Twenty-Four #010

The seventh season of FOX’s political/action drama 24 began Sunday night at 8:00 with 2 episodes then continued on Monday with 2 more. After that, weekly on Monday nights at 9.

After taking over a year off (a much needed break) hopefully this show will come out like a caged and ferocious animal, not linger around like a well-fed, warming in the sun lion on a calm prairie.

That last season was horrible and it’s refreshing to see the producers of the show have fessed up to their mistakes. On top of that, they’ve learned from those mishaps if their quotations are to be believes. The Redemption movie was alright, didn’t nail down hope like I would’ve liked but I think it widened its scope by involving Africa as a landscape.

Also, while watching last season, I had the misfortune of not getting FOX in as well as I would’ve liked. I spent that entire 24 hours with a pair of rabbit ears in my lap pointed to the window. Even then I got fuzzy lines through the untimely and regretful murder of Michelle Forbes character, Lynne Kresge

Well, after reading Tim Goodman’s review in the San Francisco Chronicle, maybe we’re seeing the beginning of the end.

What if the 24 concept was adapted for another series (think CSI or SVU), maybe not involving a counter terrorism outfit but a nonprofit organization trying to stay afloat in an economic sinkhole. Terrorism is no longer the bogeyman, we've supported our own financial bogeymen, and, if they’re not trying to negotiate their lost fortunes their killing themselves in the face of an uncertain and incriminating future.

Twenty-Four #009

In Billy Collins’ poem Revision (published in Oranges & Sardines, Spring 2009) the narrator counts 24 crows in a pasture.

Twenty-Four #008

At Thriller Karaoke our room was number 24, pointed out by a friend of mine. It's a fuzzy picture. I was trying to be quick and inconspicuous. But I was neither.

Twenty-Four #007

"Cloverfield"

Twenty-Four #006

Sapporo has the grid and ease of New York City with the sweet custard charm of San Francisco. I rarely venture north of the JR Station but there's a great brewery where they make beers that surpass the national brands. Beers with full-on flavor, hops, and names like IPA, Vaizen, Pilsner, and Ale. Delicious.

To get there you need to take the subway to Kitanijuuyojou, or North 24th Block. This strip has ramen/udon restaurants, cafes, pachinkos, you name it. This is like 24 heaven; the number appears almost everywhere. I wandered around for a while, slipping on the ice, before meeting up with some teachers.

A word of advice; be wary of browsing a pet shop. I forget how sad it is to see young animals in cubbies separated from people, unable to be touched. They all looked so bored, lonely, and confused.

Twenty-Four #005

With this 24 sighting one would think that I eat at fast food restaurants all the time. In fact, I don’t. Not all the time. As you can see this number came from McDonald’s while Emma and I waited for apple pies. We ordered apple pies after our Big Macs. “Big Mac”robiotic.

Twenty-Four #004

It was Sunday the 20th, this October. Jared and I had just gotten off the bus after a short trip into Sapporo. We both felt the same spark. Moss Burger.

After ordering they gave us numbers. I think mine was 13 but Jared's was 24.

Thank you, Moss Burger!

Twenty-Four #003

My Yubinkyoku (Post Office) savings account book has 24 lines per page. 

I love the graphic on this. The inside has a holographic blue sticker with my hanko stamped underneath; a perfect braid of old-fashioned accounting, high-tech, and interesting design. Hokkaido is very green right now, if I were to drop this it would camouflage and be lost forever. 

I even use this to deposit and withdrawn yen. You stick the booklet into the machine and it knows almost everything about you. Then it prints new info onto the next line.