The Bachelorette - I Don't Get It

I know I'll probably get flamed for this, but tonight I watched "The Bachelorette" and I don't get it.  I watched the first episode where our heroine, Andi, greeted about 25 guys (I'm not savvy enough to know exactly how many).  That was interesting and fun.  I thought it was cute that she could weed through a few guys at a time.  After all, a girl should be able to know that not all 25 guys can be her "soulmate."

Fast forward a couple of weeks and she's going on "dates" with groups of guys.  I'm still with that.  It's probably fun to walk around with a group of guys following you like a pack of hungry dogs.  No, seriously, a girl can have fun in a group.  There's no pressure to focus on just one.

Again, I have to admit that I don't regularly watch this show; in fact, I've only seen about 2 episodes total and a few glimpses of another.  Tonight I noticed that Andi is down to 3 guys.  I understand - she's still dating and making decisions.  Here's where I am confused.  She's kissing and spending the night with two of the three guys, although I'm not assuming anything went on behind closed doors because then I would have to assume she's a tramp.  I don't think that badly of Andi the Bachelorette.

By the end of the episode, she's ready to take two guys home to meet the parents and she's talking about how within a week she's expecting a proposal from one of them.  I watched the face of the baseball player as she offered the rose to the cute shy guy.  He didn't look too thrilled at the possibility of losing the game.  It is definitely a reality competition.

As I watched it with my daughter sitting close by, I couldn't help but contrast it with some recent episodes of "19 Kids and Counting" in which one of the daughters found a husband.  You know, those people who are "freaks" because they have 19 kids, dress modestly and "court" before marrying?  How could a girl possibly marry a guy she's only been out with a couple of times and always with chaperones?  Now I'm not suggesting that we start lining up chaperoned dates for our daughters, but I do have to admit I was less confused watching that instead of Andi and her "soulmates."

I truly hope Andi finds the lifelong love she so desperately wants.  I'd like to think it might be one of these two guys she is taking home.  I'm just not sure a television show is the right place to look for love.  Either way, we will enjoy watching.

I just won't get it.

cindy

Watching the Tube

Wow.  My kids and I just finished watching the first season of "Heroes."  This is one cool TV show from 6 years ago.  I can't remember being so interested in a television show and being able to sit down and watch it with my kids.  We can't wait to start Season Two.  Who says there's nothing good on TV?

I've always been a TV watcher.  As a kid it was "Brady Bunch," "Mork & Mindy" and Scooby Doo.  By the time I was a teenager, MTV was integrating radio and television.  Cable arrived with 300 channels and nothing on.  With each new show, genre or innovation to content, the mode was the same.  You waited until the time and day the program was scheduled and sat through all of it, including the commercials.


Then came the VCR.  VCRs were awesome at first, but sometimes it was tough to schedule the VCR to turn on at the right time.  It really stunk when you missed that Dallas cliff hanger because you ran out of tape. Ack!  I can't imagine how many family feuds erupted when one family member inadvertently taped over the other family member's favorite show.  Good luck trying to fast forward through those commercials.


Meanwhile, programming started to change, and not always for the better.  Cable was mediocre unless you were paying a premium for HBO.  There were still some great dramas - "LA Law" and "ER"- and classic comedies like "Seinfeld" and "Friends."  The problem wasn't so much that the content wasn't good, but it was becoming hard to know when to watch.  The networks were constantly shifting days and times for shows and even then there was only about half the number of episodes in a season.

DVRs were a welcome addition to compensate for the inconsistency in the television scene.  Finally, a way to schedule recordings without tapes and the ability to record more than one show at once!  You still had to fast forward through commercials, but it was certainly an improvement.  Problem was, you still had to deal with those unpredictable and short TV seasons.

Now there are services like Netflix and Hulu.  Finally, you can watch TV on demand!  I'm loving this.  I especially like how you can take older shows and watch their entire run on your schedule.  In addition to "Heroes," we never would have seen "The Office," "Breaking Bad or "The Tudors" without Netflix.  No commercials to fast forward through makes it easier to watch more content in less time.  I'm looking forward to discovering television I missed the first time.

Right now, though, I'm just happy to see "save the cheerleader, save the world."

cindy

The Olympic "Bod"

It's Day 5 of the Olympics and I'm only 1 day behind (I have all of today's coverage recorded).  I've seen so many sports.  I have to give NBC kudos, especially the coverage on their "alternate" channels (Bravo, MSNBC and other cable channels).  Those channels cover sports that might not be so popular  (equestrian, judo, white water rafting) and full length games (soccer, basketball, volleyball).

While I've been watching these sports, I've noticed that there is no "prototype" Olympic athlete.  Women athletes vary by sport - gymnasts are very short (I saw a Romanian girl who is 16 and 4'7"!), while beach volleyball, indoor volleyball and basketball players are very tall.  Women swimmers are bulked up above the waist with thick necks while the rowers and bikers have rock hard legs.  Women weight lifters are . . . umm . . . square.  They are short and built like barrels.   Just sayin'

Men seem to have more similarities.  All appear to be very muscular.  The gymnasts are strange looking, with huge shoulders and legs on short little bodies.  Basketball and volleyball players are just too tall.  Water polo players have amazing bodies but faces like hockey players, and swimmers . . . even when they lose they look good.

