Joss Whedon Wins a Emmy....finally!

*Thanks again to the creative people at the TWOP motivator thread.

Yep...this show is going to SUCK!

So...after a long hiatus...we finally post again. We picked the show for the week (mostly because Ggargamel wouldn't let us do Supernatural again...damn him). We read about it and came to the conclusion that...yep...this show is going to SUCK.

Unfortunatly, McSas had already found the image and worked up the art, so we forged onward and came up with a cutline that we believe will do the show justice. Then, to get the bad taste of this tweeny soap opera out of our mouths, we got in a line about Supernatural. Good times.

Hop on the Fun Train

It is easy to be drawn into Leverage. Who doesn’t like the idea of evil corporate millionaires being served their comeuppance? But the hit TNT drama offers so much more. In the second season premier “The Beantown Bailout” our misfit team of hoodlums are once again drawn to their reluctant leader Nate Ford (Timothy Hutton). Much like the series pilot, Hardison (Aldis Hodge), Parker (Beth Riesgraf), Eliot (Christian Kane), and Sophie (Gina Bellman) must once again convince Nate to work with them.

After a bit of an awkward start as the show reintroduces the characters and premise for new viewers, the Fun Train (^TM show co-creator John Rogers) leaves the station and we never look back. As the show opens we find that 6 months have passed since our Robin Hoodlums walked away from each other. A sober Nate is searching for honest employment and our Hitter, Grifter, Hacker and Thief find that they are no longer satisfied by their individual lives of crime. They miss the thrill of helping others, the rush of revenge and the satisfaction that comes from the crushing defeat they serve to the weekly bad-guy, as Hardison states “[Nate] took the world’s best criminals...and you broke us." After a chance encounter at the theater where Sophie, the world’s worst actress, is performing as Maria in a production of Sound of Music (shudder), the team discovers that Nate is in danger. Nate’s efforts to kick the team out of his life are ignored as they take over his condo and set up a new headquarters. Overcoming his reluctance and resistance to the idea of being a thief, Nate is once again convinced to work with his team.

Once Nate is on board, the team goes to work. Nate, the mastermind, names the con and assigns parts for each team member. Hardison and Parker, dressed as a priest and nun, rob a bank and then pose as State Police Investigators. Eliot takes on and beats up three bad guys and I must say – Christian Kane has never looked better. How can beating up people and twirling a baseball bat look so cool and so hot at the same time? Sophie puts on a red dress and an accent and convinces the bad guys to do her bidding. In the end, the bad guys get arrested, the client gets a legal payout, and the team gets the satisfaction of once again helping the little guy get even.

Although Leverage is fairly formulaic: client is identified, con setup, con goes bad, new con is worked out and in the end everyone is smiling as they congratulate the client on his or her good fortune, the twists and turns are surprising and the witty dialogue is engaging. Despite the occasional plot hole (sometimes big enough to drive the Fun Train through), the questionable use of computer graphics, and the classic TV Trope “exploding car” there is an excitement and humor to this episode and the series that captures the viewer. The fact that the show creators Rogers and Chris Downey have backgrounds in comics/geekdom is very apparent. With references from World of Warcraft, Doctor Who and a play on the classic “come with me if you want to live” Terminator line the Geek Love is out in full force in this show. Leverage may be billed as part of TNT’s “We Know Drama” campaign, but there is a humor and irresistible “feel good” quality to the show. I highly recommend you hop on the Fun Train and go for a ride.

Quote for the day

A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down. Arnold H. Glasow

They actually printed it!

Although I guess technically it hasn't been printed yet...it goes to press this afternoon. But can you believe we actually got away with "Bite me!" not only on the cover but as the "headline"?

Too cool!

I hope we got it right...

No, we don't watch the show...but we have friends that do. Although the idea of "Television for Women" is ridiculous, the show does sound interesting.

Suck it David Caruso

We are back again with the lastest edition of the TGIF. Fortunately, Ggargamel was familiar with the show and enjoyed the snarky cheeseburger comment (either that or he is developing a greater appreciaiton for excellent writing through his exposure to our work). Either way -- YAY Ggargamel! McSAS had a lot of fun with the "flames" and had some interesting suggestions for their location. In the end, he took out our "Suck it David Caruso" line, but I think we can forgive him that.

