Set Free

You Be the Judge

Do you watch our favorite shows?

#1 Son is home and tonight, while The Princess is off at a choral rehearsal, we are watching an old episode of Battlestar Galactica.

He says, "This is SO much better than Lost."

I say, "Is it?"

He says, "Yes!"

I say, "At its best, maybe."

He says, "It's more consistent."

I say, "I'll tell you if I agree with that when they wrap everything up."

Then there is a flashback to Gaius and his interior 6 in the "previously" and I am into it once again.

So, what do you think? Is Battlestar Galactica better than Lost?

Conflict of Interests

I arrived home from a church meeting last night just after 9 p.m. and found #1 Son watching TV. Soon The Princess appeared, wanting to watch something else.

Which did you choose?

Barack, Hilary and John in a remake of "Viva Las Vegas?"

(Which is to say, reasonably adult discussion of the issues facing our nation and world, I suppose.)

Or Simon, Paula and Randy in the City of Brotherly Love?

(Which is to say nothing of the sort.)

I suspect you can guess that at my house the decision broke not on party but on age and gender lines. #1 Son got the boot and went upstairs; The Princess commanded the remote control and employed the DVR, and we caught up with the Philadelphia auditions, the usual assortment of agonies, ecstasies and insults to our ears.

Somewhere out of our range of consciousness the three Democrats took questions from Brian Williams.

I don't feel good about this. But at that moment it was beyond my control.

I hope the next debate is on a different night of the week.

I Feel So Dirty Redux

It's been two weeks, and we are still watching American Idol. You may wonder how I can possibly stand to do such a thing, or to live with myself in the face of doing it.

Just before leaving for his symphony rehearsal, Snowman gave me a lecture about how his sister will be ruined forever by watching such a show. Her values, he feels, will be marred and skewed beyond redemption. She is already, he tells me, far too concerned about things like boys and social life and image.

I feel sure there was something I ought not have let him watch at 11, but I couldn't think of it quickly enough.

I do have a vague recollection that The Father of My Children allowed the children to watch Seinfeld repeats, a show about which I had bitter feelings after hearing him laugh over the episode in which George's fiancée died after licking toxic glue on the envelopes for her wedding invitations. Perhaps I took it too personally. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

He, on the other hand, gave me a hard time for letting #1 Son watch The Best Damn Show on Television, Homicide: Life on the Street. I've had a chance to watch some of the DVDs recently, and I stand by my decision. That was good acting, and it was good bonding time, too.

Snowman, meanwhile, has been my Lost watching buddy, and we got into 24 together. Neither of those is exactly highbrow, is it? But he's not turning into a terrorist or a counter-terrorist, or even an Other.

Here's what I think. I don't really care what the show is, as long as it isn't obscene. If my 6th grader wants to watch something with me, and spend time with me, and GET ALONG with me, I'm saying yes. Even if it makes me feel a little dirty.

I Feel So Dirty

The Princess convinced me to watch American Idol.

Why do I have to know who these people are?

How can it be that I am secretly rooting for someone already?

Is it possible tonight's episode is two hours long? The humanity!!!

And please, please, please, won't Ashanti leave the room?

(I may never be able to post under the subject "Highbrow Family Values" again.)

Today

Today, while the blossoms still cling to the vine
I'll taste your strawberries, I'll drink your sweet wine
A million tomorrows shall all pass away
'ere I forget all the joy that is mine, today.

We are working very hard around here at finding the joy despite the seemingly neverending rain, so I thought I would make a list of a few joyful things in my life today.

First, I have more yarn than I know what to do with, although less than some famous stashers. At the moment I have three projects on the needles: a baby-sized Prayer Shawl for Small Church's Prayer Shawl Ministry, which we are hoping to expand to include addicted infants being treated at the local hospital; a shawl for The Princess made with the yarn I purchased in New Orleans in January; and a pair of socks using the eight-stitch basket weave pattern in Sensational Knitted Socks and some really pretty KnitPicks Essential Sock Yarn in Cocoa.

