I was chatting this evening on FB with a friend from high school. One thing we always had in common was a love for music. He told me what he was listening to right now - Sam Cooke - and because I am not a naive young teenager anymore afraid of not knowing something, I admitted that I wasn't familiar with him. My friend then typed "American Idol".

And fear set into my heart. Must change the subject.

And a whole new type of nervousness kicked in... the "I can't admit that I have never seen American Idol" type of nervousness.

Nope. It's true. Never seen American Idol.

I blogged recently about how AB and I have dropped off the face of the planet with respect to TV.

Thanks to Facebook I knew to set the Tivo for Top Chef - though I am certain that Rachel or Vanessa would have clued me in. I also knew that a new season of Entourage would be starting soon.

AB says we don't watch TV because we have a crappy CRT TV.

Yes, we do have a 12 year old or so CRT TV, but the thing works. And plus, we never watch it.

My mom was an avid TV watcher. And she admitted it proudly too - she loved watching TV. When I was a kid our evenings were filled with watching TV. Cosby Show, Different Strokes, Mork and Mindy, Dallas, Charlie's Angels... you name it, we were there.

After my mom passed away we opted to do a few things in her memory. One was to plant some roses in our garden and get a stepping stone to create a living memorial to her.

The other was to bite the bullet and buy a new TV. This one pleased my husband greatly. But really, last I saw my mom she said to me, "I don't understand, high def TV's just AREN'T that expensive anymore!" I didn't tell her we just never watched TV, though I think it was obvious when I hadn't seen any of the HGTV episodes and admitted to having never seen a long list of shows she watched.

So really, it was an appropriate thing to do.

AB researched what "we" wanted. And then one night a little over a week ago we sat down and placed the order for the top of the line, 50" Panasonic Plasma TV. And a blu ray. And a new receiver with DVR. And an articulating mounting arm.

We are going to get back on the TV bandwagon one way or another!!

We thought that was going to happen this weekend.

I came home over lunch today to receive this nice, nifty new TV from the shipping company that drove it over to our little town from "the west side".

They unloaded it, brought it in, unpacked it.

Then the driver sat shaking his head.

"It's broken," he announced.

"What?" I asked.

He beckoned me to the other side of the TV and there before me was a massive crack across the screen.

"Wow." I said.

"That's a shame," the driver said.

"Wow," I said.

The driver picked up his phone and called the distributing warehouse to tell them it was refused for the crack. He pointed to the Amazon.com number for me to call at the same time. I did, and told them it was refused.

They quickly credited the account, but told me since it was a third party seller fulfilled by Amazon I would have to go reorder it online, they could not simply replace it.

That... has proven more difficult than I anticipated since it appears that cracked TV may have been the last one on earth like it. Or at least the last one on earth for what my husband deemed to be an appropriate price to pay.

Ok, so back to the point. Appears our foray back into watching TV? Delayed.

But someday? I will know who Sam Cooke is, or what the flap is about Cougar Town, and I can even see myself delving into Pawn Stars. (Which is about as appropriate as my mom's love for "Ice Road Truckers".) Maybe I will return to getting my Adam and Jamie fix? Big Love was supposed to redeem me this past year and make me love TV again. Top Chef will make me want to go cook. What is going to make me want to waste my time in front of the TV instead of on the internet?

Where did my TV go?

This afternoon I had a few minutes between meetings and took a look at a blog website. They had an interesting looking link about a modern family. So I clicked it. And became aware that this wasn’t about being a modern family, it was about a TV show called “Modern Family”. Looked interesting enough… kind of wish I would have known about it!

Something has happened here… my TV has gone missing.

Not OUR TV… nope that one is sitting in the TV alcove frequently connected to the Wii or playing some Dora episode.

MY TV. It’s gone. I am officially out of the TV loop.

I have one show I am watching right now, Big Love. I was so excited for Big Love to come back and was thankful for Facebook and friends for keeping me up to date on it. And I need to talk with friends about the show more. But one word crosses my brain with respect to Big Love this season… unimpressed.

