Terry Pearson’s Blog

Jessica and I are very excited to watch “24″ Season Seven tonight.

We became big fans of the TV series while we were in college. We would rent an entire season at a time from our school’s video rental place. They let you keep movies over Christmas break. So we could rent whole seasons of 24, Alias, and other shows, and watch all 16 hours of the season over our break.

Whenever we would bring home a season of 24, we would keep saying, “one more episode, then we will go to bed.” This usuall meant that we would stay up half the night watching Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) blow the snot out of terrorists.

I think that 24 is especially entertaining because it really challenges the viewers to think outside the box. Jack is continuously put in impossible situations where he must choose between two or more choices that are shunned by society, discouraged by political powers, or otherwise detrimental to his well-being.

The show’s writers also have no qualms about killing off key characters. This makes it into a suspense filled drama where you never know who might need to be watching their back. In fact, Newsday columnist Raymond J. Keating estimates Jack has directly or indirectly killed 167 people in the first six seasons.

Last season was a little bit duller, with not as much suspense as the previous seasons. Some website are claiming that Jack Bauer was brainwashed this season by the liberal agenda. I guess we will see what happens. I hope they stick with the old character that has made the show so popular.

The show starts tonight (January 11, 2009) at 7pm central time on Fox. They are doing a two hour premier today, followed by a two hour show tomorrow. After that, it will be the traditional one hour episode a week on Mondays at 7pm.

You may not have realized this, but corn, gold, and oil are not the only high priced commodities in the world markets. Rice, a staple of many families worldwide, has become so expensive that families are rationing what they have.

You see stories such as this one, describing the dismal situation around the world.

While the issue itself is serious, I did hear a rather humorous song on the Chris Baker show the other day. The Price of Rice is Crazy.

In case you were wondering, this video will explain all the ins and outs of a typical child birth. Courtesy of Monty Python:

Some people bike to save money, but I bike for other reasons. In fact, if you get serious about biking, you will probably spend more than you could save.

Then, why do people bike? I go out on the mountain biking trails to give myself a challenge. I love the adventure. Clearing a log jump is no small feat, getting the courage to do so is even more of a challenge. Conquering an extremely steep or an unusually large hill is something to be proud of. It is something that is achieved over time, and is seldom something that comes without practice and training.

I also mountain bike for the fun. My friends and family do the same and it makes for a fun summer activity. Its great to explore new trails with people you know. Some of my most fun experiences last summer were on backwoods trails with some of my family members.

Finally, there is no disputing that mountain biking gives you quite the workout. I love the hills. In fact, without the constant hill climbs, it would not be much of a course. The constant climbs build your leg muscles and your cardiovascular strength at the same time.