Second, I saw two wonderful movies yesterday. In the afternoon, the kids and I went to see "A Prairie Home Companion." It's only playing at one theatre in the area, with about 130 seats available, and the theatre was packed with people who were, well, let's just say The Princess leaned over and whispered, "Everyone here is really old, Mom." The music was wonderful, the plot eccentric, the theology intriguing and the jokes by the cowboys exceptionally bad and hilarious. Later, #1 Son and I watched "Capote," with its brilliant performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman. I guess now we will have to read "In Cold Blood." That will add another book to my summer reading list, which you may find in the sidebar. Book #1 was disappointing, but the next book is great.

Which brings me to the third joy: "Leaving Church," by Barbara Brown Taylor. Clergy friends, if you don't have it yet, get a copy. And then let's all talk about it.

Fourth, we are planning what I hope will be a wonderful and exciting trip to England and Scotland in August. I spent time today booking accomodations. It's beginning to feel real! #1 Son will be performing at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and we will have a chance to see him in the play, meet Kathryn and, I hope, Sally, and visit some places I have always wanted to see but did not on my other trips to the U.K.

Fifthly, #2 Son received some exciting news. Remember the day his clarinet failed him? I guess his sang froid impressed Dr. Conductor, and his playing must have, too. When the letter came confirming his place in City By the Sea Youth Wind Ensemble, it also announced that he had been chosen as a member of City By the Sea Youth Symphony Orchestra. We had to read the letter about four times to believe it. Only two clarinets from CBtSYWE are chosen for CBtSYSO, the principal and the first runner-up (whatever that may be called). To go from being the 4th chair 2nd Clarinet to a 1st Clarinet is hugely exciting for #2 Son!! Also a little scary.

And finally, tomorrow is a big day at Small Church. Two women who have just begun a ministry to the homeless in City By the Sea are coming to preach and talk to us about becoming their sponsoring church. It has been my prayer that Small Church might find some further local outreach that people would really feel called to support, lots of people and not just the usual few. Nine lay leaders met with the two women recently and all felt the tingle and the pull that I had felt upon first meeting them. Now we'll see how the rest of the church feels!

I, meanwhile, will be covering for Rev Fun and preaching in the afternoon for his folks. My sermon is written and my Power Point prepared, so I will not need to participate in the Saturday Night Preacher's Club this week. Phew!

I can't be contented with yesterday's glory
I can't live on promises winter to spring
Today is my moment, now is my story
I'll laugh and I'll cry and I'll sing.

Netflix

At the beginning of February, I decided to join Netflix, taking advantage of a free trial. They sent the first two DVDs ("Ray" and the first DVD from the first season of "24"). I rhapsodized over the cunning little envelopes that turn into the return envelopes and marvelled at the fact that they came overnight.

I returned them and got my next set of DVDs. Then the Olympics started. Those cunning little envelopes have been sitting on the kitchen table for almost two weeks. Last night I wasn't interested in the prime time Olympics, and the children were at their dad's house, so I watched the next four episodes of "24." (Wow! Scary!! Unfortunately, since I started watching them after being hooked by this new season, I knew certain characters were going to survive.) Now I really want to watch my other movie, so I can return them both today and have more "24" by Saturday.

Would it be wrong of me to watch "Kinsey" at this hour of the morning?

Homicidal Maniacs

Homicidal Maniacs At my house we have been watching Season 3 of Homicide: Life on the Street on DVD. #2 Son, in anticipation of what will likely be a snow day tomorrow, has been on a Season 1 binge this evening, since he only watched that DVD set sketchily. Why do we non-violent types--okay, why do I, a non-violent type; perhaps it is too much to speak for the boys--like this show so much?

I always say it is the acting, but as we watch the shows over again, uncut and in order, I realize how much the through-plotting means to the show. And it's hard to say enough about the city of Baltimore, how much a character in the show it is, what sort of texture it adds to the stories.

We have two Season 3 episodes left to watch, Colors and Gas Man. Lucky for us Season 4 will be out soon!