"24" Fan Alert!!! Preview pics of Jack's last hours....until he hits theatres. :)

Click on the title for a good article from The Daily Mail in the UK on Kiefer's thoughts on the show's conclusion, currently being filmed, plus plans for the theatrical release we "24" fans have been hoping for.

"24" Preview---"Jack Was Right"

"24" News: Joel Surnow Leaves, NEW date set for Season 7?

Yep. Looks like the writers really did a number on "24", friends.

In this article, we learn of co-creator Joel Surnow's departure, AND WORSE, we see in print that Season Seven is now slated to begin NEXT January, 2009.

Bummer city!! There will definitely be pressure now on Kiefer and Company to make Season Seven one to remember, with this time delay now in play.

Hang on "24" fans!!!

BREAKING NEWS: NO JACK BAUER??!!?? NO CHLOE??!!??

First my job is gone, now Jack isn't coming to my house in January??

This week cannot end soon enough!!!

Click HERE for the saddening saga.

Thanks for the quote, Kelly!!!!!

Came across this blog entry from Kelly.....the entry on her blog came up on my Technorati watchlist for "24 Chloe".

CLASSIC CHLOE!!!

Thanks, Kelly!! Visit her blog!!

What do Jack Bauer and I have in common?

We're both at a crossroads.

A very, very good season finale, and though many I suspect will be less than thrilled with the ending, I thought it was fantastic.

I'll commentate more when time allows; now with the "24" party done, and the season finished, the TV is only good for football, headlines, and The Closer...until January.

:)

So, at 3am.....

....you see your nephew taken away, have to say "thank you" to a guy with a machine gun to get up and calm Mom down, then take 'em out as only Jack can.

And HEY! Props to Nadia and Morris for their work, and it's about time Mike figured out the cryptic phone call and hi-tailed it back to CTU. Am I being too hard on Mike? Other than he wants to be Jack 2.0......

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BREAK: There has been TONS of negative reviews regarding this season, and, I understand them honestly. We are seeing several plots regurgitated, BUT.......

...the Nadias and Milos of this season could never be Tony and Michelle because they've not been allowed to. They are not agents; they are the kind who head up the headquarters. So, seeing that, let's not get crazy about downing Nadia, Milo, et al.

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What's the over/under on the time Phillip kills his grandson? Your choices are 3:10 to 6am.

Nice slide, Jack!!

Okay, Cheng, outta bullets, eh?? COME ON, JACK!!! WOUND CHENG!! WOUND CHENG!! Then get Josh.

If you're playing the "Parameter Drinking Game", take your first shot.

Mike: "Your father's involved with the Chinese? Why?"

Jack: "I don't know. I'll ask him when I find him."

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BREAK: ...before you cry over buying something for $99, only to see it on sale a month later at $69 and there's nothing you can do, look what happened to Daimler Chrysler.

Read paragraph two. Yikes.

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Wonder what Noah Daniels' first political job? Mayor? Congressman? President of the "I wanna speak softly like Jack Bauer" Society?

Poor Tom. HA!!!!! "..and finally, we're done!" GREAT LINE, TOM!!!

Now if I can just remember the line he had last week.......

338am: Do you think Morris and Nadia are at their beginning at this moment? Good move by him to help her. His motive? I dunno.

Now Daniels joins the "I feel so bad I caused this hurt" department. Good Lord, get Lisa out of your mind! You want to be the President, now be it!

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For starters, talk to Suberov, man! (I saw this scene online as a preview, and Suberov eats him for lunch).

Told ya......hmmmmm. Suberov was buddy buddy with Logan. He's doing his 2007 Putin impression for Daniels? Just thinking out loud.....

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Could someone PLEASE destroy the new Diet Pepsi commercials before they permanently taint the American landscape, and our future?!!!??!??!!!

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NOW---the final minutes of this hour; let's see how they set us up for the two-hour finale (and "24" party!) next Monday!!