Need we say more?

* Thanks to the creative people who post in the Televisionwithoutpity.com Motivator thread!

In another dimension, with voyeuristic intention, well-secluded, I see all…but I just don’t get it.

Yesterday as I checked Facebook, a number of my friends (who I consider to be intelligent people) were commenting about American Idol. As I read their comments I was once again totally bamboozled by the popularity of this show. I have tried to watch it, but I never last more than a few minutes before I am either embarrassed, repulsed, or bored to the point I change the channel. I occasionally read the recaps at Televisionwithoutpity.com and certainly hear about it in conversation and on Facebook, but I just don’t get it.

The early phase of Idol seems to focus on how bad and delusional a person is regarding his or her singing and how badly behaved the contestants are. Must we focus on contestants who behave badly or sing worse. We are told that this is a talent competition but if that is the case, why do they follow the screaming person out into the hallway as he falls, crying, into the arms of his family when his dreams have been crushed by a vicious yet catchy and quotable quip of Simon Cowell. Adding insult to injury, American Idol tends to run past its allotted time slot and on a number of occasions makes the next scheduled show run late. The next show being Fringe, which is pretty cool, and because of Idol running late, my DVR cuts off and I end up missing the last 5 to 10 minutes of Fringe…which really ticks me off.

Looking back, even in the earliest versions of “reality TV” I didn’t get it. I never like Candid Camera and although I enjoyed parts of it, I remember watching the Gong Show with similar discomfort. Watching people do embarrassing things isn’t entertainment. The voyeuristic feel of reality TV really turns me off and I find shows like The Bachelor, Bachelorette, and Wife Swap completely repulsive. (Last night I saw ads for a new show on the CW called Hitched or Ditched! What fun!)

I confess, the shows I like are scripted shows (or maybe I should say they are the shows that admit to being scripted). I don’t watch Idol, Survivor, Biggest Loser, or Amazing Race. But as “reality” shows increase in popularity I struggle to understand the draw. This fall, NBC is devoting 5 hours of prime time television to a “Variety” show hosted by Jay Leno. This is 5 hours that will no longer be available to scripted TV. Quirky and entertaining shows like Chuck, which has not yet been renewed for next year and Life which has already been cancelled lose out so that we can have 5 hours of a Leno “Variety Show” in prime time.

So here are my questions…have you ever purchased music by an American Idol contestant? Are they performers whose careers you continue to follow? And…What is it about this show that keeps you watching and talking about it? Help me understand…


Oh, and hang around after Idol next Tuesday night and watch a special premier of the new Fox show Glee, it looks like it could be entertaining!

Earth Girl Communications

MacSAS found and shared an interesting website today. It is written by a local and covers a range of topics.

The bad thing...I am having to rethink my TP choice.

Check it out at:

http://earthgirlcommunications.com/

Perspectives and Expectations

With a production budget of $150 million and a total domestic gross of $90,509,026 and an additional $73,106,413 in the foreign box office in its first week, X-Men Origins:Wolverine has earned it place on the lists of “Summer Blockbusters.” It is interesting to note that the movie received a “rotten” rating from Rottentomatoes.com which stated that “Though Hugh Jackman gives his all, he can't help X-Men Origins: Wolverine overcome a cliché-ridden script and familiar narrative.” The editorial staff at Precistreatis decided to investigate this disparity of information. The critics overwhelming trashed the movie, but what did the average movie goer think? We surveyed a diverse group that attended the movie on opening night. Mockette & McSmartAss Smurf, Scornette & spouse, Sister & Niece, Son & Friend.

Here is how the 4 couples broke it down (Warning - here there be spoilers!)

