Alpineman and I went to the local Mexican restaurant (local = the next town over) to celebrate Cinco de Mayo... and new beginnings. Alpine's last day of work was today, and his first day of school is Monday... and hopefully next week, we'll learn if he's been accepted to the LPN or RN programs. It's a leap of faith, and sometimes you have to take those leaps... and if they don't work out, you figure it out. And we will.
I'm missing the Richmond race this weekend for the first time in a LONG time. I hate to miss it, but I'm tired. And it might rain. And if it runs on Sunday, I can't really stay for it, or at least not until the end. And I don't want to do that! If I went, it would get rained out. Now that I'm not going, my man, Markypoo, will win the race. We'll see tomorrow... My racing buddies will be there, and I hope they have a great time. So, Yogi and Roy, be careful and have a great time. A and J, keep them in line... and GO MARK!! =)
Today is my uncle's birthday, and his daughter was also born today a year ago. She's an 05-05-05 baby... that won't happen again for quite some time! So, happy birthday, uncle and cousin, and we'll see you tomorrow to celebrate!
Friday, May 05, 2006
Thursday, May 04, 2006
television these days
Alpineman generally can't stand the television shows that I like to watch. (He's also freaking out because I don't write very often. So, alpineman, read this!) ER is probably the worst of them, though we did watch House together a few weeks ago (a girl he knew growing up was in that particular episode, and that was the only reason he kept watching). He has been in more than his share of hospitals, and doesn't like the personal drama that goes on while we watch people suffering. I understand his point, but I guess I just see it differently.
To me, watching those shows are an escape from reality. Yeah, ER is set in, well, an ER, and yeah, there are doctors and nurses and patients with real ailments. There are some dramatic episodes where they focus on the sufferings of one patient, but typically, the patients are simply a backdrop for the show. Often times, their ailments are real but funny, and the situations that the doctors and nurses are thrown in because of those funny ailments are even more funny. But again, those moments in between the drama are just background moments, or small bits of comic relief. For me, I like the drama, and that's why I watch it. It ISN'T real, so whatever happens is ok. It's JUST a tv show, for pete's sake, and I watch it purely for entertainment.
Then the guy who plays Dr. Carter decides to leave the show. I haven't watched from the beginning, but it's my understanding that he was the only original actor left on the show. He's popular among fans, he's a mentor among characters, so it's understandable a big deal - in tv terms, anyway. So they decide to bring in some dramatic crap to build up to his departure. All in all, that's fine... for as long as he's been on the show, he deserves some drama build-up. But they have to go all humanitarian on me, and bring in a "shock" of reality to my fictional drama.
I think that's when I started rolling my eyes during the show. So Carter goes to Africa with Doctors Without Borders and does some great humanitarian work and comes back. Shew - thank goodness that's over! But it isn't really... he brings his new, pregnant girlfriend... so we know it's not quite over yet. She loses the baby and goes home. Surely, this is the end of it. Nope... Carter's exit has him going back to Africa to work and win his girlfriend back. Ok, fine... so Carter had to leave somehow... whatever. That was last season.
But we love Carter so much that we want to see him this season, too! So we have these lame reasons to go back to Africa so we can see Carter and all the horrible things that are going on there. Now it seems that it's turned into some humanitarian effort or something. And then I read this:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/05/04/apontv.er.indarfur.ap/index.html
Yeah, I'm glad that television can use celebrity status to raise awareness to help fix something that sucks, but come on - this is a FICTIONAL DRAMA. This is not the History Channel. If I want reality, I will watch History or the news. I don't want reality, I want fiction. Not real. Made up. FAKE.
It's a good thing I set up to record ER, because now I hardly remember when it comes on. I used to be ready for it and even wait for it to come on... now, I'm lucky if my tv is on and hope that I've set the auto-tune to the right channel so I won't forget. Maybe I should just forget it all... not to be mean, but we've got plenty of problems right here that we can work on and be aware of (can we say ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, kids?). If you want to raise awareness for these poor African people, create a documentary about them. Include doctors from Doctors Without Borders and ask for donations. Great, fine. But please leave my freakin' drama alone. I don't need ER to educate me, and I don't want to see celebrities use their status to push some agenda or notion on me. I just want to escape from reality for an hour once a week... is that too much to ask?!?
To me, watching those shows are an escape from reality. Yeah, ER is set in, well, an ER, and yeah, there are doctors and nurses and patients with real ailments. There are some dramatic episodes where they focus on the sufferings of one patient, but typically, the patients are simply a backdrop for the show. Often times, their ailments are real but funny, and the situations that the doctors and nurses are thrown in because of those funny ailments are even more funny. But again, those moments in between the drama are just background moments, or small bits of comic relief. For me, I like the drama, and that's why I watch it. It ISN'T real, so whatever happens is ok. It's JUST a tv show, for pete's sake, and I watch it purely for entertainment.
Then the guy who plays Dr. Carter decides to leave the show. I haven't watched from the beginning, but it's my understanding that he was the only original actor left on the show. He's popular among fans, he's a mentor among characters, so it's understandable a big deal - in tv terms, anyway. So they decide to bring in some dramatic crap to build up to his departure. All in all, that's fine... for as long as he's been on the show, he deserves some drama build-up. But they have to go all humanitarian on me, and bring in a "shock" of reality to my fictional drama.
I think that's when I started rolling my eyes during the show. So Carter goes to Africa with Doctors Without Borders and does some great humanitarian work and comes back. Shew - thank goodness that's over! But it isn't really... he brings his new, pregnant girlfriend... so we know it's not quite over yet. She loses the baby and goes home. Surely, this is the end of it. Nope... Carter's exit has him going back to Africa to work and win his girlfriend back. Ok, fine... so Carter had to leave somehow... whatever. That was last season.
But we love Carter so much that we want to see him this season, too! So we have these lame reasons to go back to Africa so we can see Carter and all the horrible things that are going on there. Now it seems that it's turned into some humanitarian effort or something. And then I read this:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/05/04/apontv.er.indarfur.ap/index.html
Yeah, I'm glad that television can use celebrity status to raise awareness to help fix something that sucks, but come on - this is a FICTIONAL DRAMA. This is not the History Channel. If I want reality, I will watch History or the news. I don't want reality, I want fiction. Not real. Made up. FAKE.
It's a good thing I set up to record ER, because now I hardly remember when it comes on. I used to be ready for it and even wait for it to come on... now, I'm lucky if my tv is on and hope that I've set the auto-tune to the right channel so I won't forget. Maybe I should just forget it all... not to be mean, but we've got plenty of problems right here that we can work on and be aware of (can we say ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, kids?). If you want to raise awareness for these poor African people, create a documentary about them. Include doctors from Doctors Without Borders and ask for donations. Great, fine. But please leave my freakin' drama alone. I don't need ER to educate me, and I don't want to see celebrities use their status to push some agenda or notion on me. I just want to escape from reality for an hour once a week... is that too much to ask?!?
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