Just some thoughts and ideas going around in my head while trying to figure out where I am and where everyone else is going.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

My Must See TV

I’ve just made reservations to fly to Tampa to see the old ladies, my mother and grandmother, for Thanksgiving again. I’ve done this every year since my father died and it’s sort of become a tradition. A tradition I never planned to get into but my mother always starts to pressure me about going to visit her around October. This year was no different even though I had just spent a week there last month.

Something else that has also somehow turned into a tradition will be the scorn that my mother will show me when after watching Jeopardy on television, that’s what we do every weekday evening; she will ask me why I never audition to go on the show. She thinks that because I know the difference between Beethoven and Bismarck and the occupations they chose in life, I must be a genius who is just wasting his time by not enriching himself on syndicated TV.

Try as much as I can to convince her that 9 times out of 10, the questions that would be asked on the show would not be the ones I would be able to answer under the lights, cameras and pressure of facing the host and other competitors. Plus I don’t have the type of life story that I would want whittled down to one pithy statement that will be thrown out by Alex Trebek to a TV audience while they gobble up their frozen meals and down their canned beers. But if there was a show that I would like to go on, now that I have gotten over the fact that lame ass reality shows are now a fact of TV life and won’t soon disappear, it would be The Amazing Race.

Now some people won’t get excited by travelling around the world, experiencing different cultures sights and locations in the space of one or two days. I mean how can they? There is too much to go through before moving on to the next place and task of outsmarting, out running and if necessary, out back stabbing the competition? In fact I’m not sure I would like it either except for the excitement lots of contestants must feel of feeling their hearts tighten, their lungs burst and the hopes diminish or rise as they run towards each pit stop.

If offered it would be something I could not turn away from. After all what better bliss would there be of going through the stress and tension of fighting with your loved one or partner? Strengthening or breaking your relationship as you blame each other for slowing the other one down. I know for a fact that not matter whomever I chose for a running mate, there would be such an inevitable clash of wills and bickering when I found myself not getting my way, the ratings would probably increase for the show.

There is no better TV show where you can test your own fortitude and your own core beliefs than The Amazing Race; a show that gives you the opportunity to be placed far from home and away from your comfort zones and still come out on top.

So I think this Thanksgiving in between the eating, the arguing and wondering how much more it will cost me to leave early, I shall probably secretly be telling myself, “I’ll take The Amazing Race for a thousand Alex.”

9 comments:

  1. sounds like it will be a great time so enjoy

    and tampa means SUN

    ReplyDelete
  2. LMAO - so, does this mean you DON'T like going to Tampa for Thanksgiving?

    Well written, sir. Kudos!

    ReplyDelete
  3. T - Tampa means going into Bush and McCain country and even though that can be stopped at the door, I still sometimes feel that there is an eternal debate going on inside the house that I can't get out of.


    Jack - I don't like going anywhere that I can't make a quick getaway from.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Curious, I agree with your moms I think you would do well being that you have extentsive knowlegde in areas that most have forgotten or just never knew, but you my brotha you got stats. Nothing wrong with being intelligent.

    I feel you even if I thought I knew that answers on one of them shows I would freeze right there on camera the pressure would be to much for me to handle.

    Tampa for the holidays sounds like fun especially being that two or more other generations will be present Thanksgiving is a time for family.

    Amazing Race is my show it amazes me how dedictaed to winning some people are and they certainly have brain power to go along with the will power.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Chet - You are right, I have a mind for meaningless trivia, but like Dirty Harry once said, "a man's got to know his limitations," and I do. Now for a million dollar prize on The Amazing Race, I would reach down the very gates of you know where to get what I need to race and win that.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I enjoy the spirit and wit and truth of your writing in this blog and shall follow it closely. Feel free to read mine as well:

    http://d-ash-beams-kaleidoscope-of-musings.blogspot.com/

    Dustin Ashley Beam

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dustin - Thank you for the comment. I have already read some of your blog and I shall be sure to read the rest of it in the future.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dude, I would sooo be your partner if you wanted to do the Amazing Race. My friend thinks that a two woman team couldnt do it, so....hehehe.

    L

    ReplyDelete
  9. Lola - I think your friend is wrong. I think they usually pick bimbo female teams just for ratings, but if they were to pick real women, those women would have a chance. But if you really want to race let me know and we'll audtion.

    BTW which one of us do you think will break down and snap at the other one first, cause you know they all do that?

    ReplyDelete

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