There’s a lady on the internet named Marianne. She’s really funny. This humor might be the necessary outlook of someone who actually lives in Montana on purpose. Since we always make each other laugh I asked her if she would write a guest post, and she’s come up with a winner. After you read this post by Marianne, check out her site Comedy of Errers & find her on Twitter.
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I live in Montana where we are very serious about winter. It lasts most of the year, and it can get to a temperature where you get to know your nose hairs individually. During this time, I turn to the only true solace one can have when you don’t want to leave the house for days on end: television series on DVD and Netflix.
I watch a lot of television in the winter. Some may say too much, but they would be wrong. I’m sure the temporary side effects I incur from three days of continual media exposure are perfectly normal.
Last winter I watched seasons 1-4 of Grey’s Anatomy in about a week. It made the -15 degree weather seem not so bad, until I had to go to the doctor. I found myself wondering who was sleeping with whom in the medical supply closet. I may have looked in one just to be sure. (You’re not supposed to look in those closets, by the way.)
During a week of constant House episodes, I diagnosed myself with an incurable liver disease, hemoptysis, and possible radiation poisoning. All which could have occurred from over-exposure to my television. (It’s one of the old ones you can’t hang on the wall without a shelf.)
When 24 was on, my husband and I would watch the series in 24 hours at my in-laws’ cabin over Christmas break–a feat hard to do when you have young children. You must be very dedicated; more to the TV show than to your children. By the end, my husband and I would drive really fast, yell often and, for no reason, threaten to torture our relatives. (I think a lot of people we visit during the holidays were happy this tradition ended.)
Nothing much happened during the Beverly Hills 90210 week-a-thon. Unless you count the weekend cyber stalking I did to find out what happened to the cast members. (Jason Priestly was recently on Psych, by the way. They just need Dylan to make it complete. Or make me complete.) And I think it’s perfectly normal to occasionally ask, “What would Brenda, Kelly, Donna do?”
Right now, I’m watching Ally McBeal. It brings back memories of college. I remember watching the show after I took the LSAT, pretty sure I had failed it, thinking how lucky Ally was to be an attorney in really short skirts. It also reminds me of being a single female and using Ally as my spokesperson. I wanted to change the world; I just wanted to get married first. (I passed the LSAT, by the way, and ended up at the University of Iowa Law School where I met my husband. I’m pretty sure none of that would have happened without Ally.) So far there don’t seem to be any noticeable side effects, but can anyone recommend a good theme song?
Maybe I’ll start reading more instead. I just got a couple Outlander books and it’s highly unlikely I’ll start thinking I have scurvy. No one gets scurvy anymore. Especially not in my neighborhood. I think I’ll go eat a couple oranges, though, just in case.
What TV show marathons have you done?
Seems kinda obvious for me…although I have done marathons for MacGyver (learning how to make explosive cannons out of paper clips), The Waltons (don’t ask, it was for a friend) and Magnum, P.I. in the past. It helps to have a lot of beverages and an order of Chinese takeout.
I like the Chinese takeout idea. I ate a whole pizza during the Beverly Hills 90210 epidemic. It was throughout the day and for breakfast. It was great comfort food when Dylan and Kelly broke up.
Great post..
Happy New Year to the both of you. I was into watching House for a while, but his sarcasm was way too intense for a sarcastic soul like myself.
I marathoned True Blood last year. I am hoping The Walking Dead comes back soon.
I am the opposite – can handle House, but could only watch a couple episodes of True Blood because it was too intense. I’ve read all of the books, however. I guess my imagination is kind of tame. Violent deaths have very little blood in my head.
Wow, I think Marianne and I would get along great. My Christmas wish for the past several years has been to hibernate. I think I would like winter a lot more if that was possible. But Marianne’s tactics are equally likeable. I could just stay in and watch all of Felicity again! I’ve already begun rewatching The Vampire Diaries. It does make me suspicious of anyone with chunky jewelry that they are in fact a vampire, but I just won’t go anywhere alone with them, well, unless he’s cute.
