2005-06-13 - 10:09 a.m.

Welcome to our multi-part series of entries entitled: "Leaving The Nest". We've got lots of thrills and chills planned for you. We here at Stuff & Things know we've been on a bit of a hiatus but we hope you've forgiven us as that was all the then, and this, my friend, is now. The flood of words and pictures is about to break open. Are you ready?
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Leaving The Nest: A Sparkplug In My Brain

Well I assume since I haven't updated in a possum's age then that must simply mean that nothing of any import, nay - significance, has been a-happenin'. That is, as they say in the rodeo business, "simply not true." Oh my no. We've been growing significance on tress over here in Stuff & Things land. I hope you've all had your mumps and rubella shots (Hannah excluded), but this is going to be a dangerous journey!

"I don't even know whose house this is. I just know I'm a friend of a friend of his." - Liam Lynch

I guess things mostly took off back when NewsRadio came out. Understandably so. We've been caning it up like nobody's business ever since. I've watched all the episodes and the majority of the commentaries. Sometimes they stab and sometimes I stay up until 2 in the morning that first week watching NR. And sometimes I find out that the entire cast was banned from awards shows due to a.) the girls stealing other celebrities wine and b.) Andy Dick harassing Helen Hunt in various vulgar ways. And I thought I couldn't love them more! Looking back at these last few weeks, I honestly think NewsRadio was the sparkplug in my brain that finally got replaced. I think it had been faulty for many years, and I finally now just got fitted for a new one. I don't care how crazy that sounds to anyone but me.

"I still need you, but I don't want you." - The Coral

And then the Wednesday of Finale Ridiculousness hit upon us with its gale force winds of craziness. We all (being Aly, Hayley, Maggie, Peter, Titie, Ben Cole, and me) got together that Wednesday night (the 25th) for the Lost/Alias finales. Andrea couldn't join us because Kate was fighting a bout of 24 hour lameness and could no longer babysit. Shan-Y couldn't make it because she was in Ireland, doing it up all green like. Rick couldn't make it because he was trapped inside Splash Mountain (no . . . seriously). Brooke couldn't make it because, well, because she's Brooke. Ben couldn't make it because . . . ok, Ben could have made it if he wanted to, but it would have required him to have any interest in television or mass media in general. And that wasn't going to happen. I've not really been in the business of spoilers in the past and I'm not going to start now - but HOTCHIE MOTCHIE was that a way to end respective seasons! Yes, yes - LOST was grand, though I think they should have ended with raft, not the hatch - would have been more dramatic. And Alias? Yeah - I . . . I guess I'll never listen to "Lay Lady Lay" quite the same way ever again.


Now I know that the second picture looks way more kee-razy and dramatic, and don't get me wrong - it was both of those things, but the first pic represents a way better finale in my opinion. Not just typical good Alias finale levels, but one of the most insane cliffhangers in tv history. That's my 3 cents at least

"Boy time. Girl time. Is that the difference between you and me?" - Talking Heads

The day after all the Lost/Alias finale crazy business I came home from the Danger Mouse and prepared for my journey to South Station. Granted, I have made the trip before. Most notably - right after the Alias Season 3 finale. Weird. That South Station trips and Alias finales go hand in hand . . . in foote. But yeah, this time I was flying solo and in ridiculous rain and I missed my exit in the tunnel because this guy wouldn't move and my passenger mirror - which is already being held together by twine and candle wax - fell off again and the monkey took the glasses off my head. All very tragic. But Monique was ready outside the steps of South Station; which is where I whisked her away from while parked on a crosswalk as I wasn't about to take my chances with some labyrinthine parking garage in Chinatown at 11 o'clock at night. Knowing my passenger rather well, I had bags of Nutter Butter and Oreos ready for when she got in the car.

"There is a wait so long" - The Pixies

Friday. I left for the Mouse early that day as I knew that a.) I hadn't finished checking in the Yankee order for day before and b.) I wanted to be able to leave a little early so to meet back up with our precious cargo from Brooklyn. Monique was left in the charge of Titie and Peter and they took her to Warren's. Which was nice. If not a slightly ironic choice, as that's where Ben and I took Peter and Titie when we were in charge of them. I don't recall any exact specifics about work that week, but I do recall it rained "like a bastid" the entire time. Which just meant that TPTB came up with a myriad of reasons for us to go outside to do all sorts of menial tasks. Which is also what TPTB do when it's 95 degrees out. Let's also keep in mind that the "P" in TPTB is actually a singular "Power", and not the normal "Powers". So I suppose it should be The Power That Is, instead of Be. So anyway, TPTI was having us do the normal insanity around the Mouse (ie - changing the letter board) and Tom Sawyer was buzzing about vomiting out his usual empty platitudes (ie - any sentence that ends in, " . . . a lot"). The baby birds at this point had grown fast and were getting ready to learn how to fly - what with their recently acquired feathers and all. And I'm sure there was other stuff. I just remember a lot of clock watching that day, as I couldn't wait to skeedaddle. I have no idea what we did for dinner that night - which is probably for the best, as I know you, my readers, really love nothing more than these detailed entries that aren't about [fill-in-the-blank] - though I do know that TC and Jackie arrived (with the ubiquitous Inca) to snatch Peter and Titie away from us and bring them away to the wonder that is Bridgton. Was I a little bit jealous? Yes. Yes, I was. But I knew that Monique and I had super fun time wedding plans the next day and couldn't simply abandon our post to go Swamp Monkey hunting. Though it was tempting. And sometimes one must give into a temptation - especially if it involves Swamp Monkeys. Monique graciously and enthusiastically accepted NewsRadio into her heart as her Lord and Savior and the world was better for it.

Big Nick and Dustin, in the rain, getting ready to let the soggy masses know that we'll be closed for Memorial Day

The baby birds - this time a more insulated

"Are we the last living souls?" - Gorillaz

It's been real,

Dolewhip

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