Summer. I can handle three months of 100+ degree temperatures and having to entertain children (indoors!) 24/7, while still keeping up my house and part-time lawyer job. At night, however, when I collapse - exhausted and overheated - on the couch, reach for the remote, and scan the DVR to find only four episodes of Wizards of Waverly Place and three Wow, Wow Wubbzies, it really is almost too much to bear. I make due with a couple of summer series and some reruns. I catch up on some movies. All the while something is missing.
Then school starts, the volunteer work and Mommy taxi service begin, the temperatures fall (Ha! Just kidding!), and life takes on a sense of normality. At the end of the day, I collapse - exhausted and still overheated - on the couch, reach for the remote, scan the DVR, and find . . . four episodes of Wizards of Waverly Place and three Wow, Wow Wubbzies. Because it's August, and the TV season doesn't start up for four more weeks.
Now here we are in the third week of September. In the last 48 hours, I've watched the Emmy's and Ellen's Emmy show (thanks, Ellen, for starting your new season LAST week!). I've watched half of the Dancing with the Stars premiere, and I currently haveThe Sing-Off playing in the background. In the next ten days, I'll watch the premieres of Glee, Desperate Housewives, Modern Family, The Office, Grey's Anatomy, House, Pan Am, and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. At some point, Mad Men will be back. Of course, there's year round Jon Stewart. I may give Dexter a shot - though their promos about how "disturbing" this season will be don't do it for me. If you're doing the math, I will take in around 20 hours of programming per week this TV season. And you know what? I'm not ashamed.
We have such a schitzophrenic society where television is concerned. "Experts" (on television) tell us not to watch television. They also tell us laughter is the best medicine. No one makes me laugh harder than Ellen, Jon, and the Modern Family andOffice folks. They tell us to connect with other people. In my opinion, few topics connect people more than TV (or sports, but you watch those on TV, too). They tell us to be informed about our bodies. One of my summer fill-in shows was Dr. Oz. I learned as much watching him for three months as I learned from reading books and magazines over the last five years. They tell us to keep up on current events. Again, I offer you Jon Stewart. They tell us to be compassionate. Watching Extreme Makeover: Home Edition opens my eyes to the hardships and heroism of other people every week. I always want to help someone somehow after watching that show. They tell us to learn about history. Who hasn't picked up a thing or two about the 60s from Mad Men? (I have high hopes for Pan Am.) And they tell us to release our emotions with a cathartic good cry every once in a while. That's where my dramas fit in.
People, I don't watch TV because I enjoy it. I watch it because it's good for me! Ok, I watch it because I enjoy it; but I also feel strongly that TV has value and can actually contribute to making you a better person. The trick is balance. I watch TV while I do laundry, sort through paperwork, look at Facebook, blog, stretch, exercise. Some would say I should just commit to doing one thing at a time. Be present. But who has the time? I do avoid TV that makes me mad, stressed, frustrated or scared (no Fox News for me!). I avoid TV that sucks me into a dark place (hence my questioning a place for Dexter in my life). I embrace uplifting television, television with a positive message. Even the trash has its place, though. Sometimes you just need to turn off your brain for a little while. Just remember to turn it back on! If TV isn't for you, I respect that. But TV and I are good friends, and I don't diss my friends.
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