I am trying to figure out why. Is it that the storyline just isn’t that great? Is it that it has been ages since the prior season aired and I just don’t remember the story so well. (Things I can blame on the producers and writers.) Or is it me? Am I just that far out of the loop with TV as a source of entertainment?

AB is recording Burn Notice and Heroes, neither of which he has had time to watch. Someday maybe.

It truly has not been an intentional transition. And I can see how it has happened.

1. We got Tivo and relied on Tivo to watch our shows at some later, convenient time.

2. We fast forwarded through commercials and watched what we wanted to watch. Or as Skadi would put it, “me wants to watch wha-ever me wants”.

3. Slowly those TV shows we watched have gone by the wayside and we have ceased to replace them with new shows. A lot of this I blame on the fast-forward technology, I don’t even know what else is on, what the new shows are.

4. Another aspect is my kids… they don’t advertise new upcoming shows for mom and dad on Nickelodeon and PBS.

5. And last… the Wii. Our evenings with the kids where we do sit down together is usually split between a rousing game of 100-pin bowling, snowball fighting, the luge, figure skating (that only mommy wins) or Resort sports. Occasionally we will watch a DVD. DVD nights are usually Skadi’s choice, but one that she soon abandons in favor of dollies and her dollhouse. Leaving us with the decision to continue watching The Little Mermaid, or play Wii. Guess what we pick?

AB and I keep contemplating a new TV, one of the flat panel ones as opposed to having a CRT. But as I remind AB, this one works fine, we don’t hardly WATCH TV anymore and he usually throws in there "yeah and a new TV costs money". I am guessing sometime this year we will take the leap, but until then we are way behind the curve here and choosing to remain that way.

I am not one of those high and mighty, “we don’t watch TV” people. I can’t stand people like that. I like watching TV. My kids watch a little TV – Leif used to watch TV, but now his screen time is either computer (Webkinz or Star Wars games) or Wii. Skadi only cares to watch “Dowa” and I am hoping someday this goes by the wayside. Yes, Dora is great, but wow I am tired of her.

AB and I have even gone so far as to consider cutting the cable and going strictly to downloading when our current commitment is up. When I look at how little TV we watch and how much we pay I realize I could download the shows I want off Amazon for 99 cents each and save boatloads. If it weren't for that silly contract I signed last May...

There are a few shows I have heard about recently that I wish I was watching… "Glee". Probably mostly about a world I was not part of in high school, but it is strangely appealing. And this “Modern Family” show looks interesting too. I always like "Mythbusters" and here is also where I can poke my mom a little and mention that maybe I should catch "Ice Road Truckers" someday...

I am sure we will swing up and add a show when the new season of Survivor airs next week. So I can add one more show to my list then. And I can hope for another season of Top Chef sometime soon too.

What are you watching? Anything major I am missing?

It has started

I am constantly amazed at how quickly Skadi is becoming verbal. AB and I can't figure out if she is just that much faster than Leif, or if we are accustomed to toddler-speak already. I presume it's a little of both.

One of Skadi's favorite lines lately is a very rude sounding, "NO!" She says it quickly and usually while turning away from you.

Or like today at the door on the way out of daycare. She plopped down in the middle of the floor a few minutes after 5pm and when I said, "Skadi come on". She responded with her rude little, "NO".

You know how much stuff you have to put down between two kids to pick one child up out of the traffic? Yeah, lots. We finally got to the car.

We got home and I had told Leif he could watch "Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving" when we got home. Truly I was just glad I didn't have to listen to another Scooby Doo. Anyways, I walked over to the DVD player holding Skadi when she very plainly asked me, "Elmo?"

I put an Elmo video on most mornings and entertain her during my maybe 10 minute shower until she comes wandering in insisting on something - namely me getting out of the shower.

I was surprised to hear her Elmo request.

"No Skadi, we are going to watch Snoopy," I told her still not sure that she had actually ASKED for Elmo.

"NOOOOOOOO!" she wailed and threw her body backwards. Ok, I guess she DID ask for Elmo.

I set the DVD player to only play the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving episode and not the Mayflower episode after. Once it was over I asked her if she still wanted to watch Elmo.

"Yes," she said and walked over to the couch where she sat for a whole 20 minutes.

