I'm just going to come right out and say it: I don't love Downton Abbey.


I know I'm running the risk of being unfriended on Facebook, of offending my beloved circle of writing friends and other intellectual types, and of branding myself as "tasteless," but I can no longer remain silent.

I just don't get it.
Perhaps if I'd been watching since the very first episode...
But the reason I haven't been watching since the first episode is that I didn't find the premise appealing.

I'll admit, the costume designers do an amazing job, it's an intriguing time period to examine, and there's some terrific writing (the older lady who looks just like Michael Caine in drag gets to deliver some fabulous insults).

But it just doesn't hold my attention. It's too slow, too bland, too colorless. I know, I know... all the Downton fans are shrieking in disbelief. Hey, my senses are blunted. Maybe if they threw a vampire or two into the Downton mix? *ducking*

Apparently, my entertainment-style falls somewhere between Downton Abbey and The Bachelor/Bachelorette. In my mind, those are quintessential opposites in television programming. I'll admit I have a strange affinity for Duck Dynasty, but I think that stems from my maternal desire to see my hairy, nonconformist sons find success in life.




So why does my lack of love for Downton Abbey bother me enough to write a blog post about it? Because, once again, I feel like the oddball, the weird kid, the one who didn't have MTV and had to make do with Friday Night Videos on NBC. My FB page and Pinterest boards are clotted up with Downton posts. I feel left out.

And yet, not left out enough to make myself watch another episode...
I guess that means I've grown up.

To all my Downton Abbey adoring friends, more power to ya! And I mean it, seriously! Enjoy the drama, immerse yourselves, be caught up in a story that carries you away to a different time and place. I wish that kind of entertainment pleasure for all of us, wherever we may find it!

Who knows, when it comes back on in reruns ten years from now I'll probably find it fascinating...

xJasonRogersx via Flickr

Someone is remaking Footloose. Zac Efron will replace Kevin Bacon in the starring role. Seriously?

Hawaii 5-0 has been resurrected from the television graveyard. What's next, a new version of M*A*S*H? Cheers? Dynasty?

Ten minutes of ANY reality television program, from "Wife Swap" to "1000 Ways to Die" to "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" is enough to convince me whoever is writing the scripts (and don't try to convince me those shows aren't scripted) have never had to listen to their own stuff.

All of it points to the gradual decimation of creativity in popular culture. Based on what shows up on the small screen and the big screen, where have the original thoughts, lines, plots, characters, and (most especially) dialogue gone?

ibtrav via Flicker

Thank heaven for books, where fresh inspiration blooms on our virtual (and real) shelves year-round like Nero Wolfe's hothouse orchids. (Did anyone else have a terrible crush on Archie Goodwin?)

Now if I could just figure out a way to read while cooking, washing dishes, taking a shower, sleeping, and driving... The library frowns on those grease spots, my Kindle dislikes water, and if texting while driving is not acceptable, surely reading and driving is taboo as well.

Does it bother you when movies, TV shows, music, and other forms of creative expression are recycled from generation to generation?

We might all have different amounts of money, health, and talents, but we've all been given the exact same quantity of time in a day. Each day every human being has 24 hours to spend, no matter where you live or how old you are. There is no such thing as "free time" just like there's no such thing as free money!
If there's anywhere resistance to progress rears its ugly head it's in the realm of time. Time gets wasted, squandered, and lost, often in spite of our best efforts.
I have the privilege of writing the local history column for the newspaper here. I use the archived copies every week to pull interesting tidbits of news and gossip from the old papers. Without computers, telephones, cell phones, automobiles, vacuums, dishwashers, washers and dryers, convenience foods, microwaves, or any of our other modern contrivances, people lived full lives and often accomplished as much, or more, than the average person accomplishes today.
Of course, they didn't have the distractions we have, either. No TV, no Internet, no telephone, limited options for shopping and travel.
There are some who advocate tossing out our modern comforts for the sake of our health, our relationships, and the quality of life we lead. If you are addicted to your crackberry, or the web, or the television, you might need to fast those items to balance your life. But for most of us, the problem doesn't have anything to do with the devices that are supposed to make our lives easier, it has to do with the choices we're making with those devices, and with our time in general.
When it comes to time, we've got SCUD missiles raining down around us. (SCUD: Satan Continuously Uses Distractions.) And we aren't even aware of them most of the time. Distractions are a huge hindrance!
When my daughter was little and had to clean her room, I'd often find her there hours later, with what looked like nothing done. I called it "getting lost in the details." She'd end up picking through her dresser drawers, or sorting out her jewelry, while the floor remained buried in discarded clothing and toys and general junk.
She gets it from her daddy, who has been known (he'd deny this) to take the most minor of tasks and turn it into an all-day project. Sometimes focusing on the little things is necessary. Sometimes it's a distraction designed to keep us from completing a task. We need to be able to discern the difference.
In order to stop "clock fighting" we have to realize that the clock is not the enemy, it's our friend. If we use it wisely. If Nora Roberts can churn out five books a year (I know, I keep going back to that, because it just amazes me) what could I be accomplishing? I may not have her writing ability, but I have the same old 24 hours in a day that she has! Obviously the difference lies in what I do with my 24, versus what she does with hers.
For myself, it's time to stop making excuses and blaming "not enough time" for my failure to be a good steward over my household, to complete the assignments my Abba Father has placed on my daily schedule, or to attend to the proper care of my spirit, soul, and body. 
With that said, it's time to go exercise, and then head to the grocery. And during my two-hour drive each way, I could spend that time praying or plotting or listening to a podcast, instead of flipping through the radio stations. I could even just -- GASP! -- relax and enjoy two hours of solitude.
Okay, no more clock fighting... you are the master of the tick-tock, not the other way around!