1) Caring about the new 90210 spin-off.

2) Watching "rhythmic gymnastics."

3) Assessing whether, as per Section 658D(b)(1)(A) of the Act, the Lead Agency did "administer, directly, or through other governmental or non-governmental agencies" the funds received. Assessing compliance with the regulations at 45 CFR 98.11 which provide that, in addition to retaining "overall responsibility" for the administration of the program, the Lead Agency must also (among other things): Promulgate all rules and regulations governing the overall administration of the CCDF program; Ensure compliance with the approved Plan and all Federal requirements; Oversee the expenditure of funds by subgrantees and contractors.

4) Sorting socks.

5) Patrolling the streets of Baghdad. (Which should certainly be a higher pay grade.)

She is also a mother to a toddler, Tessa. "I'm gonna tell her how much she was a part of this.  The sacrifices, the hard work, but still trying to balance the motherhood...I just know it's going to be so much fun when she finally can understand, and I can share all of this with her," said Torres.

I wondered as I watched her accept the silver medal: Is her life with five Olympics, twelve medals, and a daughter richer and more fulfilling than her life would have been with seven Olympics, more medals, and no child?

AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

 photo: Left, Agence France-Presse; Right, Zhou Liang/Xinhua

The case of the gold-winning Chinese gymnastics team is no better. Admittedly, gymnasts tend to be tiny and underdeveloped, but if those girls are 16, I'm 22. (I'm not, and haven't been for some time.) Besides the obvious cheating issues, the Chinese, if the suspicions are true, are ignoring rules that were put in place to protect the athletes from injury to their developing bodies and overtaxation of their immature psyches.

China's totalitarian Communist government demonstrates no respect for women, but a willingness to use them and abuse them to the state's own ends. The women of China should break up with this jerk of a government.

You knew there was a "but", right? The service was uplifting, although the congregation was prone to game-day style applause, until the sermon. Chan's wife Lisa gave the talk and it was about wives submitting to their husbands. Her interpertation was that men make the decisions and wives, unless being asked to directly sin, follow joyfully. Not particularly nuanced. No discussion of culture or varied interpertations, or even the husband loving the wife as Christ loves the church.

The church in America has been down this road before. I have to think there is more richness, more life, more fullness to the marriage partnership than arguing about who gets to be boss.  A team, say a water polo team (I've been watching the Olympics), doesn't waste time debating. They put the best person for the job in position and get to work to score points and push the other team under the water. Aren't we in a marriage a team with common goals (minus the drowning the opposition part)? Shouldn't we be each other's biggest cheerleaders as well?

Anyhoo, it's not the issue itself that bothers me. I don't consider it an essential issue to the Christian faith. Important, but not a deal-breaker. I can see myself perhaps going to a church in which I don't see eye to eye. The stickler is the anti-intellectual tone to it, the "Just do it" sermon without much context or explanation. The whole thing struck me as fundie-brainless.

I want to be part of a church that is dynamic and active in living out its faith, challenging consumerism to put its money and its energy to serve God by serving others. That's something I can sign on to. What's important in a chuch? Is the Sunday service key? The details of theology? Or its role in the community and the world? Which would you choose?

P.S. If you're not a person of Christian faith but have bothered to read this post, I'd love your thoughts. We're an insular bunch. Outside perspective is helpful.

photo: African children from Cornerstone's photo project. Copyright Cornerstone Community Church

I mention it only to say that didn't happen this year. No oxygen bars either. No martini slides made of ice. No Cuban artisans hand rolling cigars. This press tour was pulled together in haste with networks still reeling from a strike and eager to cut back. Most of the parties resembled a large, crowded, and expensive wedding reception. A notable exception was the FOX party at the Santa Monica pier. FOX rented out the entire small broadwalk park. Except for the fans clinging to the fence and begging for autographs, the park is restricted to the beautiful people. And critics.

ABC/Disney hosted its party in a ballroom of the hotel. They turned it into a pseudo-lounge with square couches and prickly, funky, leafy flower arrangements that towered over our heads. The Emmy nominations had been announced that morning. Krisitin Chenoweth bubbled with excitement at her Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy. She said we could look forward to more singing from her lovelorn character in Pushing Daisies. She stood arm in arm with co-castmember Ellen Greene. Teri Hatcher from Desperate Houswives wisely sat on a couch and let the press come to her while the kids from Camp Rock tore up the dance floor.

An offsite club was the setting for a combined CBS, Showtime, and CW party. The outdoor area around a fountain was standing room only. We had to push through the crowd, a worrying enterprise when some of the actresses look like they could snap if you bump into them. Elizabeth Reaser, who stole the show as amnesia patient Rebecca/Ava on Greys Anatomy last season, now has her own show called The Ex-List. She redates all her lost loves after a psychic tells her she has already dated the love of her life. Reaser was utterly charming with a mix of excitement and nervousness.  Also present was the cast of the new 90210 revival, because it's time to go back to Beverly Hills.

