Friday, January 11, 2008

GUILTY PLEASURES

No, I'm not talking about the stash of chocolates I hide from my children. Or any of the other slightly naughty things that make life worth living.

But, you see, my favorite basketball team is miserable this year. Rock bottom, maybe the worst team EVER miserable.

Enjoying a game now and then is hardly a guilty pleasure. The problem is, it's affecting my mood.

I know it's ridiculous. I know it's only a game. I've always felt vaguely befuddled and well, a bit sorry for, those who live and die by their local football team. In the grand scheme of things, it's just not that important, is it?

Somehow, though, I can't quite get past it. I miss having that game to look forward to a couple of times a week. I try and avoid it, but get glum everytime I catch a glimpse of the sports page and last night's score. In the past, even if we lost, I'd at least get to enjoy the exuberant basketball love that is Kevin Garnett on a court, or the essential man-prettiness of Wally Szczerbiak. No more. Yeah, I can watch the Celtics, and often do, but it's not the same. No pride of ownership.

This is not entirely new territory for me. In college, I was perhaps a bit too caught up in partner-swapping on General Hospital. Never could figure out why I cared so much, but oh, I did. Maybe even (shh!) skipped a class now and then so I didn't miss anything important. And now, I admit to checking out online gossip sights every once in a while, despite the fact that I know perfectly well I shouldn't care at all how many times Lindsey Lohan goes to rehab.

So who's gonna admit their secret passion? The thing they know is not really as important as their heart keeps insisting it is?

Susie

14 comments:

Christie Ridgway said...

Hah! I was sitting here trying to think, Susie, when it blam, hit me. My secret passion is Olivia and Elliot on Law & Order SVU. The show sometimes skeeves me out (who thinks of all those weird, deviant sexual storylines?), but I watch it to see the nuances of their relationship. I watch reruns too, so I'm all messed up in the timing of it, but I loooved the epiosode where she takes his wife (they got back together) to the hospital to have a baby and they get in a car accident.

Wonderful and whatever isn't on the screen I make up in my head.

Susan Kay Law said...

Ah, Christie. I watch SVU, too. And I viewed an awful lot of that prison show on HBO, which skeeved me out even more, because there was serious Meloni nudity. (My husband used to call me when he was watching it, just to kindly let me know of the possibility of impending Meloni skin. What a guy!)

Susie

Dara Edmondson said...

As much as I try to stay away from TV (Better to read instead) I admit that I secretly watch Desperate Housewives. It's tough to write the words, but there you have it!

Unknown said...

I have this secret passion for cute little animals. Put 'em in a movie, put 'em in a chotchke, put 'em in a 2008 calendar, put 'em on a wind chime. . . baby, I'm there.

Those mice that poses in cute little sculptures for Department 56 stop me dead in my tracks. My sister won't go anywhere near Fitz and Floyd with me now. . . I pet everything.

And no, my house is not filled with the things. I have enough restraint to resist spending money on them. But I have one or two cherished items (mostly gifts)that make me smile every time I look at them. Guys, I wasn't kidding about those penguins from Madagascar making my heart race.
My sister earned my undying love and a promise to care for her when she needs Depends. . . because she got me a mousepad with my favorite commando penguins on it!

And my favorite piece of jewelry that my sons have given me is a sterling silver dancing moose. A very classy but still hilarious dancing moose. I wear it at conferences sometimes. It reminds me of the giggling imp inside me. That way I never take myself or the business too seriously.

Michele Hauf said...

Puzzles and coloring books. Yeah, I know. But come the holidays I always get a new puzzle, and I can sit over that thing for hours. I love doing puzzles! I want a whole room just for puzzles. That's my dream.

And I'm also a coloring freak. Not the kiddie coloring books but the cool Dover ones on fashion and mandalas and animals and etc. Yeah, lose another few hours at a time with those things.

Fedora said...

Gummy candy--I know, it's terrible for your teeth and who knows what else, but I really like it, and have to have a back-up stash somewhere in the house. Yes, I've snitched some from my own kids before... Actually, it's not so much a passion as I don't know... a weakness?

Kathleen Eagle said...

Susie, sister in blue and green! I know exactly what you mean about the feeling you have after a win. It makes no sense--I even wake up the next morning with a little extra zip--We won last night. I never paid much attention to the sports page before I got hooked, but now--even when I know they lost--I have to look.

Fortunately, I was a Celtics fan way back when--well, not so much as I am a Wolves fan now--so I've taken to secretly paying attention to what's going on with them, even though I feel a teesy bit traitorous, which makes it another guilty pleasure. Pleasure in watching KG having such fun this year. He deserves it. (Have you seen their "3 amigos" commercial? Love it!)

BB has been my favorite team sport (strictly spectator) since I was in high school, but I've never been this passionate about it. As with everything else, it's the story I love about it. When I was teaching on the reservation, BB was king. I feed on the agony and the ecstasy, the kids who go from rags to riches, the heroes who live up to the name (like our KG), all that stuff.

Thanks for the post. I couldn't bear to watch last night's game after the first quarter. And I felt guilty!

Helen Brenna said...

People magazine. For some reason I'd never get a subscription, but get me in a doctor or dentist office and I devour the things.

Keri Ford said...

Sex Tips.

I can't help. If they're advertised on a magazine, I buy the darn thing. Link on a website...I'm so there. The feature on a talk show? I'll tune in and I don't even watch talk shows.

I dont' know what it is. It's not like I read them and then wait for the hubby to get home, I don't. I just love knowing what's possible. I call it research to make my love scenes/tension more interesting.

Kathleen Eagle said...

My problem with guilty pleasures is over pleasuring myself. I've probably mentioned my pack-ratting tendencies once or twice. I got so hooked on E-Bay that I had to go cold turkey. I remembered a couple of writer friends telling me about their E-Baying before I got into it. Both mentioned the addictive nature and going "cold turkey." At the time I thought they were exaggerating. Then I dipped my toe into the Bay. Dolls. Dolls, dolls, dolls. I've been teased about it a bit--eh, Susie?--but it's a guilty pleasure I couldn't get enough of for a while.

E-Bay is pretty fun, I have to say. And when you're at the computer anyway, well...

Michele Hauf said...

Okay, I'm not even going to touch that first line in Kathy's recent comment....

:-)

Unknown said...

My guilty pleasure is watching either "Valley of the Dolls" or the completely unrelated film "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls". They're terrible but so campy I can't resist watching whenever they are on TV.

Kathleen Eagle said...

Georgie, mine is "Dirty Dancing."

Michele, I planted the line. Don't think about it too much. Your photographic imagination (the writer's curse) will kick in. If you can't look at me when next we meet, I'll know the reason why.

Unknown said...

Kathy, I'm with you on the E-Bay thing. I had a legit reason to do it for a while. . . I inherited my Mom's silver and wanted to divide it and complete a set for each of my boys. But once I got started, it just seemed to continue. I bought some additional serving pieces, some mugs, then a Coach tote. . . and I was off to the races!

I now dip a toe in occasionally. . . mostly to add to my collection of carved gemstone hearts. I've sold a few things on E-bay, too. . . but that's an entirely different matter. And almost as addicting.