I Want to Believe

Sitrep: ~15 minutes shoveling snow It’s funny how something as simple as a movie can make you rehash your life. (Or maybe I’m the only one that this happens too?) After a tough night Friday night (I have not had a nightmare so full of death of family members since high school…) I received my two latest Netflix rentals. One was this obscure movie with Hedy Lamarr- and obscure doesn’t begin to cover it. It’s from 1933, and made in Europe; Austria or Germany to be a bit more precise. It’s barely a talkie. Seriously. Mostly music accompanying the scenes, what speech there was was confined to single sentences. It was interesting, but no phenomenal. Shocking In that for a movie from 1933, there was definite nudity. Today, it would be rated “R”. Not what I was expecting from that era. Then again, it is a European movie…they’re a lot more relaxed about nudity than us Americans. The other movie, the one that caused the retrospective, was the latest X-Files entry: “I Want to Believe”. Not your typical X-Files, really. Much more into the emotional aspect, of Scully & Mulder (yes, this is where my dog’s name came from.), of Scully’s doubts, of Mulder’s need to believe. It was actually pretty good. The final scene between the two almost made me cry. (It could have been the lack of sleep...) Although sad to say I can’t even remember how the series ended. I didn’t think they were together at the end. Were they? I feel sometimes like I’m losing my mind, the things I can’t remember. But that last season, well, when Mulder left the show and Scully was having the baby and they started in with the whole male baby as some type of savior…I tuned out. Oh, I had the show on every week, I just read or did other stuff (like talk on the phone!). It was more habit, and hope it’d return to the quality of the previous years. That’s a far cry from the days where I refused any and all phone calls during an X-Files episode. I mean, I was a fan. I even talked my mom into taping it every week for the two years I was in the Peace Corps. What a Mom, huh? (This was in the days before you could get every season of every show imaginable on DVD almost as soon as they aired. And man, were those packages TREASURED. I got a few other PCVs hooked on the show. ) When was the last time a show captivated me that much? The answer is simple: there hasn’t been. I can’t think of a single show that has hooked me like that one did. Why is that? Is it the networks/lack of shows? It seems they are all Law & Order/CSI type shows or family dramas like the Sopranos or Brothers and Sisters, or reality shows. I barely watch the Biggest Loser anymore. None of the shows capture me, transport me, make me want to tune in for an hour that’s sure to capture my mind & attention. Or is it simply that I’ve changed? I’m just not sure. There’s a certain nostalgia when I look back on the days of my enthrallment with the X-Files. I’m not sure why. It’s just weird to me, that’s all. I’ve never had any troubles obsessing over shows or books. When did that stop? Why did that stop? I kind of miss it, to tell the truth. There’s something exciting about waiting for that next episode; the enjoyment of it. Oh, I got tired of the mythology story line, but when they did the other stuff, the creepy/eerie only-the-X-Files-does-this…What a ride it was! Now it seems it’s all angst and drama on TV. Everything is so soap opera-y. Not that that’s bad, it’s just too much angst for me. [g] I want entertainment, not angst. I want substance with my entertainment, too. I want more than a 30 minute sitcom. I want something different. I want a show that's story-line driven, not character-angst driven. I want something like the early days of the X-Files, or Star Trek: TNG. Where you have character stuff, but it's the indivdual episode stories that are great. Where you can miss a week and not feel lost in the next week's episode...

Not MY Dog!

Sitrep: 1x Lawn Mowing, 10x THINKING About REVing :(

I'm not one to watch a lot of the reality TV shows. Although in the past I've admitted to watching W.ife Sw.ap and Su.perna.nny. Now I mostly read or play solitaire while those are on in the background. But this summer I've discovered a new reality show. Greatest American Dog. Let me just say up front that my dog would not make it onto this show so I am suitably impressed at those that have. But last night's episode was crazy. Here's a short clip from the episode. This would have sent me running.
Watch CBS Videos Online I wish they had a short clip of the dogs doing the zip line. Yikes. To see that you have to watch the full episode online. You can't fast forward to the end, more's the pity.

Is it just me?

Last week was a good week, even if I didn't meet all my goals. Here's the SitRep:
2x Arms (2wts), 2x Cardio, 1x Abs, Walk (15 min)
~ Noticed increased arm strength while working on the floors upstairs.
~ Weight still at 165!!! From 171 on 9/10

This week's goals:
2x Arms (2 wts), 3x Cardio, 5x Abs
10 mins daily stretching
Scraping/Sanding floor upstairs

I hate the Legs workout and love the Cardio. Bizarre and so not like me! Since I'm struggling with Legs, I'm going to focus on Cardio. And working on the floors upstairs will work legs some; squatting, stairs, etc.

I frequently find myself watching Ex.treme Mak.eover: Home.Edition on Sunday evenings. No matter how I try to stop myself, I usually find myself being critical. What is up with that? Am I just jealous? But I really wonder how many of these people keep the houses when they're done, or end up "ruining" them just like their previous one.

Yes, I realize that's extremely petty and mean spirited of me. It's not something I'm proud of. But seriously. When they show some of these people and the way they lived before the show. If you're knee deep in clothes and trash, giving you a new house isn't going to change the way you live. Now, I understand that sometimes life gets the better of you and just gets you down to the point where it's just nearly impossible to get up in the morning, much less keep the house clean.

