...she's got chandelier kidneys. I doubt that is what the condition is actually called, but it's what House said, so I am going with it. I've not been encumbered with the heavy burden of having had 12 years of implied fake TV medical school. I'll just go with what the experts say. Suffice it to say that the womans kidney's are placed incorrectly in her body. The dancing and jouncing about at the wedding caused them to shift position. Every time she stands up, they drop lower. House nails the diagnosis without help from his team.
In this episode we see a lot of talent. Again with the two big dogs. Robert Sean Leonard and Hugh Laurie are talented guys. What makes them even more appealing to watch is they manage to showcase themselves without stepping all over each other's big feet. I think they call it chemistry. And these two have it in spades! I am really enjoying the fun and playfulness in exploring the range of these guys. The friendship between the two is fun to watch. House is no longer bludgeoning us with outright crudeness. And I like it. Mean, a bit nasty, and zinging sometimes too close to the line, is a yes. Below the belt and nastiness for no good reason is not. I like the way they are toeing that extremely fine line again.
Cuddy is back and sounding really intelligent again. Thank goodness. I love her too. She is sexy, in a way that, just is. Totally non-aggressive. Most women cannot touch this elusive thing that Lisa Edelstein oozes. Oh, and Foreman has put forth the supposition that number 13 is bi-sexual. Because she doesn't like to label or put people in boxes. He says that people usually do that when they do not fit into a box or label themselves. I'll go on record saying I don't think that will be her deal. Not that I would care if it is, I just think it'll be something else. Of course I could be wrong. I am that all too often. No sign of Cameron this week, though we did see Chase. We will all have to tune in closely to find out what happens in the next few weeks.
A bonus tonight. Hugh Laurie was interviewed during the Super Bowl pre-game show. He must have brought House's Magic-8 ball along with him, because he called the game! The Patriots lost, not that this San Diego fan is at all bitter, or anything. A lady is never bitter. And this week I am playing at being one. Snort! Plus, happily, we got an early evening episode of House to top it all off.
"Frozen" opens somewhere deep in the South Pole. A guy is outside in terrible weather trying to fix a generator when his femoral artery gets severed by a giant fan blade as it is blown down from a tower in the wind. He's about to bleed out but the cold freezes it mid-spurt. A woman comes out and hauls him in and glues his artery before he can even think. As she's trying to get them both inside it becomes apparent that she's got a problem. She's struck with pain in her side and can't get herself, or him, up.
This case must be solved long distance through a video link. It turns out to be a very helpful twist that the patient is a Psychologist. House is running his differential diagnosis on her at the same time as she is running one on him. She's a tough cookie who is unwilling to use any of her precious medications or resources on herself unless House can prove his theories. They set about running all kinds of interesting tests such as self-biopsy, blood work, and head to ankle X-rays. House softens (!!!) and expresses an interest in her pretty quickly on in the case. He seems intrigued by her because she will not be run by him. He even calls her by her first name. Wilson notices his piqued interest when House shows concern over her pain. He asks her if she is okay. There's a particularly funny moment when Wilson points out that House has never once asked him if he was okay during their entire friendship. Even when House watched him fall down the stairs when he was drunk. I'd pay money to see that. In fact I hope they do it. A drunken House and Wilson moment. Yeah!
The best part of the show comes when House takes his laptop and video link hook up home and runs a physical on the patient. She agrees to only after House scans the camera through his apartment so that she can see it. She makes some pretty accurate guesses about him based on what she sees. Then it's her turn. He has her strip and search herself for enlarged lymph nodes on camera. As she's probing herself House presses play on his stereo and "Lets Get it On" floods the room. He's deviant and twisted. But, he gets away with it. Whose fault is that? And sure enough he finds his node.
In the end urine is tasted and holes are drilled in her head by a mechanic. All for no reason. The problem lies in a sock covered big toe. Had House been a toe lover, and insisted on seeing those rather than her breasts during the physical, he would have seen a rather ugly broken toe. Turns out that the break was allowing marrow to leak out into the woman's blood stream making her sick. She couldn't feel it because she was always so cold. The fact that House missed it came about because he cared so much. He hadn't wanted her feet to be chilled.
