Last night I settled in to watch my favorite Christmas cartoon... How the Grinch Stole Christmas which was being aired by ABC before they aired Shrek the Halls. I have nothing against Shrek, but it's nothing like the pure genius of Dr. Seuss and Chuck Jones (not to mention the priceless narration/voice work of Boris Karloff). Since the Grinch is an older cartoon, it runs longer than the current 30 minute shows. ABC decided to cut parts of it in order to show all the commercials AND have it end by 8:30, so they could show the Shrek cartoon.
Bah humbug!
I'm sure lots of folks didn't even notice, but I've seen that cartoon countless times (I have it on tape as well) and I know exactly what parts were missing - parts of the Grinch's ride into Whoville and his ascent to the top of Mount Crumpit.
Bah humbug!
I made homemade cranberry sauce, which was a big hit. I took the recipe off a sugar box and used half the amount of sugar. It was so sweet that I can't imagine using any more. Do the people who write the recipes even taste the results?
Have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
Just do NOT have dinner with Andrew Zimmern or Adam Richman. 
I used to be here all the time and now it seems we've all drifted off into other areas. Most of my old TV Tome friends have crossed over to Facebook, Twitter, or both. It's great because I keep to keep in touch with old friends. Of course I've only got so much time in a day so I've kinda stopped coming here.
I do miss being here though. It's nice to be in a forum for a specific show and know that most people are going to want to hear you talk about that show. I can gush about Dollhouse all I want on the Dollhouse forum and nobody will mind.
Now if only I could win the lottery or something so I have time to do everything I want to do without having to work. Of course that means I will probably actually have to start buying the tickets ...
For one particular show, which gets changed by it's network all the time, I don't take submissions ahead of the air date. If I did, I WOULD FILL THEM IN MYSELF! So if I, who have the same information everyone else does, won't pre-fill in the episodes until they air, I'm not going to take your submissions before they air.
So to all the submitters, the rule is, wait until it airs. If I beat you to it, well, I am the editor of the guide. Remember, the form says: "Date airED"!
I'd like to know what other senior editor's policies are concerning premature submissions.
I have not written anything on this blog for a while because (i) I have not had time and (ii) I have not had much of anything to report. It has been a busy summer editing the Big Brother guide and the amount of work I have done on the guide has allowed me to finally jump up to Level 33. I just have no idea what a Borg Queen refers to.
It seems as though most of the people that I knew from back in the day are either no longer here or are ignoring me (probably because I have been relatively inactive). Anyhow, if you are reading this, I hope you are well, and please drop me a line.
Please view my SUBMISSION GUIDELINES before submitting to any of my show guides.
Level 51 (93%)
Just a quick note to advise users I will be away (in the Okanagan for vacation) from Sunday Aug 9th through Friday Aug 14th. I will be back online on Sat August 15th. If possible please refrain from submitting during this time. Thanks! 
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1 ) Look at what's already on the page. If there's nothing there yet, look at another episode page. If you want to know what name to use for a regular character (Dick vs. Captain Richard), or if a name should be bolded, or whether there should be double-spacing between quote lines, or whether quotation marks should be used, or where to use italics, do what's already been done. If you're not sure how to do the XHTML, click on Edit for an existing entry and see how it's done.
2 ) Don't steal from another site. Except for Quotes, everything should be in your own words (and that includes quote contextual material). Even summaries based on press releases should be rewritten as "your content." It's a TV.com requirement, it's copyright, and it's common courtesy.
3 ) Be accurate and provide a source. Unless you're an incredibly fast typist/writer and have an incredible ear for dialogue, pause the recording. Rewind. Transcribe the dialogue, rewind again, double-check. For episodes that haven't aired yet, always provide an original verifiable source in Comments. Provide as complete a URL as possible: if I can't find it, I can't accept it.
4 ) If you edit, use Comments to tell me what you're editing and why. Be specific. "Fixing 2 typos." doesn't help. "Changed "his" to "her" in third paragraph, changed "their" to "they're" in second paragraph" does. If something should be deleted, mark it for deletion and put the explanation in Comment, don't "argue" or give a "response."
5 ) Know basic grammar and punctuation. "I" is capitalized. Names are capitalized. Sentences get periods at the end (or question marks or exclamation marks). A single space goes after most punctuation except at the end of a sentence. Know the difference between "its" and "it's." ("It's" = "It is"). When speaking to someone and using their name, a comma goes before and after their name. "It's true that I love you, Fred, but I love you too, George." is correct. "Its true that i love you fred but I love you too,George" is not.
