Rhymes With Steve

[Please be warned that I think I have discovered the true identity of the mole and, therefore, this entry could ruin everything for you. So if you don't want (potential) spoilers, frolic outside or busy yourself with a quaint writing experiment.]

Fantastic first challenge. It was beautiful in its simplicity. Everyone works together for someone to free themselves from their cold jail. The chosen person will then either take the key and free themselves or take the exemption and not get eliminated in that episode, but leave the rest of the team to sleep in the cold, run-on sentence-free outside.

I admit, I completely thought Mark was going to go for the exemption. I know if I was in that position — especially being the last one remaining — I would have gone for it, no question.

The challenge and episode in general uncovered several layers of Clay. Apparently he is highly religious. It kind of worries me since I don’t remember picking this up at all throughout the season thus far. Maybe I’m not as perceptive after all.

[This paragraph will spoil you to the core if you plan on watching the first season sans spoilers, so just skip it, mmkay?] Clay is quite the Hannibal Lecter of the group, in terms of the psychological factor he brings. The editors made it quite implicit that he is the makeshift mediator and knows all. You know, he is a lawyer… and so was the first mole.

And then there was one — woman, that is. I’m sad to see Kristen go. I started suspecting her last episode, and it turns out she was just a great team player after all. What’s really heartbreaking is that there was a tie in the elimination round and she lost by a second.

I’ve always suspected Nicole but I don’t see her lasting till the last episode. In fact, I didn’t see her lasting this far. The spoiled/high-maintenance contests — in whichever reality show — never make it far. There are also so many seemingly obvious clues that I picked up on (see: other Mole posts) that suggest she is the mole. And if I’m right, I’ll be saddened. Because, really, I don’t want to be right, especially so early into the season.

It’s like Lost, I long to know the meaning behind the four-toed statue and so on — but I don’t. I want to be completely surprised when I found out, and then think back on how wrong I was.

I’m liking Alex with every episode. What he said about the last challenge and how there could have been a twist, which there seemed to be when the camera focused on Craig and the host at the middle mark, was really smart. I mean, if I was there, I would have at least tried (assuming my partner would follow through as well). It was smart… but possibly too smart?

I’ve been keeping a small record of mole-ish behavior and he is racking up a few points. This episode he mentioned how he was a musician and how money is a blessing. He could be making more money than the audience thinks. The fact that he appears to have an alliance with Paul, who is clearly the louder and more obnoxious of the bunch, always misdirects me.

I initially didn’t suspect Craig, but his role in the second stunt was eyebrow-raising. Obviously the mole doesn’t have to worry about getting an exemption, and they could purposely reject them to seem more of a team player. But then you have to keep it real and pretend to want one.

Which is fine and dandy. But the way he got chosen to become the transportation manager and, hence, get the chance to win an exemption is suspicious. The way he said the key word during the meal seemed rather forced, ‘ya mean? .

:O [First time I used a smilie on here in a long time.] It’s Alex, I’ve figured it out!

I was going through some of my old Mole posts and realized I didn’t pursue all the clues I found. So I dug through several more pages of Wikipedia found a certain architect’s full name — Alexandre Gustave Eiffel — and found out that Robinson Crusoe “was most likely influenced by the real-life experience of Alexander Selkirk…”. I know that’s not necessarily the proof that confirms all, and I can’t believe I just quoted Wikipedia, but it’s way too coincidental.

Wait! I found another thing: “All for One”, that was the name of the first mission. That is unintentionally or intentionally (I’m going with the latter) apart of The Three Musketeers famous quote, “One for all, and all for one”. The story was written by an author with the name, surprise surprise, Alexandre Dumas.

Wait! And another! I just found the mole’s journal online. There was a picture of the green flag from the raft that doesn’t have any significance yet, but I’ll try to watch the first mission of the season again and look for the flag. (Also in the journal) “Now, how do you say, ‘No Shirts, No Shoes, No Service’ in Spanish? Not sure I learned that in school…” — of course you didn’t, mole. “He learned to speak Spanish from his mother and lived in Costa Rica for five years.”

“Heading down a luge at 40MPH … Now that’s something new for me…” (page six of the journal). Didn’t Alex go headfirst in that mission, as in: he was riding in front of whoever on the luge? (…) Okay, it’s a bit of a stretch but work with me, people.

