My Life Reflected On TV

Okay, I’ll say it out loud. I like tv. Those who know me best would attest to this. I think in the past, I felt like I shouldn’t like tv as much as I do, but at this stage of my life, I guess I really don’t care anymore. I have tons of interests—yes, I am also a movie freak, but I’m also an avid reader, a cook by hobby, and an adventurer (in my own small Columbus world kind of way.) I love getting out and enjoying life with my kids. I think I have enough balance in life to admit that yes, I do love tv. These thoughts started coursing through me with the revival of an old tv favorite of mine—Kate and Allie reruns on the WE network. For those who don’t know Kate and Allie, it’s an 80’s sitcom about two divorced moms who bring their families together and live their lives in NYC. This was my mom’s favorite show when I was a kid. This was our life. After we lost my dad to cancer, she had 3 small kids to raise on her own so she had one of her single friends move in with us. Sue lived with us off and on for a while and because of our unique little household, they got a kick out of Kate and Allie. I’ve heard that the show was considered pretty ground breaking at the time because in the 80’s different kinds of families were still pretty unusual. The crazy antics happening in their lives on tv were not that far off from my reality. I vividly remember my mom and Sue getting into huge bubble wars while doing the dishes, chasing each other though the house, and collapsing on the floor from hysterical laughter. They laughed a lot, they talked a lot, they probably cried together…Sue was just part of our family. I didn’t realize how much I love this show still, until I heard the oh-so-familiar piano notes played during the opening credits. A very warm glow spread through me.

Continuing on, as kids my sister and I loved The Facts of Life. Now when I watch it, it’s very silly. It’s bad acting, it’s bad drama, and it’s goofy comedy. Nevertheless, I still love it. For my junior and senior years of high school, I went to a boarding school in New Hampshire. I LOVED it. It was strict and the teachers were a little weird, now that I look back, but it’s still one of the best experiences of my life. I made my first real friends there. Girls there accepted each other even though we were so different, unlike the mean girls I had grown up with. It was fun, they taught me to be crazy, to make memories, to have adventures, to appreciate different music than I’d ever heard…the list goes on and on. So on that note, you can see why I relate to the Facts of Life.

Now on to the present. I get teased about my Gilmore Girls obsession and part of me can understand. For people who don’t watch it, it’s just yet another teeny bopper drama on the CW with no substance. Those of us who watch know it’s smart comedy and complicated family drama. Friends who also watch have told me they can see why I like it because the Lorelai and Rory love books, movies, music, and food---my four major loves in life. They live in New England, they love going to town events, they create events out of even the tiniest happenings in their lives. This is me to a tee. I realized this morning that is means more to me on another level--watching them sometimes is like remembering my teenage years. Without a dad around and me being the oldest kid, me and my mom were always together, and very close. I was always old for my age and very protective of my family. My mom says she thinks I ended up being her adult companion as much as I was her teenage daughter. We watched zillions of movies together, we are both readers, she taught me to appreciate old musicals, we loved to eat… And on top of that, growing up, she always turned everything into an event. I have a tendancy to do this myself. Last week, instead of inviting friends over to watch a movie, I had to turn it into a “Movie Night.” All the kids had to wear their jammies and bring their sleeping bags. I made huge bowls of popcorn and other snacks. The kids had their movie in the basement and us adults had ours in the living room. What a great night! If we decide to go to the park, we GO TO THE PARK! We pack picnic lunches, we bring bubbles, etc. And of course it has to have a title, something like, our End of the Week Park Adventure. A couple of years ago, I wanted to have a bunch of girls over for fun. Instead of your typical girls night, we had a Girls Godfather Movie Marathon. I made really girly appetizery foods for our night of serious guy movies. Then last year in MN, instead of just having people over for a Christmas movie, we had a Christmas Movie Extravaganza, watching an old classic and a new classic (It’s a Wonderful Life and Elf). And of course we had a ton of festive food. And it goes without saying that when superbowl time comes around, I’m just giddy. I guess I’m saying all this to explain to you that I love turning simple things into events, and it’s definitely part of my DNA cuz I got it from my mom who also loves to do it up big. =) For those who don’t watch Gilmore Girls, this happens on a regular basis. Instead of just watching Willie Wonka, they have to hit the store first and get obscene amounts of candy and junk food, in order to properly enjoy the movie. Every year, during the first snow of each winter, they take time out for a mother-daughter walk with their coffee. How great is that? I so relate to this. I’m thankful my mom passed this goofiness along to me.

This is a pretty long post, about nothing particularly important, just putting my thoughts out there, because I can… and probably because I'm sick today and just a little bit delirious. =)