6 ) Don't duplicate. Particularly for major plot points, if the info is in the Recap, it doesn't need to be in Notes or Trivia. If a quote appears entirely in Allusions, it doesn't need to be in Quotes as well. Click on More Quotes/Trivia/Notes. You typically don't see everything on the episode's main page.
7 ) Don't anticipate. That's part of being accurate. Don't go by previews--sometimes scenes get cut or another version used when the episode goes to air. Don't assume an Allusion will be an allusion until you see the episode.
8 ) It's not personal. Don't insert stuff like "I" or "Don't you think" or "We all know..." Stick to the factual and put opinions, analysis, and speculation into your review.
9 ) Quotes. Quotes should be memorable, significant, and/or humorous. They should stand on their own and make sense to someone who hasn't seen the show, and represent quality writing. Don't use quotes just to "prove" something or indicate a key moment if the words aren't otherwise memorable, significant, or humorous. Try to focus on the key line or lines and avoid three paragraphs of "set up" quotes. Bold the speaker name, then put in an unbolded colon, then a space, then the line quote. Don't put quotation marks around each line. Hit a single Return/Enter for the next speaker's line. Contextual explanations should be used as little as possible, be as short as possible, put in parentheses, and italicized. For episodes that aren't currently premiering, a time code in the Comment section is preferred.
10 ) Notes. As per TV.com standards, Notes is for off-screen production-related stuff. Stuff the characters wouldn't know. Background music, special credit info, relevant background on the actors, in-jokes, etc. "What else they've been in" and "They're best known for" and "They've worked together before" is covered by the cast list section and its links, unless there's some kind of in-joke involved.
11 ) Trivia. As per TV.com standards, Trivia is for obscure yet on-screen stuff the viewer might not notice. This includes goofs. Plot points and other obvious stuff are often spoilers and are not Trivia--they should go in the Recap. According to TV.com guidelines, Trivia is not merely a catchall for anything that doesn't fit in the other categories. Nor is it the place for fan theories or speculation, or goofs based on same.
12 ) Allusions. As per TV.com standards, Allusions are for cultural references--other TV shows, movie, films, books. Always provide the single line of the quotation first that contains the Allusion (formatted as #9 above), then a single return, then the explanation. Internal continuity is pretty common in TV shows so unless it's obscure (Trivia), it's not an Allusion. The explanation (not cut-n-pasted) should be detailed enough that someone unfamiliar with the allusion can understand: roughly 20-50 words, one paragraph. Word definitions and translations are not Allusions (or Trivia or Notes, either). Allusions are deliberate and typically something the writers have the characters say. Allusions should be unique and reference the original source whenever possible, rather then another show that references the original source.
13 ) Summaries and Recaps. Summaries should be short and not give away any spoilers. Recaps should be a complete scene-by-scene account of the episode, without stage directions or meta-references like "In this scene...". Actor names don't go in summaries or recaps. Write it like you'd write a reference book entry. Don't include real-life info ("This season," actor listings, etc.). Save quotes for the Quote section (see #9 above).
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One last thing. If you submit something and it's rejected, remember: it's nothing personal. These standards are in place to promote accuracy, readability, and keep the episode pages from being too "cluttered" with extraneous info. If you get a rejection, read the Comments I provide, come here and look at these guidelines, and PM me if you have any questions. Some folks I had to reject the first time are now my most prolific contributors.
I wrote about Ninja Warrior a few weeks ago. It's a demanding obstacle course that requires a great deal of agility, body control and upper-body bodyweight strength. Many of the 100 contestants are primarily there for entertainment purposes but the top competitors are incredibly fit athletes. In previous tournaments, elite athletes from around the world have competed too, including Olympic medalists from the U.S. in gymnastics and wrestling. Gold-medal gymnast Paul Hamm was among the most well-known of these competitors.
The recent hit, "Wipeout", is largely inspired by Ninja Warrior but it's missing some of the key elements of Ninja Warrior. In Ninja Warrior, if you fall off an obstacle, you are out of the tournament. The live crowd gives the competition a better atmosphere. And there is a growing history and tradition with Ninja Warrior, as well as a worldwide fanbase, including the U.S., the UK and Latin America as well as Japan and East Asia.
For some examples of the toughest obstacles, run an Internet search for "ninja warrior salmon ladder", "ninja warrior body prop", "ninja warrior devil steps" and so on. Or just watch the episodes this weekend.