House sets his hat to mess with Cameron to see if she can get Cuddy to authorize paying for cable on the coma guys t.v. He sets his team to messing with her. Losing charts, asking endless questions and screwing up medical orders. At the end of the show Cuddy corners House in the cafeteria to say that Cameron has screwed up a procedure and has been fired. We'll have to see next week if it's true.
Wilson is secretly dating somebody. He's even closed the deal. Or so he says. House has to track him. It takes several failed attempts. Wilson turns and flat out runs away from House in one boyish scene. Of course House is on to him and keeps at it. He finally tracks Wilson down at a restaurant at the end of the episode. Wilson is surprised to see him there. He figured that he had lost him when he walked backwards through his own footprints in the snow in an effort to throw House off his trail. The date turns out to be none other than Cut Throat. Yup. Like her or hate her, she's back. She is a freakishly beautiful evil and wicked thing. I hate that I like her. Seriously. Pass me another Twinkie while I sit here and shudder. I went to school with girls like her. She's slated to appear next week.
This was a really good episode. There was a lot of House/Wilson play. It was just fun to watch. I enjoy the vulnerable bits spiced in with the bourbon drinking and the pill popping snarkiness. Hugh Laurie and Robert Sean Leonard are so talented and this episode showcased them both beautifully. This was a fun one to watch. The facial expressions in this episode alone will have you rewinding.
Was that a long time? That sure felt like a long time! Alright so our dubious hero, our knight in tarnished armor, rides in on his racing bike to save the day again. Yay us! Thank God, do you know...I watched an entire season of Survivor fer God's sakes! I haven't done that since...well...since Richard Hatch proved himself to be a slimy, evil, eel-like, and all around rat-fink bastard genius! And Lord help me, I've been reduced to a momentary flirtation with American Idol. Speaking of which...um...Paula, honey, whatcha on? Eyes open darlin'. Thank the sweet deity above that House is back. A return to sanity. Normalcy. All that is good and holy.
The show opens with a little girl who you think is the problem, as children so often are, climbing an indoor rock wall. Her mom is holding the rope and coaching her kind of ruthlessly. The girl can't quite make it to the top, drops and hangs from the rope. Mom blinks and looks faint, and oops, lets her go. Kid falls and breaks her arm. Mom, not nearly contrite or concerned enough says she's sorry and uses the old but my hands don't work line. Teardrops plays
The team is all in place now Foreman, Taub, Kutner, and number 13. They set about to find out what's up with the mommy. This woman is a mystery as she seems to have a totally honest relationship with her daughter. I mean totally open. As in the 11 year old child even knows the sexual position favored by her mother. Cringe. Okay, let’s stop for just one moment. Boundaries people! They do matter. I love my 14 year old enough to tell her outright that her mommy lies like a rug. I'd lie my left buttock cheek off and cheerfully sell the right one if it kept me from having to say that I don't like your shirt. Sex is for making babies only, if you do it people will be able to see it on your face, unicorns exist, pot is BAD and will kill you instantly if you inhale it. See, like that. I honestly lie. A lot. Anyway, no boundary lady is raising an interesting kid who tells the brutal truth no matter how much it hurts. Because she cares. It’s all so very interesting a thing to our man House. He baits the kid with a lolly pop and tries to rattle out an instance where mom might have lied. No luck kid knows EVERYTHING no matter how age inappropriate it might be.
House sets about to playing mind games with his new team. Setting up a secret Santa gig where everyone pulls a name out of a hat. Of course we later figure out that everybody has drawn his name. Number 13 shows herself to be pretty darn smart at this game.
The show unravels and our mom has lied. But, not about anything we might think she would. She's cheerfully shoveled all of the deviant dirt about her promiscuous lifestyle and occasional drug use (she shouldn't have inhaled!) onto her kid. She's heaped it right up on top of the kid, patted it all gently down, and only lied about one teeny tiny thing. She's not the kid’s mother. House is satistisfied. He knew there was a lie to be found. In the end it turns out Mom has inherited a weird condition where breast tissue has formed while she was in-utero on oddball places on her body. She, like her mother before her, has breast cancer. Only in our mommy's case it appears on the breast tissue on her calf. Clear? I thought so. House finds it using a drug and a needle and his brain.
