Oh sure -- the standard coffee is only eh, but that hasn't stopped me from having more fun with a coffee maker than is acceptable for a grown man.

I've also been ordering new pods (100% pure Kona Coffee) from Beverly Hills, and I just ordered a new (bigger) water tank from Amazon. Whee this Amazon prime thing could be dangerous; one click and products are on their way.

Here is it.

MSN Messenger V7 has a nice little feature that allows other users to see which song I'm listening to. While it's nice that it's a hyperlink that takes one to the MSN Music Store's page on that song, it would be even nicer if it would first check to see if I already have that song in my library. If I did, it would start playing it.

stephen_speicher@hotmail.com is the IM, BTW

There is a growing epidemic in this country and no one is talking about it. I suppose that we’ve all be waiting for one brave soul to step up to the plate and discuss the issue. Yet, heretofore it’s gone unmentioned. Alas, I shall be the one.

We, in America, have a preview problem. Previews have invaded our television programs and our movies. Their goal, as best I can gather, is complete domination.

Oh sure, previews have always been there, but they were controlled; they were judiciously doled out. They were used to plant a seed in the viewer’s mind. They let the user know that good stuff was coming.

Somehow, somewhere they broke loose and began covering the television landscape like kudzu. I was fine when previews were something you saw in the theaters. Previews provided a pleasant distraction as you waited for your movie-going partner to return with the refreshments. I was a little frustrated when, at some point, the “Start Time” became the start time for the previews, but I handled it.

I begrudgingly fast-forwarded through the previews on rented video tapes. My anger grew when DVDs (especially Disney DVDs) began forcing me to watch the previews.

I truly did think that we had reached the end of the invasion when CSI, Without a Trace, etc. starting showing previews of the episode that started in 2 minutes. However, I was wrong; it got worse!

“Project Greenlight” is now running previews before each and every SEGMENT of the show that is currently airing. “Coming up on Project Greenlight…..” Enough is enough. This needs to stop! Is our attention span that short? God help us if it is!

Ok -- I admit it: I've been pretty bad around here lately. My creative juices haven't been flowing and I've been too congested to think about it all. But the times they are a changing. I can mostly breathe, and I should really get back in to the flow of things. This means writing. So, I promise that, for this week, I will abandon the "Posts Needed" count and write every day. Heck, I might even write twice or thrice daily. It's my little apology for abusing the call of the "Post Overdue."

It dawns on me that I never posted the last couple of articles.

Here's the first one.

Here's the second one.

I hate being sick

I'm pissed that Nadia went while Anwar, Andrew, and Scott are still there.

Dominoes' Cheeseburger Pizza is surprisingly good.

I hate being sick.

I can't wait to see tonight's Survivor. Poor little Stephanie is all by herself. While I asknowledge that there isn't a chance in hell that she could win, I really am pulling for her.

Usually I can count on Erin to push the counter a little. Yet, when I gave her a "freebe" with the opportunity to wish me a "Happy Birthday," there was nary a word from her. Hmmm. I hope that she understood that "The Ugly" was referring to the concert. :S

I can’t help it – I read People. It’s really not my fault. My wife brings it into the house. I simply pick it up and leaf through it. Imagine my surprise when I, uh, learned something from it. Granted it’s just trivia, but still… Did you know that in California there are only two options when filing for divorce? Sure, everyone knows
“Irreconcilable differences.” However, if you’re feeling a bit sportier, there’s another option. Is it “Adultery?” Nope. Is it impotence? Nope. Oddly enough – the only other option is “Incurable Insanity!”

I used to hear that actors filed for divorce citing “Irreconcilable differences” and I would think, “I suppose that beats the options.” Little did I know the extent to which I was damning with faint praise.

...that it's my birthday. I'm not really a big fan of birthdays. Every year I do my best to avoid mine. However, every year it smacks me in the face.

in lieu of flowers please send donations to Savetoby.com.

The Good:

If you haven't seen the British version of "Coupling," see it. It is fabulous. If you were left traumatized by the American version, fear not; the British version will help to heal the pain. It’s clever, cute, and it’s well cast. The only downside comes from Britain’s extremely short seasons. You’ll whip through all four seasons in no time flat. Worse yet – there’s a rumor that there’ll be no fifth season.

The Bad:

If you haven't seen "Napoleon Dynamite," avoid it like the plague. There is only one acceptable reason to see Napoleon Dynamite – you’re dying and you only have 90 minutes to live. If this is your situation, by all means rush to see it. Your time might be short on this world but it will feel like an eternity.

Napoleon Dynamite is a big pyramid scheme. Apparently everyone is afraid to divulge the big secret: IT SUCKS. It’s not clever. It’s a one-trick pony. Yet, it’s managed to convince enough people that quirky equals funny. I never saw “The English Patient,” but I hear that it suffered from a similar mass-hypnosis effect. Even still, I suspect that The English Patient had *something* there.

Truly horrific it was!

The Ugly:

In an attempt to push me into “Post Overdue”-land loyal-reader Erin, divulged a secret. She’s been to an American Idol concert. Lord I pray that it was the actual contest and not one of those freak-show series which featured the final twelve touring around the country singing bad covers. She even sent a picture. If you have a picture of you doing something embarrassing, please send it in! Not only do I promise to mock you, I’ll also send snail mail with a present. I don’t know what it will be, but I promise it will be one small step above completely worthless.