Mockette & McSAS
We very much enjoyed the movie. The idea of the learning the back-story of this favorite character was enticing and we were not disappointed in any way. The evolution of the morals of Logan –vs- the increased animalistic tendencies of Victor was portrayed efficiently allowing for the development of the story. Although we are not “comic book” geeks (don’t get me wrong…we are geeky we just don’t read X-Men comics) we were familiar with Wolverine from the previous movies. We knew he was going to get injected with adamandium and would at some point lose his memory but we had no idea as to the details of the story. I found the new mutants entertaining, I Especially liked Wade Wilson and Remy LeBeau and look forward to the possibility of future appearances by these characters. I thought the second or third time they did the overhead shot of Logan holding a dead body and screaming that it was getting to be a bit melodramatic (I also thought – WOW Hugh Jackman really worked out for this movie – he’s huge!). The special effects were amazing and overall – we agreed that it was a great movie.
Verdict: The movie was very entertaining and exciting, we loved it. I did not regret the $15 I spent on tickets (or the $10 for the popcorn and soda) which is always a good sign.

Scornette & Spouse
From the opening scene, the movie offered a nice balance of pathos and action. Granted, Wolverine’s epic journey toward a moral center could’ve been more subtle, but this was a comic book movie, not an art house film. The paternity revelation / patricide in the opening scene may have been a bit heavy-handed, but it certainly laid the foundation for the connection between Wolverine and Saber Tooth which would otherwise have confused an anti-purist such as myself. So, my husband didn’t find that fraternal relationship accurate, nor did he feel that Saber Tooth really had the longevity of Wolverine, but once I got him to shut up and just let me watch the movie, I had a rockin good time. And I think ultimately, he was not entirely displeased either.
Verdict: To a fan of the comic, there were some bothersome inaccuracies. To me, I would never have noticed and even once informed of them, those inaccuracies didn’t bother me in the slightest.

Sister & Niece
Sister and Niece are both comic book fans. While they enjoyed the movie and the pretty that is Hugh Jackman, they were not completely satisfied with some of the liberties taken by the movie makers. The part that stood out the most for them was the atrocity of the adamandium bullets. Seems Wolverine (in the comics) lost his memory during the adamandium process, leapt from the tank and killed everyone in sight. Sister and Niece understood that the adamandium process needed to come earlier in the movie and it was nice that he had his memories until the end…but still…adamandium bullets??? Please.
Verdit: Great movie, but bothered by the inaccuracies in relation to the comics.

Son & Friend
Son & Friend are the prime audience for this film. They fit that special magical demographic perfectly – 21 year old males who like comics and buy stuff. Their official statement on the movie was: Fantastic movie – Didn’t like what they did with Deadpool – Got Gambit’s powers and accent wrong. Son elaborated that Deadpool and Gambit are his favorite X-men. How could they make Deadpool a mute and where was Gambit’s thick Cajun accent? There was also something about Gambits gloves and his powers but I had kinda zoned out at that point in the conversation.
Verdit: They thought the movie was fantastic, but as comic fans they couldn’t help but be critical of the liberties taken by the makers of the movie.

While everyone agreed that the movie was rollicking good fun. Those who came with preconceived notions and expectations regarding the comics were more critical of the final product. However, to the “professional critic” who wrote “It is Hugh Jackman's misfortune that when they were handing out superheroes, he got Wolverine, who is for my money low on the charisma list. He never says anything witty, insightful or very intelligent; his utterances are limited to the vocalization of primitive forces: anger, hurt, vengeance, love, hate, determination. There isn't a speck of ambiguity. That Wolverine has been voted the No. 1 comic hero of all time must be the result of a stuffed ballot box.” (Rogerebert.com) we point out that we stopped listening to professional critics when we realized they went to movies for completely different reasons than we do. I find it difficult to see Wolverine as Jackman’s “misfortune” as he was largely unknown in the US before that role, plus I saw film of him at a recent Comic-Con where he showed a trailer for X-Men Origins, no one could fake being that excited about a project.

Yes, we want an interesting story and good characters. Sometimes we want pretty people doing funny things. Sometimes we want action and many of us prefer to see the “good guys” win, we are looking to escape from real life were we can’t magically solve our problems in 2 hours and where karma doesn’t always catch up with the bad guys. The idea that all movies must be deep, completely intellectual, and tragically socially relevant to be of any value is a fallacy that needs to be shattered now. Although X-Men Origins: Wolverine is no “Babette’s Feast” (yea…I’m talking to you Ebert) it is a very entertaining and satisfying movie experience.