I thought this episode was really good. It didn't try to beat us over the head trying to get complicated plot points across. It reminded me of season one. I liked his team. I felt sympathetic love for my hero House again. He was grinchy evil, but not over the top. House was funny. He had some great lines that jabbed in just the right places. It was the patients who made me cringe this week not him. Nice! I enjoyed his donkey loving clinic patient who turned out to be, most decidedly, NOT who he thought she'd be. I loved her! This episode returned to a simpler style. Back to some of the things that worked so well in earlier seasons. I hope they stick to it!
"Games" played last night. We now know who our new team will be. The show opens up in an alley behind a rock club with a group of musicians (obviously holding Bible study or something) hanging out by the backstage door. A fight breaks out between a couple of the guys and a defenseless guitar. Scuffle. Rumble. Pummel. Batter. Boys are stupid, but at least they do get to the point. A manager comes out and snaps at them to save it for the stage. All but one musician walks in the door. One guy hugs a dumpster and vomits up a bunch of blood. And we've got our final patient of the week until the new year!
House is sitting in the lounge in peaceful repose. Cuddy screeches in and busts up House's soap opera to tell him to pick two candidates or he'll pay. No response? She tells him his parking spot will be moved to the E lot. Our reluctant leader bestirs himself and makes for the auditorium. He tells his final four that whoever can nail down the correct diagnosis will stay on his team. A runner up will be selected by merit points. I had a momentary vision of House screaming "How can you have any pudding if you don't eat yer meat?!?" It was, at once, a frightful and a shivery thing. Oh, do it again! Do you sing that song with an English accent, even if you're from Jersey? Me too! Sorry, tangent. Cut-throat immediately gets some points taken off with an aggressive comment. Yeah, points are pretty much being hacked off from moment one.
From here the story gets a bit convoluted for me. I lost track of a lot of the medical issues. I know some thought musician guy just got lost on his way to choir practice, and some thought he was irredeemably worthless and a total addicted washout. I do know musician guy wants nothing more for himself than to go out in a blaze of vomit like Jimmy and Janice and has no desire to be saved. He has no regrets at all about his life except for the moments he spent when he wasn't stoned.
Our team is up then down. Somebody is on the right track and then predictably they aren't. They all scramble. House begs (??? !!! ???) Cudddy for three interns instead of two. She says no. House is reduced to asking Cuddy which two he should hire. Cuddy, in a stunning turn-around from last week suggests Kutner (bats bonking heads as they stream from the belfry) and Taub. Don't worry. Her reasoning becomes as clear as mud later. But, the writers have done their job. She LOOKS great!!
Oh Lord...I am so bad at this! Wilson is having a small crisis this episode. Seems he told a patient that he had terminal cancer. The guy spent 3 months living like he was dying (damn another song) and becomes ticked off when Wilson clarify's the situation and tells him "oops, my bad, you're gonna live!". House tells Wilson the guy won't be thrilled. Wilson's puppy eyes go from, "Do ya wanna cookie?!" happy to shattered in ten split seconds. He reaches for his checkbook to pay six thousand bucks for money the patient has lost while making descisions based on the idea that he was dying. House at some point advises the patient (behind Wilson's back and off camera) to sue. Wilson catches on and looks beyond shattered puppy. House and Wilson have it out. Wilson almost gets by with the line "Dying isn't hard, living is". I mean almost. Wow, if anyone could get away with that sap it would be Wilson. But, no...my cough medicine was wearing off and so was my fuzzy glow. Almost though. Bravo!
In the end every one of the interns had a piece of the final puzzle. House tries to sway Cuddy of this fact and rattles off a complicated diagnosis involving Measles and drugs and homeless children. See I am lost here. No go. Pick two she says.
House ends up firing in the exact order Cuddy suggested. Taub and Kutner are in. Girls are out. Amber cries! 13 looks composed but resigned to the fact.
Ahhhhh.....Cuddy's plan is made clear. She tells House that he can't fire ALL of the women that is why she suggested the two she did. She knew he wouldn't do it. Hire 13 in addition to the two men she says. House smiles. Cuddy turns back and blushes. She's become a teeny tiny bug caught in a blue-eyed spider's web. Ding ding! House wins. House is a devious sexy little sneak, yeah? It was all in his plan, baby.