1) Who's calling Tom Lennox?
2) Daniels preps the shirt/tie troops for deploying the real ones.
3) Oh, it's Phillip Bauer.
4) And he's trying to hold Daniels hostage....
5) And it worked, for now.

Can't wait for the phone call between Daniels and Jack.

OH, NO! NOT ANOTHER URGENT CALL!!!

Whoa! A diversion to grab Josh....and Jack, for now, is out of the loop.

Heh...that won't last long.

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We will post-blog the finale since we will be partying with the Prince George crew next Monday night with our 2nd annual "24" Season Finale Shindig.

I have absolutely no clue where this is going. And I like that!!

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BREAKING NEWS: For real this time.....on "24"....

.....CTU invaded!

.....Jack grabs latest gun from dead person to shoot enemy.

.....MILO takes the ultimate hit for Nadia. Oh, my word!!!!

Well, for those of you getting complacent about the show, you should be staring eye-to-eye with your core right now.

BREAKING NEWS: ....NO, IT'S NOT......

....so my wife announces the Chinese are heading to CTU to blow it up from underneath about 10 seconds before everyone's favorite bad guy Cheng said the same thing.

She always gets it before it's revealed. Rats.

Several quick thoughts.....

1) "24" was excellent last night! They were back on their game, especially with the great acting of President Logan, Martha, and Aaron Pierce. See? Jack doesn't have to be on half the show or more! But, we learned that last year. Next week looks really interesting, and I wouldn't trust Suberov for love nor money. :)

2) Hillary is already beckoning the term "vast right-wing conspiracy", and it's only March 2007. There must be some numbers in their inside polling that are already worrying them. Good Lord, she's got to create the "vast left-wing conspiracy" so she can get the nomination!

3) I HATE Maxoderm commercials. The ladies set the female gender back a minimum of 50 years.

4) Fred Thompson? Yeah, I can dig that. My lady in Philly has been telling us this for weeks and weeks, and I think there's a gap in there that he could fill and get right into the thick of the race.

5) After staying out of work yesterday and returning today, feeling better but with no voice, I really haven't studied the Tournament Brackets that much. I need to get this done by tomorrow night.

More to come....but right now, I've gotta eat!

A few "24" thoughts....

....I don't know, but the last few minutes of the show this week confused me. Jack's dad didn't plan on killing him all along, just to apprehend him to start this magical mystery tour with the first stop checking on President Logan?

Personally, I don't think Phillip can kill Jack. He loves him too much.

Next week, the bomb goes off on Assad; Palmer survives (because, remember, he's in on it all!!)

Morris. There's really not much more they can do with his character if you think about it. And, honestly, the sooner he leaves the better.

When's the dark-haired chick at CTU going to do anything more than say four to seven lines a week?

Why do I get the feeling that Lennox will get just desserts on these assassination lovers before it's all over?

Oh, and now, let's get Marilyn and Josh back to CTU where they can stay comfortably during the rest of the day; no longer a pawn of dad-in-law or grandpop, with really not much else to do. Until of course, she tells Jack he's the dad. That'll be about hour 21.

So, that is all for now. :)

"24" and more......

....what a nasty, nasty father Phillip Bauer is.

Chloe is guilty because of Morris' stint with the terrorists.
Jack is guilty thinking he killed Graem.
Phillip is a nasty, nasty father.

Meanwhile, do they try to kill Palmer and kill Assad instead? Or both?

The first hour was non-stop; I'm surprised the second hour is turning into a "tweener" episode.
The end will probably be different......

Hey, and Chloe has a pretty good right slap!

Good Lord, didn't take long for Phillip to use leverage via his grandson. Nasty, nasty......

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On other quick notes before the big ending in ten minutes.....

--Saturday was strange. Real strange. I actually couldn't sleep. (What??!??) Even taking my correct medication, I was awake, and awake, and awake. So, I took Rachel to her, dare I say, "boyfriend's" birthday party? It was at an inside go-kart racing place. I really didn't think Rachel was going to get on a go-kart and drive, but she did! I was so proud of her! They did two seven-minute "shifts", and she improved her best lap time from 1:02 in the first shift, to :45.5 in the second. Heck, she'd probably beat me!!

