So unless you are currently located underneath a rock, you’ve heard there’s some hubub with late night television right now.  And despite the fact that I don’t generally watch a whole lot of late night television (you’d think I would since I’m always up late, huh?), I definitely have opinions on the whole thing.  Because, frankly, I’m ticked off.

See, it started years and years ago, when Jay Leno, host of the Tonight Show, announced he would be stepping down in 2009.  Who would take his place?  Before it was officially announced, I automatically though of Conan O’Brian.  I was familiar with him and his late LATE night show and thought he was a funny guy.  It was a natural choice.  So when it was announced it would indeed be Conan O’Brian as the host of the Tonight Show, I was excited for him.  And also excited for the future of Late Night because he’s a different sort of guy.

We watched Jay’s last week and… meh.  I mean, it was okay but I never felt this loss like I did when Johnny Carson left years and years before.  I thought that meant that it was indeed time to change the guard.  His time was done, let’s usher in a new king.  Right?

Well, for whatever reason NBC gave Jay a comedy/variety show that would air at 10pm each night.  Which raised red flags for me at the time.  It really felt like they were moving the Tonight Show up to 10 and Conan’s show to 11:35.  Sure, the names of the shows would be different, but really.  What was the point?  I mean, other than to upstage and sabotage Conan on the Tonight Show?  I was ticked off but no one else seemed to share my sentiment so I figured I was just being over-reactive.

Still, it felt like Jay Leno and NBC were trying to steal some of Conan’s thunder and that wrankled my nerves.

Fast forward to Jay starting his new show (which, SURPRISE SURPRISE was basically his exact Tonight Show format… same stage (if not, then they made the new stage look just like the old one), same shtick, same everything.  And it was still pretty boring.  Tame, yes.  Boring.  YES.  I might have watched the monologue on the first night and that was it.

We did better with Conan’s Tonight Show, watching it in almost it’s entirety (hey, that’s late even for me!) for a week or so.  And despite the fact we don’t watch much late night network television, we would tune in every now and then to watch the monologue or see what was going on.

Then the rumors started floating around that Jay’s show was sucking.  That it was even bringing down the news at 11.  And that Conan’s ratings were suffering too.  This sort of makes sense, if you ask me.  I mean, what did NBC expect?  Jay is “safe” but a little too safe for 10pm.  His show is bland.  People were changing the channel in order to watch actually interesting shows at 10pm and sticking with that station’s newscast at 11.  And they weren’t turning back at 11:35 for Conan.  So it would appear the fault was with Jay, yes?  Cancel Jay and put a decent drama in that time slot and move forward, yes?

NOPE.  Idiots.

What was the surprise is that NBC wanted to change Jay’s timeslot to 11:35.  It would still be “The Jay Leno Show” or whatever they call it.  And then the Tonight Show would move back to 12am.  And Jimmy Fallon’s show would get pushed back even LATER.  It was basically revolving the entire schedule just to keep Jay around.  You know, the same guy who said YEARS before that he was RETIRING?  The Tonight Show would be The Tonight Show in name only.  What NBC wanted to do would ultimately slaughter the institution that many of us (and our parents!) grew up with.  Just because they think Jay is such a swell guy.

And this is where I get REALLY mad.  You take Conan, and give him the job of a LIFETIME.  Something he’s dreamed about and aspired to.  He shakes up his life, moves his family, his co-workers, their families and everything out to the west coast.  They build an awesome sound stage and everyone gets jazzed for it.  He comes out with some really funny stuff!  No, it’s not like Jay.  It SHOULDN’T be like Jay, because it’s Conan.  See the difference there?

And now he’s in a crappy situation.  Take it in the rear for NBC or stand up for what he thinks is right?  I’m so glad he stood up.  He put out a letter saying that basically NBC’s offer of a time-schedule shake up was crap and he wasn’t taking it.  He spoke of how disappointed he was for himself AND for Jimmy Fallon, who would also be screwed by this whole thing.  That he didn’t want to take part in the demise of the Tonight Show.  And good on him!

Now, according to TMZ, NBC has made official what they’ve wanted all along:  Jay will return to the Tonight Show.  Conan is out.  This is beyond crappy.  You can bet your sweet bottom I will NEVER tune into watch Jay Leno.  EVER.  I will watch Letterman if I have to watch anything.  And if Fox were to offer Conan a show?  I’ll be there.  Because you know what?

