Does Anybody Still Watch ER?

I do. I have been a viewer for years and years. All I have to say is thank goodness it is the last season because it has to be the most depressing show on television.

So last Thursday was the season premiere. Thanks to the magic of Tivo I just watched it this afternoon. It has to be the saddest yet.

My question…Why don’t those doctors and nurses just go work somewhere else. Can’t they see there is a black cloud hanging over that hospital.

That place has been through calamity after calamity yet these people are still coming to work. I mean really…would you seriously keep going back after hostage situations, shoot-outs, killer viruses, explosions, and other violence of every kind???

Anyway…I want to stop watching, but at this point I can’t. I have already put too many years into this thing to quit now and this is the last season, so my plan is to stick it out. But I have to tell you. If they end this thing badly I am going to boycott the network.

That’s right I said boycott. No The Office. No Today Show. No Chuck. No The Apprentice. No nothing on NBC. I’ll turn to the other networks for entertainment, don’t think I won’t. It will be nothing but Dancing with the Stars and Desperate Housewives over here.

My boycott will also mean no more light bulbs, no dishwasher and refrigerator because they are made by General Electric, the parent company to NBC. Seriously, I’ll do it, you know I will.

I want a happy ending to ER. These are my demands I want Abby and Luka to be happy together forever. I want Sam and Gates to get married and have beautiful babies and for her to quit working and take care of her family including her troubled son. I also want for her troubled son to see the light and shape up and go to college and be a doctor and make his mother proud. No more killing off characters just as they are about to get it right and get married to their long time sick girlfriends.

No more making me sob as I watch TV in my basement. Seriously ER. Stop It! Lets be happy. I want to see nothing but rainbows and balloons when I watch ER from now on.

For my fans

Many of you have asked me to provide a link so you can read the articles I write for the South Valley Journal. I don't really know why anyone would want to read them unless they lived in South Jordan, but whatever.

Just so you know...I am a government reporter and write mostly about boring government related South Jordan specific topics. They are generally not satirical or entertaining the way my blog posts are.

After that explanation, if you are still interested, knock yourselves out. I usually have about five different articles in each issue. Some are more boring than others. The link is in the top right corner.

Bigger and Better

Well, she’s just shy of five months old now. What a difference five months can make. She started rolling over at three and a half months. Now just before four months she’s got teeth! She got one 10 days before five months and another 8 days before her five month.

At her four month old appointment her doctor said she was big enough that I didn’t need to feed her during the night and that if I could stand it to let her cry it out and sleep through the night. He also said to put her to sleep awake and let her figure out how to be alone and go to sleep without assistance.

I being sleep deprived took that advice to the letter. I put Sunny to bed in her pack-and-play in the basement so no one could her crying (except me who was listening on the baby monitor). Steve and Alyssa slept peacefully through her nite time sleep training. It only took three nights before she started doing it.

Now she is back upstairs sleeping in her room as are the rest of us (in our respective rooms). She is such a sweet baby now. Not that she wasn’t before , but she is so much funner now. She talks and coo’s and squeals and smiles every time you look at her. She also takes regular lengthy naps.

So in short. I am a fan. I really have to respect a baby who eats good, sleeps good and is pleasant to be around. I guess we are keeping her.

...and here we are having fun!

Here are some of our favorite pictures from our trip to Southern California. Hope you enjoy them.

Here we are at Dodger Stadium. We were up in the tippy top of the stadium. Have you ever been to Dodger Stadium? It's built into a mountain side which means we hauled four kids including one in an infact carrier up the mountain side and into our very steep seat. We're amazing parents dedicated to making good memories and having fun at any and all cost. It was worth hauling the car seat though because Sunny did sleep in it for half the time.Here is a picture of us at the Dodgers game, the day we arrived.





























We and the Davies rented a bike car together while we were at the beach. It was one of the funnest things we did on the whole trip. Talk about a family fun machine...this is it. We had a great time exploring the beach and all the little beach house neighborhoods. We sang songs and ate snacks and just had a great time.
















Alyssa loves the beach. She has been asking to go the beach everyday for a year. She finally made it there again and loved every second of it even though for most of it she was shivering. She didn't let that slow her down.



















Here is Sunny enjoying her day at the beach in her Bumbo chair. She really hated the beach actually. Maybe when she gets a little older she'll aquire a taste for it.



















Here we are at Huntington beach. We had a great time.



















