I love to watch television.   I watch all kinds of shows from comedies to sports to yes, even reality shows.  Why I watch certain shows over others who knows.  I know what I like to watch and therefore choose those shows.  Sometimes I like a show because someone said, “You HAVE to watch this show!” like I am some kind of freak if I don’t.  That’s how I found shows like Scandal and Blacklist.  Of course this hasn’t happened with shows like “The Walking Dead”.  It’s really not about the show, it’s about the genre.  I just don’t find shows about zombies, vampires, and such interesting.

I LOVE all kinds of crime shows…CSI, Law & Order, Blue Bloods, NCIS, and so on. One of favorites over the years has been NCIS. This show has wonderful story lines and BRILLIANT written characters (i.e. Leroy Jethro Gibbs).  Gibbs has so many layers that he always keeps you guessing throughout each show.  Of course, it’s no wonder I like NCIS, it is from the same person who created JAG and Magnum P.I.  NCIS spun off two shows, NCIS-LA and just this year, NCIS-New Orleans.  I never could get into NCIS-LA even though it has LL Cool J and Chris O’Donnell.  But the newest spin-off, “Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler” translation…Let the Good Time Roll!

The Law and Order franchise has produced some of my favorite shows as well.  The original L&O can stand on it’s own.  I stopped watching it for awhile after Jerry Orbach died.  In my opinion, he made the show, along with Sam Waterson and S. Epatha Merkerson.  Of course, if you watch the original, you probably love L&O: SVU.  I miss Christopher Meloni.  I haven’t watched since he left the show.  Sorry SVU, I just can’t watch without him.  I did like Criminal Intent, very different compared to the other two shows, but worth watching if you catch it in reruns.

I have been watching this genre in some form or fashion for as long as I can remember.  There were some great shows from the 70s (Kojak, The Rockford Files, Columbo) and then the grittier shows like Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue.  Of course, I could not leave this genre without mentioning the one and only Jessica Fletcher.  Yep, I believe she was the real killer in Cabot Cove.  I mean come on people, everywhere she went, and I mean everywhere she went someone was murdered.  I find that odd.  I think she needed material for all the books she was writing.  That’s all I’m sayin’!

I love to laugh!  My favorite right now is The Big Bang Theory!  I love the premise of the show and if you have seen the show, how can you not love Sheldon.  In fact, I based a professional conference presentation on Sheldon and his inability to adjust to change in his life.  I really don’t watch as much of the newer comedy shows of today.  I have caught a couple of episodes of Modern Family, it’s funny, but it just doesn’t appeal to me as much as other comedies.  One of my favorite comedies is The Golden Girls.  I swear I am turning into Dorothy everyday.  When it was first on back in the 1980s, I didn’t fully appreciate the humor of it all.  Now, OMG!!!  It’s even funnier!  This show tackled several topics that would be nothing special today, but back then, very groundbreaking.  No matter what, they always found the humor in life and loved each other no matter what.  That’s some life lessons anyone should take away from this show.

Reality shows can be somewhat stupid.  And to be honest, I have watched a lot of these shows both good, bad and ugly. When you watch these shows, you have to remember, these are scripted and edited.  They are entertainment.  Sure they involve supposedly normal, average people, but in reality (look how I did that) some are a little off the beam.  I cannot even imagine a camera crew following me recording EVERY SINGLE MINUTE of my life.  Of course, my life is boring, it wouldn’t make for great television.  I guess they could use me as an example of WHAT NOT to put on television.  I will still, however, on occasion watch to see who gets voted off the island.

Finally the point of this rambling…I have discovered two new shows of late.  One just premiered this week called “Younger”.  The premise, a woman who is 40ish returns to the workforce after stepping out to raise her daughter.  She can’t seem to get a job because they want someone who happens to be in their 20s.  So what does her friend tell her to do…lie about your age or as she explains it.. “People will believe anything you tell them”.  Sure enough she jumps right in with the charade. Being someone who is 40ish I can relate.  But to be honest, I don’t know if I would want to relive my 20s.  They weren’t all that great.  The other show is called Bloodline currently airing exclusively on Netflix.  What drew me to the show, to be honest, it really wasn’t the storyline, it was the fact that Kyle Chandler was one of the stars.  That’s right, you heard me, Kyle Chandler.  If you don’t know who this gorgeous man is well, crawl back into your cave.  This show is good!  It’s BRILLIANT!  If you have a NETFLIX account, check it out.  I am down to the last couple of episodes and I can’t wait to see what happens!

That’s about it.  Of course, you can catch me this weekend catching up on all the shows I have on the DVR since there is no NASCAR on this weekend.  I will be watching the NCAA Basketball games on Saturday.  And I will be continuing the annual Easter tradition of watching The Ten Commandments starring Charlton Heston.   With that I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend!

I have been contemplating what to do with The Park over the past several months.  Should I just let it go by the wayside?  Should I delete the blog and start over?  Revamp?  Retool? What should I do?  Then I thought about it…I am going to keep The Park.

At some point in my life back on April 7, 2005, I started The Park.  I wanted a place where I could write about anything I wanted.  I love to write and I am very opinionated about many topics.  The Park morphed into a place where I could talk about my love and passion for NASCAR without fear of ridicule.  Along this journey I met other NASCAR fans who I have come to call my friends.  But since the death of both my parents in 2011, I lost my passion for lots of things.  The tremendous grief over losing both of them within 8 months of each other is difficult to understand unless you have been there.  I lost quite a bit of who I was during that time including my love for NASCAR.  I would still watch, but nothing seemed right.  Part of who I was died with both of them.  I was uninspired and frankly, I just didn’t feel like writing.  I have slowly and deliberately traveled down this road of grief to find myself again.  The journey is still ongoing and it will for the rest of my life, but I am a place now where I can begin writing again.

Now for the good stuff…I will still continue to discuss NASCAR, but I want to write about other things.  These “other things” will cover mainly topics about sports, but I will also write about things that inspire me or frankly, piss me off.  I will not discuss my political views, religious beliefs or moral beliefs.  Don’t get me wrong, I love a good discussion about things, but The Park has never been a place fo those kind of volitile discussions.  I will on occasion post things that will be deemed private.  Only those who are given permission will be allowed to view them.  You might say, then why post them, well frankly, writing is therapeutic for me.  I have saved thousands of my hard-earned dollars by writing.  I encourage people to comment on my posts whether you agree or disagree.  I love a good discussion.  All I ask is you keep things respectful.  Sometimes it is better to not comment than to comment.  Always ask yourself before posting, would you say this to someone in person?  That’s my guideline on anything with regards to social media.  If I would not say it to someone to their face, I don’t hit the submit or send button.

So with that, WELCOME TO THE PARK!  And to get things started, let’s take a look back at one of my favorite posts from March 30, 2006…“The Big Green Book Bag”