I’m with Coco.

Longtime readers of this here blog are well aware of our love affair with the local drive-in.  It has been how we’ve seen movies for years now.  We even went before we “had” to, back when we just had Harry and could have easier procured a babysitter or taken him to a standard theater.  Then Liam was born and standard theaters were out.  Evie came along and I forgot what seeing a movie at a standard theater was like.

We COULD have been like a lot of families and seen movies primarily on DVD and just left it at that.  But to know Kile and I is to know our fondness for movies.  Our first “date” was to the $1.50 movie theater to see “Hunchback of Notre Dame”.  When we were first married, we would often catch an early fast food dinner on Friday nights and then head to the last matinee of whatever had just come out that day.  When Harry was an infant, we took him to movies with us all the time.  It was a sad day indeed when we learned taking him to movies wasn’t going to work anymore (around 18 months of age, when we went to see “Shrek” in the theater).  I also remember with great joy the day we tried him in a theater again (he was 3 and it was “Finding Nemo”).  Sure, we watch a lot of DVDs too, but we also love to see movies in the theater.  There isn’t any experience quite like it.

The drive-in is definitely different than seeing a movie in a theater, but it still beats waiting six months (or more) to see the latest blockbuster.  Winters are long and dreary around here while the drive-in is closed.  It’s not always EASY to go to the drive in, especially with the two little ones.  Both of them are about the age that they’re itchy and crabby and whiny and generally annoying.  But we make it work and it’s pretty much always worth it.

But… I don’t think I can go back.  Not after this.

Last Wednesday night we went to see “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince”.  30 minutes in or so, a transformer blew and we were issued passes to come back again.  BIG BUMMER.  I was so anxious to see this movie, the movie I was most looking forward to all summer!  The BIG one!  We couldn’t go back on Friday because Kile had to work and we figured Saturday would be swamped.  Sunday night would be perfect… still the weekend techinically, but smaller crowds.

We packed up the kids after dinner, got money out at the ATM to buy popcorn with, got drinks at 7-11 and waited in line outside the gates for about a half hour before they let us in.  We got a great spot, got all set up and everyone situated.  The movie started late.  It was supposed to come on at 8:55… it was more like 9:15.  But, that’s about par for the course at the drive-in.

Maybe two previews in, the screen went black.  Eventually, the sound cut off too.  We waited.  We figured it was a busted bulb in the projector, which we later learned was true.  But it was a while before we learned that there was no one at the theater who knew how to replace the bulb.   Second verse, same as the first.

This time, however, we asked for money back instead of passes.  I don’t think I can go back there.  It’s just ridiculous.  And now I’m devastated that I don’t know if I’ll be able to see Harry Potter until it comes out on DVD.  That’s just AWFUL.  A crime against humanity.

So I’m frustrated.  And annoyed.  And sad.  And peeved.  And downhearted.

Dangit.   NOW where am I going to see my movies at??

Like a great deal of this nation’s population, I had intentions of seeing “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” yesterday.  I’ve been waiting for this!  Watching the trailers and reading the magazine articles and counting down the days.  I told Kile under no uncertain terms that we would be going to the drive in on opening day to see it.

If you’ve been around here any length of time at all, you know that the drive in is how we see movies these days.  As we have no babysitters/family/friends or anything to watch the kids for us, if we can’t take them, we don’t go.   And taking them to a regular theater just ain’t gonna work.  Because unlike quite a few people these days, we actually care about the people around us.  I simply would not subject them to Liam AND/OR Evie at this stage in the game.  So the drive in it is.

We love the drive in!  First run movies, cheaper, and either from the comfort of our van or enjoying the evening breeze from our camp chairs.  The kids love it!  It’s exciting and something different.  It’s an adventure!

Last night we showed up about an hour early to sit outside the gates.  Even so, we were about sixth in line.  We got in, parked, met with friends, bbq’d some burgers and hot dogs for dinner, hung out and enjoyed one another.  Then the movie started.  Along with about fifteen different previews.  Holy moses, yo! But the movie eventually began and I was just starting to get into it.  Evie had just started to nut up and Harry had just gotten to Hogwarts (after getting a sound beating from Malfoy).  Then?

Pffffttttttt…….

The screen went black, the sound went to static and I went, “WTF??”