And then I got to listen to Leif whine about "I don't like Elmo," and "but I want to watch Scooby Doooooooooooo".

It has started.

Maybe our bedroom TV will get some use afterall.

Top Chef finale

So I am finally getting around to blogging about my favorite TV show. Well second favorite - still cannot wait till season three of Big Love starts next January.

Anyways...

Yay Stephanie!

AB and I have been huge Top Chef fans since it originally aired four seasons ago. Finally a woman has won - and she kicked butt too!

AB kept telling me at the end that Lisa was going to win and he was shushed many times. And maybe with an angry and worried tone as well. I was going to be so disappointed if she won after floating through so many elimination challenges. That's not to say I wouldn't have loved to eat her food... (Must go get her Thai soup recipe and her dessert recipe.)

I was sorry to see Richard falter. I really wanted Stephanie to win, but Richard (had he lived up to his potential in the finale) would have been a deserving Top Chef as well.

Can't wait for season 5!

Top Chef returns Wednesday!

Anyone else notice TV sucks lately?

So supposidly the writer's strike is over now, but things won't return to "normal" until next season.

Honestly, it has been good for us. AB gets up and leaves for work by 5:30am, which he reminds me was "really" 4:30am Monday morning post-springing forward. Consequentially he is going to bed by 9pm most every night. He used to stay up much later than me on a daily basis. Now I have four (sometimes five) nights a week where the cat and I are the ones wandering the house togeether while everyone else sleeps.

I get home from work about 5:35pm with both kids. We get everything carried in and I get a Curious George episode started for Leif while I start dinner. AB usually wanders in a few minutes before 6pm. We juggle Skadi back and forth while finishing dinner prep and aim to have dinner for us all on the table by 6:15-6:30pm.

Many days we all have the same thing. There are plenty of other days where neither AB nor I are up for the whining about our choice in food (last night Leif told AB that the filet mignon was "yucky"...) and we put chicken nuggets, carrots or green beans and a pile of ketchup in front of the kids. Skadi thinks it is the coolest thing in the world to have her own chicken nugget. (She ate the filet like a champ though, truth be told there isn't much she won't eat... in fact, I can't think of anything so far. Even the asparagus, she shook her head and made a face with each bite, but kept right on eating.)

Ok, so I started talking about TV now didn't I.

After dinner we have a little time for play. Leif likes to play Cariboo during this time. The problem is Skadi does too. Sometimes we set the train up, or just play with random things in his room. Bathtub for the kids, bedtime for Skadi, snack for Leif, brush Leif's teeth and then his storytime.

One of us does stories while the other starts the evening chores. Clean up the dinner mess, make lunches for the next day, get bottles ready, make our stacks of things that get hauled to the car or carried to the Vanpool tomorrow.

On a good day we are both finished by 8:45pm. Sometimes it is more like 9:15pm.

TV? Many nights a week it doesn't even get turned on. That's not to say that our TV isn't working for us. Our little Tivo box is busy recording stuff ensuring we never need to make a trip to the local Blockbuster.

Right now we have 12 episodes of InTreatment, three episodes of Big Brother, five episodes of Smashlab, two episodes of Mythbusters, and Bernard and Doris (an HBO special movie that looked good to me - not to AB) in addition to many, many episodes of Curious George (you never know which one Leif is going to ask for). The one we always get to watch on Thursday night is Survivor, because you can't come into work without having seen Survivor the night before. The likelihood of it being completely ruined for you is too great.

Turmoil is about to hit our Tivo routine however. Top Chef returns on Wednesday.

AB and I are major Top Chef fans who have watched since the first episode. It is the one thing we both are likely to sneak and watch by ourselves when the other isn't available knowing full well we can't divulge any details and will likely have to watch a second time with the other. AND we are completely fine with that.

AB has given up on InTreatment, so I should be able to start plowing through those making room for Top Chef. He also doesn't succumb to the dregs of TV programming known as Big Brother... it's mine too.

I am anxiously awaiting Big Love which is rumored to be returning later this summer, AB won't admit that he is too, but he is.

However, AB just might be counting the days until Burn Notice returns. I am pretty sure he is.

