Ginger Balls

C - David Letterman, and his crack team of writers, back again, to stay (we hope)
L - A 7-11, located just behind my alma mater (high school-wise)
O - The 16-Disc Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus
S - Watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in The Gay Divorcee for the second time, and not realizing it
A - Trying to chop up almonds in a blender, with a really high blade.
T - Life without water makes a lot of things really difficult

My dad keeps turning the water on and off in order to fix a leak in my parent's bathroom. It's caused a lot of grief, especially yesterday when we were trying to do laundry and dishes (my sister and her husband had a band of hooligans over for some UFC fight last night, so lots of things were being made, and no water with which to wash them). It's getting old.

But! Here's the real reason for today's entry: I've been itching, ever since Matt Roush at TV Guide did this a few weeks back, to write out my top 10 television programs of the year. A lot of good TV, especially this summer, and with this writer's strike, it helps to remember why they deserve what they are asking for: because they write some of the most compelling stuff TV has seen in years.

So, without much else to blab about, here it is:

1. Lost - While a bit inconsistent in its first six episodes, Lost turned around at the beginning of 2007, giving us 15 (only one dud. Thanks a million, Jack's tattoos.)of the finest hours television has seen, and in all honesty, the most exhilarating and surprising season finale this humble television viewer has ever seen. Season 4 looks to keep the pace up, once it begins at the end of January. My hope is more viewers who left this island come back to its warmth, and realize what they missed last season. It was a thrill ride not seen on TV since I don't even know what. With a guaranteed end in 2010, this show has the makings of a television classic, and I refuse to miss one moment of it.

2. 30 Rock - This show's laugh per minute ratio is off the charts. The first half of its first season was chock full of some nice moments, but the show hit its stride near the end of last season, and hasn't stopped well into its second season. Alec Baldwin and Tracy Morgan are unbelievably brilliant in their respective roles, with Tina Fey holding it all together as the funniest straight [wo]man since Jason Bateman on Arrested Development. No longer is The Office the funniest show on Thursdays; Liz Lemon and friends take the cake. I can't get enough of this show, I really can't.

3. Mad Men - AMC really knocked it out of the park with this subtle, quiet, yet ultimately engaging series about the ad world in the early sixties. Every episode was pitch perfect (save for one off moment in the series' season finale), thanks to its brilliant writing, fantastic acting, and lush production design. This show, along with Damages on FX, really saved me this summer from going crazy during the annual quality television drought. I lapped up every moment of this show, and cannot wait for its second season.

4. Pushing Daisies - The best new show of this past season. Funny, dark, touching, and just all around amazing. I can't say enough about this show as a whole, firing on all cylinders to create a beautiful product that week in and week out has been absolute perfection, not to mention one heck of a cliffhanger, whose conclusion, sadly, awaits us after this strike ends. Keep it up Bryan Fuller. Please...

5. Friday Night Lights - I wasn't all that into this show towards the beginning of last season, but constant curiosity kept my interest piqued, and I was able to catch up on the show during off hours at work, and boy was I surprised with what I saw. I can say that season one was one of the most satisfying experiences I've had with TV in awhile. Just awesome.

6. Flight of the Conchords - Great music and great comedy make for an incredibly entertaining series. The second season should be round this next summer, and I couldn't be happier.

7. Brothers and Sisters - I love this show. It's sweet, funny, dramatic and very beautifully shot (gotta love ABC's aesthetic). I've grown to love these characters like my own family, and that makes for a great experience. I look forward to watching this every Monday via TiVo more than a lot of shows. It's just a great time.

8. How I Met Your Mother - One of the finest comedies on television right now. This one has managed to make the traditional sitcom hip and engaging. Neil Patrick Harris' Barney Stinson is probably one of the funniest characters on TV, and Cobie Smoulders is gorgeous to look at. But, there is more to it than that, thankfully, and it's just an all around great show.

9. Damages - This show was a creepy good time. Twisty, turny, crazy fun. Not much else to say. It was rather inconsistent, with red herrings galore, but I still enjoyed it, thanks mostly to fantastic performances, and an overall mood that remained consistently dark and foreboding. Plus, the season finale promises a fantastic second season that couldn't come any sooner.

10. Battlestar Galactica - Unfortunately, this past season was mostly a disappointment, but the show ended on a bang, and with the Razor TV movie this past November, the show proved to me it still had what it takes to be exciting and surprising, turning this past season's finale on its head, making us question how this show will end this coming season. I can't stand waiting until March, but it'll be worth it.