Allow me to explain.
Each day at 3:00 PM, I look forward to being done with all my Necessaries and sitting down to watch/listen to an hour of Judge Judy while I knit. However, thanks to the World Cup, I have been unable to do this. Their matches are preempting Judy.
I am a creature of habit. I like my rituals and my routines. I do not like soccer. I do like sassy Judge Judy and her soft spot for dogs. And I like rewarding myself for doing tiresome and tedious Domestic Goddessing.
Example: Today I ran errands and finished scrubbing woodwork in the kitchen. I even hit my head (like an idiot) on an open cupboard door. After I dragged the garbage and recycling cans to the curb, I wanted to sit down in front of Judge Judy with my knitting, but no! The Endless World Cup is still on. Will it be on forevermore? Truly, does it never end? Is this just my life now?
An aside: Another of my 3PM Rewards is a nice cup of decaf coffee and a few Biscoff cookies. I can't remember why I decided to buy my first package of Biscoff, but I'm forever grateful that I did. What a satisfying, wonderful little thing that cookie is. So simple yet complex. And so perfect with coffee. I'm even eschewing the 3PM Biscoff and coffee for now. It feels...wrong.
And why can't the World Cup be shuffled off to a streaming channel? That's what those heartless shits did with The Dog Show on Thanksgiving! Do you know how bereft I was without The Dog Show on Thanksgiving? Oh, sure, they ran it again the next day or whatever, but by then, I already knew who won ( I did not know that dog), plus who watches an event like that after the fact? Come on!
My head hurts and it's the World Cup's fault. Cheer me up in Comments.
Well, at least in this house, the World Cup is not upending our lives. But I would be very upset if it were messing with my routines and The Husband would be EVEN more upset if it were messing with his; so we understand and validate your frustration.
ReplyDelete*makes a mental note to buy Biscoff cookies. Then re-considers...do I really want something so tasty just sitting there begging me to eat it? Yes. Yes, I do.*
Gigi--Oh yes. Do buy the Biscoffs. They're really not something you'll binge on.
DeleteAnd thank you for validating my frustration. It's grey and gloomy here; I have so little to make me cheery in the day.
The powers that be have a lot of nerve!
ReplyDeleteI caught my husband watching soccer this weekend and this conversation happened:
Me: What are you doing watching soccer? No one watches soccer.
Coach: It's the World Cup!
Me: It doesn't matter, no one watches soccer. And off I went having made My Statement.
I do love me some Judge Judy! (and biscoff too-so simple, yet so delicious!) JJ has a house in our town and I just hope that one day I can bump into her in Target and quietly say: "Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining."
I was bummed about not seeing the Dog Show this year and I didn't even know it was on regular TV; we just forgot to put the TV on this year. I think a Frenchie won, right?
BB Suz--Sometimes, Americans are such bandwagoners. Even Jared, my eldest, decided to go watch the US match at the Old Angle Tavern in Cleveland, an Irish bar that's huge for soccer fans. Apparently, it's a major big deal to go watch the World Cup there. Jared cares nothing for soccer, but he cares a lot about Cleveland events and traditions. I felt personally betrayed.
DeleteI know you'll write up a post if you ever do encounter Judge Judy in the wild. Make sure you also toss in her fave: "If you tell the truth, you don't have to have a good memory."
The Dog Show was shoved off to Paramount or Paramount Plus, neither of which we have. We have a bunch of other streaming channels, but neither of those. I love Dog Shows, and I remember many of the dogs who compete in them. The French bulldog won, and I did not recognize its name, Winston, from past shows. The only other Frenchie champ I remembered was named Matthew. (Ridiculous, I know, how I remember these show dogs. Yet I cannot recall from one moment to the next where the hell I put my phone.)