They blew a transformer.  Even the stoplight outside the drive in was out.  Can I get a “GAH!!”?

On the way home (because dood, the show was over) (they gave us free passes though), I joked to Kile that it was the air conditioning that did it.  Yesterday was the hottest day so far this year (you know, at least until TODAY) (or TOMORROW… 100, gah!).  Someone up in the projection booth got hot and said to themselves, “Dang, I’m gonna turn on the a/c!  It’s sweltering up here!  What could happen?”  Famous last words.

I swear, the air conditioning is 90% of why the power goes out here in the west during the summer.  Because who wants to be hot?  I sure don’t!

Then again, I would have liked to have seen the rest of the movie too.  Apparently it wasn’t as simple as flipping a breaker.  The transformer blew so the power company had to come out to fix it.  We would just figure on trying again tonight but we have no idea if they’ve fixed it or not.  And calling the information line yields no results, but maybe later in the day.

In the meantime: NO HARRY POTTER FOR ME!  WOE!  That’s just not right.  Am sad now.

Dear lady working the counter McDonald’s inside the Walmart Supercenter in Northwest Reno:

I need to give you a little background before I discuss what went down between us this afternoon.  See, I was at the store alone with my three kids.  This isn’t probably a big deal to a lot of moms, but it’s a HUGE deal to me.  I hate leaving the house with the kids by myself.  But we’re out of food at home and I pretty much had to go.  I timed the trip specifically.  So that we could be home by lunch and the kids could then get their naps.  I also timed it so I could easily grab lunch at McDonald’s before going out to the car.  We could take it home and eat it there.  Easy peasy!  This works for us because for whatever reason, the drivers-side window on our minivan won’t roll down.  So drive thru’s are difficult and there’s just no way that I’m getting all three out of the van to go into some joint just to order lunch.  I’m not THAT crazy.

That’s the beauty of a McDonald’s inside Walmart.  I can swing by on my way out to the car and grab lunch to take with us, easy.  This was my plan.

Of course, my youngest was rather unhappy.  She was tired and hungry and thirsty and just plain tired of shopping.  I was looking forward to getting her a sippy cup full of lemonade to keep her happy for the drive home.  Maybe a fry or two to tide her over.  So yes.  She was crying.  Loudly.  She was past being humored.  I had done that moments before while in the checkoutline.  We just needed to grab our lunch and go.

But it wasn’t that simple.  Becasue apparently your card swiping machine was on the fritz.  And whomever you were yelling at in the back didn’t care enough to come to the front to help you out.  And I think you got flustered.  And you asked if I had cash.  No, if I had had cash, I would have paid with that upfront.  I don’t carry cash.   I don’t like to carry cash.  It makes me feel itchy.  I prefer to deal with debit cards.  And you had several of these swipers.  But I guess if one goes down, they all go down.

Did you say nicely and apologetically to me, “I’m sorry, but I’ll have to cancel your order then”?  Nope!  You chose to holler out to whomever is in the back, “Cancel that order! She doesn’t have cash!”  This was for the benefit of everyone in the line too, who was now staring at me and my crying child.  My oldest had already taken his cup over to the fountain to get his soda and you snapped (yes, SNAPPED), “I need to have that cup back now.”  This was while I was already telling him to bring the cup up.   He got flustered and confused and started to cry.  Becasue I had promised McDonald’s as a reward for making it through shopping without makingme want to slit my wrists.  And now he had done something wrong?

Nope, but he got snapped at anyhow.  At this point, I was so angry, I didn’t stay and tell you what I wanted to say.  I left as quickly as I could, all the eyes in the vincinity upon me and my kids as we hurried, shoulders hunched, out of the store.  I wanted to ask you, “Can you please be a little nicer?  I’m just a mom.  And I’ve got my hands full.  I’m sorry I don’t have cash on me, but a LOT of people don’t have cash on them these days.  You don’t have to announce my business to a restaurant full of people.  You don’t have to snap at me and my son.  I understand if you’re feeling pressured, but that’s no excuse for losing your manners.  You are PAID to provide a service to customers.  And today, you just lost one.”

Next time, put yourself in your customers shoes.  Maybe stop for a second and see that the mom with the three kids is just trying to hold things together and maybe give her a little consideration.  Just because we’re busy doesn’t mean we need to lose our humanity.

