Everything on My DVR is Depressing

As referenced in my previous post, I watch tv for an hour per night. Because of an operator error on Sunday night, Dexter did not record at its regular time. It's been looming on my dvr since Sunday night at 10 p.m., along with an episode of Giuliana and Bill and Where the Wild Things Are. Each night since, I've scrolled through these options and passed, instead watching dreck like Top Chef: Just Desserts and the soon-to-be departed Life Unexpected (sad).

Why haven't I opted for more serious fare? Dexter creeps me out. I enjoy it, but not when MacDad is out of town. Ever since (SPOILER) Rita bit it in the bathtub, I can't sleep after watching Dexter wrestle with his dark passenger. And, after the Trinity build up last year, this season has been a bit of a let down. But, that's what I thought at the beginning of last season, so I'll stick with it. When MacDad comes home.

I don't generally watch Giuliana and Bill, but after learning about her miscarriage, I thought I would check in on them. The circumstances around her miscarriage were very similar to what I experienced this summer. I was curious as to how they would present the events and am glad the couple chose to address the miscarriage publicly. On last week's episode they announced their loss, and this week they're dealing with the emotional aftermath. In the preview, many of her emotions echoed my own. I'm fairly certain there will be tears when I watch. I'm too tired to cry at 9 p.m.!

Where the Wild Things Are has been on two dvrs for about two months. I fondly remember the children's book and am interested to see how Spike Jonze adapted the material. I watched the first five minutes of the movie after I initially recorded it and cried hysterically. An alarmed MacDad and MacBaby came inside after playing in the back yard to find a very weepy woman. Something about watching a lonely little boy made me sad. I projected Max into MacBaby, hoping he never feels that alone in his life.

Tonight I'm set wtih 30 Rock and Community. Right after that I'll get around to my stockpiles shows. . . as long as MacDad is in town to deal with the fears and tears.

Little Boy Trauma Overload

SPOILER ALERT (DEXTER)

Recently, in entertainment and real life, there seem to be a mass of stories about traumatized little boys. It's really getting me down. Would I be this affected if I had a girl? Here's the low down:

Fiction

• The Road - I tried to prove MacDad wrong and read this book. I got about 60 pages in and realized it was just too depressing. Maybe I'll pick it up again over the holiday (doubt it -- it's already back on the bookshelf), but I couldn't help but picture MacDad and MacBaby trudging through an apocalyptic nightmare without me. Why anyone (MacDad -- I'm talking to you) would want to see this play out on the big screen is beyond me.
• Dexter - Two nights ago I had a Trinity nightmare. Not kidding. Then, last night, as I was innocently watching The Sing-Off, the kid that Trinity kidnapped showed up on a fast food commercial. There is no escaping the terror that was the season finale. Fast food boy escaped unscathed, thanks to Dexter, but the cycle of awfulness continues with poor Harrison. Perhaps this affected me so much because little MacBaby was sleeping peacefully next to me while I was watching the horror unfold. Again, in this scenario, the mom is absent while the dad and son (I'm presuming) will navigate their way in the world. An aside about Dexter -- it's interesting that he says he and Harrison are both "born in blood." Aren't we all? Is it being "born in blood" twice that gives one serial killer tendencies?

Real Life

• A man inserted more than 40 sewing needles into his step son in an effort to kill him to spite the boy's mother. I cannot fathom why a person would do this. It makes me sick to my stomach to think about. Thank goodness the mom realized that something was up and sought help.
• I don't know what's going on in the Southern Hemisphere, but David Goldman's heartbreaking journey to regain custody of his son. This time, a father and son separated for years because of his (now deceased -- again!) mother's actions. I hope they are reunited and can live happily ever after.
• Finally, and even more heartbreaking, a two year old drowns while his mom is Tweeting. There's a lot of talk on the internet about "judging" others, so I won't judge this particular case because I don't know all the details, but I will say that I can't understand moms who are constantly Twittering. It would seem that they Tweet while driving, preparing family meals and putting their children to bed. This makes me nervous. I can barely manage to keep MacBaby from taking a nose dive at any given moment. I couldn't imagine running a household while constantly broadcasting our goings on. Not to mention, does anyone really care/need to know how many diapers I change in a day.

It's enough to put the boy in a bubble until he's 18, or maybe even 21.

So, world at large. How about some happy stories involving a little guy? Those in lost in hot air balloons need not apply!

Start Your Week With a Twist

Slate is featuring Freaky Fortnight in which a staff member is swapping places with his stay at home/freelance writer wife. It should be an interesting read.

While MacDad and I both work, his job is more rigorous and I would not want to change places with him, nor he would he be interested in that prospect. He frequently travels and every time I grill him with "what would you do if I was out of town for a week," he responds with "you can't."

I look forward to following this experiment and seeing how each spouse responds to the shoe on the other foot.

