Friday, May 26, 2006

Sudoku Puzzles - My latest obsession

Ok, these have been around forever, but I'm just now discovering them. For those that like brain teasers, these are great fun. Be warned, they are incredibly addicting once you "get" it!


Click this image for the Wikipedia overview of the game.

If you do a Google search on "sodoku" you'll end up with a zillion hits, but here are a couple sites to play them online:
USA Today
www.websudoku.com

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Lost, Episode 2.23: Live Together, Die Alone

Ok, I've got some serious tired head over this one. I do know it wasn't anywhere near as exciting, suspenseful and satisfying as the season one finale. It just seemed... weird. My head hurts.

What are the fates of Eko, Locke and Desmond. And Jack, Kate and Sawyer. And Michael and Walt (I half expected the boat to blow up). And Sayid, Jin and Sun?

So Henry is the top dog of that group of Others. He and Eko are by far the best characters of season 2.

What's up with the big statue with the foot with 4 toes? Was it another decoy, like the fake village, or is this the something like the lost city of Atlantis?

"We found it". So what was "it" that those arctic circle dudes, working for Widmore, found. The island, the magnetic source, Dharma?

What did Desmond do to end up in the military prison?

Love the Kelvin connection. I'm sure everyone remembers him from the Sayid flashbacks. So is he REALLY dead? I take nothing for granted.

So the button really did need to be pushed.

Did Libby end up in the psych ward before or after we saw her with Desmond?

Did Michael have big sores/lesions on his head and hand? I thought I saw something in that night scene where Jack came up and talked to him. Could it be the sickness?

Those were some weird special effects when that bird thing flew at the group and Michael discovered he had no bullets.

Very interesting seeing the pneumatic tubes went nowhere but the middle of a field.

Cool seeing the electromagnetic stuff might have been what brought down the plane. I thought we'd actually see flashbacks to the plane for that. We now know the shows calendar date, based on knowing the plane went down September 22, 2004.

What exactly was the white light during the electromagnetic blow up? Will it have any affects?

What about the Other that Sawyer shot? They sure didn't follow up on that at all.

What did one snowman say to the another? It smells like carrots.

Claire's got an eye for Charlie again.

But at least Taylor won. Oh, wait... I'm getting confused with the picture-in-picture show we were watching during Lost commercials! ;-)

And... ohhhhhh, no.... what just happened to the Mavs? Grabbing the lead with 4 seconds left only to lose it with 1/2 second left. Sheeeze...

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Lost, Episode 2x22: Three Minutes

Well, this wasn't an "oh, wow!" episode, but it definitely sets up for a wild finale next week. As usual, we watched it starting at 9:30pm, so it is way too late for me to browse the message boards too long (dang 5am alarm clock!), but here's some random thoughts. Be sure to check back and read the comments, because people like Jim and Kim post some really good stuff. And for the multitudes of others who read this stuff, stop lurking and post some comments!

Update 5/18 6am: the MSNBC recap is online now.
Update 5/18 11am: the Entertainment Weekly recap is now online, too.

* Good to see Charlie and Claire starting to make up. Interesting about the vaccines. Still have no idea what that really is, and why you need it every 9 days.

* Neat to see Charlie throw away all the statuettes. And what's up with Vincent always playing a big role when he's around? Hope they don't need any of that stuff for more pain killers later!

* Charlie is definitely annoyed at Eko's decision to abandon the church because "I am supposed to do something different now.". And how about Eko's chat with Michael about the boy confessing to killing the dog?

* How touching was it that Sawyer opened up to Jack and called him "the closest thing I have to a friend"? Funny stuff with the "we got caught in a net" references.

* How was Michael using his compass? I thought the magnetic interference made that not work? Or was it a clue to the reference in the Hanso commercial of the week, http://www.letyourcompassguideyou.com.

* So the flashback to when the Others captured Michael and Kate and got the guns from Locke, Jack and Michael shows that there really weren't a bunch of Others surrounding them and lighting those torches. Another deception.