And finally, though I’m sure I’ll update this once again once I look back on Alex’s history on the show, there are three American ten-dollar bills on the seventh page in the online journal. I didn’t think much of it aside from the oddness of them being American — since they are in another country Argentina. So I Wikipedia-ed it and, while I don’t understand the significance of there being three of them, lo and behold,” U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton is currently featured on the obverse of the bill, while…”.

This is in response to my initial reactions to the start of this year’s TV season. Don’t read whichever TV shows’ respective paragraph if you want to avoid spoilers.

Prison Break — Surprisingly, the writer’s salvaged a lot of the third season. It started off terrible, what with that whole Sara and her severed head issue. Even the mobster who (I think) cut off a few of Michael’s toes in the first season got a better goodbye than that! It did, though, help the narrative. It gave Michael his resolve to escape — not for freedom, but to hunt Susan. He went from liberation to retribution. And when he finally had Susan in his sights along with a loaded gun he — he choked. So much for that. Still, I’m willing to give this new darker, grittier Michael a shot and see where it goes. (Skip this next sentence if you want to avoid highly-publicised yet still spoilerly season four spoilers.) There’s also the messed up fact that Sara is supposed to be coming back, which will definitely be interesting to watch for the story but also to see how the writers will fix this missing noggin conundrum.

Heroes – This season was dreadful to watch. I think what really did me in was that whole Claire’s blood = Deus Ex Machina plot device. Now anyone can live and all the suspense has diminished. Oh, and if Hiro goes back to Feudal Japan one more time, I’ll go back there and get him myself!

Bionic Woman — Ahahaha. Okay, I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t laugh. I think I saw the first three episodes and gave up. And evidently, so did America. There’s still Knight Rider (2008), I guess.

Pushing Daisies – Great show. ‘Nuff said.

Smallville – How could the creators do that to the audience? Seriously, season Six was hands down the show’s best ever. And they follow it up with a subpar mess like this? I really had high hopes for this season. Even though one of the loves of my life, Martha, left, and the Green Arrow wasn’t given a main character slot, it looked good. I thought it was an excellent and natural evolution for the show to introduce Kara. Ever since season 5, the show has actually been going somewhere, and with season 8 being reportedly the last season, they meshed a good base of DC Comics mythology and traces of the last few years before Clark is to don the cape (which I’m hoping happens in the series finale). But season 7 had no direction. Kara was useless even though I think the fellow Canuck could have handled a bigger role. And Lana was back to her sometimes smart, most times ‘meh’ character arc. Still, the Descent of Lex was a joy to watch. I personally think he is the best Lex Luther ever portrayed. And so was Lionel. But now both of them are seemingly gone and I’m yet again lost — and not in the good kind I’ll get to in a sec.

CSI – Better than average, I’d say. It was sad to see Sara go. She was a person saturated in a field that she inherently couldn’t handle. And her departure was fantastically handled. I think killing characters off isn’t the best writing technique since it’s kind of a slap in the face to the audience. Woah, they died — guess their part is done. It just usually doesn’t justify the means or push forward the storyline. Warrick’s, on the other hand, I accepted. It didn’t seem wrong at all. His character spiraled immensely this season, and while he did redeem himself moments before the bang AND cystalize the fact that he was always apart of the good guys, the story demanded it. Now it’s time to see where and how the writers are going to build from it.

Lost — I think I only counted one pointless episode this season. Season three had “Stranger in Strange Land” where we learned the intricate, jaw-dropping details of Jack’s tattoos, and this season’s was “Something Nice Back Home” — and it actually wasn’t all that bad. I mean, the show juggles romance, comedy, action, mystery and etc. We’re dedicated to these two star-crossed lovers, so we have to follow them and see how they evolve. This season had way more flashforwards than I thought it would. I thought we’d only get a few but it’s clearly become à la mode at this point in the mythology. And after four seasons, the show is still wonderfully intact. The way the flashforwards jump completely differently in time sticks with the disorienting formula. And considering Locke is going to die sooner or later (which assumingly means the island wanted him to die considering it can control life/death off the island as we saw in Michael’s flashback), something’s up with the island. And what happens when they do indeed get back? I’m salivating as I type.

