Doogie 'n' Me.

A few things bugged me tonight during my first viewing of How I Met Your Mother. Like drinking, I rarely watch TV alone. Tonight I tuned in because I got tired of watching the Astros throw away a "can't lose" lead and extending the post season by at least two games. Fox might be happy, but I was hoping for a quick series to possibly get The Simpsons' latest "Treehouse of Horror" on Halloween, asopposed to nearly a week later - a pipe dream, to be sure, but a fanboy can wish.

Anyhow, onto what bothered me. It's not a bad show. It's not a great show, but very little is these days. It was at least funnier than the Astros/Cardinals game, at least. And anything Jason really likes can't truly be bad. The guy who grows up to be Bob Saget is totally too dark and ethnic to ever be the dad from Full House. The guy who plays his brother totally doesn't look like his brother, or a Saget for that matter, either. Alyson Hannigan (known to us geeky folk as the actress formerly known as Willow) is funny, generally, but her funniest moments are gutted by the laugh track. The other girl I don't recognize or really remember. It is FB's beloved Neil Patrick Harris' whose character is most bothersome to me, however.

No, it isn't that Mr. Patrick-Harris (tee hee!) isn't funny, because he actually is (though the would-be ladies man dork angle is a bit forced, for many reasons). It isn't that he's Doogie Howser, M.D. and that I had a crush on him back when he was a doctor and Vinnie used to climb in his window and walk in on his showers. (Did anyone else find that odd?!?!) It isn't even his incessant mention of his character's blog. That's kind a funny time capsule for when blogging becomes the CB radio of it's day - hopefully we'll get our own "Convoy" style them song soon. No, all of the aforementioned I am fairly indifferent to.

What bothers me, then? Clowns, heights (glass elevators, in particular), the Bee Gees...oh, wait....

Back on topic: The character "Barney" actually has a blog to accompany this running joke. Yes, in a brilliant tie-in CBS is actually paying blackmailing an intern to come up with this. Maybe it bothers me because nobody is paying me or the brilliant folks on my blogroll for our pithy thoughts. We offer those for free and we don't have a laugh track, unless you count the comments section. Maybe it bothers me because it could be NPH, pounding away at that keyboard, in between takes on the set. And maybe that bothers me because it reminds me of that journal the young Dr. Howser used to teach us the lesson of the episode with. I used to love waiting for that blinking cursor with the blue backdrop. That and the theme song. And also, I always thought I was taller than Vinny. I like it when I'm taller than anyone.

Heh. Maybe it is all about when he was Doogie and that damn crush. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go climb in my own bedroom window, just for old times' sake.

-J.

This post was sponsored by the How I Met Your Blog Committee.