It's just one of those things I wonder about. How are those people in their new houses 3 or 6 or 12 months later? Do they get into financial messes once again? Is the house not kept up just like their last one?

Like last night, I was looking at the house the family was living in. Their youngest child was going through her second round in a fight against cancer. The stress and worry of that, emotionally and financially, has got to be crushing. But the house didn't look that bad to me. Unless it was structurally unsound, why did they have to bull-doze the whole thing? Yes, there was mold on the kitchen floor. Guess they've never heard of bleach. If it's such a big health hazard, did they try to clean it up? Make some effort to fix it? I guess I'm just too critical. Maybe they did and just couldn't get rid of it. The same for the holes in the walls. It's not expensive or time-consuing to fix those. For Pete's Sake - I've done it, and I'm not exactly inclined in that direction. Maybe the house was structurally unsound and they just didn't go into it on the show. I just find myself thinking, they could build 3 or 4 decent homes for what they spend on one, filling it with all these top of the line fancy gadgets, etc.

I cringe when I see them destroying toilets and sinks and cabinets and windows, etc, that are in decent enough shape to be re-used in another home. Especially really old homes. Go online and check out This Old House's web forums; there are always people looking for windows, etc, for their old homes they are trying to restore. I hate the apparent waste of it.

We have a store here in town, called the Re-store, where you can take your old cabinets & sinks, etc. I know quite a few people that have found items there they've re-used. My friend found a corner cabinet with the "Lazy Susan" shelves inside...it fit perfectly in one unused corner of her kitchen. She sanded & painted, and put a new top on it. For a fraction of the cost of a new one, she has a wonderful corner storage unit and counter top. But I guess it's easier - quicker - cheaper - to just demolish. It looks better on TV, too, I guess.

And, of course, first thing I said to myself when they entered the house on last night's episode and they are all ga-ga over the 22 foot high ceilings was "That's going to be a b*&^ch to keep warm in the winter." They do that alot on this show. Big fancy houses with huge spacious rooms and high, high ceilings. I wonder what those heating/cooling bills look like.

Anyway. That's my current uncharitable state of mind. Am I the only one that thinks any of this when watching that show? It's become my weekly test of character. When I find myself with negative thoughts, I try to refocus. Sigh. Why do I do this to myself?

Why do I watch this?

I must admit that I have some strange TV viewing habits. As a friend of mine would say, TV viewing at all is a strange habit. It drives her crazy when sometimes I'll go "Hey, I'll call you back in an hour, I want to watch this show..." And I sheepishly admit, I've become very good at having conversations on the phone with a show on mute, closed-captioning enabled, of course. ;) It's pretty easy when it's a repeat 've already seen a dozen times.

So, my lineup of shows that I watch regularly are:

The Waltons (bit embarrassed to admit this)
Law & Order (the original & SVU)
Medium
Heroes (thanks Sis, like I needed another addiction. LOL.)
HGTV (too many to list!)
History Channel (especially religious documentaries, histories)
Forensic Files
Cold Case Files
A Haunting (when I remember it's on, and am not feeling too spooked. Usually it's on mute w/CC. Or I freak out.)

Early Saturday and Sunday mornings usually find me half-awake on the sofa watching "Curb Appeal", "Clean Sweep" and the like.

But perhaps my most interesting show fascinations (to me at least, because they're very out of character) are these:

Wife Swap
Biggest Loser
Jon & Kate plus 8
Little People, Big World

Not sure what the deal is on these. Especially Jon & Kate plus 8. I mean, I like kids, but am so not into the whole parent thing. Maybe it's because while watching it I can't help but think "OMG, if that was me it'd be a train wreck!" Maybe it's some kind of strange lifestyle validation. [g]

For those of you unfamiliar with the show, it's about a young couple that couldn't have kids, went the medical treatment route, had twin girls, decided to have another child, and ended up with SEXTUPLETS. Miraculously, all with no major health issues. But now, as they said on the show, they have "Two six year olds and six two year olds." Train wreck, right?

Not so much. I cannot believe how organized this woman is. Her house is cleaner than mine, (Mom, you did not just read that) ,and it's just me and the dog. And she and her husband are hilarious, I think.

And that's not the only show on TLC on families with multiple kids. There are actually several with a dozen or more kids...one even has sixteen! So for months I've been watching these shows...It must have been percolating in my brain, because one day last week, my determinedly-childless self was standing in the kitchen making something (can't remember what) and thought about what would happen to those kids if the parents died.

In typical geek fashion, I thought "Who'd be the backup?" I mean, being backup to one or two kids is one thing. But back-up to eight????? Thank God, the Goddess, whoever, whatever is in charge, that between them my brother and sister only have 4. And that's when my brain went "OMG Nat, YOU'RE the backup."

LOL. I'd never thought of myself that way. :) Don't get me wrong, I love all my nieces and nephew and would take any and all of them in if necessary (God forbid, knock on wood, throw salt over my shoulder, add any other rite/ritual to protect, I hope it's NEVER necessary)Anyway. It was just a weird moment.

*Ok, on second thought I'm editing this post to include the following, for my own safety. ;) I fully realize that I am not the only backup, and that there are grandparents and additional siblings serving as backup. Nor does this post express the wishes of either set of parents of these children! ;) *

All from my eclectic TV viewing habits. Maybe I should turn that thing off.