Catching up, taking a breather

It seems as though the past week has been a whirlwind of activity. All good. But it isn't slowing down.

We carved the pumpkins tonight. Then after bath and I got Skadi down I sat down with Leif to watch "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown". I have always been a huge Charlie Brown fan, related well with him for some reason, and was very excited this year that Leif is to the age that he will also enjoy it. I was bummed that it didn't come on though until the night before Halloween. And since we were pushing the bedtime deadline, I didn't even have the luxury of Tivo'ing it to fast forward through commercials. Wow are commercials brutally painful when you haven't watched them for a few years.

Oh and then there was one that was just so highly inappropriate during a kid's show that I am thinking about contacting the TV station. It was about meth recovery and a woman who lost her child and would sit in front of his school at 9pm strung out. Oh but all is better now and she has custody of him. I sat there saying, "what the?" to AB and he yells back from the kitchen, "during a kid's show?" Umm yeah. Leif is also not to keen on commercials. Every time one came on he said, "I want to watch it again!" Referring to the movie, not the commercial.

There have been a whole slew of funny comments the past few days. I asked him if he wanted me to wash his hair tonight since he was floating on his back in the tub and he told me, "no, we don't have time for that tonight".

He has a few favorite songs lately, but unfortunately XM radio is also not like Tivo and I can't just rewind. He is fond of the two Cars songs, "Life is a Highway" and the one by Sheryl Crow. I can hum and mumble most of the songs, but come up with a name? Got me. The one that was nearly Leif's breaking point the other day though was Jack Johnson's "Upside Down". There were tears over not being able to listen to the Curious George song again. Must make a cd. And another new development? My son has fine tuned his hearing and realizing mom really does suck at singing. He now politely requests that I not sing along with the songs.

Oh then there was the funny one that came out of our friend's son and not Leif. We have been suspicious that J is the other child who is not napping at daycare. School has mentioned in passing "there is another child with a napping problem like Leif". The mom mentioned to the dad within earshot of J, "so evidently there is another child that doesn't nap with Leif". And J piped up, "oh that's me!"

They are so honest. I am loving this stage where I can ask Leif, "did you have a time out at school" and he will answer me honestly. If it is yes, he usually follows up with "But but..." or "Because cause..." and he goes on to explain his case. Which is never one-sided at all. Ever.

He has had a chocolate fixation lately. According to the teachers, so has the rest of the class. He got in the car the other day and told me, "mommy, you need to tell Ms. R about chocolate. She doesn't know about it." They made an effort to remedy the situation by giving the kids hot cocoa for snack that day. When I asked Leif about it he said "no, we had lattes".

So tomorrow is Halloween and I think I have Leif thoroughly amped about it. When cutting the pumpkins open the other day Leif told me, "oh mommy, I bet there is a camera inside!" He has been talking about asking Santa for a camera like N's that is "blue and not pink". Because you know Santa might make a mistake and all. Evidently Leif is stuck somewhere between Halloweenland and Christmasland. He hasn't really sorted out the two holidays and I am sure The Great Pumpkin didn't help tonight!

Tomorrow night AB will take Leif trick or treating while I stay home with the Beaner in her ladybug costume and hand out candy. Protecting my giant jack-o-lanterns and all. (Thanks to all our friends who have helped with lifting and moving them. Please help me to reign in my husband who is threatening to sabotage my plants next year!)

Thursday AB's dad and girlfriend arrive. Friday we are taking off and running around with them. They are wine fans, so we have a few wineries on the list, but not too many so as to bore the kids to death. They will stick around for swimming lessons on Saturday morning and then head back over the hill for my FIL's reunion.

Things start to calm down after that and my countdown begins. Countdown to my full week off over Thanksgiving. Every year I save my personal holiday days and revel in an entire week off. I usually leave Leif in daycare for much of it so I can get things done. This year in the name of saving money and to afford me some one on one time with Beaner, she is staying home with me all week. I am starting my list of things I hope to accomplish.

Skadi is nearly on the move and isn't scared of falling on her face in her attempts to crawl. I keep thinking her movement is just around the corner.

