If the human race doesn’t realize the precarious situation we are in, it won’t be a matter of if the Trees become fully a threat, but when. It will only be a short while before we are reduced to the life of a slave, from which our ancestors tried to free us.

And do it for the survival of our species!

Kingdom Hospital was a fifteen hour television mini-series written by Stephen King based on a series by Lars von Triers. Jack Coleman (”Peter Rickman”) describes the series as “ER on crack.”

Set in a hospital - could you tell from the name? - we find a wide ensemble cast of characters reacting to working in a haunted hospital plagued by regional earthquakes, a big anteater, and a corpse running around looking for his severed head.

We’re introduced to the hospital through Peter Rickman, after the character (America’s best known artist) is involved in a hit-and-run similar to the accident which nearly killed Stephen King in 1999. Rickman is left for dead but is rescued by Antubis - a big anteater who likes to say, “I do you a solid, you do me a solid.”

At the hospital we’re quickly introduced to the two main characters - Doctors Hook (Andrew McCarthy) and Stegman (Bruce Davison). Rickman, as might be imagined with a cast this large, falls rapidly into the background for much of the series, his only contribution being his relationship with Antubus and the ghost “time keeper” Mary.

No time is lost in showing the hatred that Hook and Stegman feel for each other. Stegman, we quickly learn, left Boston General under … not so great … conditions. He feels banished to Kingdom Hospital, located in what he would probably consider the backward wilderness of Maine. Hook, who in his spare time enjoys gathering evidence of malpractice by the doctors at Kingdom Hospital (including himself), frequently gets Stegman’s goat, provoking an ongoing feud over the fate of Mona Klingerman and the botched brain surgery Stegman performed.

“Kingdom Hospital” isn’t scary in that - Oh! - sense. There are very few genuine scary moments. It much more focuses on suspense, and the growing frequency of the quakes which threaten the hospital. As we learn, Kingdom Hospital is built on a site where in 1869, a mill fire claimed the lives of numerous children workers. Seventy years after that, a hospital on the very same spot burned as well. Inhabitants of both haunt the halls of Kingdom Hospital.

But here’s the thing - the cast of living characters is so strange and weird that even without the whole supernatural angle, the show would still be compelling to watch. Where do I start?

You’ve got Dr. Elmer Traff (Jamie Harrold), a young doc who tries to gain the romantic interest of Dr. Lona Massingale (Sherry Miller). And, really, when it comes to the lovely Sherry - who wouldn’t want her romantic interest? Elmer also had a perpacity for decapitating corpses leading to some of the most light-hearted moments of the series.

Diane Ladd plays Sally Druse, a woman with connections to the “other side.” Ed Begley, jr., plays the overly cheery and creepy hospital administrator, Dr. Jesse James. A whole slew of guest stars - including Wayne Newton - portray maintenance men (none of whom, to Stegman’s ire, are “Johnny B. Goode”, the hospital’s chief maintenance man).

Rounding out the supporting cast are Julian Richings as the almost-blonde German security guard Otto, Del Pentecost as orderly Bobby Druse, and Brendan Bauer and Jennifer Cunningham as Able and Christy - two (as Stegman calls them, “feebles”) adults with down syndrome who work in the bowels of the hospital and seem to know everything about everything.

It’s an addictive ride.

I had today and yesterday off from work. A “mini-vacation”, if you will, and the only one I’m going to get until my week off in November (heading to Connecticut for Thanksgiving). Yesterday I settled on the couch and watched Stephen King’s “Kingdom Hospital”. Today I had lunch with a professor and spent the rest of the day … not doing much else.

I had a lot of things I wanted to do this weekend - clean the apartment, rearrange the furniture in the bedroom, reorganize and clean the den. Well, I got the bedroom furniture rearranged: I also have a pile of magazines and books in the center of the room, and I only did half the laundry I was planning on doing.

So what is going on in the Blogosphere?

Andrew Sullivan is more than a little pissed by the so-called “firestorm” over Kerry’s remarks during the last debate. “Does anyone have a single leading Republican voice objecting to Republican Senate candidate Jim DeMint’s statement that gays should be barred from teaching in public schools? Has any leading conservative criticized the RNC flier claiming that a vote for Kerry would mean banning the Bible and forcing gay marriage on the entire country? Has any leading conservative columnist criticized some of the anti-marriage state amendments because of their vast scope and banning of any protections for gay couples? I noticed that Jay Nordlinger did object to Alan Keyes’ description of Mary Cheney as a selfish hedonist. But did Kristol? Or anyone else? The Cheneys ignored it. I’m just trying to be fair here. I’m relieved that Bill Kristol cares so deeply about not demonizing gays. I’d just like to hear of a single instance in which he has said such a thing before. That would get to the core of his sincerity, would it not? Or his sickeningly shameless opportunism.”

Over at Culture Shock (note the new URL, the one on the right still needs to be updated - Tim?), everyone’s favorite Blonde Librarian talks about the use of the word ‘must’ and how the German language forces her to use it more. Damn the German language! No, kidding, but a very insightful look at some of the unintended consequences of living in a foreign country. Foreign countries are bad - we should invade and make them America! Hooray! On a bright side - people get to drink beer for breakfast in Germany? Or is that all of Europe in general? Hell, who cares - let’s move to Deutschland!

Laura from 11-D complains that she’s a magnet for crazy people. Well, duh, she’s on my blogroll, isn’t she?

Jon Lieberman was just on CNN. Apparently he had some balls, and some ethics, and is no longer working for Sinclair Broadcasting. Their loss.