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By the way, I ran 5.15 miles on National Running Day a couple weeks ago. I hope everyone else was able to do something to help improve their fitness.
I realize Ihave become lazy when it comes to blogging but I do still come onto TV.com almost every day. So if you ever need to talk to me just pm me and I should respond within the next 24 hours no later than 48 unlesss I am on vacation or can't get to a copmuter for some reason.
Anyways, the Pittsburgh Steelers are back in the Super Bowl again. The just beat the Baltimore Ravens over an hour ago. They will face the Arizona Cardinals in what should be a good matchup. The PEnguins are struggling right now but just won today giving them two straight wins for the first time since November.
I watched SNL last night and it was a pretty good one, atleast in my eyes. I loved "Da Learnin Train" skit. If they could find someone to take over Rosarios's spot tand make it a semi-regular skit that could be a good one. Chuck is in the midst of a short break but it is still as addicting this season as it was in the previous one. Smallville is still going while Lost is getting ready for it's comeback. Can't wait. I caught both episodes of American Idol thus far and loved the Bikini Girl scene. Kara DioGuardi was really mad and started to sing and everything. Did anyone see Paula's face she looked like she was dead. She just sat there as if she was blind, deaf and paralyzed. I know she is nice an friendly but she is a strange banana. She always says or does some weird things, even if that doesn't count you can bet she'll do something else a little odd or embarassing if you know what I mean. For example last year when Simon's "Brother Forever" sang she got up and started break danceing while he was singing. I am excited for the show, nonetheless, and can't wait til they get to the Top 24 where I really get addicted.
That's it for my little ramble, Have a good one everybody...
Hello everyone, I thought I'd post the following PM I received from jkatj and the response I sent. I should've explained this earlier but if you all could help to get the word out I'd appreciate it.
"Hi waltmor, Sorry to bother you, but I have a question that I think you might be able to help me with. Lately, I've been noticing in addition to forums for shows with names like "Official Episode Discussion: [episode name]" there are sometimes show forums set up titled "Homepage Discussion: [episode name]." I've been wondering what different purpose the two are meant to have. While searching around trying to find an answer, I noticed that you started all the "Homepage Discussion" forums that I can find right now (for example in forums for "The Unit," "30 Rock," "CSI"). Could you fill me in on what should be discussed under "Homepage Discussion" vs. "Official Episode Discussion"? I appreciate your help"
The difference is that I'm trying to keep comments made on the homepage in the main feature block out of the official episode discussions. I have to associate a forum topic to each of the main homepage headlines now in order to accommodate the comments that are made. And I'd rather keep them outside the official discussion threads because they're shorter and much more casual than the entries in the official threads. Does that make sense?
If anyone has a better suggestion for what to title each of these new threads please let me know. I settled on "Homepage Discussion" because I thought that might be self-explanatory but if that's not working so well I can adjust it.
Daylight savings finally hit. I love that it is already bright out at 7 am. The downside is that it is dark so much earlier.
I met up with gwactuary in Philadelphia yesterday. We attended a Flyers hockey game and then had dinner. I am happy to report this visit went much smoother than our original meeting for a Phillies game back in April. My car didn't conk out this time and we finally got to the restaurant we had originally planned to dine at last time. It was fabulous! I love the tiny little BYOBs that are scattered throughout the South Philly neighborhoods. I did notice that Broad and Market streets were spotless for a change. I don't get around the city as much anymore but the post Phillies parade clean up had left the city cleaner than usual.
While we were at the game there was still a lot of Phillies baseball frenzy...or should I say, Phrenzy? I am glad for my hometown that there was something positive to focus on. Recently our city was hit with a total of four police officers being killed in the line of duty. With the current election frenzy, watching the news is hardly cheerful. I'm glad we had a brief reprieve and the city was able to celebrate without any further violence.
I appreciated that gwactuary,who is a diehard baseball fan, chose a hockey game for our outing in Philly. It had been a couple years since I had been to a live game and I just loved it. I grew up in a hockey family so if you don't love the sport I think they ex-communicate or ban you from the fold~or something like that. 
The Flyers dancing guy is always at the games but we were in for a treat this time. He danced with the Phillies Phanatic! While walking back to the car, I commented to gwactuary that I wondered how many uploads on YouTube there would be? I think he thought I was kidding. Here is the proof that only in Philly are we so proud of a giant, green mascot and an overweight drunk Flyers fan who loves to dance on the arena vision, that we will upload it for the entire world:
Overall, the outing was another step forward. I really feel like I am getting my life back to where it was before he-who-must-not-be-named. The ex hated hockey. He hated the city. He hated funny guys dancing with mascots. Now I can look back and say,"you know what? He hated me."
