The Challenge Concludes

Whew.

Wow.

What a relief.

Thanks goodness.

Yes.

Back to reality....as I know it.



These are just a few of the feelings I have as my 20 day challenge against using my DVR is now...complete.

It's been a great ride: full of highs and lows, ups and downs, and lots and lots of live TV.

I definitely learned that it's difficult to give up something you are so used to (like DVR), and how much it affects your life when you do so (like rearranging your TV watching habits).

I mentioned the amount of programs I have to watch in the coming days (weeks) to play "catch up." The mindless act of fast-forwarding through advertisements will be a welcomed treat for me. My intent is to be caught up on everything within a week, and thus, back as a member of the social circle amongst my friends.

So I want to thank you are for joining me on my journey. Hopefully you found my recaps enlightening, or at the very least, humorous.

Some quick recaps to bid you farewell:

• Rams won today and are now 4-4 at the midway point. They might actually win the NFC West. Talk about a crazy NFL season.
• Lakers clobber the Warriors.
  
• Giants win Game 4 of the World Series to take a 3-1 lead. They can wrap up the title tomorrow night for their first championship since moving to the Bay Area. It would also erase the heartache of 2002 and be the first MLB title I can enjoy.
  
• Managed to watch this week's episode of Boardwalk Empire. It keeps getting better and better. Loved the one-eyed sniper, and the fact that Nucky decided to burn down his father's old house, after he got it all fixed up nice and fancy for that family. Sure, a few thousand outta cover those losses. Great stuff.

Thanks for the comments and the dedication to my insanity. I completed the challenge and am looking forward to my next one.

Whenever that arises.

DAY 19 Wrap

Today was definitely sports-filled (not that that theme is different than any other day for me).


Arizona vs. UCLA at the Rose Bowl

Took my friend, "Dana," to her first every live college football game. It was quite exciting for her. She didn't ask too many questions, but appeared to be a deer in headlights viewing all of the action.

First Quarter Highlights

Met up with an old high school buddy of mine and enjoyed a little college tailgating. Shotgunned a couple of beers, ate some meat with my bare hands, and watched Arizona take an early lead, only to lose it to a late UCLA score. (Arizona 7, UCLA 7)

Second Quarter Highlights

Made our way into the Rose Bowl to locate our seats (and the nearest bathroom). On the way, found some delicious Cookies & Cream Dippin' Dots and a hot pretzel (Yum!!). After settling in, Arizona's offense came alive and outscored the Bruins in the quarter to take a halftime lead (Arizona 19, UCLA 7)

Third Quarter Highlights

The sun was intense in our seats. There was a crazy UCLA fan shouting monotone throughout the game and becoming quite annoying. Luckily, there were plenty of garlic fries, water, and Arizona fans sitting next to us. Arizona and UCLA exchanged touchdowns in the quarter (Arizona 26, UCLA 14)

Fourth Quarter Highlights

With the Bruins crowd getting into the game late (thanks to an annoying yellow and blue-clad cheerleader on the field), UCLA made it interesting with a touchdown to pull close. But, in the end, an Arizona field goal and some key defensive plays sealed the deal for the Cats (Arizona 29, UCLA 21)



We won't talk about World Series Game 3. With the Giants losing, 4-2, it's now a series again. Will it be a trick or a treat for the Giants on Halloween?

Stay tuned for the "spooky" conclusion to the DVR Challenge.

DAY 18 Wrap

It's Friday, and that would mean no DVR.

But plenty of sausage!

http://www.wurstkucherestaurant.com/

Great evening of drinks, sausage, and an overwhelming amount of musicals. Visited Wurstkuche with "Mary" and "Dana" and enjoyed a fun atmosphere. I highly recommend the Alligator sausage....hickory smoked and yummy.

Then I enjoyed the Lakers beat-down on Phoenix to improve to 2-0.

Home stretch!

DAY 17 Wrap

"Walker: Texas Rangers."

Some good programming on tonight, but never better than the Rangers' pitching meltdown in the bottom of the seventh inning to allow the Giants to take a 2-0 World Series lead heading to Arlington.

