Homer Simpson as Jamie Moyer

I just finished watching the latest episode of The Simpsons. Five episodes into the 22nd season (that's right, the 22nd season), and it felt like an episode that wouldn't have been out of place during the prime years of the show.

Some highlights:

• The running 7 of clubs joke
• The nice emotional beats of the Homer/Maggie and Marge/Lisa stories
• Marge's exasperated "Not a good time" as Maggie waddles in

It wasn't an amazing episode, but just a very good one. The show, like Jamie Moyer, is mostly getting by on guile these days, mixing in average to slightly below average episodes that are just good enough to be better than your average episode of the craptastic Family Guy.

But every once in a while, there's a gem like this one, from May 7th: CG, 2 H, 0 ER, 5K, 0BB, 105 pitches, a game score of 88.

Jamie Moyer, in his 24th season, threw one of the top 15 games in the NL. Tonight's Simpsons felt kinda like that. A weird throwback to a better time.

(Or, it's completely possible that this was a Dice-K game, where I'm just happy that it got out of the 6th inning, only giving up 3 runs on 5BB and 2K.)

I ate this

"The King" from Boston Burger Company.

That's a burger with bacon, peanut butter, and fried bananas. And it was pretty tasty.

Twitter Updates for 2010-11-08

• While my arteries won't be happy about it, just had a Spike's Patriot Dog to start the game. Apparently it was not good luck. #
• Let me know when Brady shows up to the Pats game. #
• All of Brady's passes have been slightly off, and he's got a lot more wobble to this throws today. Also, Matt Light: still a horrible LT. #

Twitter Updates for 2010-11-06

• Goddamn, I have got to get my ass back to Blacksburg.
  http://bit.ly/b6vf82 #

Twitter Updates for 2010-11-05

• I'd really like to get iOS 4.2 for my iPad soon. I could *almost* get all of my work done on it. #
• Vegas took the line "@TrueHoop will dump on evil Garnett" off the board. It was a mortal lock. #
• Always get goosebumps when the Hokies come out to Enter Sandman. Let's Go Hokies! #

Twitter Updates for 2010-11-04

• @sportsguy33 I'm fairly certain nearly every player drops worse stuff than "cancer patient" every game, i.e the pejorative for homosexual in reply to sportsguy33 #

Twitter Updates for 2010-11-03

• Thanks Colts and Texans for only scoring 47 points and helping me win my picks pool this week. #
• @molstherunner Thanks Molly -- you rock. in reply to molstherunner #
• I'll get my political tweets out of the way early, since my team is going to take a drubbing today. #
• First, what has that guy we elected President done for the past two years? http://whatthefuckhasobamadonesofar.com/ #
• My Massachusetts ballot is like Fred Flintstone's pet dinosaur: D-No. #
• I'm blaming you for the next 2 years of crap if you don't agree with me. #
• Remember to go vote today, unless you're stupid and like the Tea Party. If that's the case, remember that Election Day is Tuesday, Nov 9. #
• Early election results: the midwest and south are full of nutjobs. #

Twitter Updates for 2010-11-02

• Basketball helps you realize that you're really just not in shape. Going to eat better and drink a lot more water this week. METABOMOLISM! #
• (Before you assume I can't spell: http://www.exampleproblems.com/wiki/index.php/List_of_neologisms_on_The_Simpsons#Metabomolism) #
• I need Indy to win tonight, but the total to be less than 51 points. C'mon under! #
• Moss getting waived might save my fantasy season. If he ends up on Denver, SD, or back on the Pats (with a chip on his shoulder ...) #
• @wintermatt @fraggle22 The CFL is amazing. in reply to wintermatt #

Twitter Updates for 2010-11-01

• I hate that I am rooting for USC. #
• Got pulled over for the first time in a long time tonight. Took a U-turn after saying "I'll take a u-turn here -- there's no cops, right?" #
• The cop was great. Looked in, said "who are you supposed to be?" I replied "Dustin Pedroia." He said, "ok." That was it. The power of Pedey. #
• This may not be my year in fantasy football. I'm going to need to give my team a pep talk. #
• Huge stand by the Pats. Now let's see if they can execute in this last minute and get another 3 points. #
• Nope, I guess we're going to just try not to fumble it into the end zone. #
• 5:30 -- no trick or treaters. #
• Remember back when Tom Brady was really good? #

TV Kinda Sucks This Year

(well, new shows, at least.)

Now that we're a couple of months into the new TV season, I can safely say that it has been amazingly underwhelming. I usually find a handful of new shows that make it into permanent "season pass" status on the ol' DVR.

This year, only two shows have made the jump.

Boardwalk Empire (on HBO) is the new fancy hour-long series on HBO. It's a solid show and, in a weak year, is getting a good amount of acclaim. More than I think it would in a more "normal" season. The show is just so weighed down by its historical references that I just don't find it to be enjoyable the way The Wire, Deadwood, or the early seasons of The Sopranos were. I don't care about most of the characters, don't care about the story, and find myself easily distracted during each episode.

And that still makes it the second best show of the year.

The best is Terriers, on FX. It's a modern noir-style detective show about two friends who've do some detective work to make ends meet. It's constantly funny, but almost every episode has moments that have you on edge, not sure where they will go next. Better yet, it all feels entirely organic. Nothing feels forced. Created by the guy who wrote the Ocean's Eleven movies and Shawn Ryan (who created The Shield), the show flies by each week and moves the grander story arc along in new, interesting ways. It is certainly the best new show, and it is probably already better than Sons of Anarchy and Justified, two more FX shows that were the best shows from the past couple of seasons.

That's about it. Everything other new show has been basically mediocre to appallingly bad.

(The only other new show that I find myself watching is Better With You, but only because I wish it was the far-better Committed.)

(As another aside, a bunch of returning shows from last year have been great, most notably Cougar Town. For reals.)

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