I am finally at peace with that.
... there I was, sitting with the laptop on a Sunday night and working the animal care site... I felt a dull, sort of 'sick' ache in my back, just below the shoulder blades. Overall I felt nauseous and eventually started feeling like a great big guy was pressing both palms with all of his might into my chest.
My son stopped by and I said, "I think I'm having a heart attack". We don't know how to handle things like that in this family. Denial is our first bandaid.
He asked if I wanted to go to the emergency room and I said, "Naah, I'll just go to bed" and that's what I did. Must be gas - right?
The next day was only a little better, but since there was some improvement I continued to shrug it off.
About two weeks later I had a doctor's appointment for a physical that had been set up for, well, TEN years. I had been cancelling it and rescheduling it for - yep - ten years. I kept it this time.
When they did the EKG there was a bit of a pause. Another person came in and did it again. Another pause. Another person (funny, each person that came in was older than the last one) and finally a kind 'older' doctor tells me I had a myocardial infarction, also known as a M I or, heart attack.
My reaction? "I KNEW it!" I was strangely happy to not have been wrong. Then I tended to announce it to everyone I met over the next week or so. Clerks? "I had a heart attack". People I never saw before in my life sitting in the doctor's office? "I had a heart attack".
I've stopped announcing it lately, but that might be just because I ran out of people to announce it to.
I'm getting used to living with it (beats the alternative), but for sure, when I'm working in the yard or something and start to get out of breath, I hear those words "heart attack" in my head. I don't like that. I don't like feeling limited.
The myriad of tests show that I'm the healthiest heart attack victim there can be. Perfect cholesterol, all the other results are great and I'm the most conscientious eater (no red meat in more than a decade), fruit'aholic there is. So why a heart attack? Ehh, it's just giving out. Weak, degenerating muscle. The tests showed a couple other things sort of wasting away too (no, not my mind! Not yet anyway).
My thought is that if they can't fix it, don't talk about it. My next doctor's visit is supposed to be next week. They'll see me in about ten years.
Y'uh, I have every intention of being here. I've got a couple birds who have a good 60 years left to live and they think I'm going to live to be well over 100. Shhhhh.... what they don't know won't hurt me!
So how is everyone? Is it summer where you are yet? Today was a LONG day at work. I have to admit that I was watching the clock from the very first moment. Thus, it seemed the hands of the clock weren't moving, so that wasn't helping at ALL.
Not that I wanted to leave work, mind you. But I was watching the clock to see what time my next victim was clocking in.
Yes, April 1st is MY holiday. And I celebrated it in full glory this year.
In no particular order...
Our manager is pretty lenient on people clocking in "late". As long as the person has an isolated assignment, such as Cake Decorator, and don't abuse it, they came come and go as they please. In his opinion, it's important that they get the work done right, but not the exact moment of the day. (Note to the idiot bagboy who's YET to come even close to arriving on time. That doesn't apply to those us on the front end. Somebody's waiting on us to get there so they can take a break or go home. LEARN TO TELL TIME, FOR @#$%'S SAKE!!!)
Sorry about that. I guess I've been watching to much Hell's Kitchen and Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares. Where was I?
Oh yeah.
To dairy clerk as he walks in, obviously still half-asleep. "Where have you been?!!! The yogurt case went out. The manager and department head have been loading product into bascarts and putting it in the cooler for the last thirty minutes. They're LIVID that your not here yet." That's adaptable to just about any department in the store.Fun variation with front end employees who NEVER work the same shifts two days in a row. "What are you doing here? I thought you were off today." The major enjoyment from this one comes from the fact the employee walks all the way to the breakroom in the back of the store to check their schedule, and then has to walk all the way BACK to the front so they can clock in.
To opening office clerk as she walks in. "I'm having to check in the night checker's till because the CAST is offline." Gotta explain this one. I've no idea what C.A.S.T. stands for, but all checklane tills are controlled by this system. Nothing goes in or out of the safe unless it's been thru it. "And we can't get U-Scan open. It's giving us an unknown transmission error. Oh, and the second checker (due to clock in NOW) called in sick." I admit I ruined this prank by laughing when she did a U-turn without breaking stride.This one took some timing. The set up required me to be coming back from a smoke break, and for the checklanes to be backed up DEEP. And for the victim to have been away from her car for several hours. "You drive (whatever the @#$% it was), don't you? I think you left your lights on." I swear I've never seen her check so fast in my life!!!