NBC hosted a party out in a hotel courtyard with colorful lanterns strung over our heads and a surfing themed photo station. I spoke with Zach Levi, star of Chuck. Levi is a self-professed Christian. We joked that we needed a secret handshake. "I'll just draw half a fish on the ground," he said, pawing the astroturf with his toe.

Next year, barring any strikes or acts of God, perhaps there will be girls in bubbles.

NEIL FLYNN: I can tell you my name right now. It's
Zanzibar Buck-Buck McFate.

One two. Cha-cha-cha.

Back step. Cha-cha-cha. (forward if you're a guy.)

Turn around. Cha-cha-cha.

Sounds simple, right? It is when they do it slowly and count for you. When they crank up the music (pretty much the fastest beat they could find, I'm thinking), pandemonium broke out. Edyta managed to both cha-cha-cha and fling her hips around while keeping her arms in a graceful arc. I managed to lurch somewhat on the beat. Many critics were like me, but others were passable. One TV critic in a flowing blue dress glided around with Derek Hough, being dipped, lifted, and spun. An older critic deftly guided his partner around the floor. Clearly, he'd practiced beforehand. Cheater.

That was not me. My light footed partner quickly and suavely got the beat. I think he has Latin blood. But I backed up when I should have cha-cha-ed. I brought the point of my heel down squarely on the foot of the critic behind me. He was very nice and there wasn't much blood, so I think it's ok. I heard it was only a few stitches.

There goes my Dancing with the Critics career.

photo: Edyta Sliwinska and Alec Mazo, courtesy of ABC

<---------- There. (but maybe lower down or higher up. I'm not a gosh-darn techie)

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Mad Men centers on the lives of hard drinkin', driven, sometimes brooding advertising executives in the 60s and the women who type their letters and bear their children. It's the kind of tightly focused, well acted, well written drama that makes critics want to forcibly enter peoples' homes, wrestle away their remote, and switch the channel to this well done show.

The show makes every attempt to authentically recreate the world of the late '50s, early '60. Children climb around in moving cars, pregnant women drink Highballs, and everyone smokes as if it were their own personal crusade to pollute the air of New York.

The set is no different. As you wander through the Sterling Cooper offices, it looks as if an entire 1959 office just popped out for a long lunch. Cigarette butts spill out of ashtrays, many marked by lipstick. Old typewriters display half written letters. Abba Zabba candy bars rest on the snack cart. If the view out the window wasn't a painting, you'd believe you were there.

Don (Jon Hamm) and Betty (January Jones) Draper's house has the same kind of attention to detail. Everything on the cluttered kitchen counter or in the fussy bedroom screams "1950s money." It was your grandma's house, if your grandma was a wealthy white woman living in a suburb.

We spoke with Elizabeth Moss, who plays naive young secretary Peggy. She showed us Peggy's new, semi-private office. She said that once her unmarried character had a baby, she heard from fans who had also had similar experiences. She had no idea how prevalent her situation was. Vincent Kartheiser, who plays up-and-coming adman Pete Campbell discussed the generation gap on the show. "Pete is more of a modern man," he said, "and Don and the others are dinosaurs." According to IMDB, Kartheiser was a history major at UCLA, so this job is right up his alley. He spoke of "Kennedy men" vs. "Nixon men." In his mind, these two men represented grand American archetypes of the era, something that would be fun to further discuss with him over beers. Or perhaps highballs.

Finally, we walked through the costume department, full of slick suits for the men and silk party dresses for the women. It reminded some of us of our grandmothers and other of their mothers.

If you like good drama, it's a show worth watching. The new season premieres Sunday, July 27 at 10/9c on AMC.

Photos: January Jones as Betty Draper (top). Elizabeth Moss and Vincent Kartheiser (bottom) as Peggy Olson and Pete Campbell. All photos courtesy of AMC

But first, FOX is winning the shoe wars. After a few days of PBS and cable with their sensible shoes, Leona Headey of The Sarah Connor Chronicles rocked these totterers.

Lena Headey, photo courtesy of FOX 

It's hard to make out, but the spiky heels are about three inches high. Way to go, Lena.

Everybody's favorite CTU agent Jack Bauer (aka Keifer Sutherland) showed up. I post this picture only because I was off somewhere to the right, crammed up against someone's back and holding my voice recorder in the direction of what I hoped was Keifer's mouth. I have no idea what he said, but it was exciting.

Keifer Sutherland, photo courtesy of FOX 

Then it was off to the Santa Monica pier, where FOX put on a party and invited us to ride the roller coaster with its stars. Not that we did that, of course. But I did get to convince Tahmoh Penikett to ride the bumper cars. (He plays Helo on Battlestar Galictica and was there because he will be on FOX's Dollhouse.) Here's the cast of House cutting loose at the pier, or at least appearing to do so.

HOUSE cast members Olivia Wilde, Kal Penn and Peter Jacobsen, photo courtesy of FOX

Read more of my post at Beliefnet.com