Dee--So, how much longer IS this World Cup stuff going to continue, then? And why is it taking so long? I'm trying very hard not to blame you. ;-)
ReplyDeleteSoccer is SO BOOORRRIIINNGGG. (And this coming from a baseball and hockey fan.) I like to hear what happened after the fact. And maybe this is one instance where I'm glad I'm working so I can't be asked why I didn't watch.
ReplyDeleteHere is some good news for you: Raphael Warnock beat the dastardly Herschel Walker! It was sad that it was so close because what the actual heck Georgia, but thank goodness the Right Side of History prevailed!
Bug--Soccer was even boring to me when my kids played as grade-schoolers. I watched because back then I was a soccer mom. (Actually, it was funny to watch all the kids swarm the ball yet make absolutely no contact with it.)
DeleteI was thrilled with Sen. Warnock's win. Shameful that it was even a close election, but we all know why. Here's to never hearing from Herschel ever again.
We are not soccer people. I'd only ever watch soccer if my kid was playing in a game. Then there's golf - I don't watch golf AT ALL, even if my kid is playing in a match. A few have playing in high school. Some parents attend the matches. Where would I stand? How would I know what part of the golf course I was allowed on without getting thumped by a ball? Could there by anything more boring than golf on TV?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I don't follow soccer. I don't get the hype.
I am often annoyed by the state of TV and streaming options. I barely know how to find a show that I want to watch. I tend to rely on my kids, but I really don't watch it often. Remember when there was a TV guide included in the newspaper each week? One could look to see what was on AND know where to find it. If having stuff bumped to a specific streaming service is progress, I don't like it.
The anchors and reporters on my local morning news program are funny and entertaining. They are part of my daily routine. I haven't heard anything of Judge Judy in years, but just yesterday my news people showed a clip of her telling someone to put a dog on the ground. The dog rushed over to the other man, apparently proving ownership. He wept. It was so sweet.
Ernie--The only thing more boring than golf on tv is poker on tv. People actually watch that! Can you believe it? And how irritating are the whispering commentators on golf? And the dumb stuff they say? "I think Tiger might want to use the nine iron on this hole and put a little top spin on the ball in this humidity, Chris. You can see that the greens are just a bit bouncy from Tuesday's rain." !?!?!?
DeleteRick and I are constantly adrift simply trying to recall which streaming channel we want for the show we are currently watching. Is it on Hulu? Netflix? HBOMax? We've been watching it every night for a week! Why can't we remember? Sometimes, More is just More. I do recall the tv guide in the newspaper, and I used to leave it out on the coffee table. My kids used to make fun of me for it.
I saw that episode of Judge Judy (before the World Cup ruined my life)! Judge Judy is all about making the world better, one dog at a time. In all fairness, Judge Milian of The People's Court is very good about dogs as well.
I don't get it at all and I don't give a rat's ass about ANY sports! So there! Biscoff cookies are great - I first had them on a flight to somewhere - it was what the airline folks passed out to the passengers crammed in their seats.
ReplyDeleteVera--I was raised in a sporty family and my husband and sons are sporty. I can sit and watch most sports (not hockey; not soccer) and comment knowledgeably, but in most cases, I'd rather not. My sportiness is born of self-defense, so to speak.
DeleteI'm vaguely recalling a teensy bag of mini Biscoffs, but I usually got pretzels on flights. Perhaps today I'll reinstate my decaf and Biscoffs as a big F U to the World Cup.
Daily habits, especially ones that comfort, are important. I just looked and World Cup is not over until Dec. 18. Wow. A whole month. I'm sorry, dear. I "co-watched" the last few minutes of one of the U.S. games with Bo and Justine under pressure and there was another one on in the distance at a local restaurant where I just attended a group luncheon but that was the extent of my exposure. I don't know that I'd give up my cup of coffee and cookie if I were in your situation but I can see why it wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable removed from your ritual.
ReplyDeleteI don't watch Judge Judy so I didn't know that she had those words of wisdom that you shared in comments. But Smokey used to say "If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember what you said." That was parenting advice he offered to young Bo more than once. And he often repeated the wisdom when talking about folks who had been caught in lies.
