Friday Randomness
Diving right on in here…
I am sick to death of TVs every-damn-where. (If you’re not supposed to split infinitives, you’re probably REALLY not supposed to split a word in half, but I don’t care. Sue me.) I hate going to restaurants where they have a TV set up, and it’s happening at more and more places. Some decent places even. Not that Carls Jr is what I would call a decent place, but really? TV? And California Pizza Kitchen, and so many other places. There was a nice pasta place down the street, and they put in a big TV, and then it closed. Wonder if the TV did them in? I hate shopping at Lucky (local grocery chain), because they have stupid TVs throughout the store as well. With cooking tips and so on. Don’t get me wrong, I love my TV. But I love it AT HOME. I don’t want to be followed by televisions every-damn-where. Ugh.
I’m getting my hair done tomorrow. I love getting my hair done. I love how much better I feel afterward. Of course, I go to a Paul Mitchell beauty school to get it done, which takes about 3 times as long as at my old salon, but it costs about 1/3 of the price, and when you do multiple colors like I do, that adds up to quite a pretty penny. So I’ll bring a book and make a day of it.
Anyone else interested in watching “Who Do You Think You Are” on NBC tonight? I am totally sucked in by the idea of it. Mostly, I think, because I know a lot about my family tree (back to the 1600s in the U.S., not much about England before that), and I want to know if I’m related to any of these famous people. Tonight is Sarah Jessica Parker, and they say she’s related to a Salem witch. Hey, I’M related to a Salem witch! So you know…maybe! I have to watch.
I went to Maya’s old school today and was chatting with the principal, and we were talking about the sorry state of education funding in this stupid state of ours, and I mentioned that there’s a special ballot for a new parcel tax for the high school district that Maya will go to next year. She mentioned that it might pass, but that the district that her school is in can’t ever get a parcel tax passed. I knew this, but I didn’t know why. That school district is a pretty big one, with a lot of schools, and they span several cities, my city being the wealthiest of the group. Not that we’re wealthy (oh, I wish!), but many in our area are. The schools in that district that are in my city are the best in the district. SO, the people in my city who are in that district CONSISTENTLY vote down any new parcel taxes to fund the schools, because hell, THEIR schools are good, and they don’t want THEIR money going to improve the schools in our neighboring towns in the same district. Really people? THIS is how petty and mean we are? REALLY? Such a sense of “I’ve got mine, to hell with you”. YOU’RE IN THE SAME F**ING DISTRICT. We really, really need to fix the stupid budgeting process in California. It’s broken. In far more ways than this one. (Just re-read that…kinda confusing. There are three school districts around here…District A, which encompasses several towns in the area, including about half of my town. District B, which encompasses the other half of my town, and is quite small. It only goes up through 8th grade. District C, which is a high school only district, and has 4 or 5 high schools, including the one that Maya will most likely go to. Only one of the high schools in District C are in the same towns as the high schools in District A. More clear? No? Dang.)
We also talked a bit about TV. She was saying how she likes Weeds, which reminded me that I used to like that show. We stopped watching out of inertia, I guess. No real reason. But while I liked it, liked the writing and the acting and the characters, I had trouble with the basic premise of the show. Which is, wealthy, educated, suburban woman in a big house needs money fast. Her husband died or something, I don’t remember. Does she get a job? No. Does she downsize into a smaller house? No. She can’t do those things, because they would be disruptive to her children, who have already been through too much when they lost their father. So she becomes a pot dealer. Like THAT’S not going to disrupt the kids? HELLO. I know, when you’re watching TV, you have to let go and just get into the story. And usually I can do that. And I like my characters to be human and flawed as much as the next viewer. But somehow, the fact that she didn’t even TRY a more moral, normal, every day solution just bugs me. So I don’t know. Maybe I’ll netflix the seasons we’ve missed. Maybe I won’t.
Speaking of Netflix, Season 2 of Thirtysomething is out on DVD, and we’ve been watching it. I can’t help it, I love that show.
Speaking of TV, why the hell is Big Love almost over? The season finale is Sunday, which is the 9th episode of the season. 9th. That sucks. Maybe next year they’ll have 3. Season premier, season, season finale. Grrr.
Maya and I got our teeth cleaned yesterday. The dentist found ‘composite’ on her teeth, the stuff that sticks the braces to the teeth. Not shocking, but gosh, we paid a lot for those braces and the orthodontist’s time. Couldn’t they have gotten it all off when they took off her braces? No? Whatever. When I got my braces off almost 30 years ago, we didn’t have dental insurance or money to go to the dentist, and I had that crap on my teeth for YEARS.
Cherry’s baby shower is next weekend. I’m looking forward to it, but I’ll confess here that I haven’t been going off the registry. Baby clothes are FAR too cute for me to spend my time and money on less cute things. I hope someone else will step up and be practical. 😉
We had sole for dinner last night. I’m not sure if I’ve ever had sole before. It was….delicate. That’s a nice way of saying, no real flavor. I don’t know if that’s because I didn’t get good sole, or if it’s just a very mild fish. With a lemon/butter/parsley sauce, it tasted like lemon, butter, and parsley. Which is good, but still.
