farewell GL
Okay I admit it, I watch Guiding Light. Or as of later today, past tense, watched.
I’ve tried other soaps and just none of them even vaguely pull me light Guiding Light always has. It’s an addiction.
I started watching it close to 30 years ago. Thirty. 3. 0.
My mother watched it back then and I would sneak a peek, and eventually got hooked. Luckily I would get home from school just before it started at 3pm everyday so I rarely missed it during it 80’s heyday.
Reva and Josh, Philip and Beth, Tony and Annabelle, Maureen and Ed. Lujack, swoon. Fletcher Reade. Oh my. The bad guys Roger and Alan.
I stopped watching in the mid-late 90s. I just didn’t have time, and there was no such thing as a DVR. But I just couldn’t stay away and started again when I had Josh, and began working from home, and well, got a TIVO. Yup, now you all think soap watching, bon bon eating, stay at home mom. I’m okay with that.
But it’s over. Guiding Light ends today, after 72 years on the air. That just kinda bums me out.
Do I find another soap? Or give up on them forever?
Fess up, you watch one too, right? Was it Guiding Light, or is it one of the many other soaps that sucks you in?
defying sense
I finally found a new show I’ve really been getting into, ABC’s Defying Gravity, and after only 8 shows they’ve canceled it. Come on ABC, you started it in August, never promoted it, and never gave it a chance! What did you expect from the ratings? Dang. Ron Livingston deserves better treatment than that. Maybe we’ll get lucky and SyFy will pick it up?
one of those fluffy tv posts
Is anyone else happy that Top Chef and Project Runway are back?! These are two of my very favorite shows and to have the new seasons premiere in the same week rocked. It’s way to early to predict a winner for either but I’m starting to have some favorites already. (Of course, my real favorites are Tom Colicchio and Tim Gunn!)
Did any of you watch the new Models of the Runway? It’s smart of Lifetime to create a show behind the scenes of Project Runway about the models. I love the sneak peek aspect, even if the models themselves seemed a little, well, dull. We’ll just see if it gets more interesting as the season progresses.
There are a few fall shows I’m looking forward to their return, House for sure, The Biggest Loser (my biggest guilty pleasure) and the Amazing Race. I’m trying to be excited for Grey’s Anatomy, but I’m kinda not.
The one new show I’m the absolutely the most excited about is Stargate Universe! Can. Not. Wait. Even though I’m still finding myself less and less interested in tv in general, I’m hoping SGU will be as good, in it’s own way of course, as SG1 was. I still miss SG1, and I’d still rather watch reruns of it than pretty much anything else. So please let SGU be good!! Cause I need one good show where I don’t already know the dialog!
What shows are you all waiting on pins and needles for?
get him tom!
A couple of months ago I was fighting a very bad cold and the pressure in my sinuses overcame my will to properly parent my kid. In my Nyquil induced haze I agreed to sully my TiVo with the likes of Tom & Jerry. No, I’m not a fan of the show, and I never was as a kid either. Heresy to some, but there it is.
Frankly, I think the creators were cat-haters, and whenever I watch it I always want to root for Tom. It’s my forever unfulfilled wish that he’d get to eat Jerry and get it over with. Clearly, it’s not the violence in the show that bothers me. And anyway I was a Bugs Bunny kind of girl. (Hence George’s name.)
In order to quell the screeching noise of a disease ridden flea carrying rodent outwitting the dumbest cat in cartoondom, I’ve resorted to earphones and streaming video/itunes while I play Facebook Scrabble work. This way the boy and I can be in the same room and I don’t have bleeding eardrums. One of these days Hulu is going to be good enough that I might not even need my TiVo. Now that’s heresy!
apathy
I haz apathy, and it isn’t about the election.
~yawn~
I need a nap. I might have stayed up a little too late last night…
But instead let’s talk about something frivolous, shall we?
Let’s talk about how my once favorite past-time is currently disappointing me. There isn’t anything good on TV.
It’s true. I think.
Or is it just me?
My former favs are either gone or boring me and I haven’t been able to get into any new shows. What’s wrong with me? Not even Amazing Race is holding my attention like it used to.
What are you watching these days? Anything at all or have you given up on TV? I really like to have have it on while I work in the mornings and this apathy is affecting my productivity!
Anyway, DH just re-upped our Netflix account for the winter and I need to update my queue. Let’s pretend I’ve never watched any TV ever. What series would you recommend I watch? Old, new, drama, comedy, anything? What would you watch again and again?
