Week 1 - part 2

Well, here I am. Writing my fourth blog entry in 24 hours. It is my intention in the future, to post just twice a week - but you see, I'm having trouble catching up with myself and so, for this week you are stuck with four entries.

A couple of comments for my friends and followers. First off, thank you for the suggestions. Now, I will never disclose my list, (and I reserve the right to change it at any time) but I can tell you that many of your great suggestions have already made the list. I have plans to dive into "The Big Bang Theory" in the next week or so as well as enter into a few vintage documentaries.

I have also decided, in the spirit of my new-found relationship with blogging, that I will keep track of everything (and I mean everything) that I watch on TV.

Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about yesterday's media intake. I had plans to finish "The Missing Girls" but they went down the drain after I dove back into "Glee" and managed to watch the final six episodes. I am now caught-up to real time and can watch the season finale on Tuesday with the rest of the world.

After wrapping-up my overindulgent Glee-a-thon last night, I caught myself wondering "Just what is it that I love so much about this show? Is it my obvious resemblance to Rachel Berry?" After all, I once attempted to direct an independent production of "The Sword of Suva," a play written by one of my sister's high school friends... in my back yard... when I was ten. But alas, I am not a Streisand fan and therefore, lack a critical Rachel-esque element. Well then, is it that I relate to all of the characters? What is it that makes this show irresistible to me?

And then I had it.

Fun.

When was the last time you saw teenagers (or anyone) having fun? I'm not talking about pretend, "look-how-cool-I-am-in-an-effort-to-impress-my-friends" fun. I'm talking about honest-to-goodness, carefree fun.

Probably not recently.

"Glee" in it's simplicity has achieved something somewhat remarkable. It's brought fun and song back into our lives. Sure, some of the songs they sing make me want to gouge my eyes out with a sharp stick, but that's simply a matter of taste. I'm sure not everyone loved the Neil Patrick Harris duet of "Dream on" as much as I did either. Point being, there's something for everyone in this show. I can sit through a few Christina Aguilera songs to get to pieces I want to want to hear and others can sit through my favorites to get what they want.

Fun is not something I had a lot of in high school. Now, thanks to "Glee" it's social acceptable. What's more? We're learning about others and ourselves while watching. Every show contains a powerful "after school special" type of message. And I do love those messages. Whether that message be that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes or the need for self-expression, the show is packed full of them. You can tell those messages to high schoolers all day long, but the fact of the matter is, unless cleverly disguised as a fun TV show, they just aren't going to get it.

In high school, I was fairly neutral. I hung with what was referred to as the "alternative" or "grunge" crowd back in the day. I had purple hair for a time. I wasn't terribly bullied nor was I terribly popular. I floated through. So then why why was I so terrified all of the time? Who was I terrified of?

My friends.

It's true. My own friends were my biggest fear. What if the music I was listening to was too mainstream? What if I liked something that wasn't dark enough? What if they all wanted to become vegetarians and I didn't? What if I thought something from GAP was cute? Forget about being petrified of jocks and popular kids, I was scared of the very social group of which I was a member! I spent years checking out what my friends were doing and then copying it. But only a little. Because in high school, copying someone is treason. You've got to be just like everyone else, but not so much that you're stealing. There's a fine line. Ironically, the girl who took such pride in being a social outcast was doing everything that everyone told her to do.

When I was about to head off to college, I received the most fateful advice I have ever accepted. A actor whom I was in a community theatre production of "The Taming of the Shrew" with, and whom I admired deeply, told me that a degree in Theatre Arts was a waste of time. It was impractical and useless in the long run, that I'd end up as a waitress... etc. And so, I didn't.

I am 31 years old. Do you know what I wish I had? A degree in Theatre Arts.

When you're in high school, you never know how life is to turn out. I never dreamed I'd be a stay at home mom. Am I sad? Not ONE TINY BIT. Would I change it? NEVER. See, no matter how much we change or how things turn out, what we're wearing, or what music we're listeinging we're still the same people. And that same person in me still loves to perform. The fact of the matter is, any degree would have landed me in the same place, because I'm still the same person.

It was somewhere during the "Women are Strong" Madonna-themed episode that I realized - anyone can find a crowd and stick with it, but only the strongest can reinvent themselves based on where they are in life. I like how I've turned out. I like that I wear big jewelry and bright colors. I like that I like thinks that other people don't like. I love that I love television and that my neighbors are frequently treated to loud solo performances of the music of "Les Miserable" or "Rent" - by yours truly of course. I like that some day I might not like my costume jewelry and sport a different look altogether.

The best part about this story? Those friends I was so terrified of. They're still my friends. It turns out they really didn't care all that much what I was doing all along. They probably don't care that I secretly like Lady Gaga and write a dorky TV blog.

This epiphany brought to you by "Glee."

And now, I move on to my next projects. Tomorrow, I delve into "The Stand." Have you seen this book? It's 1200 pages and I swear, 3 inches thick. I'm going to have to get through 100 pages a day to finish it in under 2 weeks. Wish me luck and be prepared to discuss the battle between good and evil.

Recap:

TV/Movies:
"Glee" - 6 episodes. Current with live broadcast. Bumped from 4/5 stars to 4.5/5 stars.
"I'm Pregnant and... 'insert horrible life-circumstance here'" - 1 episode (I'm pregnant and... homeless!). I'm not giving this one a rating because, wow. This is one of those shows people watch to feel better about themselves. How about funneling those production costs into a home for that poor woman?

Books:
The Missing Girls: A Shocking True Story of Abduction and Murder" by Linda O'Neal, Rick Watson, and Philip Tennyson. 3/5 Stars thus far... scheduled to finish this evening.