Rants and Raves Revisited Volume 1, Issue 1

Some of you old timers may recognize the title of this post as a blast from your Mr P the math teacher past. Think back to the days when your son or daughter was in my sixth or seventh grade math class and every Monday I would send them home with an assignment sheet for the week. Somewhere on that sheet of white paper would be the url for my school website and somewhere on that site would be my “weekly” column of personal minutia and miscellaneous bits and pieces of “interesting” information.

Well, I have decided to bring Rants and Raves back. I wanted to produce something that I didn’t have to work on for hours at a time that still conveyed what life is like for yours truly, the Verbose ALS Boy. I will endeavor to get this thing out on a regular basis but if I fall short of my weekly goal, please forgive me. To quote the great mockumentary filmmaker Martin DeBergi, “Enough of my yakking. Whadya say? Let’s boogie.”

If my DVR Could Talk. Gilmore Girls remains the must-see tv show in the Picetti household. For months I avoided it but then I got drawn in like a moth to a flame. As I write this, Rory is dating Logan, Lorelai and Luke have reconciled, and Lorelai just told her mother Emily to shut up. Don’t judge me too harshly here but I cannot wait to see what happens tonight. Fehmeen and I also go a bit nutty for The Office, too. And not just the new episodes but the reruns that appear on Tuesdays on TBS as well. We tried our best to like the new 90210, but between the uber-skinny girls and the hideous writing, this show no longer enjoys its series-record status around these parts.

Falling from Grace. I am a huge fan of Entourage but the past few seasons in no way, shape, or form, compare to the earlier ones. It’s just not that funny any more. Granted, there are hilarious moments, and even sidesplitting episodes (Joshua Tree), but the show doesn’t have that same vibe as it once did. I’ll continue watching, but still.

Living at the Movies. I saw Burn After Reading a few weeks ago and it was just all right. I felt that it was marketed more as a comedy than what it actually was. The Cohen Bros movies are hit and mostly miss for me. While I loved Raising Arizona and O Brother, Where Art Thou, I was unmoved by No Country For Old Men and I absolutely loathed Fargo. I also saw Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist this past weekend. Although I enjoyed the film quite a bit, it had some odd and predictable characters and situations. My sister-in-law, Farah, said it made her feel old (and she’s young) and I found the music not to my tastes (I guess I’m getting old, too). My grades: Burn : C , Nick and Norah : B+

From My Ears to Yours. The new Oasis cd is a bit more mellow than previous recordings but it is still pretty cool. I really had a chance to listen to it during my Monday acupuncture session (Jen lets me bring my own tunes so I don’t have to suffer through the typical cosmic hippie music). I am also digging the new (2007) Shooter Jennings record as well. It took me a few listens, and it’s not as memorable as his first two discs, but it definitely has grown on me. I am also really loving the theme song to the HBO show True Blood entitled “Bad Things”. It is on my shortlist to download from iTunes along with REO Speedwagon and pre-Escape Journey.

As the Bug Turns. Lots of Emma related updates this week. The six and a half month old Emmabug now has three teeth sprouting (two tops and one bottom) from her gums. She long ago mastered the skill of rolling over to her belly from her back, and finally, now she is starting to get the hang of the reverse maneuver. Last butt (intentional) not least, Emma took her first poop in the bath tub. Good job, stinky monkey. (So says the guy that didn’t have to deal with it. Thank you for cleaning it up, babe.)

ALS-o-Meter. Other than the hot dog lodged in my esophagus incident on Sunday and the I tried to kill a cockroach but missed and I ended up falling flat on my back and my wife refused to help me up because the roach was between her and me incident on Saturday night, there were no significant setbacks or issues this week. (For the record, I was not injured or hurt as a result of my fall). My limited walking has been done with confidence and my speech has been relatively clear for people to understand. I had a week of positive and productive appointments and I am in first place in both of my fantasy football leagues (for the moment). Adjusted for ALS quality of life score: 8.5 out of 10.

Quote of the Week. Fehmeen to me, in the wake of the hot dog incident. “Just when you start to establish a routine and you feel pretty good about things, ALS reminds you that it is always there.”

Countdown to San Carlos. 25 days.

Bottom of the Post (aka B of the P). I just want to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone who reads my blog. Writing is one of the few creative things that my body still allows me to do so I appreciate your support and your feedback. To quote myself from a bygone era, I will conclude this column with one word: Late.

Advertisement