Law and Order is back

Law and Order, one of the longest running shows in TV history, returned last Wednesday with two new episodes and some cast changes. This was a show that had honestly been in decline for the past few years after the death of Jerry Orbach. Dennis Farina took his spot for a few years, but it was never quite the same. It seemed to me that they were trying for something that was too close to Orbach's longtime Detective Lenny Briscoe.

This season they have fixed this problem by going in a different direction. Ed Green now has a younger partner (relatively to past partners) in Cyrus Lupo. This pairing works much better because it is a new mix rather than trying to recreate that which could not be recreated.

The other major change involves the departure of Fred Thompson who is pursuing the Republican Presidential Nomination. Longtime ADA Jack McCoy slides into the DA position. McCoy was really the only reason to tune in over the last few seasons. However, new ADA Michael Cutler promises to pick up where McCoy left off. Cutler is reminiscent of early McCoy in his fierce courtroom presence and risk taking out of the courtroom.

It is good to see this show take an upswing. I was actually thinking it was time for Dick Wolf and NBC to pull the plug, but I'm glad that they stuck with it and re-energized the show. Check it out this Wednesday.

Until next time...
PH

Amazon Review: Odyssey Mobile Navigation Software

I actually had this software prior to receiving my HP GPS system through Vine, but I just now got around to writing a review for it. The Odyssey Mobile V4 navigation software is decent low budget software if you already have a PDA and a receiver.

Until next time...
PH

Happy New Year!!

Well, 2007 only has a few hours left, and what a year it has been. Christy and I just got back from spending a week with her parents in Hot Springs Village. We had a nice visit with her family, and we took a day in Little Rock to take care of some exchanges. While we were there, we ate at the Saddle Creek Woofired Grill. If you ever find yourself in North Little Rock, I highly recommend it. While we are on restaurants, Christy and I stopped at the Islamorada Fish Company in Garland on our way home this evening. They have pretty good fish, and we both thought it would be worth going back someday.

That's it for 2007 from Philip's Corner. Stay tuned for more fun filled action in 2008!

Until next time...
PH

Vine Review: HP iPAQ 310 Travel Companion

Well, the verdict is in on the HP iPAQ 310 GPS. I'll leave the details of the review on Amazon, but let me just say, "Wow!" This is a really nice unit. Happy reading!

Until next time...
PH

December on the Vine

Today we take a quick look at what I'm evaluating this month for Amazon as a part of the Vine Program. First up is a book that I thought was quite relevant for an election year. It is a book that evaluates how things have unfolded over the last eight years of the Bush presidency. It is called Daydream Believers. I don't usually spend time on books that are not relevant to my job, but this one seemed interesting to me. I should be getting it sometime next week so look for the review to come in mid to late January.

The second item is the HP iPAQ 310 GPS. I've been using this for a few days now, and I'm in the process of putting together my review. It will probably be up on Amazon within the next week.

I will link to both reviews in a future post.

Until next time...
PH

Christmas Memories

I will be sending out (at some undetermined point in the future) a link to a slide show with all of our family Christmas photos. However I thought I'd give a preview today. Enjoy.

Let's start with Christmas Eve.

Here is a very intense look at a budding cello player.

At Brother Robert's house we do a (I'm told this is the official term) Chinese gift exchange.

Neil got us started off with a lot of enthusiasm.

However Zach wound up with Neil's prize before the night was over.

Moving on the Christmas day...

(A quick side note. For anyone who has experienced the regrettable Christmas morning hair immortalized in pictures forever, you'll notice my strategy for avoiding that below.)

The joy of a child on Christmas morning speaks for itself.

Christy gets a relaxing gift.

Beer and Cowboys - it doesn't get any better than this.

Kassie likes Christmas

Foosball is always a winner.

Until next time...
PH

Friday Photos

During my time off, I have gotten in the habit of throwing my camera bag in the trunk when I'm going out and about. Today I was in Colleyville, and I found a couple of interesting buildings in their "town center" and a neat house that was nearby. Enjoy!








Until next time...
PH