Here are Angela and I outside the MTV video music awards. We were there watching the people who were watching the red carpet. It was fun to see all the mayhem surrounding that event and we did get a pic of Paris Hilton.



















We loved our visit with Skyler and Elise. Skyler is a favorite Elder I served with on the mish. We have kept in touch over the years and always look forward to seeing our favorite urban couple. They came and hung with us a the DL and at dinner then took us back to thier super cool cali green Leed certified town home complete with solar panels and uber cool decor. We loved being with them and seeing how they live. Thanks for making time for us guys, we loved it! You're house is as cool as you are.
















Here is a sweet pic of Steve and sweet Sunny. She was a very good sport about this whole thing eating her bottles on the fly and sleeping in her stroller. We were proud of her. Isn't she cute.


















Here we are in front of Cinderella's castle. No I was not crying. Seriously though, it was really special to see it through Alyssa's eyes. It was all very real for her. I have been to Disneyland once like 10 years ago, but it was very different and special being there with my little family. Okay I was crying. I cried half the day.














Here is Alyssa being harrassed by Captain Jack Sparrow (is that his name?) He took a real interest in her. She was quite nervous about him though. He poked and prodded her and asked her about her shirt and tugged on her hair a little. I have to say, she was a real sport about it and never ran away or cried. I think most kids would have.














Here we are with Mickey Mouse. I know he is a national treasure and what not, but I have to say...I don't really care too much about Mickey. I'll tell you who does though...Asians. Every Asian person there had on a pair of mouse ears and mouse t-shirt. I think Cinderella is the new face of Disney and the new Mickey. (sorry Penny)














Here we are meeting the real Cinderella. Yeah it was awesome, even for me. Alyssa has never been more excited for anything.















This is Steve and I outside the Getty Museum, one of LA's premiere mueseums, after viewing some Art.














And finally, this is what a two year old looks like on the the plane ride home after eight strait days of fun. The end.

We're Back!

Stay tuned for exciting details about the Sokol Summer Vacation. Featuring: Alyssa meets Cindarella, Steve mingles with Bernini sculptures and Kristin mans a four month old baby with out the comforts and convieniences of home and has a great time doing it.

Seriously...how are you living without TIVO?

Being real….I don’t know how we lived without TIVO in the past. We bought a TIVO shortly after Alyssa was born and I was up in the middle of the night trying to nurse (a long tedious and unsuccessful time for us…TMI?)

Anyway, since we didn’t have cable, there was never anything besides infomercials for the Magic Bullet or Proactive zit cream magic. Rather than endure that, we hopped on-line giving ourselves a tutorial on TIVO and found it would work with any TV, even if you didn’t have cable or satellite or anything. In fact, all we had was rabbit ears.

So we went down to the Best Buys and got ourselves one for fifty bucks. We also bought a lifetime subscription to go with it. They had an option to pay twelve bucks a month or $300 for life. We didn’t really have any money at the time since we were new homeowners and it took pretty much all we had to move in and pay the mortgage. But crazy us…we did it anyway.

Best decision we’ve ever made. We never watch any commercials. We never miss an episode of our favorite shows. We watch television at our leisure, when were good and ready to watch.

The very best part however, is always having plenty of children’s television programming on hand. What do people do when they have to get something done and need to occupy kids for half an hour to do it. Not saying I use TIVO as a baby sitter (I use TIVO as a baby sitter), but it’s nice that it’s there when I need it.

Plus lame shows that are barely interesting enough to watch like America’s Got Talent and Nashville Star. You can watch the whole thing or at least the interesting parts in fifteen minutes instead of the full hour or two hours.

And then…there is the TODAY show. I must watch it. It’s how I keep up with the world. Steve reads the Wall Street Journal cover to cover every day as well as Newsweek magazine. But I always know what he is talking about since I subscribe to TODAY. Without TIVO, this could never be. I am not usually conscious (if I am I don’t want to be) that early in the morning. Through the magic of TIVO, I never miss a word Matt Lauer says. I love you Matt.

So, in conclusion, we do not endorse spending money that one doesn’t have, unless one is spending it on a TIVO, then it’s okay, and you’ll be glad you did.

SIDE BAR: If you would like to purchase a TIVO with a lifetime subscription, they are available on the Black Market aka EBAY or KSL.com. The lifetime subscription goes with the box, not the owner. We have recently purchased an identical model for our newly finished basement. Life is great and so is TIVO.