* We again see Alex and see that she does care for the losties (asking about Claire and the baby), but still follows the Others' rules (knocks Michael out)

* So who is Ms. Klugh and where does she fall in the Other's hierarchy?

* Walt telling Michael "They're pretending". Is this another elaborate setup, much like the boat incident where Kate later found the costumes?

* What is "the Room" that Ms. Klugh threatens Walt with returning to? What tests have they had him taking? Interesting her asking Michael if Walt has appeared in places he shouldn't be. Could those have been tests when he appeared to Shannon those times?

* From what we see so far, Michael is telling the truth about what he's seen with the camp. He might have ulterior motives, but he really did only see two guys with guns.

* Why did Michael kill Ana Lucia? It is now evident he didn't have to.

* Why do the Others want only Jack Shephard, Kate Austen, James Ford and Hugo Reyes? And how do they know full names, as well as the fact James=Sawyer? And does Michael really know Hugo=Hurley? And if unHenry came for Locke, why isn't he listed?

* Love the Sayid twist and what that might bring.

* Locke can walk again. The island's healing at work again? Remember that after his injury he was on the beach talking to Rose and told her it would probably take him about 4 weeks to heal, to which she replied "We both know it won't take that long."

* What's the sailboat?


Next week's 2-hr finale:
Episode 2x23: "Live Together, Die Alone"
After discovering something odd just offshore, Jack and Sayid come up with a plan to confront "The Others" and hopefully get Walt back. Meanwhile, Eko and Locke come to blows as Locke makes a potentially cataclysmic decision regarding the "button" and the hatch, on the season finale of "Lost".

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Lost, episode 2x21: ?

Ok, we just got done watching the episode on tape delay (no, still no Tivo in this house!) What a great episode. Lots of good flashbacks, past interactions amongst characters, suspense, new discoveries. And it was an Eko episode, who is my favorite character! It's late and I'm tired, but here are some random observations to get us started until the recaps come out tomorrow morning!

* nice beginning with Ana Lucia showing up in Eko's dream
* Adios Ana and Libby. I was really hoping Libby wouldn't be killed off.
* love the flashbacks with Eko's brother overlapping into both Eko and John's dream. How chilling was it when his brother told Eko to "bring the axe".
* So Eko is a troubled priest. Seeking fake IDs, etc.
* discovery of the Pearl station. How funny was it seeing Locke get all giddy about opening it? Anyhow, the thing has video cameras into the Swan (and possibly others). And a camera inside it, too (so who is watching THEM?) The hatch might be a psychologic experiment, but that sure doesn't explain the dreams, Locke walking, Rose's cancer disappearing, etc.
* The drowned girl's father was Claire's psychic, though he tells Eko he makes everything up. So what does that mean about Claire? Was that his first REAL vision, and therefore why we was so obsessed with her?
* Libby makes a flashback appearance at the airport as Eko is talking to the not-so-drowned girl. The girl talks about how she saw Eko's brother when she was "in between places".
* What was on the table in the Pearl hatch? Looked like cigarette butts and drugs. Hmmm.. heroine?
* Why did Locke put the map up the vacuum tube?
* I continue to love the Eko-Locke dynamics. Cool seeing Eko open up to Locke about his past and the miracles he's experienced thus far. You keep wishing Locke would do the same. The closest he's come is with Rose. He hinted at it with Eko by telling him Boone was a "sacrifice the island demanded".
* Once again, Locke's faith is rocked, this time after watching the Orientation film which shows his button-pushing to be an experiment.
* Libby managing to say "Michael", but Jack and Hurley don't realize what she meant.
* catch the Hanso foundation commercial? http://www.sublymonal.com/. It's owned by Sprite. Lymon...
* Sawyer hiding his stash right under his bed. Classic.
* Nice to see Sawyer comforting Kate
* Poor Hurley

Update: the MSNBC recap is now online.
So is Entertainment Weekly's recap.
And this one...
-----
Next week: episode 2x22: "Three Minutes"

Michael persuades Jack and several survivors to help him try to rescue Walt from the Others. And Charlie struggles with Mr. Eko's decision to stop work on the church. Mr. Friendly: M.C. Gainey. Alex: Tania Raymonde. Ms. Klugh: April Grace. Pickett: Michael Bowen.