And I will be hard pressed to step foot in that McDonald’s again.  Not as long as you’re working there (and you have been there quite a while… I see you there almost every time we’re at the store).   There are plenty of other fast food restaurants nearby that I would rather go to now.   I was HUMILIATED and shamed and I did not a damned thing wrong.  My kids were upset that they weren’t getting McDonald’s for lunch and they didn’t do a damned thing wrong either.  Thankfully, there is another McDonald’s located just across the street and we were able to go over there.  I made do with the broken window by opening the car door.  Not ideal but at that point, I had promised my kids and I was going to live up to it.  Even though all I wanted to do was go home and crawl under a rock and die.

Oh, and thanks for reinforcing why I don’t like to leave the house with the kids alone anymore.   I was starting to think my mistrust of people in general was misplaced.  Guess not!

Love and Kisses,
Marilyn

I hate blogging about pop culture things anymore.  There’s so much subjectivity there, not to mention that a bazillion and one other people are already talking about the same thing and my voice is only white noise.   And then there’s the whole thing where the topic is completely STUPID.  But I find myself strangely compelled today because I can hardly think of much else (thanks, modern media, for blitzing me with this crap as soon as I was awake!).  And I’m trying to become a better blogger so it’s time to start writing and stop thinking so damned much.

I watched the “special” show last night.  Because I’m stupid I had this morbid curiosity to see what the heck was going to happen.  Even though we all already knew.   Still, I hoped for a fraction of an instant the “announcement” would be that they were stopping the show, fullstop.

That was apparently WAY TOO MUCH to hope for.

The whole episode made me want to throw up, basically.  I watched it now and then a year or so ago, back when things were “hunky dorey”.  Remember, back when jokes about Kate harping on Jon were lighthearted beause OF COURSE their marriage could take it?  Back when the kids were all still little and far less annoying (I’m looking at you, Maddy).  But I would say I was far from a fan.  Watching “Jon and Kate + 8″ was akin to rubber necking an accident on the interstate.  Yes, even then.  Now?  It’s not an accident.

It’s a freakin’ train wreck.

And yet, has anyone said, “We should turn off the cameras!”?  NOPE.  Oh, it’s too late for that.  They’re rolling in the money and fame and attention now.  They can’t see the forest for the trees anymore.  I’m more convinced of that than ever after watching last night’s show.

These are selfish, selfish people.  Both of them, though Jon apalled me by saying he was EXCITED for this new chapter in his life.  Excited?   To leave his home and his children behind?  He even admitted on camera that he wouldn’t be seeing them every day.  And he’s EXCITED?   I gaped at Kile when this scene aired and asked him if he would be “excited”.  Kile said no, that he couldn’t imagine not seeing his children every day and certainly couldn’t grasp being excited about it.

These two clearly are incapable of dealing with their issues in a mature fashion.  They bicker in front of the children constantly.  The backbiting is horrific.  This is a FAMILY show?

Their insistance that the show is not the cause of their problems made me literally guffaw out loud.  Sure, I can see where their personalities would clash on or off camera regardless, but I don’t believe for an instant that the pressure cooker that is having your life filmed and broadcast to the world at large as well as the media and paparazzi circus that has followed them hasn’t contributed towards this.  And for whatever reason, I think that this whole show has caused them to forgo the reasonable avenue of seeking counseling and go straight to divorce.  They claim to be doing this for the children but I think either way you play it, the kids are the ones losing here.

I feel so sorry for these children.  I’m sorry their parents can’t put aside their pettiness and try to work together.  That their parents won’t turn off the cameras for the betterment of the family.  That these kids will have an extensive record, on film for posterity, of the demise of their family.  And so will everyone who ever interacts with them in the future.  People say blogging is not good for children for the “exploitation” that occurs.  Blogging has NOTHING on a reality tv show.  And I don’t know any blogger worth their salt that wouldn’t shut things down if they thought for an instant that it was harming their children.

My greatest hope is that now the couple is quitsville, that the audience will soon follow.  After all, people have been gawking at these two and their clearly fragile relationship.  Now that the two will not likely be on camera much together or even reference the other all that much, the gawkers will fade into the woodwork.  And with the audience, goes the ratings.  And when the ratings flatline, perhaps TLC will finally have the good sense to pull the plug.

Me, I’d just like to forget that I ever watched it.