(I’m going against my ‘one paragraph per show’ rule but Lost undoubtedly had the best season of the bunch.) I suspect the next season is going to deal with the hostiles (or other others) because:

• Season 1: Survivors Vs. Unknown
• Season 2: Survivors Vs. Machine (the button)
• Season 3: Survivors Vs. Others (Dharma Initiative others/a few hostiles)
• Season 4: Survivors Vs. Freighters
• Season 5: (?)

The show tends to always have some kind of main obstacle the survivors face. And, actually, now that I think about it, I suspect next season to revolve around the outside world. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: the show could survive off story lines dealing with the characters readapting to home life, alone. While I always wanted there to be a kind of epilogue season dealing with just that, it wouldn’t feel right, which is why I’m thinking next season will handle issues back at home — bringing the fourth season’s flashforwards into the present — and will culminate the fifth season with the fourth season’s last few moments (like they did with the third season’s flashback and the fourth season’s opening). The sixth and final season will then head back to the island, in theory, and resolve all loose ends and thus be: Survivors Vs. Island/Hostiles; the original and ultimate challenge. That would be fantastic. And don’t even get me started on the mysterious four-toed statue.

*sigh* I should really be studying for exams and whatnot. I have to write my World Religions exam tomorrow and that means I’ll need to ramble on and on about my nonexistent beliefs for 750-words or so. But instead I’m bloogin’.

Not sure why, exactly… maybe it’s because, well, you know that feeling you get when you have so much on your mind and so much stuff you still have to do that doing something as monotonous as gardening (or writing this, for example) is something your body notifies you to do. It’s beautiful in its simplicity.

And since I’m obviously not at the Much Music Video Awards, like I once attended, I’ll live vicariously through this, yes. I’ll periodically update this like I kind of do with my ever-popular Mole reviews. Oh, and I’m officially starting a trend. ‘Blogging’ is to no longer to be called ‘bloggin’. It shall now be referred to as ‘blooging’. It just sounds better. So, welcome to my bloog.

This year’s MMVAs are looking impressive already. Whoever they hired to design the set did a remarkable job. The way it French kisses the audience is really effective. The performers and hosts really interact with the audience. Almost too much. I’ve always wondered if — anywhere/anytime in history — an artist or basically anyone on stage has ever been groped or pulled into the crowd by an overzealous audience member and therefore violently dismembered. That would be my biggest fear if I was ever in that position.

Whoops, looks like everyone is slipping on stage. I’m glad they’re making note of that quite comically. It’s been pure rain and lightening here for the past few days.

I keep trying to gain access to www.muchmusic.com/mmva10k like they advertised at the beginning of the show but am failing to do so. I guess their server is just EXPLODING right now, which really sucks. I can really, really do with 10 grand right about now. In fact, just $5,679.78 would be fine. Just fine.

Urgh. I really think university should be free. I heard some other countries have a system where university is free but highly competitive. Like, it’s free and all… if your marks are high enough. Actually, no, never-mind. That would really suck ’cause mine are just above-average. But my portfolio is killer, see? So it’s almost the best of both worlds.

And, yikes! It would cost me $15,823.09 to attend Ryerson if I were an international student — which I really don’t get. Does that include residence, or are they only charging you more because you’re from a different country? That would make no sense whatsoever, so I’ll safely unassume the latter.

I’ve always wondered what’s the deal with rappers and the obligatory crotch grab. So I did a Google search and, lo and behold, came up empty-handed as to why they do that (I know: no Wikipedia page in this day and age?!), but did find a very humourous response by vistor on another blog-type site: “Maybe it’s to help them hit the high notes?” Ahahaha.

I’m having a really big issue with the MMVAs right now. The audio is several seconds belated, and it’s terribly annoying. It happens a lot with YouTube, which I can understand, but on cable that someone pays for? That’s probably the worst thing that can ever happen.

Even poor visuals — which is completely NOT the case (the quality is stunning) — would be understandable due to so many cameras being involved and the light rain. But having the audio out of sync is a terrible burden. And I’ve tested it out on two TVs now, the audio is definitely messed up.

Evidently, reality TV winners are quite ‘in’ right now. Girlicious, those dramatic twenty-somethings on those annoying ‘reality’ shows from MTV, and the Jabawockies (sp?) are all there. Unofficially, I have a problem with Girlicious because, well, they try to do everything ‘like me’ (sorry, okay, I’m done for the day). On the other hand, I didn’t catch much of the show, but I distinctly remember those dancers with the white masks from Dance Crew. They were so much fun to watch, even if I could never tell them apart. And they’re in MY city to boot!

