I do not know who or what Hannah Montana is. I have no clue why the Jonas brothers are famed. I have never watched Nip and Tuck, Torchwood, Six Feet Under, Deadwood, Battlestar Galactica (except the original), Grey's Anatomy, America's Next Top Model, Gossip Girl and a thousand other programs people talk about.
I feel like I need Cliff Notes for contemporary life.
Is this what it is to get old? To realize that you can't consume it all? To know that no matter the depth of your knowledge there will always be more to be learned and that life is, and I think I'm finally getting this, just too darn short.
Going for long walks in the sun, eating pie, whispering and giggling after sex, sipping sangria on a sultry summer afternoon, a dog licking your face, the scent of a thunderstorm bearing down, spelunking, bodysurfing, reconnecting with an old friend, the harsh serenity of the desert. I think I feel better now because no matter what I'm missing, there will always be these things to dip my soul into.
Maybe getting older is more about letting life wash over you, like how when you were a kid at the beach and you stayed in the shallow area and bobbed and squirmed and tumbled a bit with each passing wave.
28 comments:
Just the other day one of my techs played a song for our old fart tech, and it set me off into a rant about how all the goddamned bands now sound just like fucking Nickelback. "At least when you were listening to OMD, you knew they were OMD and not Human League or Depeche Mode."
Getting old isn't bad. It's about getting comfortable in your skin. And I still giggle after sex.
Oh, and I'd also recommend checking out Torchwood. John Barrowman, rowr.
I'm with you. Hannah Montana...forget it! But...you do have to check out Six Feet Under. Get the DVDs, start with Season 1 and you'll be hooked. Very well done. Acting and writing are superb.
I'm not so much into things right when they come out. For instance we don't have HBO or Showtime, so anything we see related to those channels we have to rent, way after the fact.
Bands, there are so many nowadays.
Sometimes to my chagrin, Mrs Coffeedog is a pop culture savant, she knows something about everything.
What a great post. I am overwhelmed by what I don't know...but I would rather be overwhelmed with what I DO know. I only know of the things you mention via comments by others...I am shocked how much blog and FB content involves pop stars and reality shows...blech...I'd rather here about the desert, storms and post sex giggles any day! That's life!
Also, I think it's funny how everyone is sure you will love the shows they watch and tell you to watch them. It's silly! Clearly, if you watch, fall in love with and own the entire series of Buffy for repeat viewing, you will never need another movie or TV show again! *smirk*
I haven't seen any of the shows you mentioned, either. I will never make it on any quiz show because I would fail the pop culture category. But I would nail the I don't care category.
What a lovely meditation you wrote today. As we age we discard the meaningless and embrace those things which connect us to the ones we love, the earth, the universe, ourselves. Things like this post.
I've tried to watch the new Battlestar but I'm sorry it fails so badly in comparison to the original. Getting old sucks and not in a good way, trust me. ed
Regardless of your poetic platitudes on the joys of aging and the simple things in life, YOU NEED TO WATCH SIX FEET UNDER. Because I said so. Because you will thank me for recommending such a finely-crafted series with a remarkable cast that happens to include the swoon-worthy Michael C. Hall.
There;s knowledge, and then there's contemporary cultural crap. The Jonas Brothers and Hannah Montana will fade and be just dim memories in a few year.
Although, you really should try to catch Torchwood sometime, it's awesome. :)
HUGS...
(I can't wait until Hannah Montana fades off the face of the earth...)
When we were kids, Good Times, Archie Bunker, The Waltons, The Jeffersons...we all knew them because it's all we had. Two channels filled with shows that everyone watched. Now we have 800 channels filled with crap. It's no wonder we feel like we are in a huge pit of information we can't weed our way out of.
I agree with Mel about the music too. Fucking Nickelback, anyway!
I haven't owned a television since 2002, but I rent DVDs of TV series that are recommended to me.
I totally agree with Rick and lattégirl -- Six Feet Under is a must-see! It's the best overall series I've ever watched.
I think growing older involves gaining greater discernment about what matters to US. Like you, I'm seeking out more life experiences, rather than trying to stay abreast of pop culture. One nice benefit of never having been one of the cool kids, I am used to be out of the loop. For most of the 80s and about half of the 90s I didn't have a TV, so there are HUGE swathes of pop culture for my generation that I missed out on. For some reason Golden Girls is the one that is cropping up a lot these days.