Damn you Kripke - you magnificent bastard.

It was an exciting week in TGIF land. The cover would feature one of my favorite shows. I had the picture picked out weeks in advance, worked on the cut-line with Scornette and struggled with the headline. Although I really wanted to use the fan favorite "Damn you Kripke" it was just a bit to obscure to even suggest. Rather, we will ride the coat tails of a major theatrical release (but yes, the headline is also very relevant to the show). We fearfully submitted the cover and waited for Ggargamel's reaction. Although he had never heard of the show, (it truly is the little cult show that could) he liked the cover.

Lucky for him, I'd hate to have to go all Winchester on his ass.

Things Got Ugly!

This week we featured one of Scornette's favorite shows on the cover of the TGIF. Unfortunalty Ggargamel edited the original submission. The original cut line read:

With Bradford dead and his ghost long banished from Betty’s subconscious; Willi in loving possession of his posthumously conceived lovechild (carried by a surrogate, of course); Alexis, the wunderkind-turned-transgender-outcast-villain of the Meade empire on long-term vaca in Paris; Ignacio alive and kicking; and Hilda permanently separated from her smoking hot married boyfriend, one might wonder how ABC will wrap season 3 of this prime time soap opera with a bang. Perhaps with some drama for Betty? Will she go head to head with her new rich boyfriend’s disapproving mother? Will she finally be pulled to the morally questionable but fun, fun, fun side with Mark and Amanda? Well, one can hope. And watch. Ugly Betty airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on ABC. (FPB channels 8 & 11 and in HD on channel 602)

Reports came back that Ggargamel wanted the opening sentence cut because it "rambled." Despite McSAS's best efforts the line was cut. Follwing promises of "evisceration in prose" and the explanition from Scornette that "The rambling was intentional. It was meant to reflect the dramatic tediousness that Ugly Betty manipulates to stay true to it's telenovella roots. THAT'S WHY IT WAS FUNNY!" we unwilling recognize that when writing for someone else...they do get to edit your work.

Even if they are wrong!

Geriatic Barf-O-Rama

This week’s TGIF cover was a challenge; Scornette was not particularly pleased that “Two and a half Men” was being declared a “Future Classic” and was only consoled when told that “Arrested Development” had already won the award in 2004. Although “geriatric barf-o-rama” didn’t make the cut, we were both pleased with the final product. The Snark triumphed and our headline withstood the doubts of McSmartAss Smurf (who once again did a fabulous job with the graphics and layout).

Another happy ending in TGIF land : )

Let's reconsider that grammar Nazi comment...

Yes, this is an actual email exchange. Only the names have been changed to protect the geeky...I mean guilty.

From: McSmartAss Smurf
Sent: Monday, April 20, 2009 1:40 PM
To: Mockette
Cc: Scornette
Subject:

While we're Mocking and Scorning, this should say "This week (apostrophe!)s TGIF cover..." and "... a show neither of us watch", not "watches". -- McSAS

“This weeks TGIF cover - it was interesting researching and writing about a show neither of us watches, but I think we captured the essence of the show. If you actually watch the show - let us know how we did.”

From: Mockette
Sent: Monday, April 20, 2009 1:40 PM
To: McSmartAss Smurf
Cc: Scornette
Subject: Re:

Smartass...ok...I'll fix it : /

...and I went back and forth on the watch - vs - watches.

From: Scornette
Sent: Monday, April 20, 2009 2:01 PM
To: McSmartAss Smurf
Cc: Mockette
Subject: Re: RE:

My vote: "neither watches," Neither being a pronoun meaning "not one
OR the other" - the "us" is just the object of the preposition, not
the subject of the clause.

As for the apostrophe - oops. Well, we're entitled to a mistake
occasionally - it keeps the haters pacified MCSAS!

From: McSmartAss Smurf
Sent: Monday, April 20, 2009 2:21 PM
To: Scornette
Cc: Mockette
Subject: Re: RE: RE:

Well, that inspired an absolute FLURRY of activity, with n00bs and curmudgeons alike vehemently arguing their respective positions.