It’s so cool how all this eclectic talent converges for this awards show. I feel so connected. I remember last year’s MMVAs had Emilie de Ravin as a guest or presenter, which was so cool. I remember happening to go downtown the next day and always looking around to hopefully spot her. I’m sure she wouldn’t have known, but I still would have probably gone crazy and giggled like a typical Japanese anime schoolgirl and begged her for spoilers for the, then, new fourth season of Lost.

Although, considering how her character was handled this season, I would have been rather underwhelmed and then probably promise myself never to swoon over another celebrity again.

I’m kind of kicking myself for not going this year. I went to the MMVAs I think in 2006 and it was insane. Sweaty crowds, the occasional anonymous grope; what more can you ask for? One of my friends who went with me actually got hit in the head by a drum stick that was thrown by Fall Out Boy at the end of the show. It was quite funny. I remember turning to the right and seeing her rubbing her head and then jumping to the ground to collect her prize.

I was the guy next to the girl who got hit in the head with a drum stick by Fall Out Boy. Not many people can say that.

And the MMVAs, itself, gets progressively better each year.

Oh, okay, it looks like someone just won an award. Ironically, the awards have always been the weak point for the awards show. The awards just never really seem to carry any weight. I didn’t even vote this year, yet I think I still did for the MTV Movie Awards (albeit only to be in the running to win a prize), which I originally thought wasn’t open to Canadian residents.

Like, I mean, how many artists say they’ve won a MMVA award? They only talk about their Grammys. Which sucks, don’t get me wrong, I want our awards to mean something bigger. As they should, we voted on them. And since, like I said, the MMVAs are getting better, surely the awards are more important now. It looks like most of the winners are actually there this year to collect their awards too.

Wait, whhaaaaaaat!? Feist didn’t get the award for best video? I know we can’t stand it anymore because of that iPod commercial, but “1234″ was totally groovy! Her videos are always cutely creative. They rock my socks.

Damn it. I guess I’m not going to win those 10 K (oh yeah, I forgot to mention the web page was resurrected). I ended up with only 700 points whereas this “PinkyPi” person got like 38000. I still have a chance but am unceremoniously bracing for defeat. Good luck to whoever wins.

Hey, the New Kids On The Block are back. I guess they’re not really New anymore, but they’re there and in one piece — and that’s all that matters to their now 30-something-year-old fans anyway. I love how all these 90s bands are coming back. Like the Spice Girls. I even think the Backstreet Boys came back for a few moments. Nostalgia and me get along like a Twister board and a Friday night.

Seeing all these said bands returning gives me hope. I’ve recently gotten back into my ABBA phase and I’d do anything to experience “Waterloo” or even “Mamma Mia” live. Especially “Thank You For The Music”, which always gets me. Also, I would love to be picked out of the audience by the two female leads and personally be sang “Fernando” “Steve”. A boy can dream, right?

Oh crap, so I guess the show is over. And where have I gotten so far in my thought process for tomorrow’s looming World Religions exam? Not far. I tried jotting down a few notes and looked over the Hinduism unit for the correct spelling of certain terms, at least.

I figure I’m just going to kind of ’stream of conscience’ the essay ’cause how can you, like, rehearse your beliefs? Urgh, why can’t I just believe in God, Brahman, G-d, Wankan Tankan, or something and just stick with it? *sigh*

[I was going to save this Lost-styled entry for a rambly, rainy day but I just couldn't help myself.]

Steve pulled the awkward storage bins in and out of the back room shelves. He found a few of the Duracell 8-pack AA batteries the store’s associate reminded him to stock earlier that evening. He found some film that needed to be stocked and also threw them into the tray.

“Sigh,” he sighed. The back room was rather crowded with boxes and the like. He was also in his post-break, ‘I just want to go home and stop finding random things to do’ mode.

Suddenly the sound of a “Steve?” filled the air. “Yes?” he replied to whoever — or whatever – made the sound.

It was the manager on duty. He calmly asked about an incident that occurred between Steve and a couple of customers that same evening.