During the last part of my shower yesterday, my hot water heater cried "Uncle." This HWH is less than 2 years old so it's still under warranty. I contacted the plumber who installed it and he's booked until Friday or Monday. Yikes! Because the warranty is through him, I can't simply call another plumber. I bring this up because of daily comforting habits. Like a moron, today about every 5 minutes I think I really need to take my shower now. And then go uh, no. Sort of like when one goes through the house when the power is out automatically flipping on light switches to no avail. Guess I'm going to go boil some water on the stove so I can at least freshen up a bit. Of course, this minor inconvenience to me makes me think of the thousands of people still suffering in Moore County NC because of a bigoted domestic terrorist. That whole situation is terrifying, especially as it's not the first time it's happened in our country and the terrorists from a previous incident in CA have never been apprehended. I find myself thinking that perhaps that's because those in power did not want to catch them. I hope that won't be the case this time.
I think Bo and Justine did watch the streaming version of the dog show. Streaming is great until they take the shows you've enjoyed on regular tv and make them inaccessible and why doesn't it work that the shows you don't want to see are relegated to streaming? It's almost as if it's all designed to make the maximum number of people unhappy. Ugh.
Going to go fix a cup of tea and revel in the fact that Warnock won. Thank the gods! That's all I'll say on that matter.
Shirley--Rick actually woke me up to tell me Senator Warnock won. He knows what's important! I fell back asleep easily and with a happy heart.
DeleteThe domestic terrorism of NC has been on my mind, and it needs to be labeled as such. It was a deliberate act, and that, at least has been said.
I'm so sorry about your water heater! What an unfortunate situation. Thankfully, it's under warranty, but that comes with its own separate problems, as you said. You'll be roughing it for days! I hope they've at least got your new HWH and will have it ready when the plumber comes.
So I'm out of luck until Dec. 18! That's unreal. And abusive, really. I'm going to have to find a new show to settle in with, obviously, so I can regain my zen.
I wish I could be in charge of programming. I'd shift all the worthless and degrading reality shows to streaming, like The Bachelor/Bachelorette. They'd have their own streaming channel so that I wouldn't even run into their promos. Ah, I dream a dream.
Dear, dear Smokey. His legacy is bright.
Aww, I love that Rick did that! I am sure you slept wonderfully well after hearing that grand news!
DeleteThe plumber is supposed to contact me today after contacting the manufacturer so I guess I will find out then how long this torture will last!
Yes, you definitely need to regain your zen. I hope you find something wonderful to tide you over.
That's a brilliant idea on shifting all those terrible reality shows to a streaming channel! I don't even like seeing their promos either and when people I know tell me that shows like The Bachelor/Bachelorette are their guilty pleasure, I know my disgust shows on my face. A friend shared years ago that our society went downhill in a major way when these appalling competitions became entertainment and I think she's right.
Aww, my heart on that last line. Thanks, Nance. xoxo
Shirley--I agree with your friend. I still cannot believe how long those shows have been around. Sickening.
DeleteKeep me posted on the HWH situation.
XXOO
The plumber is coming tomorrow morning. Crossing my fingers that all will go off without a hitch. The old school way of washing up is in fact, getting old. LOL
DeleteShirley--Hooray! A shower will never seem so special and heavenly.
DeleteI did not know about either Biscotti or Judge Judy - up here in Canada above the grapes-for-wine line. But I did hear about the Warnock win. A shout from in front of the TV where JG was watching the news. I danced a bit.
ReplyDeleteMy spell checker changed Biscoff to Biscotti. What is this, a conspiracy.
Funny to me story. One of the coaches I have enrolled for my Afghan folk is a Brit who loves 'football'. He was booked to teach during the Canada/? somebody game, sadly trecked away from his TV to the library to meet his student, and was met by the news that said student had cancelled at the last minute. He returned to his TV only to find that Canada had lost the game. I got a long and rambling email about this that, I swear, came in on my black and white screen in blazing red letters.