I’ve never thought about the connection between chunky jewelry and vampires. Now that I have, I’m realizing that a couple of my relatives wear the same silver locket every day. And dinner was a little on the undone side…
I watched nonstop Malcolm in the Middle and I gained sage parenting advice, so no ill effects at all.
I will have to check that out. I need more sage parenting advice. None of my shows have very good parent examples. Jim and Cindy left just as Brandon really needed them.
Fun topic Marianne. The only marathon I’ve done in recent times is season 1 of The Walking Dead. It was only 6 episodes, but I couldn’t stop. I’ve also done Pysch in the past (of course) as well as Deadwood a good while back. Oh yeah, and on Labor Day my family and friend watched about 7 straight hours of American Pickers I think.
For some reason, I save Psych for the summer. I think it’s the California setting; it makes me feel better if I get the flu during really nice weather.
Winter break for me always means more time for television. I blaze through seasons of Top Chef and America’s Next Top Model and Project Runway, becoming a cooking and fashion expert in the process.
I would love to see a Top Model’s “Where Are They Now?” I wonder if any of them truly made it big.
Family Guy! That always makes me feel better
Another one I will have to check out!
I totally get what you mean about the TV marathons. I watched all 7 seasons of Gilmore Girls and started to think of myself as an adopted citizen of Stars Hollow.
Good luck with Outlander! It is my most favourite book series EVER. Get passed the first two chapers (as they are boring as hell) and then you will never look back and quite possibly start looking to book a trip to Scotland *guilty*
Great post and thanks for the smilies.
After reading the first book, I must admit I looked up the tour companies on Gabaldon’s website!
I j’adore Veronica Mars and watched it all in an embarassingly short amount. My husband kept telling me I was talking funny but I had no clue what he meant. When he overheard a Veronica Mars epidisode he said, “her! You’re talking like her.” ha. Yeah, I can get so into a show I’ll start talking like the characters!
I find myself slipping into a Southern accent after I watch Justified. I also believe the correct way to end an argument is shooting something/someone.
Very very funny, Marianne.
I can’t cluster watch shows. Yup, you’ve outed me: I’m boring. Even when I have a show I actually like (Studio 60), I watch one episode a night. Two is pushing it. See? I’m b-o-r-i-n-g.
Shove a bag of salt and vinegar chips near me, however, and this moderation thing is history. But the boring thing? Still there. Sigh.
Or it means you have a life and don’t have time to watch 10 hours of television at the same time.
My younger days was “Miami Vice” , but this past weekend did a “Dexter” Marathon, got more then three quarters through season “5″ . Have seen all four seasons and working on the fifth.. “Dexter” is what I call my stress relief show, could also be the reason I don’t keep any knives in my house…
I was late to the party on “Breaking Bad.” Last summer, I watched the 1st and 2nd seasons…in two nights. I’m hooked, which, I suppose is ironic, given that the show is about Meth.
I can’t help but watch Entourage in a marathon. I think I’ll just watch one episode and before you know it I’ve watched the entire season and I’m calling everyone “E”.
Your side-effects after watching 24 hours of 24 cracked me up!
This past summer, my husband and I watched the entire Battlestar Galactica (the 2004-09 version) series in two weeks. It was a sickness. We couldn’t stop watching. I started calling my dog a “frackin’ toaster!” I was sure that everyone I didn’t like was a Cylon. I hallucinated a better-dressed version of myself and would have arguments with her. (None of this will make sense if you haven’t seen the show, and actually, it still may not make sense).
Now, the show Portlandia has done a skit almost word-for-word recreating this experience. It’s like they had a camera in our living room!
http://www.ifc.com/portlandia/videos/portlandia-battlestar-galactica
Oh my gosh! I was loving this post and then you mentioned reading Outlander and I loved it all the more. I haven’t done any TV marathons in awhile but Arrested Development, Beverly Hills, 90210, Gilmore Girls, Dawson’s Creek, and Felicity deserve honorable mentions. I’ve been wanting to watch Ally McBeal again. I feel inspired to track my friend down that owns the DVDs.
I need to move to Montana. I’d kill to watch that much House and Grey’s Anatomy.