While you're on the site, Slate hosts a weekly discussion of Mad Men. It's sad that I need one of my favorite shows explained to me, but they do a thorough job.

Happy Monday!

Watching Television Through a New Lens

Being a new parent changes your perspective on a lot of things, including my favorite television shows. (Potential spoilers ahead.)

On Mad Men, a big development this season is the addition of Eugene Scott to the Draper household. After a horrifying birthing experience, Betty is now home with the little guy. In Sunday's episode, Don was off with Sally watching an eclipse and hitting on her teacher. Betty was busy flirting with a politician and subsequently writhing on a fainting couch.

Pre-baby, I may have been able to go along with some suspended belief, but I kept thinking, where is the baby? They showed a stroller once in the kitchen, but we heard nary a "wah" from the little guy. I know Mad Men has more important issues to tackle than the intricacies of diaper changing in 1963, but at least integrate Eugene/Scott into the family a little bit.

I finally caught up with Dexter Tuesday night, who also welcomed a son, Harrison. The plot of the first episode centered around Dexter's sleep deprivation. He stays up late with his three month old. Two things occurred to me: Rita, Dexter's wife, must not be breast feeding and three month old aren't up for hours in the middle of the night. So, there goes the set up for the whole season.

Further along in the episode, Rita tries to start some hanky panky with Dexter. Ha! Oh, Hollywood. You are too funny! Like that would ever happen with a three month old under the roof, not to mention their other two kids. Are there ANY women in the writer's room?

Although I would never shoot my son as punishment, Modern Family seems more realistic. Like last night, when one of the dads checked to see if his wife was in the room before declaring himself the head of the household.

Not every show has to emulate real life, but it's nice to be able to relate to characters and situations once in while. If we ever get to the point where Curb Your Enthusiasm mirrors our life, I know we're in trouble.

16 and Pregnant for your Viewing Pleasure

On Thursday night, I watched the season finale of 16 and Pregnant on MTV hosted by Dr. Drew Pinsky. I haven't seen every minute of each episode, but I got the gist of the series and was intrigued enough to check in on these girls who became moms at an early age.

Controversy exists over the series and whether or not it glorifies teen pregnancy. I felt like MTV portrayed the challenges and rewards honestly. The season finale, though, I thought was would have been more subtle only if Dr. Drew had a sledgehammer and to hit audience members over the head with while screaming, "don't have unprotected sex!"He clearly had an agenda to communicate.

Dr. Drew wanted the moms to admit that they made a mistake and regret getting pregnant and having a kid. While I'm sure these moms do think about how their lives have changed, their repentance would only negate the presence of their children.

I think the fifteen year olds in the audience, and those watching from home, are discerning enough to realize that having a child as a teenager will seriously complicate your life. Enough with making the girls cry. I would have been all for him slapping Farrah's mom, though.

The whole presentation of the finale was totally wanabee twee. Why did they have to steal The Flight of the Conchords music? I find it strange that they refer to those featured on the show as the "cast," like they auditioned for the part. It's not a cast! They're real people! This isn't The Hills!

Dr. Drew revealed there would be a season two. This, I approach skeptically. Since the show garnered a large audience, I hope that teenage girls aren't trying to get pregnant just to be on MTV. While I said earlier that teenagers can be discerning, they can also be calculating and publicity-crazed.

Finally, I wish that the people who adopted Catelynn's baby would have adopted her and Tyler too.

Breastfeeding and the Bachelorette

Recently a study came out proving that tv is bad for the little ones, stunting their communication skills, to which I respond whoops, and I hope not. MacBaby has seen every episode of this season's Bachelorette (really Jillian? Wes?). He witnessed Kris Allen win American Idol. We watched the Tony's. I have yet to plop him in front of the tv for his own personal entertainment, but it seems unrealistic to totally curb my boob tube habits.

While I was still on baby vacation, I made a point to keep the television off until a certain time in the afternoon so I did't turn into a total couch potato. The days when we were still up for hours (all of them) in the middle of the night I didn't have much energy beyond sitting and watching the King of Queens during the day. When he was a little older, we were out and about every day and Oprah turned into a distant memory. But, at night, when I'm lying in bed feeding him, I like to be entertained. Is this wrong?

I love bonding with my baby, but I find it almost impossible to feed him and not be itching for something to do simultaneously. Maybe it's our age of multi-tasking, but I search the internets on my phone, check my email or read a book at the same time. Will I regret not concentrating 100 percent on him when he no longer needs me for nourishment? Whenever I feel guilty about blogging while breastfeeding, I think of one of my friends who used her midnight feeding to catch up on American Idol. She said it gave her something to look forward to and made the lack of sleep more bearable. While I no longer need to cope with watching the sun rise every morning, maybe I'll try tuning the tv out and enjoying the peaceful moments with MacBaby. That's what the DVR is for.