No new episodes until the new year. I hope the writers will go back and watch season one and two in the interim and re-find the things that worked. Simple is sexy. We miss our House! I will keep babbling in the meantime you are welcome to come back and visit me. I'll tell you about the Labrador next time! See ya!
"You Don't Want to Know" aired last night. It was pretty light and I like it that way just now! The patient of the week is a magician who Big Love and Kutner, apparently all spiffed up and out on the town on a man-date, are watching perform. Big Love is up on stage, as the unwilling assistant, when the magician is handcuffed, chained, bound and gagged and dunked face first into a tank of water before being sealed in. Nearly as soon as the guy hits the water his eyes fog over and blood streams from his nose. His heart stops. Big Love and Kutner scramble to get him out. Cue Teardrops and the adds.
Cut back to House and crew. Kutner says magician is a good case. House says not. He says that the guy screwed up his magic trick and that there is very little mystery in a drowning man's heart stopping. Kutner must find something wrong with the guy or he's out. House also gives out a challenge. He orders the interns to nab Cuddy's undies without getting caught. The carrot and prize being immunity from being fired that week in addition to getting to put two of his/her fellows up on the chopping block.
Big Love wins the challenge pretty early on. Meanwhile intern #13 is up for a sub-plot this week. We learn more about her and her family medical history. She believes she has caught a dread hereditary illness because she is displaying symptoms such as tremors. Turns out House has been doping her usually de'caffed self by putting caffeine in the interns coffee pot. Don't worry, she gets him back. And his liver and his kidney and his lungs by doping him to get an un-authorized biopsy after he offers himself up as a Guinna pig. House insists on transfusing into himself the same blood products that were given to magician guy in his mission to prove Kutner wrong. #13 cleverly uses House's coffee to dope him to get samples of his organs.
Big Love is fired this week for plotting with Cuddy. Cuddy gave Big Love the undies with the agreement that he would put Cut-throat and Kutner up to be fired. House figures it out and fires Big Love instead. When will people learn? You mustn't, mustn't screw with House. Magician guy is solved. House's scorn is justified...sort of.
This weeks episode "Ugly" brought back shades of season 1 House for me. Oh yeah, the guy is mean, but it's as if he just can't help it at all. There was a lot of really good face play in this episode. House reminds me of my daughter's cat just before he goes for the blind cord. The cat knows he shouldn't. He looks at me and his ears go down, he flicks his tongue across an upraised claw, his eyes slit, there is a brief apology on his face, and then his eyes narrow and focus and then POUNCE! As the cat runs away from my squawking flailing self his face says..."But, but, it was there!! I mean really, why did you leave it out if you didn't want it caught, bagged, and stuffed???" Anyway, House has this same look as the @#$&^$ed cat.
The episode features a young boy (16?) with a Cranio-Facial deformity that he has come to PPH to have removed. There is a documentary film crew following the kid to get the whole thing on tape. Before the surgery begins the kid crashes. No surgery for him. It now falls to House's motley crew, (Oh, lord, raise your hand if you miss Vince Neil!! Oh, I do, I do!!) which now includes the beautiful CIA lady doctor from last week, to figure out what has gone wrong. The episode of course picks one of the new interns to feature. This week it's Taub(sp?)the plastic surgeon. He's got a flaw and we get to figure it out.
The running sub-gag in this one is two part, House has become an idiot because he is surrounded by beautiful, yet, idiotic women (see all female interns including his CIA muse), and House trying to find ingenious places to hide from the film crew. House runs his differentials with his team in OR's while surgery is in progress, MRI rooms while the exam is in full swing, Pelvic exam rooms while the stirrups are...engaged. Of course they solve the kid's issue by the end. House figures out that he is THAT guy, as is EVERY guy when it comes to beautiful women. Plastic surgeon guy is left on the staff even though he's got issues. We lose the dubious new addition to his team from the CIA. Nobody else is let go this week.
It was just a fun episode plain and simple. It went back to the best of what we saw in season 1. The end is hysterical! I laughed out loud at the expressions on the mans face. House becomes a victim of malicious editing during the documentary filming. They cut and piece together a show that takes all of his mean words and grouts them back together again to make him sound like a caring, sweet, gentle doctor who is concerned with the humanity of his patient. OMG! The face of pure horror and squirming shock at the end was one of the most priceless things I've seen in awhile. I think that if House had you caught by season 1 you'll be refreshed by this episode.