Me? I do not know a thing about the sport, do not watch sports, do not care (much) that Canada's first appearance at the World Cup ended in three sad losses, and am about to find out if your praised toothsome treats are available up here. I am also trying to order a new mattress via computer and I suspect that the mattress I want is also available only in the favoured (favored) 48.
Spent yesterday teaching about prepositions. Today I am drinking coffee and recovering. Later I may try to find Judge Judy.
All of the above is true but hardly memorable.
Mary--Thank you for sharing in our Warnock Win Happiness. I'd have loved to see your dance.
DeleteI do hope you can find Biscoff. I cannot believe they would not be available up there. I feel like they're everywhere. One thing that is not, however, is whole grain mustard (aka stone ground) which I did not find at my grocery store today. So annoying. I hate having to shop more than one place.
I always loved teaching prepositions. Such fun! I could teach grammar for an entire year.
Let me know if you do find Judge Judy and what you think. I find it immensely entertaining.
Hey, do I have a job for you. Online prepositioning! As soon as I get the student hooked up, I sure could use an online coach. What about it?
DeleteMary--I haven't even begun my Xmas shopping yet. Give me the schedule, and I'll see if I can work it in. (I don't even have Zoom.) I'd be happy to try!
DeleteJanuary, as early as I can get the teachers back from holiday and a schedule set. I was thinking of emailing work back and forth with corrections and comments. I always valued that kind of learning myself.
DeleteYes, I think all sports should be on their own separate channels - isn't there a 24 Hour Soccer channel that's down the dial (lol - like it's 1972) from ESPN and ESPN2 and All Football All The Time and Watch These Guys and Gals Play Billiards?
ReplyDeleteNGS--Oh, there's another horrid "sport" that's televised, billiards. Honestly, whatever for? And it's criminal how many channels are already given over for sports. This country is singularly obsessed with grownups playing games. It's sad.
DeleteOops. Can't cheer you up on this one. We are avid "soccer" fans in this house. In fact, we call it football, as it should be called, because, uh, the English invented this cool game that is played with ONLY the FOOT and a BALL, lol. I decided long ago that American football sucks: Watching it on TV is impossibly boring with all the commercials and stops and starts. REAL football plays each half for 45 minutes straight. Apart from that, after I saw the movie Concussion, I decided to abandon any support of American football forever: even dressing up like an astronaut doesn't keep them from risking the effects of head injuries down the line. If you haven't seen that movie and can get it on streaming, it's worth watching. —All of that said, cheer up: the World Cup is now into quarter finals with the last playoff games being played from Friday through Sunday. (And, not that you would care, but... sadly, my teams (the U.S., Mexico and Spain) are all out. Hang in there, Nance. Only a couple more days and you can return to your Judge Judy ritual. BTW: We are watching on a Mexican channel we have access to. I did not know that these games were blitzing all the local U.S. channels, but there must be money behind it--- like most things these days. :-(
ReplyDeleteOops again!!! Big correction on the quarter finals and finals: they are obviously NEXT week. But not all week: only Tuesday & Wednesday @ 1 p.m. CST during possible (?) "Judge Judy" hours, and the finals are on the weekend. So yeah, a bit more suffering. And I do sympathize, because our local Spanish language channel (Univsión) that we watch telenovelas on cancels weekday episodes whenever *any* football (soccer) game is on that *they* think is important, which 99 times out of 100, IS NOT. Missing programs one is addicted to and which form part of a daily ritual is definitely a PITA.
DeleteMy daughter has told me, and I have NOT verified anywhere, that the British used to call soccer, soccer, and decided to change it to Football. Also in this tidbit was that the British used to call eggplant, eggplant, but decided to change to the French Aubergine. Seems like there was one more. Is it true? Who knows.