--Sunday, I, ah, caught up on the sleep. I slept. Like, all day slept. And that's the end of that day.

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I didn't watch the Grammys.

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So, I don't know whether giving the Dixie Chicks an award was for musical excellence or as a political statement to slap George W. Bush.

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Okay----tonight's "can't believe" moment on "24" is....Morris gets a drill in the shoulder one hour, and is back to work the next?? Yeah, right.

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I have officially lost track of how many shows my wife watches on TV. Let me see here.....

--"24"
--Heroes (online since it's on against "24")
--CSI: Miami
--NCIS (online since it's on against Gilmore Girls)
--Gilmore Girls
--The Unit
--Bones
--Lost
--Ugly Betty
--Grey's Anatomy
--CSI (online since it's on against Greys)
--Men in Trees
--Monk
--Psych
--Numb3rs (online since it's on against Psych)
--Desperate Housewives
--Brothers and Sisters (she's trying to catch up on this show's first season online)

Me? I watch "24" and "Gilmore Girls". And that's all.

OH! And I watch my wife watch TV....forgot about that!

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Well, I didn't see the end of the 2pm hour coming either. So next week, Jack learns the truth about pop (he's a nasty, nasty father), which means he and Marilyn will inevitably join forces (but probably not trust each other) and, well, you know......

.....still won't stop Jack and Chloe. One day, friends. One day.

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In closing.....

The Orioles lose Kris Benson for the season. Sorry he's hurt, but he would be no help. We were 67-95 last year, right?

The Giants say goodbye to Arrington, Pettigout, and Emmons. The new GM better shake that place up; they need it. Bad.

And, NBC wins the Tiki Barber sweepstakes. Where's he going to fit in on Sunday night? They already have three gabbers and Bob Costas, and they'd never put him in the booth with Al and John. Sterling? Bus? Cris? Is one of them gone? Definitely not Cris. And the "Today Show"? What the heck is he going to do there? Do you think they'll let Tiki do news stories (like Fox News had him fill in on their morning show and did NOT limit him to sports stuff)? I doubt it, but I hope so.

Oh, and does anyone know who's replacing Bryant Gumbel on NFL Network next year?

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BREAKING........Chargers fire Schottenheimer. Goes 14-2, loses first round home game in playoffs.....again.......is this it for Marty? Or is there a team willing to give him one more chance to get to the playoffs.....and win?

"24" from Monday night, or, catching up this week, part one

Let's do the best we can four days removed from the latest hour.

--Didn't see the Morris "is the expert" storyline revealing....I was NOT paying attention there. "Why was my brother in Valencia?"---why didn't I realize that line was key?? Well, this is just taking us one step closer to the eventual Jack/Chloe hook-up I've been begging for....it just makes sense!!

--The dark-haired assistant to Buchanan....is she going to say "yes, sir" and walk around all day? No, that "sign in under my passcode" deal will return to haunt someone.

--Kudos to Karen for hanging up on the Mister. Gee, I could relate. Happens to me all the time. :)

--SWEET swerve by Prez Lil' Palmer, taking Lennox's suggestions and sneezing on them. And......ooohhh....we have a vice-president with his own agenda. Didn't that happen last year for about 90 minutes?

--Now, to the Bauer family.

"They're wacky and they're goofy, Graem liked to hear ka-boomy, now all in the same room-y, the Bauer Family!" (insert finger snaps here)

Jack's conversation with Dad in the back of the van early on.....didn't believe the Dad. Something just wasn't genuine. I didn't spend the rest of the hour predicting his eventual "badness", but I didn't become shocked when it happened.

Now, how? Another story. Dad: "You've been a great son". Been, eh? That's a clue.