Screencapture from House episode Ugly Thanks lovely Missymomo!
Alright lets go there then. So House is saying strange things in "Whatever it Takes". Can we blame a couple of those awful, thudding, lines on the writers strike? No? Damn. Okay.
House has a position on his penis open. Well this is just a bad line for several reasons. I'll just go into a couple here in the interest of saving space. One, he could have chosen a word that worked better with the word "staff". Ooh, ooh, hand raised waving wildly, I've got one!!! Pick me!! I mean if we are going for outright shock value. But, then the writers probably feared getting the shaft (GASP, why, that's it, that's it!!) or something. Secondly, House is like a guilty little fungus. You see it starting, but shamefully keep it to yourself covered up under a giant turtleneck until he takes you over completely and you're itching with it from head to toe. Yup. That's right ladies, House, is all about YOUR twisted psychology. You KNOW better than House. If you are a woman whose made it past the age of, say, 25 you know that if you feel attraction in any form for this guy you're on a bad road. Get yourself a giant scarlet "O" for Oops. It'll match your cheeks. Better to try to kiss up on an un-suspecting porcupine with a glue huffing habit. What I am saying is there would be very little appeal in such a brief meeting and a line like that should have turned any self respecting woman OFF.
House takes time to grow in the fuzzy, dark and dank little petri dishes of our brains. He has to have time to dazzle us with his brilliance and break our hearts with his obvious wounds. I find it hard to believe that a man as bright as House would drop a thudder like that unless he he's being all brilliant again and he saw some serious flaws in that woman. Maybe that's it....maybe her petri dish was loaded with stuff and he knew she was as wrecked as he is. I found it odd to see her sitting outside of the hospital waiting. How bad was that woman's job that after all of that she'd take a position with him? At her age. From the high position she obviously enjoyed in her last place. I mean...wow.
Overall I found the flirting pretty funny with just a few exceptions. House does need a... love (???) interest. Or at least some tension to build off of. Loved his ring tone! I sing that to my husband as he takes out the trash and when he does chores so we both found it funny. Perfect for House. I also loved him screwing with the other doctor. The line about how she must really hate that guy because..."I got to ride in the jet!!!" cracked me up. I love the little boy stuff. I didn't hate this episode. I just winced a bit.
Uh-oh. I am in the minority again, which tends to happen to me the majority of the time. I didn't dislike "Mirror Mirror" as much as, apparently, most other people did. Even if they made up the guys chronic condition. Other people smarter than me have devoted a lot of google time to figuring that one out. I am un-ruffled if they did make it completely up. I was entertained.
I loved that Wilson is the alpha dog. I suspected so. It is always those quiet intense puppy eyed people who run the cirucs isn't it? They got the keys while the rest of us were out picketing for the rights of left handed chickens or some other brilliant cause. I tell you, they steer it with their quiet unflappability. Says the outspoken fireball who has only recently (God bless age and the wisdom that comes with) begun learning how to stick a discretionary sock in it, so to speak. I am working on a mystery folks. Last week I had an entire thought that didn't pass my lips! Progress.
I found this episode entertaining. Not so heavy as some of the episodes have gone to and right now levity is...nice. I found it an easy one to watch. I put off viewing it because everyone seemed to dislike it. I just thought that the show still has some great characters left in it.
Now, as to Hugh Laurie returning home. I went home early yesterday and nobody called the press. It's a small town too! I wish Hugh Laurie, and all the cast for that matter, peace. Why does celebrity now mean the that we have the right to scrutinize? What is it we are looking for anyway? I don't like the trend. This building up and then gleeful tearing down. Why do we do this? Un-cool. And tongue waggles and raspberries blown to all who engage in it.
Hugh Laurie is a talented guy plain and simple. I enjoy his work. The private life of the real man should be left private. I hope he got what he needed on his trip home. I hope he is re-freshed and ready to get back to it. That is all I care about. Oh, see, here here to all Mo said. This is why we get along dear lady. GREAT MINDS thinking aloud....err...alike.
Okay, so I just read the T.V. Guide interview with Hugh Laurie. I also went back through the biography I have written on him to check for facts again. It has suddenly occured to me how depressing it is that some people are given so much talent and others so little.
