The Purge - Day 2 (well, kind of)

What am I hoping to gain from this purge? Well, I guess I'm hoping that when it's over I will transition into watching TV with a purpose. I don't want to flip it on in the morning and go from thing to thing until the end of the day. I've found myself on many occasions watching things that I don't necessarily want to watch just...because.

Today was quite a bit tougher. I felt more isolated. I think it's because it's the weekend so everyone is around and wanting to hang out around the TV that I was kind of sequestered in other parts of the house.

It forced me to be creative...and bored at times. I think it's because I have to relearn what I like to do and who I want to be. TV has a way of wiping things away until you find yourself implanted in what you're watching, no longer completely real. It's a world of extremes: the heightened and exaggerated versions of real life. Your own life becomes mundane by comparison.

Do I really really want to live in constant drama? Not really. My calm, happy, routine of a life is what I want. Stable, true, dependable. Boring? Maybe, but I'd rather have that than a soap opera. Can I get an amen?

TV Purge - Day 1

I had a weird idea. What if, like those freaks who do food purge diets, I purged TV from my system in a kind of cold-turkey week long extravaganza. Hm...

Being a self-proclaimed TV freak, this seems nuts to me. But it's become such a big fixture in my life...yes, I would actually dub myself a FULL BLOWN couch potato. That's kind of hard to hear.

I realized that although I am a wife and a mother, the television (and the consequent fictional escapades and characters that live within) have been getting more of my attention than my own family! Yikes!

So, midnight this morning it began. The week-long TV purge. I was up with my baby at 7 this morning and to this minute (9:36 pm) I haven't watched any TV all day. It wasn't easy. For someone who constantly has it on in the background (and foreground), there's a lot of time to fill.

I was actually shocked by the length of the day. And how much can be accomplished. And what others must do to fill their days. More than all this, I was most shocked by me.

I didn't feel like a blob! I was off my potato-ey butt! Jude and I hung out and had way more fun than we usually do. We actually got out of the house and into the great wide world out there that, I'm kind of embarrassed to admit, Jude has seen very very little of in his life.

As the day went on, it got harder and harder to keep it switched off. It's such an easy escape, not to mention enjoyable. As I wrote that cliche saying, I realized how much sense it does not make! "not to mention enjoyable" is mentioning it! I wonder where that saying came from...

You see! If I wasn't purging TV, I would be watching TV right now, and I wouldn't have the inclination to write this blog post and ponder the meanings of widely known and accepted phrases!

Kick Start My Rock and Roll Heart: The Sequel

I have taken awhile getting around to posting my second soul song, but I have finally settled on it. It is 'Let Down' by Radiohead. This is one of those songs that when that first note hits it makes your soul shiver (thanks fresh prince.) This song is song number 2 in a string of the greatest seven track run in musical history (maybe.) If you have never listened to 'Ok Computer' then you are crazy first off and secondly do this: go get it, wait until nighttime, go into your bedroom, turn the lights off, put your headphones on, close your eyes and start on track four and listen to through track ten ('Lucky'.) When 'Lucky' ends your mind will be blown. Seriously. Now do it again with the whole album. Your mind is double blown. All that I can say is that the transition between track four and five is one of the most magical music moments of all time. Pure perfection. Enjoy.

The King is dead

He sure is. For those of you who haven't heard the new Decemberists album, well then you are just missing out. It is easily their best album since Her Majesty. Hey that's kind of funny, anyway. Picaresque is a fantastic freaking album, but then they released the crane wife and I kind of lost my interest in them. It wasn't a great album. Then they released hazards of love, which was ok but nothing special. But this album is a must. You must go get it, now. It is freaking good. Go. Now...You're still reading.......nevermind, you're hopeless.

Our big boy...

JUDE JUST TOOK HIS FIRST STEP!!!

Jesse's Soul Song #1

So, it's been a long time coming but I finally have it! I was having a hard time finding soul songs because I've been obsessed with one particular album, and I wanted to put every song from the album on my Soul Song list. Maybe some of them will end up on the list, but they need to stand the test of time first. I just make these rules up...on the spot.

Anyway, my first Soul Song comes as a surprise to me, as I just heard the song for the first time last night. As you can see, my first Soul Song is also a complete contradiction of the above. It hasn't stood the test of time. Why make this exception? Well, I think you'll see why when you listen to it. And, if you can, listen LOUD.

Jude Sleeping

This is how we find Jude sleeping most of the time now:

Looks pretty uncomfortable to me but what do I know??