Saturday, 13 March 2004: Wine tastings can be so much fun and that's what Katie and I spent most of today doing. We went to the newly opened Galena Wine Cellars in downtown Geneva and did a tasting. For $3 a person, you can try six wines. Since both of us signed on and only drank half of each of our samples and shared the rest with the other, we actually had 12 samples. Then we went back later that night with my brother and his girlfriend and did it again. We're a bunch of winos. Well, not really, we just enjoy wine. Not like we drink it all the time. Honestly. I swear.

Friday, 12 March 2004: Well you won't be seeing my Best Network award in the Kapgar.com Primetime Awards going to ABC this year. As much as I like their Tuesday lineup (even sans John Ritter) and I like a couple of their Friday shows, I'm just too bitter knowing that "Karen Sisco" has officially been given the boot. Originally, the show was put on hiatus set for relaunch this month. That never happened as is obvious. And now Carla Gugino, Robert Forster, and Bill Duke get to languish in the TV drama has-been hell. God, that was a great show.

Thursday, 11 March 2004: Just got my final exam grade back for me macro/micro economics course. I wound up with a 92.6% overall for an A. I can handle that. Especially since I've never done anything economics related in my life save for reading an occasional article that would mention econ topics. I am definitely happy with it.

Wednesday, 10 March 2004: I was introduced today to two TV shows I had never seen before.

On Sunday, I taped the season premiere of "The Sopranos" and finally got around to watching it tonight with some background info fill in from my brother in law Scott who is a devoted Soprano legionnaire. I enjoyed it. I can see why the show is so hyped both popularly and critically.

The second show I was introduced to is "The Family Guy," a primetime cartoon from a few years back. I got to watch the episode where Peter discovers he has black ancestors and decides to embrace his black "heritage." This is some funny stuff. I know the show is no longer on the air except in reruns on Cartoon Network, but there are reports that it will definitely be returning due to the overwhelming popularity of the DVD season sets that have been on the market for several months now. I am now in possession of these sets courtesy of a loaner from Scott, so it's time to play catch up.

May also have to plan a Sopranos marathon to catch up on past seasons since this episode I just watched is the first one from the sixth season. Yikes. That's a lot of catch up.

Tuesday, 9 March 2004: Tonight was my final exam in my macro/micro economics course. Walking out, I can't say I felt too good about how I did. A couple of the questions completely stumped me. This particular exam wasn't cumulative, though. Our midterm was microeconomics and this final exam was macroeconomics. I understood the concepts that were being presented. I just don't think I spent enough time committing it to memory. C'est la vie, eh? So long as I get an 80% or better, I maintain the A that I've got going in the class. Here's hoping.

Monday, 8 March 2004: One movie I've been wanting to see desperately is Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. If you know me, then you know that I dig on controversial films. I love it when a movie gets people fired up enough to picket them. And usually for the most inane reasons.

Obviously, The Passion is one such flick. And I really want to see it. Heck, a movie that can gross $125 million in its first five days when it has the death of Jesus Christ as the central story has got to be something special. But, I decided long before the opening weekend that I wanted to see it.

This weekend, the total gross of the movie was bumped up to $212 million and it shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. It is just a few days from becoming the top grossing independent flick of all time kicking My Big Fat Greek Wedding off its high horse (I did enjoy Greek Wedding the first couple of times, but I am so sick of that flick and all the subsequent hype that I could care less if I ever see it again). And, yes, iis considered "independent" based solely on the fact that no major studio would touch it with a ten-meter cattle prod. So, Gibson took his labor of love to Newmarket Films whose only other big releases have been the Oscar-nominated films Whale Rider and Monster.

And how do I know for sure that this movie isn't going anywhere (but up in the all-time high grossing flicks list) anytime soon? The lines that were at my local theater yesterday. Katie and I went to see Miracle and when we left, there was a line for The Passion that stretched out into the shopping area of the mall. No movie that was ever shown at that theater has elicited lines that long. And especially not in the second weekend of its release. This thing is gonna be one giant bonanza of a film, controversy or not.

Sunday, 7 March 2004: Who out there likes to talk sex every Sunday night? C'mon, you mean to tell me that all of you have not yet discovered the Sunday night, middle-of-the-FCC's-crosshairs wunderkind that is "Talk Sex"?

It's a great show on Oxygen (dunno what channel that would be for all of you if you even have access to it... check with your cable/satellite provider) starring Sue Johanson - a little old lady who could be anybody's grandmother fielding phone-in questions about sex. Nothing is taboo here. You can ask her anything. She does not get embarrassed... and I mean that. I find it absolutely hilarious when she uses those art school poseable maquettes to show sexual positions.

However, the best part of the show is the Hot Stuff bag in which Sue presents new toys and equipment to add a little spice to your love life. And she rates them using a five-briquette scale on the Hibachi of Love. Yes, you read that right. The Hibachi of Love.

If you have not seen the show, please check it out. It's great. You can visit the website at... www.talksexwithsue.com.