Since the sentence changes tense in the middle (from past tense to present), that also compounds the problem. We finally agreed that the sentence should be written in such a way as to avoid the problem, thusly: "...A show neither of us have (has?) ever watched..." – MCSAS

From: Scornette
Sent: Monday, April 20, 2009 2:31 PM
To: McSmartAss Smurf; Mockette
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE:

The singular / plural issue would be the same in the rewritten sentence. I'm still going with the singular - has.

Even so, I'm not entirely convinced we can say that the sentence "changes" tense in the middle; rather, the clause "neither of us watches" is an adjectival clause describing show (with the relative pronoun "that" omitted, but understood) and is thereby not constrained by the tense of the independent clause. The fact is, we researched (in the past) a show that neither of us (continuously) watches.

But perhaps I'm grasping at straws here. Ask a curmudgeon; I'm sick of the evolution of language for the moment. Friggin "texters!"

From: McSmartAss Smurf
Sent: Monday, April 20, 2009 2:31 PM
To: Mockette; Scornette
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE:

I will defer to your learnin' on the subject, but can't resist arguing... How do you determine the singularity or pluralness of has and have? I have and we have, but she has? I'll have to agree with our editor "The Brick" who, while not even in the building, would demand we write around the problem altogether, perhaps using "... a show we have never watched". -- McSAS (insert Chief Inspector Dreyfus twitch here)

From: Scornette
Sent: Monday, April 20, 2009 3:01 PM
To: McSmartAss Smurf; Mockette
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE:

Third person:

Singular (he/she/it) = has

Plural (they) = have

Right? Am I totally making stuff up now? I wouldn't put it past me.

In Plain Sight

This week's TGIF cover - it was interesting researching and writing about a show neither of us watches, but I think we captured the essence of the show. If you actually watch "In Plain Sight" - let us know how we did.

No Acceptions!

We’ve all been there. Driving down the road and there is a sign propped up against a sofa in a yard “For sell” or the menu at the restaurant that says “Faxed orders now excepted.” Like me, I’m sure many of you find the urge to laugh is often in direct competition with the urge to cry. Easy access to home computers and printers has made every small business owner, plumber, dog breeder, and soccer mom believe they can do any print job all by themselves, and no - they don’t need no stinking proof reader!


No, we are not grammar Nazis. Yes, anyone can make a mistake. That is why it is important to let someone else look at any item, sign, or story before it goes “to press.” Please share your experiences with grammatical eccentricities in the comments.

p.s. - please report any typos in this story or any future stories to mockette@biteme.com.

p.s.s - sigh...really if you see a typo please let us know. Maybe we can fix it before anyone else sees it...thanks.

Bedtime Stories

Nearly a year ago now, I read Have I Ever Told You How Lucky You Are? by Dr. Seuss to my daughter for the first time. It’s one of the few Dr. Seuss books that we didn’t have when she was smaller (and slightly more docile), and ever since she's been able to grab, she usually won’t let me get through more than two pages or so of any book before she takes over and makes up her own story to go along with the pictures. So, that night she was feeling lazy I guess, and I got to read the whole thing and really experience the message being offered up there. And I’m not really sure what to do with it. The message, I mean.

It starts off with this kid standing near a sort of yogi / meditation guru type – long white hair, robe, whatnot – who, I guess due to his super chill mental Zen, is sitting all cross legged and nonchalant atop a cactus. So the kid’s looking kind of wary as the wise old man starts narrating a story about how he should never complain. Instead, if he gets the urge to complain, he should think about all the other poor suckers in the world who have it worse than he does. The old dude describes all of these scenes to the kid about people who seem, at least to my adult mind and to the stated point of the story, to be pretty screwed in the ridiculous situations they’re in. It’s kind of funny, and completely suits the way people determine the acceptability of their situations based on comparisons with other people (at least I think it’s a pretty general method of self-assessment). If there are enough people worse off than you, you’re doing alright. Right? Just be thankful for what you’re not going through. But sharing this sentiment with my four year old didn’t sit well. Especially because I felt like I was imposing it. At first I thought she just didn’t get it. I mean, she’s a pretty bright kid, but I realized that from the first page she was totally missing the point of this story.