Game 3 is Saturday afternoon.

Lots of Halloween-themed programs on tonight. And in the spirit of the black and orange I give you tonight's review treats on a scale of 1 (rotten) to 4 (ripe) pumpkins....



"Community"
3.5 Pumpkins

Wow. Only “Community” could come up with, let alone execute, a zombie apocalypse set to ABBA songs with narration from George Takei, and nail it – perfectly.

The costumes were great. From Jeff as David Beckham to Britta’s dragon-turtle, they were great.

The story was insane (hazardous material as taco meat causes the zombie outbreak), but hey, its Halloween…have some fun.

Some great moments that stood out include:

• Zombie Pierce eating Star Burns
• “Thanks, Chiquita, MD.”
• “My, Annie, what a big fist you have – in your face!”
• “Be the first black man to make it to the end.”

Overall, “Community” paid a nice homage to zombie films, and did it with a lot of humor and even some interesting plot developments with Chang and Shirley.

"The Office"
2.5 Pumpkins

This was a pretty standard episode of “The Office” for me. Aside from a few great costumes, there wasn’t anything too funny that stood out for me.

I love how Andy had to explain his outfit to everyone (“Soooookie!”) and of course, Angela’s naughty nurse outfit that she donned in order to ramp it up to win a prize worth $40? Or is it $15,000? No…it’s a $2 coupon book.

The story itself was rather mediocre. The drama centering around one of Darryl’s ideas getting picked up by corporate no thanks to Michael. Michael, or should I say, MacGruber, goes from angry to mocking to apologetic in front of the entire staff, including Lady Gaga Gabe. However, I thought it was kinda of weak.

There was also some tension between Jim, Pam and Danny (Timothy Olyphant), which added a little dorky spice to the mix. I am not sure how the writers will wrap up Danny's character though.

"The Office" was good, but not as good as “Community.”

Best line of the night:

• "Best Edward James Olmos costume ever."
  

DAY 16 Wrap

The countdowns are officially on...


Days Left in Challenge: 4

It's the final push towards the finish line. With only 4 days left (two of which are on a sports-filled weekend), the stage is set for me to be re-released back into the wild. My shackles are loosening, and I can taste the recorded freedom in the air.

In all honesty, I'm getting excited for this challenge to be over. Not that I couldn't continue to trek on, but simply, because I actually love the convenience of being to watch shows on your schedule - not on the network's.

There are lots of shows stored safely on my DVR that I will be (fully) enjoying once the clock strikes Midnight on Sunday night.

Some "highlights" include:

• Two, and soon to be three, episodes of "The Big Bang Theory."
• Two, and soon to be three, episodes of "South Park."
• Three episodes of "The Biggest Loser"
• All the MTV reality junk
• The entire fourth season of "Mad Men."*
  

* Note: I have been playing catch-up on Mad Men and am just about the wrap up Season 2 this week. Awesome show. And with Season 3 arriving soon from Netflix, I'll be treating myself to commercial free airings to ring in the new year (and get caught up in all the office conversations).



Wins Remaining for a World Series Title: 3

Giants 11, Rangers 7 (Game 1 FINAL)

So much for the pitching duel between Lee and Lincecum.

In a night filled with sloppy play, bad pitching, and Tony Bennett, the San Francisco Giants opened up the World Series by bitch-slapping the Rangers in Game 1.

The G-Men smacked around Lee and took the opener, setting up a crucial Game 2 in San Francisco on Thursday night.

The Giants wasted no time, and did not let the Rangers hang around long. Probably because they knew I had some "Modern Family" to watch.

A win, is a win, is a win - and the Giants struck first. I like the Giants to win Game 2 and send the series back to Texas for a Saturday evening showdown.



Big Games I'll Be Watching This Weekend: 2

Arizona vs. UCLA @ The Rose Bowl (Saturday 12:30PM)

Rain or shine, nothing says October football like a trip to the Rose Bowl.

