Journal of a Sabbatical

December 15, 2000

watching too much tv

Today's Reading: Tall Trees and Far Horizons by Virginia Eifert, Autumn from the Journal of Henry David Thoreau edited by H.G.O. Blake

I was sitting reading yesterday's Boston Globe at Kevin's kitchen table, learning that just-signed free agent hero savior of all baseball Manny Ramirez thinks the Red Sox can actually beat the Yankees if they get just one more pitcher. I was thinking, man is he ever right, and trying to figure out the starting rotation after Pedro ... I'm sure Tomo Oka will make the starting rotation this year. I was a bit pissed off last year when they called up Paxton Crawford instead of Oka but now I like Crawford too and figure he'll be in the starting rotation on Opening Day too. And they did re-sign Tim Wakefield who gets no respect but gives them innings upon innings in whatever role he's called upon to play (I still think a knuckleball closer is a weird idea). So, I get home tonight and check my email and lo and behold there in my inbox is a Red Sox Newsflash: they've signed Hideo "Tornado Boy" Nomo. Guess he's that one more pitcher Ramirez was talking about. The press release quotes Tornado Boy as follows:

"I'm happy to be part of the Red Sox team," said Nomo today. "I'm going with the Red Sox because they have a strong chance to go to the World Series."

Nomo and Ramirez are clearly on the same page.

Andrea's take on the election outcome (I didn't ask her about the Ramirez or Nomo signings) was that she is going to be lonely because private schools will be cheaper and all her friends will leave the public school. I think this is her interpretation of school vouchers. Somehow I don't think the vouchers would be enough to pay for a place like Lawrence Academy or The Groton School though.

What did we do besides discuss school vouchers under the Bush administration while Elizabeth went Christmas shopping? Watched TV of course.

We watched some episode about a poor unhappy Pokemon whose individuality and freedom were being stifled by a rich woman in a mansion in what looked like Beverly Hills (is that where Johto is?). Pokemon was followed by Cardcaptors, which I've never seen before and Andrea had only seen once. Funny thing is I saw Cardcaptors collector cards at the local convenience store last night and wondered what they were. I kind of liked Cardcaptors but still haven't warmed up to Pokemon.

Now Sabrina the Teenage Witch on the other hand I am definitley getting to like. Good thing 'cause we watched three episodes tonight. My favorite was the Christmas one, in which Sabrina (who is now in college) decides to spend the holidays with a friend's family in a Vermont ski cabin. She thinks a mortal family in a perfect snowy rural setting will be more satisfying than her family's other realm craziness. Her perfect mortal Christmas turns out to be a disaster when she discovers that her friend's family is even crazier than hers. Sure made me feel a whole lot better about mi familia loca...

Good lord, I'm getting deep moral lessons from Sabrina!

I think we watched back to back episodes of Seventh Heaven too.

The kicker was the Christmas episode of Popular though: It's a Wonderful Popular. A real tearjerker if ever there were one. After the show they ran a little blurb about calling The Samaritans. I guess that's in case there's not an angel named Clarence around. Seriously, I think teen suicide and bone marrow transplants and cancer wards are kind of heavy for a Christmas special. This was infinitely darker and more broody than the real It's a Wonderful Life.

On the too much TV question: yes.