We tried to go without cable or satellite or any type of TV augmentation once before…we made it about 5 days.
So today is a red-letter day. We are cutting the proverbial TV cord.
We have had a gazillion options over the years (direct, dish, cable, comcast – everything) and just hate almost everything that is on TV and actually rarely watch a show when it is on anyway. How is it possible to have 897 channels available and not be able to find one redeemable thing on when you have a few minutes???
So we figured, for instance, when Dave wants to watch that horrible “Walking Dead” show, he can use Hulu and see it a day late. Which is fine, because he just finished watching 6 back episodes that he’d recorded months ago but hadn’t had time to watch.
Plus we got our AppleTV a year ago and even though we couple it with our Netflix subscription, we haven’t really fully explored everything it avails for us and I don’t think we will until we take the plunge.
So, we did it. We called them. We said, “Thanks, but no thanks.”
We bought one of those exterior digital antennas ($40 @ WalMart) to get local channels in hi-def and it looks good. But I am still hyperventilating. I am madly surfing before they actually pull the plug with no intention of watching anything-just afraid of losing the control and selections. And I truly hate 92% of what is available anyway.
Tell me: have you done it? How do you de-tox? How do you change what you have done for 30+ years? What will help me transition when I feel like I need a fix? Please, friends and family: get me through this. What do I need to know and where will I find everything I neeeeeeeeeed???
I will miss Paula Zahn and Dateline on Investigation Discovery. And for the grandkids, whom I have raised on Sprout (Caillou, and Angelina Ballerina and so many other sweet little shows), I will miss “119.” But I will miss you the most, Judge Judy.
I take this leap willingly. Let’s see if we can go longer than 5 days???
WATCH THIS CUTENESS!! Marlo Thomas was the original “That Girl” in the late 1960s and in to the early 70s. LOVED HER!
Now Zoey D is The New Girl and her opening is very happy: Who’s that girl? Who’s that girl? It’s Jess!
Meanwhile, I took years of French classes and seeing this {colorful} Target ad reminded me of singing this very song each year in school – even though it is quite decidedly a French Canadian song, rather than a song from France. We also sang “Blue Bayou” in French at Hammond High Shool (Louisiana). It was all part of the educational experience.
Alouette, gentille alouette!
Omygosh…I love Target ads. What kind of a sheep am I? Inspiration for grandbebe vids!!
There is nothing like a few wrinkles, emerging gray hairs and notches in your been-around-the-block-a-few-times belt to make people believe you’d be a good mentor.
I have younger women ask me to mentor them and I am like, “Heck, yeah! I’ll mentor you. I would be honored to get credit for how amazing you are.” Because really? Wow-I know the smartest, most gorgeous, most amazingly talented women on the face of the earth (which include my 5 daughters, btw). I feel lucky to be seen with any of them. :)
I’ve always known that really, I am getting the better end of the deal. My cool factor rises just because of the people I hang around. Plus the things I learn, the inspiration – all a win for me.
I don’t watch this show so I had to look up his character’s name, but I flipped on the TV last night to an episiode of 30 Rock, where Alex Baldwin’s character had a short but hilarious spurt on his mentoring theory.
“The Donaghy-mentor experience is immersive.
I don’t choose my mentees lightly. They have to have the drive and ambition to be worth my time; the intelligence to understand the challenges they are going to face; the humility to accept my help; and finally – a life that is a bottomless swamp of chaos. Drive – Intelligence – Humility – and Chaos!”
I think I will be using this to write my own mentor-mentee experience soon. And print flyers. And people will line up by the truckloads.
The MOSLANDERS::Who could play us in a made-for-TV movie about Ross-the-boss, Mrs Moss, and all the Little Landers??
My dad
James Garner
Is there really any actor who is more beautiful than James Garner? I mean, he stayed good looking,too. And he is a man’s man. And when he had his show The Rockford Files, my dad loved it because he had a similiar swagger. And I always thought of my dad as very handsome and put together, too, and definitly full of self-assured attitude. So, yes, James Garner could have played the role of my dad.
My mom
Barbara Stanwick
My mamala never wore one stitch of make-up in her life until retirement and barely now, so this younger, slightly less-than-ultra-glamorous version of Barbara Stanwick would work, more innocent. Barbara was always a little feisty, and my mom was and is just plain SWEET! She is a loving, forgiving, guile-less woman. She is truly beautiful, really gorgeous features, but never capitalized on them. To this day, she has a jawline women pay big money to try to get.
Little brother, Joey
Ernie from My Three Sons.
Joe. He had to get glasses in the 4th grade, I think. He was a cutie, really, always a fav with the girls. He had coarse, naturally wavy (a little bit curly) dark hair he tried to keep under control. He still has all his hair, though it is silvery with wisdom now. He was like-able and nice, a good friend and sweet brother who just had that awkward glasses stage for a time. But oh, I love him. Yes, Ernie from My Three Sons could be Joe in the TV version.
Little brother, Timmy
Little Ricky Nelson from Ozzie and Harriet
Irrepressible. Cute. And asked mom to shave his head on a couple of occasions, oddly.
Little sister, Tami
Buffy from Family Affair
Remember that show? Buffy was a twin to Jonny Whitaker? And she had a doll names Mrs. Beasley? Tami had that doll, too and was cute as a button, 6 years younger than me.
Baby brother, Danny
Timmy from Lassie.