Happy Friday, everyone. Hope you’re well.
14 Comments
Michelle | Bleeding Espresso
Oh my, I’m so with you on the TV thing; I was in the US over the holidays and was seated under a huge TV at some restaurant (can’t remember the name) and felt like most of the diners were staring at *me* the entire time. Most uncomfortable 😉
CG
Not good for an intimate evening out. Too much distraction.
Nance
I am with you on the TV thing also. I hate it like poison at my doctor’s office, where in the main waiting room it is tuned to FOX NEWS. GAG. It blares that crap at me and if I wasn’t already A) sick, B)vexed by an overlong wait, I’m now C)ready to go postal and vomiting. In the kids’ waiting area, it’s usually tuned to some overly loud, overly colorful cartoon or puppety thing, so no respite there. Perhaps it’s their Preventative Medicine?
--Deb
I don’t understand why TVs are cropping up everywhere, either. Pubs and bars? Sure. In the hallways of stadiums so people don’t miss the action when they’re away from their seats? No problem. Waiting rooms? Helpful, even! But shopping malls? Restaurants? Gas stations? Grocery stores?? Ugh.
And, for the record? My absolute favorite current tv show, bar none, no question about it, is Chuck on NBC. Love everything about it!
joan
I didn’t realize Thirty Something was available on instant viewing. I’ll have to catch a few episodes here and there on my laptop!
J
Deb, I hate them in waiting rooms. Actually, I think I hate them anywhere that I don’t have control over them. Oh, another place I hate them is in the changing room at the spa where I get a massage once in awhile. They’re always tuned so some horrid news channel, so I come out of my massage all relaxed and mellow, only to find out about some sick person who cut up his family or something. Blech.
Joan, I didn’t realize it was available for instant viewing, either! I just ordered the DVDs instead. Hmmm.
Nance, preventative medicine? HA! My daughter’s orthodontist has a TV on with a kids movie, AND a radio. Ugh. One or the other, please, or neither, but not both.
CG, you’re right. Very distracting. Even if you’re not the least bit interested in what is on the screen, it drags your eyeballs over there.
Michelle, haven’t seen you in awhile! Welcome. 🙂 That must have been disconcerting, to have everyone staring at you like that.
Selina Kingston
I do love your Friday randomness – you hit on so many thinks that I think too
Ted
One thing you have to add on your TV rant: “GET OFF MY LAWN!!!” 😉 Oh, and I’m sure you noticed the TV at that nice French restaurant we went to a couple of week ago. C’est weird.
Chrissy
I know exactly how you feel!!! Great post, J!
BTW, I’m with you on the Big Love thing too! Why is it almost over?!?!?! 🙁 The latest episodes have got me sitting on the edge of my seat! Love, love, love Big Love!!! The episodes keep getting crazier and crazier! Can’t wait to watch it tonight!!
Starshine
I can’t stand all the TVs in public places!
Heidi
Here in the middle of nowhere, we’re lucky enough to only have TV’s in bars most of the time. Did you try your yogurt? I’d like to get the plain and make some cheese with it. That show sounds like the PBS show that I can’t think of at the moment…ah yes, Face of America. Pretty cool.
OmbudsBen
Delicate is a delicate word for it–I don’t think you got a bad piece of sole, it is a very mild flavor. Think of it as palate-cleansing, for that next piece of salmon or tuna!
Re your diatribe on public school finance–you nailed it. Here in California we all it around in homes worth hundreds of thousands and millions and nobody will pony up to educate the next generation. I’d go off about prop. 13, but that’s a whole nuther level of diatribe.
Finally: TV’s. My missus doesn’t like too many even around the house. I have to admit, I like them when I want to go out and watch sports. A good friend of ours is resigned to this male behavior and jokes about her Mr., “I just ask him to look at me and say something every once in a while, to make it look like we didn’t end up at the same table by accident.”
Karen MEG
Great getting caught up with you J. I also find the intrusion of the screen a bit annoying, especially when you’re in a restaurant. One funny thing that struck me – when we were on holiday last week, and we got to the resort pretty much right in the middle of the Canada vs. US gold medal olympic game, I wasn’t freakin’ on finding a TV to watch it. Back at home I would have been glued, but when there wasn’t a set around that carried it – no biggie. It was a nice feeling. Even though I am a TV addict.
I also LOVE Thirtysomething. I didn’t realize they have the DVD sets.
Oh, Cherry’s baby shower coming up! Wow, that’s so exciting – I’m all about cute outfits too. How fun!
ybonesy
Love the meandering path this post takes. A bit of this and that. We passed a property tax that will help pay for infrastructure for our public school system. Amazing how many people vote against it, I guess because they figure their kids are grown and so they don’t need to support the community. Luckily it passed.