(S07E16) When it was announced that Gena Rowlands would be on 'NCIS' as a guest, playing Jethro's former mother-in-law, you just suspected that this was going to be something special. Sometimes it's difficult to live up to the expectations, for the creators as well as the fans watching. Fortunately, this show did live up to the expectations, especially for those who have always wanted to know more about Gibbs and his tragic past.

Stoney Creek, a hotel chain based in my homestate of Iowa, has removed CNN from its rooms after the cable news network aired footage of insurgents killing American troops in Iraq. James Thompson, president of Stoney Creek Hospitality Corporation, made the decision to pull the channel from the cable lineup in his hotels, saying that CNN's decision to air the footage was supporting terrorism. CNN has been removed from Stoney Creek's rooms in cities in Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. If we ever win the war on terrorism, I guess we'll have this hotel chain to thank.

Years ago I actually worked in the hotel business, and while living in Des Moines I even applied at the Stoney Creek Inn. At the time I was a member of the "Association of Left-handed Q-Bert Advocates and Equine Dalmatian Artistry," an organization dedicated to southpaws who loved to play Q-Bert and paint images of dalmatians riding horses. The organization had the unfortunate acronym of A.L. Q.A.E.D.A. I'm guessing it was my "Proud Member of A.L. Q.A.E.D.A." t-shirt that cost me the job. And that, my friends, is what we call working way too hard for a joke. I hope you learned something here today.