“Well,” Steve cleared his throat. “Those people clearly have no life…”

Whooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooosh.

The sun beamed down through the large windows of the moderately busy Shoppers Drug Mart. Steve could see every inner working of the store from his nascently parked green crossover SUV. Steve, unknowingly, basked in the last few remaining moments of unfiltered sunlight for the day. His hair swallowed his face in the wind, but he was used to it and would fix it once he got inside the white and red fortress of consumerism.

6:03 p.m., the computer monitor blinked a couple hours later. “Urgh, why did I look at it?” he wondered aloud, finishing off what he would have liked to have been the last film role to develop before his usual 7 p.m. 30-minute break. He walked to the counter to get the black permanent marker just as a woman and her family started playing around with a few of the cameras.

Several families, a construction worker, a man who had a beard but no hair, a woman who had hair but no beard, and a man wearing a jersey for an American hockey team Steve did not care to recognize/know the name of had all done the same very thing that Saturday night. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary with these folks, nothing.

Steve went back to his QSS-1030 desk to inscribe the price of the photos onto the paper. But before doing so, happened to catch the eyes of the said woman. She gawked at him as he stared back at the creepy-eyed woman. “Okaaaay…” he thought.

He returned to the counter and logged the photos and their respective price. He found two giftcards claiming to provide some kind of mysterious Shoppers Drug Mart “experience” and decided to returned them to their proper aisle. But, like before, he caught her creepy eyes yet again. Those tiny black pupils stalked him out of the department.

He came back soon after to find a Photo Lab sign on the ground. “What the deuce?” he silently questioned the area. He placed the sign back onto its original slate. He would do this at least one more time before the night ended.

“Is there anyone else who works in the Photo Lab?” the woman said bluntly.

“No, just me,” he replied.

He got behind the register and sifted through some receipts to clear the area. He liked an organized workspace.

Whooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooosh.

There wasn’t a clock in sight near Steve. But he was sure the clock would be striking roughly 8:48 p.m. when he finished his story of the incident to the manager.

The manager looked at Steve and uttered a “meh” before taking off in the distance.

Whooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooosh.

A perfumed-drenched woman appeared out of thin air before him, or just happened to walk in front of the checkout counter while he organized. “Hi, can you please help me with something,” the new woman asked. “I have a GPS system left under my name that I’m here to pick up.”

The first woman, who we’ll name Ms. SansVida for the clarification, watched the two interact intensely.

“Why sure I can,” Steve happily responded. “I–”

He was cut off.

“Hey, I was waiting here ten minutes for you to finish up what you were doing and I demand to be helped first,” Ms. SansVida interjected.

Steve casually swayed his head to the left and responded, “No, you were standing there and staring at me for ten minutes. Anyway.”

He was cut off again.

“You are here to serve me, the customer, and you have to ask me if I want help. You’re the salesman,” she said scene-causingly.

“Again no. I might be a person who rings out customers when they want to buy things, but my job is to print photos and I’m not a mind-reader. You just stood there. If you wanted help, communicate — like the other 8-billion people on this planet have learned to do… Where was I?” Steve said, swaying his head once again.

Her family had departed while Steve had placed the giftcard back in its proper place but showed up for the climax. Her husband (presumably) stood next to her to join in. He wasn’t remotely close to intimidating.

“You are here to service to me. And watch the attitude,” she said annoyingly.

“No, I’m not, as that would be illegal. And what attitude? I can’t communicate for you,” Steve said, annoyed. “If you are done wasting my time, since listening to this is not my priority, you can go speak to the manager over there.”

They followed his pointed arm to the checkout to follow his orders and recite their woeful opera of a ’salesman’ with ‘attitude’. Boo. Hoo.

“Right, so I’ll go get that GPS system and a violin from the back,” Steve said, smiling to the other customer. The other customer laughed and turned out to be a Cosmetics manager at another store.

Whooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooosh.

Steve’s hands typed away the last few sentences of his anecdote as the clock began its countdown into the new day. He guessed he hadn’t really been flexing his ‘only one rant per week’ quota, and thought of this being a good opportunity. Though, in sincere honesty, he laughed off the argument. In fact, he was very close to backspacing the word ‘argument’ since it was really just a tale of a bored woman complaining to a man who simply responded back… in more ways than one.

Oh. My. John.