Okay, think about this for a minute. Think of your high school Chemistry teacher. If it's a 'he,' would you be surprised and shocked if you found out that he had become a viscious, murdering meth cooking criminal who engineered the blowing up of a nursing home in order to kill his boss?

I'm thinking you WOULD be surprised. I know if Mr. Pottorf (my HS Chem teacher) or Mr. Marian broke bad, I'd be surprised. Okay, well, Mr. Marian, anyway. Mr. P? I'd have to think about that.

As Season 5 of AMC's increasingly darker Breaking Bad starts, we're reminded of the events happening in the moments following Walt's checkmate move against Gus, and then the story takes off again at full speed. Walt isn't quite alone in thinking "it's over." Skyler, who knows as much as anyone about what Walt's been up to, sees the explosion at the nursing home as and end to the troubles, even though her fear of her husband is expanding rapidly. Jessie, Saul and eventually Mike (when during a bathrobed chicken feeding session in Mexico he learns of Gus' demise) all think it's truly the "end times" Saul spoke of last season. 

But, Walt, and then Hank, know better. It's NOT over. Mr. White has no intention of giving up Mr. Heisenberg, and much like when he learned of Gale's death, DEA Agent on the mend Hank isn't sure the new dead guy is truly the chemist behind the purest form of Meth Albuquerque has ever seen. There isn't a doubt in my mind that Hank will soon figure out what his intuition is somehow telling him, that Walt is in this thing up to his bowler hat.

Some things to keep in mind:

The flash-forward at the beginning of the episode shows Hank at a Denny's, waiting for a gun dealer with whom he has arranged to buy some pretty heavy firepower. As he waits, he's served breakfast, and arranges the bacon into a "52," just like he arranged the vegie bacon into a "50" at the beginning of the Pilot episode. So, since we don't know exactly how far into the future the flash-forward is, it's two years to the day from the events of Episode 1. 5 Season, covering less than 2 years. It's a pretty compressed story, and a change in character that's been amazingly rapid for Walt.

Also remember, 5th season wraps up the story in 16 episodes. Eight shown now and the final eight in the fall of 2013.

Breaking Bad is off to a great start to Season 5, and by the looks of it, a firey finish, with the end in sight.

AMC TV (Link to Breaking Bad Page)

Season 5 of the fabulous AMC show Mad Men is now history, with center of the Mad Universe, Don Draper, thinking about women, as opposed to the last season's finale, where Don was clearly thinking about one specific woman. That woman was (we assume) his soon to be wife (we assume, though that's not for sure - we just know Don Draper) Megan, and ironically, this year it's his soon-to-be ex-wife Megan's friend, who has approached Don in a bar.

I'd have to go back and check, but it seems like Mad Men is on a "tick-tock" format, where the end of one season sees the firm in trouble, and the next flush. This is the flush year. Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce (though one has to wonder about that name - if you watched last week's episode, you know what I'm talking about) is rolling in dough, helped along a little by Lane's departure and the financial windfall that accompanies it. Our Mad men (and women) are not all so flush, obviously, though for the most part, everyone's in good shape.

When all is said and done, this season could probably be subtitled Mad Women, since the girls did especially well this year, Joan and Peggy finishing the season with changes unimaginable at the beginning of the year.

Even though Peggy is no longer at SCDP as we close out Season 5, are we primed for the name of the firm to be called "Sterling Cooper Draper Olson" before the end of Season 6?

I think that's possible.

I just hope when it comes to eyewear, she doesn't consult her one-time mentor Joan Harris for input.

Wow. What a send-off.

"Swan Song" was a beautiful, touching and funny look at the people who brought the characters and show to life. The last scene of the hour-long pre-finale feature was Hugh Laurie and Robert Sean Leonard ("House" and "Wilson") stalking each other through the Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital sets, James Bond style, dressed in tuxedos and armed with paintball guns.

After the game, paint splattered and drinking champaign, the pair shoot up the set, paint pellets defacing the carefully crafted walls. Very funny, and so in character.

I especially liked the acknowledgement that "House" was inspired by Arthur Conon Doyle's "Sherlock Holmes" stories. It was obvious to any Holmes fan (House/Holmes, Wilson/Watson), a brilliant, yet socially flawed, opiate addicted (Holmes was hooked on laudanum, a liquid opium mixture) musician. Both House and Holmes' address was 221 B. 

As for the final hour episode...

***Spoiler***

***Spoiler***

***Spoiler***

***Spoiler***

***Spoiler***

***Spoiler***

Oh heck...Click HERE...

So, first Ellen wins the Mark Twain Award for comedy, then...

Ryan Seacrest buys her old house!

Wow! So...Does Ryan just like Mark Twain a lot, or does he and Ellen share domestic tastes???

Hmmm...One wonders...

According to a new study, regular jogging can increase your lifespan by an average of 6 years. Some people will point to the death at age 52 of jogging guru Jim Fixx, but in reality, he was genetically predisposed to heart problems, and had a congenitally enlarged heart. Doctors say his getting in shape, quitting smoking and running probably kept him from dying of a heart attack 9 years earlier.

Many experts say, however, that regardless of the health benefits of jogging, wearing a stupid headband is never a good idea! :-)

Great article on Lifehacker.com today, with details about using a "sell by" box to help you declutter. To use this powerful cardboard tool, you simply put some stuff you're not sure you need in a box, tape a date to it, and if you haven't needed anything in the box by the day, get rid of it!

Click here for the article!

This morning, Beth posted a funny pic of her daughter, Shannon, with unfortunate (though not TOO bad) content. Click here for Beth's blog.

That's called "Photobombing." Sometimes there's some one or something in the background of a photo, sometimes it's a person interjecting themselves into the shot. Here's a gallery of funny photobombs, and here's a link to an awesome blog that always posts new photobombs!

And, here's a link to a gallery of great photobombs on KEZ999.com.

I particularly like this one:

I heard Beth talking about the #3SecondRule this morning. This, is without doubt, the best bad-video I've ever seen! It's so bad I love it SO MUCH!

#ThreeSecondRule