This guy is distressingly talented. I think maybe God fell asleep at the helm and plied it on a little thick. Do you think this happens a lot? God gets sleepy and rests his finger on the "MORE" button for some of us? And then what the rest of us are left with scrappy bits that fall away from the molds of our more gifted brothers? Seriously...it isn't fair. It's not that I begrudge these golden children their piano/tennis playing/culinary/verbal/mathmatic/animal husbandry skills, or whatever combination it is that they wind up with, it's just striking to me how skewed the balance is.
I have decided that I've got very little talent. My thumbs bend and I walk upright. Other then that I have to reach to come up with something. I can do a fair impression of Marlon Brando if I close my eyes and think very hard of drinking a concoction I once tasted made up of Yukon Jack and 7-Up. It induces an urge to vomit and I can then easily slide into a pretty good Marlon. I can almost do Bill Cosby but it always somehow changes into Christopher Walkin. And then if I TRY to do either it inexplicably morphs into Wolfgang Puck...and if I TRY to do Wolfgang...well you see how it goes.
I am told I have a very nice speaking voice. But, that isn't really a talent. I do have a serious bent for goofball--ery(?) and a playful spirit, but again, not a talent. Trivia? I am told my mind is a wasteland littered with a zillion tiny white carcasses of all the poor little useless facts that died for the cause. Useless...being operative here.
I've decided, I am going to get me one. A talent. I am inspired to find one. I will let you know how it goes. Maybe I will start with....crossword puzzles or.....line dancing....or elephant haberdashery......
It's official guys, our Golden boy did not win the Emmy in either of his categories. He lost out out to James Spader and House lost to The Soprano's. But, then hey, don't the Soprano's know a guy who knows a guy? Probably wouldn't want to mess with them anyway. I do take umbrage at the Spader thing. Not that I have a right to judge him for his work in Boston Legal, particularly as it is, that I've never actually seen the show. He was in a role once with Susan Sarandon that I've never forgiven him for. Oh, no...give me a moment. Spader shudder.
Hugh looked very nervous in the front row and in the spotlight. He sat next to Lisa Edelstein. He almost looked green to me.
The show was nearly a total wash out with zero redeeming qualities. Not funny and not good. Ryan Seacrest is not somebody who should be worrying his pretty little head about what the grown up's are doing and he needs to take a pass if he is offered the gig again next year. He should be seen and not heard. He was terrible! What a mistake the Emmy host picker people made. There was one cute bit when Ellen walked up and knelt down next to Mr. Laurie and said something to the effect of "I know you're not a real doctor but, I just have to know, should I have it removed?". The moment was really cute and jiggled a laugh out of me.
Hugh did present the award for Best Actress in a Dramatic Series with Felicity Huffman. The winner was Sally Field. I guess I will quickly mention that Sally is paid very handsomly to sing and dance and entertain me and she should probably stick to that. She got off track in her acceptance speech and got herself cut off. Sorry, Saint Sally you don't rule the world yet. Neither does Ray Romano who went somewhere in his monologue that caused the sound to be cranked down and the cameras to swing away from him. Romano and Field were the only obvious cutways and censored speakers that I noticed. Oh, and to Helen Mirren, we here in America have also noticed that we are very much like other established societies. Like many of them, we are a lot of things, some good and some bad. Enjoy your statue and thanks for being such a charming and gracious guest. People, to everything there is a season turn, turn, turn. The Emmy's just isn't it.
Hugh, I am pleased to say, looked and sounded like a real gentleman. Other then that the show was a wash. I mean it was really bad. The camera did pan over to Hugh when they announced James Spader as the winner and he leaned over and whispered something to Lisa Edelstein. He seemed relieved to have it be over. I will see if I can make out what he said later.