AB has succumbed to my Jedi mind powers just the last month or so after working on him for the past year and has said we can get a kitten in December. I nearly had one fall in my lap and all. I am 90% commited to taking one providing I can get a female and they are healthy and not wild things. And the coworker who has them gets over herself and her fear of children and let's me bring Leif over to see them soon. They just opened their eyes.

So my Christmas present is a kitten. Cheap present until you talk about the automatic litter box, a new carrier (because Calley's old carrier won't do), two vet appointments at 8 and 11 weeks, spaying and declawing. AB is reconsidering his reluctant yes after I called the vet and priced this all out. But he knows he really can't recant it now. We have been talking about names with Leif.

Only one name works for him. Sophia. Also the name of my mom's cat. And he knows this. We need a Sophia too. He told me last night we could name it something else but he was calling it Sophia. Sigh. I asked him if there wasn't any other name he liked. He told me "Brown Ghost" is ok.

Double sigh.

Fleeting thoughts and randomness

The Big Bang Theory... AB and I thought it looked funny from the previews. But there is a point at which the jokes border a little too much on reality.

I work with these people day in and day out. But I am not one. Really.

Denial is a nice state to reside.

---------------

NM: "Let's get you a shirt for today Leif."

Leif: "I want to wear this one!" (Pulling out the Denver Broncos jersey.)

NM: "Are you sure you want to wear that one? (Knowing full well we live in Seahawks territory.)

Leif: "Yes, this one." (We put it on.)

Leif: "GO SEATTLE SEAHAWKS!"

(AB was amused.)

----------------------

NM: "Leif hold still, you have something stuck on your nose."

Leif: "They are called frackles mommy."

-----------------------

And right now only semi-funny... but probably very funny to those who work for the government.

AB on the phone: "I just had to fill out all those forms once again including that stupid one I have filled out at least four times now that they kept losing before."

NM: "Which one?"

AB: "You know, that optional one that is required for employment, the one that says 'I am still a white guy?'"

--------------------

Last night at dinner.

Leif: (Stands up on his chair at dinner.) "I have to call bompa NOW!"

NM: "You just talked to bompa, why do you need to call him now?"

Leif: "Because I tell him he is a lion for Halloween and grandma is a tiger for Halloween."

NM and AB: Chuckling at the thought of my mom and stepdad as a tiger and lion for Halloween. They would do anything for their grandson... wouldn't they?

--------------------

AB's permanent position with his present company starts on October 9th. In order for him to transition to the new position his last day of internship is tomorrow and he has one week off. This works well with our planned exodus to the coast. So new plans...

We leave for the coast on Friday morning and planned return for Tuesday afternoon. We could change our minds and stay through Wednesday... like I have anything pressing at work. But in the interest in conserving vacation time... since I am sans any other type of leave, the present plan is to return Tuesday. I need a comfortable buffer of time off.

Feeling the Love

Aside from Shannon and my mom, who else is addicted to Big Love? I just can't get enough. And I am already getting teary over the fact that there are only four more episodes. Six Feet Under despite it's finished status, has been my favorite TV series for some time now, but the podium is getting a little shaky.

I watched this week's episode a second time with AB last night. It was just as good as the first time around. Though at least I could fall asleep afterwards. Tuesday night when I watched it for the first time I could.not.fall.asleep. I felt like such a dork laying in bed smiling and stunned about a TV show!

AB asked me the other day why women like it? He can't imagine why a woman would enjoy watching a show about polygamy, after all isn't it demeaning to women? And he is right about polygamy, in general, being demeaning to women... however, aside from bringing home the bacon, and the bacon, and the bacon, Bill doesn't run the house, the women do.

AB and I joke that with as busy as we are, we need a second wife too. Of course *I* would prefer that she not be pretty like Chloe (because Chloe is really gorgeous even if Nicki looks like she came from the hills), or a hotey in bed like Margene (who has a super body for being pregnant with her third), instead just someone willing to do the laundry, clean my house, have a good tasting, healthy meal on the table when we get home, make sure we always have milk in the fridge and maybe sleep on the floor since we have no room in our house. Oh and for no pay, after all we are talking wife here, not maid.