Making Tough Choices: What I'm not watching on T.V. anymore

I consider myself a loyal viewer of many television shows. I have a hard time not watching a series I've stuck with because of the fear that I might miss something. This season I have actually STOPPED watching two of my favorite shows: Heroes and Dancing With the Stars.

This has been a difficult decision for me. I have watched Heroes since the first episode. I even watched the second season, which was a bit of a disappoinment. By episode two or three of the current season (Season 3), I stopped watching the episodes I recorded on my DVR. I had lost interest in the characters and the storyline completely, and watching had become a chore. When I read on Pop Candy that others were feeling the same way, I finally gave myself permission to break up with Heroes. Heroes, it's not me, it's you.

I have only watched Dancing for a few seasons, but I really got into it. I love dancing and I love watching non-dancers become champions, but I just don't have time to watch several hours A WEEK of the show. Last season I just watched the competition show and FF'd through the results shows. This season I couldn't find the time to even watch the competition episode. Also, weirdly enough, once Ted McGinley was eliminated, I really didn't care any more. I don't know why. Cloris Leachman, whom I loved in Mary Tyler Moore and Young Frankenstein, was scaring me, too. (Florence Henderson, I agree with you on this one!) Maybe next season, DWTS.

It's very liberating not having so much stuff on the DVR to catch up on. I can actually read a chapter or two from a book once in a while. I've decided to only watch TV shows that I look forward to seeing: The Office, The Amazing Race (still amazing),  30 Rock, How I Met Your Mother, Mad Men (which ends its season on Sunday!) and Project Runway, which is now between seasons and has a questionable future. I have also been Netflixing like crazy, catching up on Monarch of the Glen, Season 7 and movies that we missed in the theater. I guess it goes to show that once you start eliminating things from your schedule, you can always find other things to fill those empty spots.

Some Links for Friday

I'm back at work today, reluctantly, coughing and filling my wastebasket with tissues. It snowed for the 100th day in a row, or at least it feels like the 100th. I got what I needed to do done before lunch, so I'm catching up on some reading (AdWeek magazine, which they've been sending me for free since last fall for some reason...they also think I'm the CEO and President of the company, according to the address label.) I found out from this publication that Barry Williams, AKA Greg Brady, has a new website up, which is kind of interesting (if you're into that sort of thing, and I am): thegregbradyproject.com. This reminds me that I need to scan in that photo of Greg and me from 1995 when I saw him on his Growing Up Brady book tour.

My second link is to knitty.com, because they have posted their 3 surprise patterns for the winter issue today.

My third link is to an interview with Mary Jo Pehl on the fabulous blog The Park Bench. She talks about Cinematic Titanic, the ol' MST3K days, and the writing life.

That's all for me today. I've got one more hour to go here, and then I'm free to go home and sleep for the next two days. And do laundry.

You Are What You Eat

Has anyone watched "You are What You Eat" on BBC or BBC America? I've been watching a few episodes this week, and it is both riveting and utterly disgusting.

Here's how an average episode goes: an overweight, unhealthy family (or person) is profiled based upon what they eat. The nutrition expert, Gillian McKeith, a "holistic nutritionist", comes in to examine their cupboards and fridge and chastise them for having too much yeast* in their systems. They bring the family to a table (more like a huge wheelbarrow) containing all the food they ate in the past week. This display is usually all meat, white bread, and cookies (biscuits) or crisps (potato chips). The only thing that could make the display more disgusting is if they had showed the food AFTER they'd eaten it. Speaking of disgusting, she also examines their "poo", describing it in graphic detail. Yummy! Watching this show is a great diet aid: watch it before a meal and lose your appetite!

After all that fun, Gillian tells them what they should eat. The people usually protest a bit, but they eventually are convinced to switch to veggies and beans. After a month or so, we get to see the before/after pictures, resulting in better health and lower weight for the family. Hooray!

*I'm not really sure where this obsession with yeast comes from. I've never heard anyone in the U.S. railing against the amount of yeast in our diet or bodies. Gillian explains that the yeast in the body is not the same as the yeast you eat, but the yeast you eat can cause you to have yeast in the body. Wha-? This really smacks of quackery, so I did a little more investigation, and found that she indeed does not have a proper degree in nutrition or diet. I think I'd rather listen to someone like Mehmet Oz, the "Oprah Doctor" who was a heart surgeon and professor. He says similar things about eating vegetables and fruits and beans (and even loves to discuss "poo"), but I've never heard him even mention yeast as an issue.

I wonder if any of the people profiled were able to stick with the healthy diet. I imagine it would be a huge adjustment going from eating a table full of meat and chips to eating beans and greens. I'm sure I'd relapse once in a while and eat a dozen cookies. Heck, I'm a pretty healthy eater, and I ate a half dozen of them the other night!