And then I realized that maybe it wasn’t that she didn’t get it, it was just that she didn’t accept it. She’d look at the pictures of the people in these humorous but hopeless situations, and instead of saying, “Wow! Sucks to be that guy. Go me!” she’d start brainstorming with her awesome kid mind about different ways we might be able to help the guy solve his problem. Even the guy on the cactus. On the first page. When she saw him she kind of crinkled up her nose and suggested, “He could just sit on the ground, you know. I bet that cactus has pointy things on top.” And, I mean, right? WTF? Get off the effing cactus! And while you’re at it, stop being satisfied that you’re life doesn’t suck as bad as someone else’s.

Is this how we start training our kids in the complaisance that may be the main obstacle to social progress? I mean, I know you could read this book in a different way, and that children start at a ridiculously early age wanting everything and being completely selfish and not even aware that other people have bigger problems than they do, but must we gratify ourselves with the extremes? I mean, I realize that perhaps, in the grand scheme of things, a cactus needle in your ass is not the worst thing ever, but does that mean you just leave it there? Sit down on a cactus without a care in the world? Might the needles in your ass be distracting you from the ways you could be helping other people with their bigger problems? Could you not, with a modicum of forethought, avoid cacti entirely while working toward the greater good? Or, if not, couldn’t you just pull the needle out of your ass and then go start a recycling campaign or a food drive or something?

BANNED IN THE USA

Ok...so mostly just Frankfort. This is our banned TGIF cover. The term "Omnisexual" combined with a show focused on sexuality in general and homosexuality in particular was just a bit to edgy for the powers-that-be.

This week's TGIF cover. Apparently I was the only one who thought "Building a Master's Piece" could be a questionable headline.

A different kind of drive

My husband loves an afternoon drive down winding country roads. From his first car, a 1968 VW Campmobile to his current ride, a 2008 Scion xB, he has racked up hundreds of thousands of miles zipping along the roads less traveled. As ‘zipping’ down country roads tends to make me queasy, this is an activity he usually does alone or with me knocked out on Dramamine in the passenger seat. When we bought the Scion, I pointed out that for the first time he had the sensible, roomy, family car, and that it was MY turn to have the fun car.

Although this idea made Steve a bit nervous, he tried to play along as I evaluated my choices. I have always wanted a convertible and somehow, over the course of about five months, my dream of a little red convertible turned into a Big Yellow Jeep. I drove my first Jeep Wrangler on a whim at the CCU Car Sale in April. It was definitely a fun ride and as I couldn’t afford for my “fun car” to be a “pretty weather only” car, the Wrangler seemed a viable option as a sturdy “year round” convertible. My daughter, Charli, immediately said, “You should buy Lyndsie’s Jeep.” Lyndsie was a co-worker of Charli’s who had just had her first baby. Lyndsie and her husband Derek were looking for more of a family car and were, with great sadness, thinking about selling their Wrangler. Unfortunately, I wasn’t ready to buy. I kept reassuring Steve that “next summer I’ll buy something, I’m just looking now.” Over the next few months I drove several different Wranglers, and loved them all. Then one night in August Lyndsie called, they were ready to sell their Jeep and Charli had told her I might be interested. That was on Tuesday, by Thursday evening Lyndsie’s father had bought my car and I had bought Lindsey’s Jeep. I’m still not exactly sure how it happened!

