on pins and needles

I'll be going twice a week to acupuncture for the next few weeks. I hurt my right arm in kali seminar a couple of months ago and just haven't been able to lift it up like I should, so finally got around to going to acupuncture. I see a good 20% improvement each time I go that lasts a few days, then tapers back. The 2nd treatment, again the arm advanced some more. I decided on treatments twice a week rather than the once a week with herbs.

I opted for acupuncture as opposed to my regular doctor simply because western medicine doesn't really give you much advise on musculoskeletal things. Usually it's a combination of stretching, resting, and aspirin. I tried that for 2 months with not much progress.

While I get stuck on pins and needles, other things in my life are also in the awaiting news that will hopefully be resolved by the end of the month. I'm hoping for good things.

But while I wait, I've become thoroughly addicted to Joss Whedon's completely online show, Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog starring Neil Patrick Harris. It's like a blend between the Tick and the Buffy episode, "Once more with feeling". NPH plays a low end villain hoping to get into the big leagues of villainism. He's roommates with "Moist" who is well, moist. His superhero is Captain Hammer who comes off as a big bully. And of course there's a love interest and songs in between. What's not to love?

not so desperate Asians on tv

Alot of petitions and email going around about a script line from a popular tv show. But as of late, I've been watching alot of great tv with Asian actors in them.

The rundown so far:

Actor: Will Yun Lee - Bionic Woman - Plays Jay, an operative in the covert lab that creates super human beings.

I still have to look up the actor's name - Pushing Daisies - The 3rd generation Chinese American grandson of a former railroad worker that became a decorated Civil War soldier. He seeks his family honor from a pilfering funeral director who stole his grandpappy's sword that should have been buried. Role includes some nice swordplay action.

Actor: Alex Mapa - Ugly Betty - Alex has scored a reoccurring role of the host of a entertainment design gossip show.

Journeyman and Bionic Woman are both set in SF. Journeyman trying to be accurate to the time he passes to has been quite good so far in its more realistic casting.

if you liked Quantum Leap...

My friend had been raving to me about Journeyman, a new show on NBC, but we don't have cable and don't have very good reception of NBC. And even though I still couldn't watch it, he kept telling me about how great it was. Um, could you not tempt me with something I don't have?

But after going to the NBC website to catch the latest episode of Heroes, I noticed that NBC extended its list of full shows to included Journeyman, so of course, I had to check out an episode.

Journeyman is about a guy who keeps bouncing back into to time tracking people's lives and returning when he's done. I was a huge Quantum Leap fan, so I was instantly hooked on Journeyman. But unlike that show, he doesn't have a sidekick and he's got a family, a wife, a kid, and a job back in the real time, to whom he's got to explain where he's been. He'll feel like he's gone for 15 minutes but it was really 3 hours. And since he can't control it, he doesn't know when he'll jump. So far he's crashed his car and got on the no-fly list (because he jumped while he was on a plane). Bonus is that it's set in San Francisco.

What I really love about the writing is the relationship with his wife. He found a way to prove to his wife that he wasn't crazy or on drugs or having an affair. Oh, he used to be on drugs and a heavy gambler. And did I mention a bit of a love triangle? With his ex-fiancee he thought died in a crash but actually was jumping time as well. The hubby was thinking, maybe she's the devil. Hmmm...maybe, I'll have to see.

Journeyman isn't getting the ratings it needs, but so was the fate of Quantum Leap until a letterwriting campaign kept it on the air. But better than a letter, I'm also sure they're counting the web hits of the people watching the shows online. So, check it out. You won't be disappointed.

success vs stardom

I was watching that reality show, "Nashville". One of the wanna-be-country-singers is the daughter of Terry Bradshaw, former Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback and now NFL commentator.

There's a conversation between the two as the daughter tries to tell her father about her dream of becoming a country singer star.

He replies to her, "I've never wanted to be a star. But what I've always wanted to be was successful."

She didn't quite comprehend that, so then he said, "well, who am I to stop you from your dreams."

But in this era of reality show televisions and instant fame or infamy as it were, I think there is a blur between success and stardom. Stardom is sometimes placed upon people who were successful, like Terry Bradshaw when he led the Steelers to four superbowls. But there are far far more successful people than there are stars. Yet it seems our perceptions, and particularly for my generation who grew up on MTV's Real Life, that we are striving for the stardom without thinking first about success and also presume that people who are stars are successful, when particularly for reality television may just be lucky.

Buffy Season 8

Oh yeah, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Fans, this is your latest indulgence. Unlike the previous comics that were tangentially aligned with the show. This is written by Joss Whedon. The gang is back!

latest tv addicition

Though I read up on the Amazing Race allstars, I'm not all that interested to watch Rob&Amber, the perennial reality show couple. And every now and then I check the Survivor website to see if Yau-man, a Cal staff member has made it through yet another week.

But now I'm completely addicted to Heroes, which I have to catch online since we don't get NBC reception. The writing, the intrigue, the characters each trying to do the best that they can, then there's the best villain on tv, "Sylar". Completely addicting!

like pbs without the pledge breaks

With Best Online Documentaries on Google, I may never watch tv on tv again!

all confused

OK, the secret woman that has been conspiring to take over the magazine in Ugly Betty is actually Daniel's dead brother who had a sex change and isn't the mistress of his father that died in a tragic car accident?

Oh yeah, I forgot, it's a telenovela.