Now, as someone pointed out to me this week, Dad's calling for EMT's, blaming CTU (obviously to dig deep into Jack's heart and psyche).....but, how 'bout some fingerprints on the IV thingy? Maybe Graem will get revenge by revealing the damning evidence against Dad to Nina Myers as she returns from the dead in the 7pm hour. Huh??

Some of the best acting ever on "24" was shown in the room where Graem and Jack, and later Graem and Dad, had their showdowns. Jack simultaneously hugging his brother trying to get the information, not wanting to shoot him up closer to death, but, then turning on a dime and screaming "Four CC's!!!!" because the truth....well, the truth was the important thing.

These scenes are the payoff to my hope to discover the Jack Bauer under the Jack Bauer hero personna. Cannot wait for the eventual "father/son" showdown.

Next week......

Two Big Hours of "24"!!! The hours taking place are between 1pm and 3pm.

BEST LINE: "We are NOT THE SAME!!!"---Jack Bauer to his brother after Graem confessed arranging the whole Palmer/Tony/Michelle disaster, trying to bait Jack out and blame him.

"24", Day 6....10am to 11am

This won't be five-star live blogging tonight; I'm off my game, but I don't want to miss "24".

"Why do people I know keep dying?"---Chloe O'Brian

"Not after this!"---Jack Bauer

Wife notes that our friends Greta and Heidi are happy again this hour since Jack hasn't changed out of that shirt. You know, it shows off "chiseling". Wifey likes it, too, she's just kind enough not to rub it in.

"These people want to live in the Stone Age, I say let them."----Feisty Admiral

"Would you like some mineral water, Mr. Assad?"---Morris O'Brian

"How will you be putting a wire on him?"---Sandra Palmer, who is universally despised by all "24" viewers I've spoken to. Why does she want to know? Does she do wiring of suspects part-time?? She came from the same gene pool as David Palmer????

Hmmmm......finally, some background on Jack. Let's see lots more, I want to learn Jack.

SHOCKER!!!----Greg Bauer??? The baldy guy???? What???? How does Jack not know this last season? I need to look back into their interaction then.

"Whatever's going to happen next, I'm sure it'll be in another city."---Greg, evil brother of Jack.

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Is it time now for our first "babe with a gun"? Or our first "Kim Bauer" be-a-like?

Is it me or is this guy in detention look, from his profile angle, just a bit like Dick Morris?

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"You know that's Jack's son."----the wife

Jack never was the "house guest" type. And, Jack has many uses for cords from lamps.

"You're hurting me now!"----Greg
"Trust me, I'm not."----Jack

The President speaks..............."did the guy change the teleprompter?" (The wife).

Well, that we don't know, but we do know Jack has multiple uses for a trash bag as well.

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Next hour......meet the father, wonder what sister-in-law is doing glued to the bannister, and, what'll happen to Karen.

I doubt Chloe gets time to check out The Price Is Right.

LIVE Blogging is next!

Quick thoughts on first two hours of "24" last night:

1) Jack's return seemed overblown (size of aircraft) and even messianic (hair!), otherwise fine.

2) Line of the night: Jack Bauer, "Drop the coffee".

3) I can see how Chloe was married to the shiny one.

BIGGEST EVENT: Looks like we'll really get to see the "cerebral" Jack this season and see him (gasp) fail. He can't win every time, this isn't DC Comics. I'm chomping at the bit to see a whole new side of character development from him.

And Chloe's dressing one step closer to get Jack to fall for her!! Fact is, he already is; he's too busy to know it yet.

HERE WE GO!!

It's Mary Lynn! Not Chloe this time.....Mary Lynn....

I catch the start of Letterman Friday night to discover Chloe was going to be on!!

So, I waited, and she was the final segment, and certainly worth the wait. It was the first time I really got to see 100 percent Mary Lynn. Almost any other time you see her in the media, it's always wrapped up in conversation about her "24" alter-ego. Dave actually brought up things like, holidays, and her New Years Resolution. If you want to know why Dave was willing to help her fulfill the resolution immediately, click here.

