Saturday, August 23, 2008

Mmmmm ... TV ...

You know what sucks? Summer colds. You know what also sucks? Killer period cramps. Experiencing them both in the same week is ultra sucky. And yet, this week was somehow extraordinarily tolerable. For that, I thank television.

As you may have noticed, the summer Olympics have been airing on TV for the past 2 weeks. I have always loooooved the Olympics. It is my crack. An addiction that rears its ugly head every 2 years. I don't give a rat's ass about most sports, but when the Olympics come around, it seems that nothing else in my life matters. I cannot explain it. The summer Olympics are especially bad because there are so many more categories of competition. It can be a major time suck. So this year I was going to try to resist. I didn't even watch the opening ceremonies (Tim and I went out for cake instead). My will power did not last for long, though. The siren song of men's gymnastics pulled me in and, dammit all, I got hooked. Again. I watched for hours and hours and got so emotionally involved that I actually made myself sick to my stomach with worry. Tim is not as interested in the Olympics, but he politely watched with me during our evening meals. We rooted for a Cuban runner together. And we noticed that volleyball players are the most affectionate people on the face of the earth (Seriously. If you're ever feeling lonely, just join a volleyball team. Group hugs every 2 minutes at the very least). Luckily, the Olympics are ending this weekend & my addiction will fade away for another 2 years.

But the Olympics are not enough for me. Oh no. I have additional televised addictions, too.

1. Mad Men
Smart, subtle, slick, & sadistic. Soooooo good. My cable system has all of the old episodes available to watch for free on an On Demand channel. I watched the entire first season in 2 days & I eagerly anticipate each new episode. It's sick. It's wrong. It's fabulous.

2. Project Runway
The gang this season is a bit meh, but I'm hooked anyway. At least Tim Gunn has been marvelous. "You tell her you've been to a different rodeo!" Thanks, Mr. Gunn! I'll do that!

3. Gene Kelley movies
Turner Classic Movies aired a Gene Kelley movie marathon the other day. I watched 6 of his movies. In a row. He was a pretty crap singer, but he made dancing look masculine & powerful. Love!

And last but certainly not least ...
4. Gilmore Girls
Do not call me between 5-6pm eastern time on weekdays. Just don't. If you do, I probably won't answer the phone. That's because I'm watching Gilmore Girls. Back when the show originally aired my brother, Ray, told me over and over and over again about it and how I should really really try watching Gilmore Girls sometime. I didn't pay attention to him then. Well, I'm paying attention now ... as is my mother. We call each other every few days and gossip about this show as if we were two old biddies discussing General Hospital. "What's the deal with Jess? And why wasn't Chris at Rory's graduation? And can I please punch Taylor? Pleeeease?" The moment when Lorelai sang "Wind Beneath my Wings" to an appalled Rory is one of the best moments in TV history. Warning: they talk FAST & the number of pop culture references are overwhelming, but that's half the fun.

1 comment:

lizgwiz said...

I didn't get into Mad Men last season, but then they ran an all-day marathon just before Season 2 started...and I watched the whole damn thing. Now I'm hooked!

I was wondering if maybe volleyball is a completely gay sport, and I just didn't get the memo. The constant hugging...and the guys with their butt touching. I swear...those weren't slaps...there was buttock cupping involved. Hee.