If you don’t give me ideas, I’m pretty sure I’m gonna get all the Wonder Woman episodes and then you’ll have to hear about it, so save yourselves!
summer reality recap
A couple days ago my real life friend Cluckers reminded me I need write up some of my thoughts about the reality shows I’ve been watching this summer. (I promise you, Cluckers is not her real name!) You all know I have a thing for reality shows, (and so does she!) and there are a bunch of fun ones on right now.
Design Star (on HGTV) - I don’t know why, but this season bored me to tears. I adore Vern Yip so I kept thinking I’d like it and so I kept recording and trying to watch. I’d hit play, and then get engrossed in something online instead. Next thing I knew I’d look up, it would be over, and I wouldn’t care. Delete. Pretty much it just made for great background noise while I worked. The finale is Sunday night and I don’t even remember who made it.
The Next Food Network Star (spoiler alert - don’t click if you haven’t seen the finale!) on Food Network, obviously) - I was a bit surprised who made the final three, Lisa kinda makes me cringe, her pov is weird and I just want to tuck her hair behind her ears so she doesn’t look so stark. Aaron is adorable and his food sounds fantastic, but I never thought he had enough confidence to make it all the way. Adam is always so cocky about his on-air personality but his food just doesn’t seem to cut it. I’ve seen the finale, but I won’t ruin it for you here if you haven’t!
Shear Genius (on Bravo) - I loved this show last year, but the jury is still chatting in my brain about this season. I don’t have a stand out favorite yet, but maybe Nicole, because although she’s inexperienced, she’s also very creative and seems the most “real.”
Project Runway (also on Bravo) - One of my very favorite reality shows, and this season is already good! No matter what happens, Tim Gunn makes it work. (hee, hee) I don’t have a favorite yet, but I do know who I don’t like. That Suede dude really needs to stop referring to himself in the 3rd person, he just makes me want to reach through the screen and smack him! Also, Blayne has got to lay off the tanning bed, pun intended. Yeah, I think this show brings out the snark in me!
Flipping Out (can you say Bravo again?) - If you’ve never seen it, you really should. Anyone with any bit of neuroses (and who doesn’t?) will feel much better about themselves after they witness Jeff Lewis’s self-admitted OCD. Oy vey. And yet, you just gotta love him! The Season Finale is Tuesday night and I’m sure there will be a season marathon leading up to it so y’all can catch up.
Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood (on Oxygen) - Okay, who here is going to admit they love the Tori and Dean shows too?? Come on, you know you do. You all grew up on 90210 just like I did, so give it up. Tori is adorable, Dean is, well, adorable, and the baby is, of course, adorable!
So what are you all watching this summer? Any good reality shows (or any shows) I’m missing that I really should be watching? But if you say Big Brother I’m going to ban your IP address! Um, kidding! Maybe. Try me and we’ll just see. Seriously, if you watch Big Brother, I need to know why. *gag* Convince me.
I admit it, I’m a black shirt-aholic
I cleaned out my closet today. I’ve been wanting to for sometime, but just hadn’t had a chance. That’s a lie. I haven’t had the motivation! Anyway, I filled an entire trash bag with clothes I NEVER wear but are hardly worn. I just have to figure out which charity to donate them to, and get them out of my house! Can I just say, not one piece of the giveaway clothing was black. I’m keeping the black.
Afterwards, I checked out what my tivo had taped for me today. Of course, it knows me well. Like spooky well.
Two episodes of What Not To Wear.
I’ve tried to follow Stacy and Clinton’s rules so many times. I buy color. And it sits in my closet. I buy black, and I wear it all the time. I’m not falling for it anymore. I’m no longer buying color. Well, maybe red. But really, I give up! I’m sick of wasting my money! Print skirt? Okay, as long as some part of the print is black, so I can wear a black top! I only own black shoes, because what’s the point of having anything else?!
I haven’t actually counted, but it’s entirely possible that I own about 50 black shirts. At least half of them are t-shirts. But I swear - they aren’t just t-shirts. They’re the good kind, with v-necks and nice fabrics! *sigh* Yep. Black shirt-aholic, and justifying it. My only other defense it that if when I wear black on top, I don’t also wear it on the bottom. Really. Mostly.
Then they want us all to wear layers. Scoff. Yes, I ppfffttt at the layers! I’m always too damn hot! I’m the girl wearing the t-shirt in the dead of winter! And I keep my house at 63 (Sorry honey.) I wanna die in the summer, especially without central air. I ask you, how am I supposed to wear layers? EVER?