Now that we had a Jeep, the “road less traveled” became the gravel roads and back roads of Franklin, Henry, Owen and Anderson counties. We try very hard to respect private property while exploring obscure roads listed in our Kentucky Gazetteer map. We discovered Six-Mile Creek Road and LeCompte’s Bottom and finally accepted the fact that despite what our map says, Sawdridge Creek Road does not connect US 127 with 607. We met up with some friendly people on ATVs who showed us where Payton Ridge Road goes, and then surprised them with the ability of the Wrangler to follow their ATVs. My brother Josh (a certified Jeep Freak) introduced us to his friend Ed who is creating a 4-wheelin’ mecca for his friends out in Bald Knob. We learned valuable lessons, like it is best to put the top up before racing through mud bogs, that a Wrangler really will fit just about anywhere, that a barking dog chasing a car can be much scarier when you’ve left the doors at home, that you should always wave at a passing Jeep and, seemingly most important, that it is NOT a car – it is a JEEP! (I have had two different people vehemently correct me when I mistakenly referred to my Jeep as “my car.”) The best news, I found that because you don’t necessarily “zip” in a Jeep, I wasn’t getting queasy and, despite his smart remarks about his Civilized Car versus my Barbarian Jeep, Steve was enjoying this adventure too.

When the opportunity came to take a fall break and get away for a few days, we looked at a number of options: Chicago would be fun, maybe Nashville. Then we heard about the Turkey Bay Off-Highway Vehicle Area at the Land Between the Lakes Recreational Area in western Kentucky. Not completely sure of what we were getting into, we made our reservations at Lake Barkley State Resort Park and headed to the Land Between the Lakes – in our Jeep – which gets about 16 mpg! We spent an entire day wheelin’ around Turkey Bay. We took trails that we probably shouldn’t have taken (especially not alone), we drove down to the shoreline of the lake, we climbed what appeared to be un-climbable hills and we came down hills that were so steep we just knew the front bumper would dig in at the bottom. We took turns driving and both conquered some intense obstacles. We laughed, cringed, held on for dear life, and had a blast. It really is like a low-speed roller coaster. When we weren’t at Turkey Bay we were driving around the back roads in the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. We picked up an official Motor Vehicle Use Map at the welcome station and drove and drove and drove, yet our average speed most days was less than 20 miles per hour.

As we were getting ready to leave Turkey Bay for our lodge room on Friday evening, we met up with a couple of guys in Wranglers. They invited us to join them Saturday morning at 9 a.m. for a Jeep gathering and trail ride. Although we planned to leave for home Saturday morning, we decided to meet up with them for a couple of hours first. A couple of hours…right…we didn’t leave until close to 5 p.m. What we had done on our own was even more fun when surrounded by a bunch of people just as crazy as we were. Within minutes of meeting them, Keagan, one of our new Jeep buddies, had his tool kit out and was disconnecting the sway bar on our Jeep. Don, Rick, and Brian suggested a couple thousand dollars worth of modifications we REALLY NEEDED and we got a lecture on the importance of zip ties and duct tape before the Wranglers even lined up to hit the trail. When I worried that we were slowing them down, Don and Brian’s wives, Vicki and Wendy, assured me that we had made the guys’ day by joining them. For them, teaching the ropes to a couple of newbies was half the fun.

With Rick in the lead and Don as “tail gunner” the line of 8 Jeeps wheeled for hours. They put us newbies in the middle of the pack so it would be easier to pull us out if we got into trouble, which I am proud to say we didn’t. Ever-so-often the group would stop and gather and talk, usually about past mishaps and glories (which were spoken of with the same degree of pride and fondness) and who had made what modification and what they planned to add to their Jeep next. When we came to an obstacle or hill that was too much for our “stock” Jeep, we would be offered a seat in someone else’s Jeep so we didn’t miss the experience. Everyone had packed a lunch because you couldn’t possibly stop long enough to leave and eat somewhere. Every time we passed a Jeep on the trail Don would invite them to join us and tell them about Itsajeep.org, an online community of Jeep enthusiasts.

As we drove the 200 miles home, very dusty and tired, we agreed that we’d had a great time and couldn’t wait to go again. We had made it four days with no damage to the Jeep other than a bolt that snapped when Keagan was disconnecting the sway bar. (No worries -- a zip tie will hold that until we get it fixed!) Some of the guys we met down there are from Louisville and we plan to meet up with them and go to “Hillz and Hollerz,” an off-road park in Henry County in the future.

When we first bought the Jeep, a friend laughed and made a remark about our mid-life crisis…trust me - this is no crisis…now if it only it would rain so we could find some mud.