09.12.03 - 5:08 p.m.

We are down to the last three episodes of the Alias first season DVDs. And I am saddened that John Ritter will never be able to make another guest appearance on a J.J. Abrams show � or any other show, for that matter. Farewell, Mr. Covington. See ya, JD's dad. Adios, Ted the step-dad robot. Sayonara, doofy walking guy who gave Ally McBeal her theme song. Even if that role wasn't one of "dad of a character on a TV show I really truly love," you deserve to be in the pantheon too.

I'm not ignoring the fact that it's sad Johnny Cash died too. He just didn't have as many opportunities to guest-star as people's dads in TV shows for the 18-34 demographic, that's all.

There's a line in Fountains of Wayne's "Hackensack" that brings to mind Caillebotte's painting "The Floor Scrapers" every time I hear it:
I used to work in a record store
Now I work for my dad
Scraping the paint off hard wood floors
The hours are pretty bad

Mournful, solitary, contemplative, regretful....it's just amazing that the song can capture the same feelings as a 19th century oil painting and most likely do it unintentionally. If I ever meet Chris or Adam, I'll ask them.