I like Mary Lynn even more than I like Chloe. :) You go, girl!!

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I still say that when "24" finally sails off into TV history, it will include Jack and Chloe finally getting together. Imagine their children! A combination of scowl, patriotism, and the ability to break someone's fingers when necessary. Feel sorry for their schoolteachers!

Why do I insist on this? Simple, since Jack's wife died in season one, there's been no other woman he's been able to fully, fully trust. When he is in his biggest crises, he calls on who?

Chloe. Every time. Her answer to him pretty much always comes two-pronged:

1) "I don't know if I can do that, Jack!"---said in an insistent whisper, always reminding him of CTU Protocols, lack of computer availability, et al.

2) "Okay, Jack; I'll see what I can do!"---with a scowl, but a scowl filled with passion.

We are 166 hours away from season six. Whoo hoo!!!!!!

All Things Witham: 2006 in the Witham Nation

Good news!

No broken bones.
No unscheduled hospital trips.
No major hurricanes.
No blizzards.
No rationing of Mountain Dew needed.

It's always good to start a year in review blog entry with some good news.

Now for reality. Hee hee.....

I'm not purposely going for chronological order; I'm too old to remember that stuff now. :)


January began with change. No, really, I mean it! We switched around our cubicles in our office (there are four of us, and three switched; one remained stationary), and it ended up being one of the toughest psychological battles of the year, for several reasons. As of now, I'm still not totally comfortable there, but it's much better than 12 months ago.

The New York Giants received a home version of the NFL Playoffs when Carolina promptly ran them off the field. The Colts choked again.

But just when you needed an emotional boost, it was the return of one of the five things I live for:

"24"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

More shortly.

Finishing 2006 on the job, it was the first year since 1986 where I only held one job the entire calendar year. Good thing, because work at work is, well, always piling up. One of my employees saw her position eliminated, and we had a late year change in my department; I'm very excited about the person taking over the post. OH!!! I took a full week of vacation without going into the station in six years! I was getting used to that "vacation" stuff, I highly recommend it!!

2006 in sports saw the aforemention Giants dismissal, followed by two teams showing up this fall; one who wins, and one that implodes. They've backed into the playoffs and I'm sure Philadelphia will take care of them once and for all.

The Super Bowl was a bore. Totally. Halftime, too. I cannot stand the Rolling Stones.

NC State had their usual season, at least getting into the NCAA Tournament. After so many years NOT making the tourney in the 90's, I'll take a trip to the Dance anytime! They bowed out after a second round loss. Then Herb went west, several people snubbed the Pack, before they went old school and chose Sidney Lowe to be coach. FINALLY----a connection to the glory days of Jimmy V.

Oh, and two words describe March Madness.........GEORGE MASON??

The win against UConn in the Regional Final was my number two favorite game of all-time in the NCAA Tourney, behind, of course, the '83 Final. "THEY WON IT!! ON THE DUNK!"

Peter Angelos still owns the Orioles, so we'll skip baseball. We made it to one Richmond Braves game; the team's future being a big area story in 2006, when we heard of 4, 377 possible places to build a new stadium to keep the R-Braves, all of which stunk.....until someone finally realized that building/refurbishing at/near the current facility, combined with revitalization of that neighborhood, could end up making the baseball park the centerpiece of a new area of sports, bars, restaurants, parking, et al......so a night at the park could be an "experience".

The BEST sports event of 2006, without a doubt: "The Carolina Hurricanes Have Won The Stanley Cup!!!!!" What a ride; especially the finals against Edmonton. I was livid after they gave away Game 5 at home, and didn't show up for Game 6. But, when I was very shaky about their hopes, their came through in Game 7. The Cup's in Carolina! Whoo hoo!!!

Then it was wait for Football Training Camp, POF and Patrick Henry Football broadcasts! PH finishes 8-2, losing to Hermitage 41-14 in the final game, costing them a playoff berth. The Deep Run game was by far the best game of the year, with it ending the same, yet exactly the mirror image, of their 2005 game. The home team won in the first OT session, when the visiting team was stopped attempting a two-point conversion to win the game.