But the two highlights of the day...
To employee who recently transferred from another store. "You didn't park your car in the parking lot did you? Today?!!! Don't you realize what today is?!!! Good Lord, you NEVER leave your car in the parking lot on April Fool's Day. There's people in this store who @#$%ing LIVE for the opportunity to get away with messing with other employee's cars today. They'll let the air out of your tires, unplug all your spark plugs, or something to totally destroy your day. Call your husband and tell him you're coming home on break and he'll have to bring you to back to work. Tell you what, I'll watch U-Scan so you can hide your car until you can take it home." After she had parked her car WWWAAAYYY at the opposite end of the shopping center, she called her husband. I walked up to her while she was on the phone, and said "Uh... I TOLD you it was April Fool's Day, and that didn't provide any clue at all?"
(You have to love an practical joke that works because you specifically warn them they're being punked.)
I've saved the best for last. I didn't plan it. I was just smarting off to the boss, and pulled the what may just be one of the funniest April Fool's joke of all time.
All of our check lanes have a globe above the check lanes. Customers know that a lit globe means the check lane is open. This is important because cashiers sometimes have to step away from their stations, but our customers know to go ahead and unload groceries; the cashier will be right back.
Now that the set-up's out of the way...
I'd forgotten to flip the switch and the light wasn't on, even though I was already checking. The manager walked by and told me to turn the station light on. I turned to him and said "I tried to. But when I flipped the switch, the light went off. Flipping it the other way turn the light on. I think somebody wired this station up wrong."
I noticed the other cashier and his customer completely stopped what they were doing when the manager said "Oh. I'll call maintenance and get that fixed."
I actually had to say "Think about what I just said." before he remembered what day it was.
Something tell's me, next year when I ask for an extra day off so I can take a long weekend, THEY'LL LET ME !!!
Am I the only one who sees that? Am I?
Read the thread.
There are just so many things on this site that need time and attention from the staff. Yet, instead, they are spending their time thinking about how to reinstate voluntarily retired editors.
Why?
Is this really necessary? How many editors will it ~actually~ affect? And is there really an editor who is SO busy that they can't check in once a week? I mean, what... is someone going to move to a mud hut in the middle of the desert where there's no internet? Really?
Even if it's necessary, it certainly isn't more important than fixing the bugs that have infested this site for years.
And that alone makes the conversation ridiculous. It should not be taking place.
More editors need to tell the staff this rather than weighing in with a yes or a no, and their ideas of how to make such a low-priority idea work.
Mt Pocono Pennsylvania.
A Tribute to Rod Serling
Port Orford Oregon
Stiles N.C.
St Johns Newfoundland
Lewis River Falls Washington State
Lafayette Indiana
Yoho NP B.C.
Structure Fire
Date : Address : Officer :
2/13/2008 4016 N. Division BC Craig Cornelius
Narrative :
This evening, February 13, 2008 at 2210 hours, the Spokane Fire Department responded to a reported fire in the Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurant located at 4016 N. Division St. The first arriving fire companies arrived within 5 minutes of being dispatched and found heavy grey smoke coming from the rear of the building. Workers from the restaurant reported that the fire was in the rear kitchen area and that everyone had safely evacuated the burning building. Fire crews forced a rear metal door off the kitchen area and attacked the fire with several fire attack leads. Additional crews ventilated the roof and front windows to assist the firefighters advancing the leads inside the building. Interior crews fought fire throughout the entire kitchen and rear roof areas. The firefighters brought the fire under control within 30 minutes. There were no injuries to civilians or firefighters at this incident. The restaurant sustained heavy fire and smoke damage. The cause of this fire is still under investigation. The official pronouncement will be made by investigators after all evidence has been reviewed. Fire crews will likely be on the scene for the remainder of the night.
Cause :
Still Under Investigation.
Damage :
Extensive damage to the entire kitchen area.
Grand Coulee Dam Laser Light Show. This narrated story, combines colorful lasers that move across
the entire span of the dam, creating magnificent moving images that virtually dance across the spillway!
Beautiful music, and an uplifting patriotic finish, provide worthy entertainment for all ages! You can see and hear the program from and around the Visitors Arrival Center. Viewing bleachers are available.