Older athletes can be found in sports that feature specialized skills, like archery, shooting and equestrian events.  The average age of the human equestrian competitor is 40, while the horses average about 13-15 years old (which is not a young horse).  Men and women compete against each other.  Sometimes I wonder how much skill and stamina is the horse and how much is the rider.  About the time I start to compare riders to dog trainers, I see a picture of the equestrian cross country.  BTW, that's a woman, and no, she's doing exactly what she's supposed to be doing on that course.

All kidding aside, I've seen some great Olympic moments - the American women winning the gold medal in team gymnastics; Michael Phelps winning his 21st medal in the 200 freestyle relay; the British men's team winning a bronze in team gymnastics; the American girls who won the synchronized diving silver medal; and the astonishing beauty and difficulty that was the equestrian cross country event.

Yep, I'm loving it.  I don't think too many people are geeky Olympic junkies like I am (except for my friend Linda), but I hope you're all enjoying it too.  We still have another whole week!

cindy

In Honor of the Olympics . . .

The Summer Olympics begin on Friday in London.  I love the Olympics.  I could settle in front of the TV, eat stuff an Olympian would never look at and spend the day moving less than the Olympians will do stepping up to begin their event.  I think we love the Olympics because it's a sense of national pride and the athletes and their stories are so compelling.  When I was a kid we only had one channel that would have Olympic coverage.  Today there are probably about 5 or so different NBC stations that will be showing many of the events.  I plan on getting my DVR warmed up.

In honor of the Olympics, Mackenzie made a ribbon baton from my stash.  And so, I present Miss Mackenzie in her ribbon gymnastics/dance routine (turn on your own inspiring/patriotic music, cause you can't hear ours on the video):

Boy, I bet you are ready for some world class athletics now!  Throughout the Olympics I'll check in like Bob Costas to let you know my favorite moments.  Go Team USA!

cindy

When the Kids Are Away . . .

this big cat is going to PLAY!  This week is fall break for the kids so Kentster decided to take them to Sedona for the night.  So I'm home alone.  I miss my kids, especially when my husband sends me cute pictures of them on my phone, but I'm managing.  Heck, I'm having a personal PARTY!  I get to sew and watch whatever I want on TV.  I get to eat in front of the TV and I didn't have to fight for the laptop to write this post.  I also get to stay up as late (or go to bed as early) as I want. 

The hardest part of this great alone time is the conflict between being busy with sewing and being relaxed in front of the TV.  Believe it or not, I'm actually going back and forth between activities.  But even in that, no one is questioning what I'm doing.

I love my family, but sometimes I just love the opportunity to be alone.  And, I know any mom who reads this understands EXACTLY how I feel.  Gotta go, clock's ticking . . .

cindy

RIP AMC

O.K., I'll admit it.  I'm a soap opera junkie.  I come by it honestly.  I can remember being 4 years old watching Vicki on "One Life to Live" changing personalities like some people change their mind.  My grandmother and brother were to blame for that addiction.  In 1970, I can remember "All My Children" and "Young and the Restless" starting.  My sister was addicted to both initially, but by the time I was in my early teens, I was hooked.  I remember Phil and Tara, Greg & Jenny and Jesse & Angie (the first time when they were in high school).  I remember Nina and Palmer Cortland and his big Doberman Pinschers that he let loose on Nina's mother Daisy. 

Best of all, I remember Tad.  Tad the gorgeous cad.  He was a force of nature.  You didn't know whether to love him because he was so adorable or hate him because he was such a jerk.  Mostly he was outrageous - like when he slept with his girlfriend's mother!  And Erica - what can I say?  No tough issues were taboo - abortion, rape, homosexuality, minority couples, interracial dating, miscarriage, HIV/AIDs, adoption and suicide.

For those who don't watch soap operas (or specifically AMC), Friday was just another day.  For those of you who have been watching soap operas over the years (especially AMC), last Friday was a day of mourning.  All My Children is no more.  All those wonderful characters we loved to watch for over 40 years - gone.  It feels like I've lost a whole town of dear friends. 

Daytime soap operas are a breed on the verge of extinction - "Search for Tomorrow," "Ryan's Hope," "As the World Turns," "Santa Barbara," "Guiding Light" and now "All My Children."  By the beginning of next year, my Grandma's favorite "story," "One Life to Live" will be history too.  I know many people ridicule soap operas as bad story lines or bad actors, but those same people are more than happy to watch "Desperate Housewives" or "Glee".  Daytime soap operas are so much better - a new show everyday, no reruns and no 13 episode seasons.

For me, those shows represent memories.  My grandmother and I had nothing in common, but when she came to visit, I could always watch One Life to Live with her.  My sister and I laid out in the sun over the summer with a tiny black and white TV watching Luke and Laura get married on General Hospital.  When I was in college, you could go into any dorm lounge or the student union and watch All My Children with a group of complete strangers who laughed, cried and heckled the show with you.  I made some great friends in law school over chicken salad sandwiches and All My Children in the small lounge next to the cafe.  Even my husband watched AMC for a while in the Kent Bogart days.

If AMC reappears online, I will be there.  Heck, I may even be able to watch it at work.  If not, it was great to live in Pine Valley, even if it was only for an hour a day.

cindy