U.S. preview


Canadian preview for episode 2x22 "Three Minutes"

American Idol... Chris?!?! Are you kidding me?

Wow, obviously everyone thought he was too safe. Our household included. I really don't care who wins now. I have no doubt Chris will be the most successful of this group, regardless if he scored the AI title and the $1M contract out of it.

I guess I'm pulling for Taylor since he's the anti-Idol and the best performer of the group. Katharine has her moments, but she still very raw and seems to be searching for her identity. She's no Kelly Clarkson at this point. Elliott is a guy going into the top-10 I thought would have no shot at being in the final 3, but he certainly has his moments -- like Monday night when he was definitely the best singer of the bunch. We shall see...

Saturday, May 06, 2006

Evolution of Dance

I've gotta admit this is really funny. Make sure your sound is on, and be prepared to be amused as this guy takes a 6-minute run through many of the dance trends of the past several decades. Funny stuff. Thanks to Kim for sending me the link to this.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Lost, episode 2x20: Two for the Road

Holy... crap....

Wow, that was a great episode. I don't even know where to begin. It definitely made our heads spin with a ton of jaw-dropping "Wow" moments. Love it! The producers surely didn't lie... they said the final episodes would be a fast-paced race to the season finale! The last 5 minutes of the show definitely fell into the "Nuh-uh! No way!!" category.

I'm going ahead and posting this just as a placeholder so we can get the comments going. If you are one of the many lurkers to this site (I know you are there -- many of you told me!), please post comments, as this episode definitely is discussion-worthy! I'll be updating this thread as I gather up my thoughts and read up more and see what all I missed. In the mean time, here are my random thoughts and observations:

edit 5/4 5:20am: the MSNBC recap is out there.
edit 5/4 7:30am: the Entertainment Weekly recap is now online.

Ana-Lucia and Libby -- didn't see that coming, though it has been speculated the actresses' little DUI adventure in Hawaii had them on the outs. And the actress who plays Libby was already signed for another series next season. That scene definitely caught me by surprise, though... especially Libby. I liked her. Poor Hurley. Then again, I'm not convinced Libby is dead. After all, she had that blanket (and who knows what else -- wine, etc.?) held in front of her. Who knows.

Ana-Lucia and Sawyer -- that's one way to get a gun from Sawyer. Too bad we won't get to see that relationship develop further -- it was kinda neat to see the two outcasts of the island get together.

Ana-Lucia and Jack's dad -- now we know how and why she was in Australia. Nice run-in with Sawyer as he was getting out of the car.

Jack's dad and the woman at the house -- wild speculation here. Was she Jack's ex? Was she Claire's mom? Regardless, we know Jack has a half-sister.

Sayid -- nice hole he was digging. What was it? Sad when he told Hurley about the private beach.

Hurley -- hilarious in his ineptness. Love Jin giving him the thumbs-up.

Ana-Lucia and Henry -- lots there. Him catching her off-guard and almost choking her to death. Later saying Goodwin though she was misunderstood and could change her. Her planned to kill him but couldn't do it.

Henry and Locke -- Henry telling Locke his failed mission was to come get Locke because he's one of the good ones.

Michael -- holy cow. I knew he was up to something, but I just figured he'd steal away Henry and lock Ana Lucia up. Not shoot her. And Libby. And himself. So is he brainwashed? Or being forced to release Henry and lead our Losties into a trap as a bargain to get back Walt?

Next week's preview... good grief, please don't kill off Eko.