Danny was the cute little cuddler. The baby. Mom’s little fella.
Finally ME, the firstborn!
Jodie Foster.
She played Danny Partridge’s girlfriend, Gloria, in an episode or two of my fav show. Her teeth, like mine, were a little big for her head and her hair was fine, like mine. And if she weren’t an actress with a make-up crew, I bet it would have been as stringy as mine, too. She was blonder, but yes, Jodies could play the role of Jeanie, I think.
AI=Artificial Insemination (Wrex is trying to make me come to the farm to help increase the goat or cow population or something. I am simply not ready to hear about what a “jump steer” is and the “collection” of needed materials for artificial insemination, I’m not!)
AI=American Idol – my secret indulgence, my I-can’t-help-myself obsession. My judge-other-people-like-it’s-going-out-of-style possibly sinful conundrum.
So – can you believe I missed the first night (last Tuesday)? I had even read the yahoo article (by Matt Whitfield) on it beginning again and all the changes the new show and judge would bring and I still thought it was next week! But I caught the 2nd night of the season premier and I have to say: I still love this crazy, silly show! However, this season there will be big changes.
Matt’s article cited some:
Fewer trainwrecks: In an effort to bring more credibility to the show fewer freaks…delusional dorks…and [William Hungs] will be featured during the auditions. VERDICT: Boo! Don’t the producers realize that we voyeurs want to see as many sad clowns as possible? Guess not.
HERE IS WHAT I THINK: Actually, I (Jeanie) still felt I got my money’s worth on people I could judge and make fun of (not the obvious people – I have compassion on them, of course!). The show did feel more positive overall, more upbeat and dare I say it, even more encouraging!?!
Character development: With Hollywood Week finally becoming Hollywood Weeks, we’ll actually get to know the contestants and their stories, unlike in years past when the Top 12 could easily consist of strangers. VERDICT: Yay! Remember when Kelly Clarkson came out of nowhere in the final few weeks of the first season? She had virtually zero TV time until the finals. Blasphemy! Thankfully, that shouldn’t happen again.
HERE IS WHAT I THINK: But I still don’t want them setting my emotions up for me. Go easy on the sob-story pitches, AI. I’ll choose those who deserve my pity.
Wild-card Round: For the first time since the show’s second season, the judges will select the final three contestants that will comprise the Top 12. VERDICT: Debatable. As much as I don’t trust the public opinion (hello, Taylor Hicks), I think the judges have enough power as is. Shouldn’t the viewers get to hand out the golden tickets? I dunno. This could be very good… or very, very bad.
HERE IS WHAT I THINK: Hahhhahhahahhahha! For real – how did Taylor Hicks win?!
Top 12: With the semi-final round being comprised of 36 contestants — as opposed to the usual 24 — and with the judges determining the wild-cards, the makeup of the Top 12 won’t necessarily be split evenly among males and females. VERDICT: Finally! If more women (for example) deserve to make the finals, let them in! I think everyone is tired of the 6/6 split. The best singers should be in the finals. Not cute talentless hunks (Ace Young), not grandma-selected safe bets (Kevin Covais), and definitely not Sanjaya.
HERE IS WHAT I THINK: I soooooo agree. I also had to laugh when Matt called David Archulette a Monchichi lookalike! And yes – NOT Sanjaya!
New Judge: The new kid on the block is songwriter-producer Kara DioGuardi, the mastermind behind Xtina’s “Ain’t No Other Man,” Gwen Stefani’s “Rich Girl,” and Pink’s latest hit, “Sober.” Will she rely on her professional experience like Randy? Will she battle with Simon? Will she ultimately replace Paula? (All parties deny this rumor). Will she tell it like it is and risk hurting the contestants’ feelings? VERDICT: Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Well, at least we hope so.
HERE IS WHAT I THINK: I really like the new judge! I think she managed to improve Paula’s performance. Paula was almost lucid the other night. Still stupid, but almost normal. So, good move, AI. Kara seems like a smart addition, intelligent judge. I love how she sang that bikini-clad-clown under the table (saw the clip online).
The Matt Whitfield article also noted some rumored changes~
Fewer Themes: Rumor has it that viewers will no longer have to witness pop tarts trash country classics, crooners butcher Broadway tunes, and divas destroy Big Band standards. VERDICT: Phew! We can handle Billboard’s biggest hits, “songs from the year you were born” night and maybe a “movie soundtrack” theme, but an evening with Burt Bacharach must be banished!
HERE IS WHAT I THINK: The AI median fan age was just announced to be 40. But Burt Bacharach may be a stretch even for them. I like him, though. He wrote the soundtrack of my 1960s life. What the world needs now is love, sweet love…
Younger Mentors: In a perfect world, Season 8’s finalists won’t have to pretend to know who Neil Diamond is, let alone sing songs from his infinite oeuvre. Same goes for Andrew Lloyd Webber and anyone else with liver spots. VERDICT: This can’t happen soon enough. Did the producers ever think to invite anyone other than an octogenarian to mentor the finalists? It’s time. It’s time to tell Kelly Clarkson that in order to help her with her comeback, she needs to remember where she came from and make a triumphant return to the “Idol” stage. It’s time to enlist Rihanna and Chris Brown — no matter the cost. It’s time!
MY THOUGHTS: Dang, though. I was still hoping for a David Cassidy night. Guess not.
Yes, I will be watching American Idol for the next 5 months or so…Jeanie