There’s also the pointy-toed, high-heeled shoes they praise. Listen, I live in the woods in New Hampshire, and I work sitting on my couch. It’s sandals, sneakers, or boots. (Cute boots!) Not to mention…the plantar fasciitis. Ever had it? I have. It’s extremely painful, takes forever to get over, and I never want to experience it again. So that means no more pointy-toed, high-heeled shoes!
I’ll still watch the show, (mostly for that cutie patootie Nick) but I no longer believe them (except for, well, you know who.) From now on, I’m sticking with my black shirt, tan capris, and my comfy black sandals. It’s my uniform. What’s yours?
a little interruption
I have to interrupt myself. I’ve been cranking out some paperwork (for my real job!) this morning. While I work I tend to put on the TV for background noise. I often record things on my tivo that I think will be good for that, cooking programs, old favorite repeats like ER, reality shows, and of course Guiding Light all make for great background entertainment.
One of my favorite reality shows is Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares on BBCA, but I had never seen Hell’s Kitchen before. If you’re confused about the connection, the two shows both have the same host; the irrepressible (and frankly adorable) Gordon Ramsay. So last night I noticed it was on and I set it to record just to check it out. I’ve been watching it this morning while the boy is at preschool and I’m loving it! Why, oh why, have I never watched Hell’s Kitchen before?! How did I miss this?
Oh, and for those of you thinking you might check them out - just don’t do it with kids in the room! Ramsay has a tendency towards verbal spewage ;)
Now I have to go back to my regularly scheduled paperwork!
the tv experiment
As you’ve heard before, I’ve been an insane person the last week or so. I’ve got dishes piled high in the sink. I’ve got nothing to wear because I haven’t done the laundry. The family room looks like a tornado hit it, a little boy tornado that is. Pathetic. However, it does mean the boy actually played with his toys…
I made the boy have a (mostly) tv-free day yesterday because he’s been out of control asking me to let him watch. I know it’s partly my own fault. When I get super busy with work I do let him watch more tv than normal (I am in the room with him, but still) but it’s the constant asking that was driving me nuts. So we did an experiment. I told him he would not have any shows all day, unless I decided he could. The deal was that if he asked for it, not only would he not get any, he would also have to pay me a quarter out of his job jar. He didn’t ask once. It was a beautiful thing. I only offered it twice, once for part of an episode of Twister Sisters, and once for an episode of Berenstain Bears before bed.
The thing is, I’m one of those people that thinks there is some value to television. Yes, even for kids. He has learned some amazing things that I never would have thought to teach him myself, just by watching The Magic School Bus, Zoboomafoo, Super Why, or Time Warp Trio. We also let him watch shows on Discovery, TLC, Animal Planet, and the National Geographic Channel, partly because we like them too, and partly because that science stuff fascinates him and it’s awesome to see him soak it all in. And yes, we love the Food Network, and that definitely encourages him to try new foods as well as wanting to help me cook.
But. There’s always a but isn’t there? This is five year old boy. What he really wants to watch is Power Rangers, Spiderman (cartoon, NOT the movies), Transformers Animated…you get it. And that’s the stuff he’s asking for. Yes, I have those things on my TIVO, yes I let him watch them once in awhile, but geez, stop ASKING me. Or it’ll be $0.25 please.
Yes. That’s right. The experiment worked extremely well. There’s not much that will separate a boy from his hard earned job jar money, and tv isn’t it, so the quarter fine will stay in place, and I? I will have peace from “can I have a show?” a hundred times a day.
lunchdate
I made a new friend today. If you know me in real life it will probably surprise you to know that I don’t make new friends very easily. I make lots of friendly acquaintances but going deeper is so very hard. Anyway, one of the other preschool moms and I have been trying to get our kids together for a playdate for months now, and it just never worked out. Well, today she invited us for an inpromptu lunch. And we actually went.
Our lunchdate turned into a playdate and we ended up having a four hour conversation about serious and amazing things. However, our bond was not truly sealed until one of us (I can’t remember who) first admitted an addiction to a certain soap opera recorded daily on our tivos. I know this is quite a confession, but it is a terrible yet life long addiction. Both of us have watched since we were little girls sneaking a peek at it, me with my mother and she with her grandmother. Both of us could remember the characters, the supercouples, and the plotlines from the early 80’s. We even had the same crushes on those oh-so-cute dark haired actors. Silly? Yes. Embarassing? Also yes. But I don’t care - it was totally awesome to find a kindred Guiding Light fan - if not a little freaky.
Are you gonna spill your secret TV addiction? You know you have one and you might just make a new friend if you tell it :)