DeleteJ - Interesting. I never knew that about the word soccer. Now I'm curious about how the English come up with rugby for 'the other football.' Gonna have to do some searching on the net, lol. I knew about aubergine from my British 'flatmates' when I lived in Spain. Hispanics adopted the English word football, just spelling it phonetically in Spanish 'fútbol.' And our football is 'fútbol americano.' Sidebar to Nance — I just realized I screwed up again on the Painful Soccer Schedule. :-( ---Quarter finals tomorrow & Saturday, next week semi-finals 2 week days, and finals on the weekend.
DeleteOrtizzle--I am even more out of sorts now, knowing that my dear friend Ortizzle is an avid soccer fan. Sigh. LIFE IS SO UNFAIR.
DeleteI am no big fan of football football either. No flow of game action, too much violent physicality, goofy rules (pass interference seems silly when one thinks of the objective of the game), and lots of slamming around in fits and starts. I was so glad neither of my kids had any interest in playing at any level. One need only look at Herschel Walker to see the effects of US football on its players.
I've heard of the film you mentioned and seen segments of it. Knowing what we know, why do we have this sport (or boxing, MMA...any of it, really)?
I'm going to just use Trial And Error every day next week for Judge Judy. I must keep Hope alive.
I'm sorry Judy is being preempted and I understand your irritation. I will add that she is the source of one of my favorite quotes: "I don't give a rat's tutu about your emotional distress." Not that I'm applying that sentiment to your predicament. But I suppose soccer fans might say that to you...
ReplyDeleteAlly--I suppose soccer fans, of which there are multitudes, apparently, would indeed say that to me (and more). They are in their Glory right now, I suppose. Bless their little footie hearts.
DeleteJudy is a fount of snarky sayings. All part of her charm.
I hate when something I do not care about preempts something that I DO care about, even if it is just a little bit. I am very much a creature of habit.
ReplyDeleteI think I first had a Biscoff cookie on an Air France flight. I had to buy some after that, and felt very sophisticated eating them. Delicious. Have you temporarily given them up, in protest?
J--Are they sophisticated? I had no idea. They're only $2.95 a package at my grocery store. That's cheap class!
DeleteI gave the World Cup the finger yesterday and streamed some episodes of Seinfeld, drank a cup of decaf, ate my Biscoffs, and then knitted. It was not the same, but I felt pretty good. Seinfeld is always funny; I've seen each one about a hundred times, so they're good to knit to.
So, it's not just me and my aging ways, then, feeling comforted by habit and routine? Good to know. There's a lot to be said for having some rituals.
I'm with you! I have zero interest in sports of any kind and especially soccer. I do however, have the same taste in cookies. I've been buying Biscoffs for years. They remind me of a cookie my dad used to get when I was a kid and they are perfect with coffee as well has your tea. I did not know they make a butter spread!
ReplyDeleteJean--They make a butter spread? Did I miss something?
DeleteGlad to know you're a fellow Biscoff fan. I remember eating a windmill cookie when I was little that tasted similarly. They were made by Voortman, and they had sliced almonds on them. Were you, perhaps, also thinking of those?
I can offer no Comfort since ALL Sports being broadcast to me ruin Life and my Routines, since, The Man is rather obsessed with shit like Football and will regale me with whose Winning... as if it's relative. *winks* Politics on TV is about the only other pre-emptive annoyance to my World, too much coverage seems to be monopolized by Sports and Politics... when the Fluff of Life is rationed, what's up with that? I NEED more Fluff, it restores my Calm.
ReplyDeleteBohemian--You bring up such a great point. Not only is Sports of all kinds monopolizing the airwaves, but so is The Politics. There is no way I can have a Politics channel on constantly in my home as some people like to do. I'd be constantly stressed and fired up. Like you, I need Zen and Fluff. That's what my Judge Judy Ritual is all about.
Delete