2005: Patrick Henry 20, Deep Run 19
2006: Deep Run 21, Patrick Henry 20

AND......CURLING at the Winter Olympics! Had it on TV every day at work, and even got a co-worker interested when he realized the women curlers are babes!
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Television played a bigger role in our house in 2006 than maybe in any year since we got married. Wifey became "the easily addicted drama watcher". Dad endured the following:

Lost, Invasion, Greys Anatomy, Numb3rs, Psych and Heroes.

Dad accepted: Monk, Desperate Housewives, The 4400, NCIS, and The Unit.

Then Dad saw Mom get into: CSI and CSI: Miami; Vanished, and Standoff.

Dad enjoyed sharing in: Gilmore Girls, The Dead Zone.

Dad thoroughly enjoyed: The Closer. Easily my second favorite "show" (news and sports not included) on TV behind............

MOM AND DAD'S ONE TV APPOINTMENT: Jack Bauer, Chloe, CTU, and the gang. "24"!!!!

After season four ended with Jack walking away into the sunrise having to shed his very identity, we wondered how in the world the producers would top it. No problem, as we quickly found out.

One complaint: Frank Flynn resumed being Jack Bauer much, much too quickly. Other than that, it's hard to find flaws.

Plus, I will, for once, feed my ego, for suggesting the return of the Chinese, which indeed came to pass at the end of the 24 hours. The last scene of season five was exactly what I thought the last scene of season four was going to be!!

Now, a quick look ahead:

--President Palmer's brother will now be President. He's bad news now. I still say HE was the one who outed Jack; NO ONE ELSE was in the hotel room when he perfectly positioned his brother, David, at the window where he could be assassinated by a sniper.

--I hope it takes at least three or four hours for Jack to get back on American soil; as well as find a Gillette.

--And I STILL SAY, at whatever season they decide to wrap it up.....Jack and Chloe must get together. Period.

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Robbie's 2006: He finishes middle school (already??!!?), enjoys another choral field trip to Busch Gardens, starts playing at the weekly Yu-Gi-Oh tournaments at Books-A-Million, and starts high school. (High School??!!??) He turns 14, has some lady friends, and got maybe his favorite Christmas present ever when he and I went to the WWE Armageddon pay-per-view LIVE here in Richmond earlier this month.

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Rachel's 2006: Finished third grade (her hardest year yet); started fourth grade (she likes!.....except for some classmates who don't like her/it's more like they're jealous), had the flu at the same time as Mom, was diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder in April after having MAJOR separation issues from Mom after returning to school. Spends mucho time with her cousins, has one spend the night almost every Friday night. Is in love with Howie Mandel.

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2006 will be remembered for:

