Oooh. it occurs to me that my Make an Effort to Watch It is sort of a lie. I watch it, especially summer, because there is not much else on. But I let my Tivo override it to record Mad Men, Project Runway and A Long Way Down.

A Questionable Content for librarians: [link]

I like sports, but I'm not really into the Olympics. Mostly because it takes too much effort to follow closely.

Ah, I don't put any effort into it. I just turn it on and see what happens. I have realized I like the things that are quick for this very reason -- a race, a routine, a dive, whatever. Looked good! Oh no! Whatever.

There are events I want to see that I make an effort for - but otherwise, the tv is on and if I want to I can watch it. Usually not for team sports though.

At 13 and I babysat four children ages 8,7,6, and 4. Their parents were bartenders and worked night shifts so I would help the kids with their homework, feed them dinner, and put them to bed.

On weekends their parents would drive me home when they got in. On weekdays I'd sleep over and their parents would take me to school the next day. Sometimes on weekends I'd be there all day for a day shift.

The bar was close by and in an emergency I could have gotten one of the parents there quickly but I never did call them.

It was probably too much responsibility for me. I was certainly capable of doing it, but it stressed me out. Once the 7 year old (maybe eight by then) dashed out into a busy street because she was mad about something. She was a runner -- if she got mad she'd take OFF. Usually I'd just let her calm down and she'd come back. This time though, she shot into the street. I told the 9 year old to hold the 7 and 5 year olds hands and DO NOT MOVE and took off after their sister. When I caught her I grabbed her arm pretty hard and jerked her to me. We BOTH started crying.

Her parents weren't mad (her Mom said she'd have smacked her), but after that the parents stopped working simultaneous night shifts. It was too much on the kids, it was too much on me, and money was finally not as tight as it had been for a while.

So when I'm with people I know don't give a rat's ass, I don't go on about it and I certainly don't question why other people aren't into it.

Well, to be fair, it's usually on the "what I watched on TV last night" chit-chat level. Which is fine; I'm sure she wasn't that interested in hearing about The Mole, either. But occasionally she wants to discuss some part of it seriously and I have to remind her that I'm the wrong person to do that with since it'll wind up with me going "So, one guy swam faster than another guy? That's amazing!"

I particularly don't understand she keeps telling me about it when she knows that I don't.

See, this is the kind of thing I don't understand. I'm a sports geek, but I definitely get that not everyone is. So when I'm with people I know don't give a rat's ass, I don't go on about it and I certainly don't question why other people aren't into it.

I think it's a kind of un- or subconscious egotism (uh, I don't mean to slag on Strega's -- or anyone's friend). Really. They love their sport/TV show/whatever SO much that if they just tell you about it enough, you'll love it, too! And by "un- or subconscious," I mean that they don't (necessarily) do it deliberately; they just can't help themselves.

That, or they're poorly socialized and even after you've politely said, "No, I don't watch [Monk/Chuck/whatever show you're into], so your recaps of the entire episode don't really do anything for me," they continue to come in week after week and tell you every. single. goddamn. thing that happened in the episode.

Or that might just be me, with Chatty!co-worker, who continues to tell me what happened on whatever goddamned TV show he's currently into. I even told him point-blank (after I tried the polite disinterest tactic), "I don't watch that show, so I'm not interested in hearing about it," and yet he STILL comes in some days and does it.

I'm still not allowed to beat people with sticks here, so I have to tolerate the recaps. If they were like Wing Chun or Sars from TWOP, that would be one thing (those Dawson's Creek recaps were sheer art, I tell you what), but they aren't.

I'm still not allowed to beat people with sticks here, so I have to tolerate the recaps. If they were like Wing Chun or Sars from TWOP, that would be one thing (those Dawson's Creek recaps were sheer art, I tell you what), but they aren't.

Or cleolinda's recaps of Breaking Dawn. That was sheer genius.

Please don't beat me with a stick!

I think it's a kind of un- or subconscious egotism (uh, I don't mean to slag on Strega's -- or anyone's friend). Really. They love their sport/TV show/whatever SO much that if they just tell you about it enough, you'll love it, too!

hah! that reminds me of a cartoon I just saw this morning

[link]

I know I've been guilty of this. Like trying to get my best friend to watch Buffy when she HATED SMG from when she was on that soap opera. Oh well! I still think she would have liked it if she gave it a chance.

ION, I got my Trixie dress and it mostly fit but seemed a little weird to me. Then I figured out I could wear my strapless bra under it and it looked MUCH better but wasn't quite right. THEN I took it to get altered today so that it will really fit! The first time I've done that. I'm so excited!