Durn! I'm really not good at these conversations and debates. I know exactly what I think with perfect clarity but to say it is another thing. I have no grace whatsoever, and so, rarely enter into these things. I always end up starting out in a fairly intelligent vein and then somewhere along the way I get all confused and before you know it I'm completely off in a ditch and being dazzled by visions of dancing squirrels in pink panties. No, really I am. Missymo says "Cyndi, just try it". So, here you go...Ooh look at the squirrel! Why, isn't he just purdy?! First off then ditto to all Mo said. Here here! Perfectly put. As to my thoughts on the Hugh Laurie part of of House I have to say that I am always looking for the flinch in line delivery. He's said some outlandish things. Sometimes abominably rude or sexually based things to some unlikely targets. While I have seen "bad guys" do this on TV many times before, House is NOT a bad guy, at least not in the sense of the bad guys we are used to. He just aint the guy in the Neighborhood Watch sign,but, neither is he Ben Casey. You cannot file him instantly, nor really, over time. You keep ending up flipping him around in your mental Rolodex. Shuffling him forward and backwards and then pulling him out completely left to scratch your head in bafflement. Just when you get comfortable with him and think you've got it he's caught being nice, or, human anyway. Hugh Laurie seems to carry this part of the show so well. He looks a nun in the eyes and waves his heavenly chocolate bar in her face and then slams her for lust, more truthfully, for lusting him. He discusses a 15 year olds breasts without a single blush. He also walks back into same said kids room and offers to remove her balls. He picks up and points out all kinds of things a nice person would pretend they hadn't noticed. And it's always this way with him one hand with the humanness of a chocolate bar while the other reaches out to whack you with it. You can see the glee of the victor and the interest of a scientist all in the space of two seconds play across his face.Now, some people say, "well that's the writing and has nothing to do with Hugh Laurie himself". But I would argue that point. That is a delicate line to carry the House thing. A lesser actor simply could not do it. I go even further, I don't think anybody but Laurie, could do it. He never flinches. I know because I keep waiting for it. I've not seen it. I have never once seen the guy duck his eyes, blush, shuffle his feet or flinch while delivering a line. I watch with my remote in hand, and the day he flinches or looks even slightly guilty, I change the channel.
There, was that okay? I'm just off after that squirrel. Catch y'all latah!
How Cyndi Was Saved From the Really Rotten, Bad, No- Good, Everybody Sucks (or blows, or, both) Day!
I had a really rotten day yesterday. As I said, my son is orange and I am a moron. I knew I was over-feeding him carrots, but when my daughter offered to carve his face and stick a candle in him because the color had gotten so...exuberant(?)...festive(?)...seasonal AND timely, I drew the line. I was beginning to see her point and I started pondering the question of candle placement and the logistics. It was time to bite the bullet and make the call to his doctor. American health care costs you the arm and the leg you had originally hoped to save, just as a by the way, so you really want to consider how important your children really are to you before bringing them in. Anyway, I knew it...I knew it! Carrots! There is a name for it. Did you know that?!? For @#$%s sakes! It even tells you the problem right from the git go...it spells it out for you in the name of the condition...Carotenemia(Latin for betaCARROTene MORON). I'd place bets on the cruddy odds for this child's survival to adulthood. But, it will have to wait until next week, as I am out umpteen bucks in co-pays.
My day got no better. Let’s just put it this way...it averaged out to a cost of roughly 62 cents per breath that I took out of bed. An expensive day. Oh, and Labradors suck. They suck in a spectacular fashion specific to Labrador suckiness. Labrador owners know of the exquisite levels of suck of which I speak. They will be the first to tell you that the amount of alcohol they must consume to quiet their demons grows in direct proportion to the Labrador.
But, just as I was considering the cost of the gas it would take to drive off a cliff, and bypass my driveway altogether, I spotted a wonderful sight. On my porch a box! A wonderful box! I got out and approached carefully...I heard no obvious ticking...saw no immediately apparent toxic ooze...so I opened it.
Inside was a veritable boon! A booty so sweet church choirs shall be singing the praises of my sister for generations to come. Until the return of Jesus they shall sing!!!! THREE seasons of House! All glorious wonderful THREE! Bought for me by my wonderful sister for five bucks each at a Salvation Army store in Oregon.
I am convinced somebody had received them as a gift and immediately expired whilst in the throes of a great rapture. An unsuspecting family member then duly threw them in a box and took them off to the charity! Threw the DVD's in a box that is, though, they probably boxed the dead relative at some point too. My sister who is not even a fan saw those DVD's on that good charitable shelf and showing a wisdom beyond her years and her station thought to buy them for me.
A grand total of $15.00 was spent on the entire lot. The cost to me???? Nada, zip, nothing...ZERO. Thus I was saved from an otherwise really rotten, bad, no- good, everybody sucks (or blows or both) day!