---The Go-Go's Concert, May 15th; Rachel and I went and I had no voice!! Couldn't holla! What a great show!
---Mom's Caribbean Cruise, November 9th thru 18th. Me and the kids experiencing lots of "missing Mom". VERY happy to see her at the airport terminal late that Friday night, home safe.
---Getting a sneak peak of "Happy Feet" while Mom was gone.
---The Match Game Hour, 11 to midnight on GSN.
---Letterman, Rupert G, and, of course, "Will It Float?" Best hometown newspaper blooper, in a supermarket ad......."Boneless Bananas, 10 lbs for $1.00".
---Play-mania debuting on GSN (I LOVE MEL!!!)
---Waking up to Fox and Friends, not the radio, for the 2nd year in a row.
---Mom's Ob-Gyn procedure in November, followed by Lap-Band Surgery in December.
---Dad? Who's Dad? He works or sleeps!
---The "heat" of the summer, discovering our HVAC is too small to cool the house on a 95 degree day. Two window unit air conditioners, anyone?
---Summer #7 of the backyard pool.
---Getting to know the first shift workers at Ukrops.
---Getting to know the second shift workers at McDonalds.
---Surviving "Eliott Yamin" mania, when, not only do my co-workers in the office go ga-ga for him, HE COMES TO THE RADIO STATION one day and we're given specific instructions where we can and cannot be while he's there. I just went in the back room, went to my office, and hoped it was okay to run 10 feet down the hall to the kitchenette to get a plastic fork.
---The second time he came, this past fall, nobody noticed. But I did see him.
---Learning how to communicate via email/phone messages when work prevents you from getting to talk with your friend.
---Yes.....lots of weekend sleeping.
---A trip to Busch Gardens to meet Seka and friends.
---Dad shocks the world and takes the kids to Busch Gardens one nice August day without Mom, and without Mom even knowing it!!!
---Rachel has a piano recital and begins her second year of lessons. Watch out Van Cliburn!!!
---Our summer trip to Monticello.
---The kitties are definitely full-grown cats.
---Listening to CD's in the car rather than Richmond radio.
---Goodbye to my Cougar. My last drive: March 9, 2006, coming home from work on a cold night with the broken drivers-side window all the way down.
---Hello, Ford Windstar! I acquire it when Mom buys a conversion van, since she may have up to five kids with her on any given day.
---The Brick Oven Bistro.
---They go in the Ashland Wal-Mart, I sit in the van. :)
---Watching the entire Indy 500 for the first time in ages! See what Danica Patrick does to me?
---A car crashing into the Wonder Bread store on Staples Mill. Front windows and door destroyed; first row of bread still perfectly stacked.
---Tropical Storm Ernesto. Lots of rain, no repeat of Gaston, but Battery Park got nailed. A sad scene for so many residents.
---No snow. The only significant snow of last winter was in December of '05.
---Mom and the kids' holiday weekend trip to see Mom's best friend Stephanie outside of Greensboro, NC.
---Low key Thanksgiving and Christmas!
---Thank you, Dr. Buxton!
---Goodbye to Crown Gas Stations.
---Citgo equals Hugo Chavez. No more stops at Citgo.
---$3 per gallon for awhile. Currently $2.17. $1.49? Never again.
---Katie Couric took my job as anchor of the CBS Evening News.
---Church family reunions at a couples' dinner, the "24" finale party, and church on the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
---Mom's annual "if at first you don't like the way you rearrange the great room, rearrange it again!"
---Glenn Beck's new TV show.

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In 2006, we said goodbye to :