I would give up all of the TV shows that you mentioned just to watch this first season of United States of Tara. Toni Collette is brilliant.
And right now I am giving up winter and getting on a plan to LA. Which is even better!
Part of it's group dynamics. I don't follow many tv shows either and haven't seen any of the ones you note, but in university I was definitely up on Cheers, etc., and if you had kids, trust me, you would know Dora or Hannah, depending on their ages.
That's not getting older... that's getting wiser (and more discerning)
(Ha ha, word verification is "pasts")
Oh my gosh, you sound just like us....totally NOT mainstream. Addicted to no show, or person, or movie, or anything. I remember looking at the list of movies up for the Academy Awards and having not even HEARD of 3/4 of them. I love that.
Growing older is about making choices, not about stepping away from pop culture. I know plenty of folks much older than you who know all those shows inside and out. And I don't necessarily think watching those shows is incompatible with reconnecting with old friends or giggling after sex. I can't speak to whether they spelunk or body surf, though.
I don't watch any of those shows either. But neither do I seek out spelunking, bodysurfing, or eating pie for that matter. And since I average about one sexual encounter every three months, not watching TV hasn't made any positive impact in that department.
I do what I do and don't think I'm better or worse off for it. I simply am. Although I wouldn't mind more sex.
My god what a beautiful piece of writing. Dude.
I know a bit about growing old since I'm 80. Mostly, old requires courage. One learns to be selective and discriminating in their life---regarding everything. And, sex is still fantastic! I wake every morning thankful to be alive. LOL
hh
It's all nice and dandy when you have someone to do all those with...
I love Torchwood. I do wish the 3rd season would pop online already.
And Six Feet Under, hint, they all die.
Another show I've been watching is Dollhouse. Very interesting concept.
Its all about priorities, and in my opinion, you've got yours straight. I'd much rather being doing what you're doing than be up-to-date on all the current TV shows and celebrities.
Posts like these are why I've been a regular visitor to your site for a couple of years now.
These, and the poop ones.
:)
"That's not getting older... that's getting wiser (and more discerning)" - franck hit the bullseye!
I watch no tv, nor do I read magazines. I read books, listen to the radio, knit, play with my cats, and listen to phillies baseball games on the radio.
I don't give a fat rat's ass what the next person is doing or not doing.
and I am content with that.
(demographics: age 54.7, married, no children, owns a house.)
Yeah, all that other crap I could do without, but Six Feet Under is up there with the simple pleasures in life. It's that good.
yeah rabbit ears and netflix - and that's all I need ( and maybe this paddle ball)
I think you got this right; I think that's the beauty of growing older - not caring about crap that's not important.
What are Cliff Notes?
Ok, I'm kidding.
I would like to have access to the Cliff notes, just in case I ever need to know that stuff. Because right now I don't know about those shows. I am vaguely familiar with Hannah Montana, simply because I have an 11 yr old daughter. I wish I could forget all I know about Hannah Montana.
Like Patrick, I didn't even have a television in the 80s and much of the 90s. I like it that way.
This is a well written philosophical post. Did you do that on purpose or did it just sort of happen? On my blog the philosophical posts can come either way.
The only reason I know about Hanna Montana is because she dates Gaston Juston or whatever his name is. Otherwise I wouldn't give her a bucket of warm spit. Maybe this is sad, but most of what I know about Pop Culture I pick up from references and comments on blogs and gossip websites.
I agree, there is always more to be learned everyday. Sometimes you have to make the best of what you have and who you are and where you're at. That's all you've got to work with.
Last night, in bed, my partner and I were discussing my 14 yo son. He's revealed a relationship with a young woman, whose parents are coming to see him perform in a sort of Passion Play at his church tonight. My partner spewed forth that he (my son) could do this and go out for track and be that and on and on. He could obviously see I was ready to blow..erupt..couldn't hold it in any longer..Oh you know I mean. Anyway..and out it came when I said "sure, he can do everything to be done and suck at them all, or he can find where his passions lie and concentrate on that." Now that I think about it, because of what I've read in your blog, I guess either one is good.
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