The last balcony scene

I filled my car’s gas tank from warning-light’s-on empty to the brim for $20 this weekend. $1.65 a gallon. Who thought we’d see that again? It was interesting to see on The Amazing Race the other night, the signs on the gas station in the background in Portland, Oregon. The show was filmed in April or May, and the signs showed $3.95.

I found a solution to the computer problem I mentioned yesterday. I noticed after a while that the computer shut off after the CD drive went from normal speed into high gear. The instant its RPM ramped up, the computer shut down. I have an external CD/DVD drive that’s USB, so I thought I’d give it a shot and it worked like a dream. Installed Windows, Office, wireless, all without a hitch. So I guess the internal CD drive is either faulty or drawing too much power.

A couple of years ago, I read an article in Physics Today about leap seconds, which was the genesis of a short story I wrote for Doctor Who: Destination Prague. Turns out we’re going to have a leap second injected at the end of the year to account for the fact that the Earth is slowing down. Keep your eyes peeled for a blue police box at 6:59:59 on December 31st.

This week’s Dexter simmered for a while, with little of real consequence happening. The bachelor party explanation for last week’s abduction was exactly as some people called it, and it did feel like a little bit of a cheat, but Dexter punching out Matsuka made it okay. Matsuka’s reaction to Angel’s report on the woman he wanted checked out was also hilarious.

LaGuarda’s suspicions panned out and put her in danger from Miguel, but fortunately she has a serial killer on her side. When Dexter went for the jugular, so to speak, I didn’t expect it to happen quite that way. I figured the phone call was a ploy to get Miguel somewhere remote.

Dexter’s decision to have his sister as the best man was one of the best scenes between him and Deb. Deb’s expletive-laced acceptance was spot-on. I wonder if her research into King’s LUDS will help reinforce Dexter’s plan to frame him for Miguel. I also wonder if the skinner will re-emerge to carry out his mission. There’s not much time left to tie up all the loose ends and get Dex hitched.

Boston Legal is no more. It retired in a blaze of glory last night with a two-hour finale. Not every show that gets canceled gets to go out the way they did, with a dozen shows to take care of business. All season long, Alan has been tackling the big subjects, and they hit one of the real biggies last night: Chinese investment in American companies, when Crane, Poole and Schmidt becomes Chang, Poole and Schmidt. And Alan and Denny’s wonderful friendship goes to its pinnacle, as it only could in Boston. Lest viewers miss how ludicrous it was, Denny actually utters the words “Jump the shark.” The final balcony shot is one I’ve never seen before, as a helicopter camera pulls back to show how the balcony exists as a unique place in the universe, halfway up the building. The show was funny, irreverent, self-referential, over the top and as liberal as they get. I’ll miss it. Maybe Alan and Denny will get their wish of a show about legal aid lawyers on a different network, “one that cares.”

I wish I had seen the original, but this precis will have to do: Jon Stewart lampoons Canada’s parliamentary crisis, in which he marvels at Canada’s ability to oust its leader. “Force him from office? You can do that?” he asked. “Because we’ve had no confidence in our guy for quite some time now, and he’s taking forever to leave.”

Note: Dexter spoilers in comments