Gerald Ford (38th President of the United States)
Paul Lindblad (1970s pitcher--Kansas City Royals)
Lou Rawls (You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine)
Don Stewart (Guiding Light's Mike Bauer)
Jack Snow (LA Rams wide receiver, then broadcaster)
Ron Jessie (NFL wide receiver)
Marc Potvin (NHL player)
Shelley Winters (The Poseidon Adventure)
Wilson Pickett (singer)
Gene McFadden (Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now)
Coretta Scott King (widow of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.)
Darren McGavin (Kolchak: The Night Stalker)
Don Knotts (Barney Fife)
Dennis Weaver (McCloud)
Anthony Burger (Southern Gospel pianist, toured with Bill Gaither)
Curt Gowdy (what sport did he not call??)
Johnny Grunge (WCW's Public Enemy)
Al Lewis (Grandpa Munster)
Caspar Weinberger (Secretary of Defense under Reagan)
Lyn Nofziger (Press Secretary under Reagan)
Buck Owens (Hee Haw, Saturdays at 7pm on Channel 6)
Ray Meyer (DePaul Basketball Coach)
Maureen Stapleton (actress)
Peter Tomarken (No Whammies, Big Bucks, STOP!!)
Boom Boom Geoffrion (Montreal Canadiens star, Lite Beer ad fame)
Kirby Puckett (and we'll see you tomorrow night!)
Dana Reeve (husband of the late Christopher Reeve)
Steve Howe (LA Dodger pitcher)
Zola Levitt (Messianic Jewish broadcaster)
June Pointer (The Pointer Sisters)
Steve Mizerak (pool champion, Lite Beer ad alumnus)
Craig "Ironhead" Heyward (NFL Fullback)
Lloyd Bentsen (Senator, Dukakis running-mate in 1988)
Dan Ross (Cincinnati Bengals tight end; scored in Super Bowl XVI)
Johnnie Wilder, Jr. (founder of Heatwave..."Boogie Nights", "Grooveline")
Floyd Patterson (world heavyweight boxing champion)
Earl Woods (Tiger's dad and mentor)
Aaron Spelling (Ladies? Hi, Charlie!)
Billy Preston (Nothing From Nothing.....)
Red Buttons (The Poseidon Adventure)
June Allyson (The Glenn Miller Story; Depends commercials)
Jan Murray (game shows)
Glenn Ford (actor)
Bruce Gary (drummer for The Knack)
Mike Douglas (talk show host)
Bob Thaves (Frank and Ernest)
Craig Kusick (Minnesota Twins 1st Baseman)
Byron Nelson (PGA Golfing legend)
Ann Richards (thorn in George Bush's silver foot)
Steve Irwin (Crocodile Hunter)
Bob Mathias (Olympic Decathlon Gold Medalist)
Red Auerbach (THE Boston Celtics)
Marijohn Wilkin (wrote "One Day at a Time")
Joe Niekro (pitcher, Phil's brother)
Sandy West (The Runaways)
Jane Wyatt (Father Knows Best)
Don Christensen (cartoonist)
Christopher Glenn (CBS Radio and "In The News")
Freddy Fender (Tex-Mex singer)
Johnny Callison (Philadelphia Phillies)
Cory Lidle (Yankees pitcher, NYC plane crash)
Ivan Murrell (MLB Outfielder with Padres, Astros, Braves)
Buck O'Neil (Negro League star; ambassador)
Pat Dobson (Orioles 20-win pitcher)
Bo Schembechler (Michigan Football Coach)
Tiger Conway (Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling)
Gerald Levert (R&B Singer)
Jack Palance (Oscar-winning actor)
Ed Bradley (CBS News; 60 Minutes)
Johnny Sain (Spahn and Sain and pray for rain!)
Paul Mauriat (Love Is Blue musician)
Saddam Hussein (evil)
Chris Brown (MLB player 1980's)
Jose Uribe (MLB player 1980's; teammate of Brown)
James Brown (Get in the hot tub!)
Joe Barbera (Hanna-Barbera)
Larry Sherry (LA Dodger pitcher)

---------------------------we interrupt at 11:59pm.........

The ball is dropping, Cody is joining me, Robbie's in his room, Uncle Frank's out, and it's 2007!!!

The Year of "40" has arrived. Where's the Metamucil? Where's the Depends? Somebody run to Wal-Mart! I need Geritol!!

---------------------------------------------------------

We continue......

Don Jardine (Destroyer/Super Destroyer, Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling)
Mike Evans (Lionel Jefferson)
Lamar Hunt (owned KC Chiefs, began AFL, named Super Bowl "Super Bowl")
Peter Boyle (puttin' on the ritz!---Young Frankenstein)
Jeane Kirkpatrick (former UN Ambassador)
Andra Franklin (NFL Running Back--Miami Dolphins)
Lloyd Wright
Roger Hedgepeth

---------------------------------------------------------------------

And, in closing, the five top events of 2006:

5) WWE Armageddon----Dad and Robbie's first-ever live wrestling show.

4) Season Five of "24"----provided great fun w/wifey, and a great email discussion group every Tuesday morning!

3) Mom's 40th birthday; featuring surprise party and surprise from Dad. :)

2) The Go-Go's; Live at Innsbrook on May 15th. Rachel and I go "Head Over Heals" for the fab five!

1) Mommy's LapBand Surgery, setting up a healthy future for her, and radical life changes in the Witham Nation.

Happy 2007 everybody!

The year of "40".

WHY ISN'T THE GERITOL HERE YET?????