Arizona rolls in at 6-1 and needs a win against a banged up UCLA squad that is hungry for an upset. The Wildcats need to win to keep pace with Oregon and Stanford, as well as to maintain their Rose Bowl hopes.


World Series Game 3: Giants @ Rangers (Saturday 3:57PM)

Pending the outcome of tomorrow's Game 2, my attitude will be affected one way or the other about this game. So, to maintain sanity, I won't be jinxing myself talking about it.

The only thing you can bet on is that I will be hustling out of Pasadena to the nearest wing+beer establishment to enjoy the sporty goodness.



Number of Chances: 1

Biggie gimmie one more chance.






And now, onto the one show I did watch live this evening (after baseball of course).


"Modern Family"

I thought the Halloween episode was great. Definitely had a lot of good moments and some hilarious one-liners. From "Spiderman" Mitchell to Gloria's butchered English, the story was all in all, funny.

Some key quotes I liked:

• "Yesterday's lazy cures today's crazy."

Have to love how Cam said the real Spiderman could help when Mitchell's suit is "all toilety." Cam immediately looks at himself (donning a squeaky, skin tight Spiderman suit) in the mirror and says, "He's here" before shimming down a drainpipe.

• "Don't push me away, I'm not Judy."

Poor Phil. First, he slams he neighbor, then gets repeatedly scared by a motion-activated mummy.

• "I'm a monogomous social drinker and Claie only sleep hits me."

Rad.

• "I'm Mother Teresa back when she was hot."
  

So wrong, yet so funny.

• "Baby Cheez-Its."
• "The whole thing, is a colossal fog cue."

Like I said, really really funny stuff.





And that's a wrap on Wednesday's DVR Challenge recap. It's all downhill from here.

DAY 15 Wrap

The Los Angeles Lakers opened up defense of their two-time championship with a thrilling 112-110 victory over the Houston Rockets tonight.

Key reserves, Shannon Brown and newcomer Steve Blake, made huge shots and defensive stops down the stretch to prevent any thought of an upset victory on "ring ceremony" night.

Kobe and Paul combined for 56 points, which was just enough to hold off the young starting back court of the Rockets, Aaron Brooks and Kevin Martin, who teamed up for 50.

It was a nice start to the season, and should be an exciting time for Lakers basketball.

Oh...almost forgot what this whole post was about...DVR.

No recorded shows tonight, thanks primarily to basketball.

More tomorrow with Game 1 of the World Series.

Mahalo.

DAY 14 Wrap

Wow. Two weeks.

I have been writing (and you have been reading) this for two whole weeks. I can't believe I have made it this far without watching DVR.

I think the keys to my success (thus far) can really be summed up with one statement:

Lots and lots and lots of great live sports. I believe that I made a good choice on my timing for this great DVR Challenge. College and pro football, baseball playoffs, the start of the NBA...these have all had some type of influence on the way I have conducted myself during this challenge. The main reason being is that some of my normally-watched shows (see: "Hell's Kitchen") have been put on temporary hiatus while Fox broadcasts the MLB playoffs and World Series.

So....that being said, whenever there is a game on Tuesday night or Wednesday night, they won't run any new programming. Bonus! I don't miss much.

But, let's not get carried away...I still have a ton of shows I need to catch up beginning November 1st. But until then, let's wrap up this final Monday of October and my DVR Challenge.


"How I Met Your Mother"

I loved this episode. With all the Barney Baby Talk and the interaction between Marshall and Lilly, this was another solid episode in the season.

I think Marshall touched on every man's fear - raising a daughter that becomes a ho.

Great scene with Marshall's father providing the Ericsson "secrets' to having a healthy, 12-pound baby boy (I cringed when he dipped his sack into the bowl of ice).

Also, Lilly had a very funny line to debunk Marshall's attempt to conceive a baby boy by saying, "Dude, you are writing checks my vagina can't cash."

I was really annoyed by the whole Becky thing...however, that Esther...she made up for in in bunches, especially with her card "trick."

Get it? Trick?

Okay...I'm done now.

Challenge accepted.