Well, it would have been if it weren’t Blockbuster Total Access. July was my first full month with Total Access. The following are the stats and observations from my first month.

• Total DVD’s received through the mail: 21
• Total DVD’s received through in-store swapped: 21
• Total DVD’s received in July: 42

Random facts:

• I received one DVD that I did not request.
• Blockbuster corrected the error, and comped me a free rental.
• I received all mailed DVD’s in two days or less.
• The “swapping” process is as easy as the commercial makes it seem.
• Each month I get an extra “e-coupon” for a free rental.

Overall, I am extremely pleased. The system works great, especially since there’s a Blockbuster right near my house. This makes it easy to make swaps. The way I see it, 42 DVD’s at approximately$4 a piece would have cost about $168. The two-out-at-a-time package I purchased cost $15 a month…No extra fee’s. That’s quite the savings.

That’s how many minutes Kristin and I spent watching 24 yesterday. I know what you’re thinking, but unless you watch the show you don’t understand. When it’s happening it doesn’t feel like your watching nearly four hours of television. It just feels like “one more”. The episode ends and you decide to watch one more, until next thing you know you’ve one mored yourself through five hours of Jack Bauer’s life…We’re in season 4…I’ll give you my reflections on the season once it is complete. 24 requires full context before it can really be commented on.

What glows in the dark, has lanes, balls, refreshment prices rivaled only by movie theaters, and shoes like these?

That’s right! The Bowling Ally. This morning I led worship at Crosspointe Church in Lutz, Fl. When I got home Kristin and I watched a healthy dose of 24 and then decided to do a little bowling. Neither of us have bowled in several years and our scores show it.

Game 1
Jordan 75
Kristin 66

Game 2
Jordan 95
Kristin 99

Since the power to our lane was accidentally cut during our third game, we can’t say for sure who would have won, but I was ahead by about 12. I was also about to actually break 100…We were on our 8th frame and I had already racked up an impressive 98 points. The manager was nice enough to give us some free passes for our “loss”.

I did enjoy season 3, but I do have one gripe about the production of the season 3 DVD. When you select an episode on the DVD menu, it takes you to an alternate menu designated to that specific episode. However, the background pictures of the episode menu often reveal key plot information. For instance, in one of the episodes a key character from past seasons makes a “surprise” appearance. However, the surprise is ruined because his or her picture appears in the background of that episode menu. Since he or she had not appeared in any previous episodes in season 3, it totally ruined the element of surprise. In another instance, the menu pictures showed a key character lying (clearly) dead on the ground…Yet another surprise ruined!

• Kim is starting to seem like less of a total moron.
• Chase ruins everything when he tries to be a hero.
• I enjoy Chloe.
• President Palmer finally found the snag in his moral fabric.
• Why does the President still view Sherry as an asset?
• Sherry Palmer’s bangs look awful.
• I don’t like Ryan Chapelle, but you know…
• Tony is a beast working in his physical condition.
• President Palmer has the worst secret service detail…they’re never around.
• Michelle is the man in this season.

Today, Kristin and I finished 24 season 2. We also started 24 season 3. We’ve literally watched six 42 minute episodes today. That’s right 252min of Jack Bauer. It’s ridiculously addicting. Every time I pop in a DVD and wait for it to load I feel like a heroine addict who’s already tied off and just waiting for a vein to surface. Anyway, it’s interesting to see what happens when a show has a good first season. The show takes on a new form. The same thing happened with The Office. Where there’s a popular show there’s more money, more advertising, better production, better acting, and better DVD menus. Here are my reflections from season 2:

• Jack Bauer is still the man.
• Kim Bauer is still unbelievably ignorant.
• President Palmer has way too much conviction and moral fabric to be a politician.
• Sherry Palmer is impressively sinister.
• Jack Bauer is still very unconcerned with protocol.
• President Palmer says, “Make no mistake” a lot.
• George Mason totally redeemed himself.
• Protocol seems to be more of a suggestion at CTU.
• Apparently CTU is not too hard to infiltrate.
• Everything bad happens in LA.

I’ll keep the 24 commentary going as long as it stays interesting. I imagine it won’t be long before we finish season 3.