Glee's very first episode was amazing. I was intrigued by ALL the characters, I thought they all had something to say and was impressed by their talents. But as Rachel Berry's skirts got shorter and shorter, Quinn's convictions got fewer and fewer and Mr. Shue's ex-wife kept lying and lying, I lost interest. In all honesty, I see that every day. I am constantly seeing situations that Glee makes light of in my daily life. I would rather use TV to challenge my reality and provide a thought-provoking picture of humanity - not see it's worst parts skewed with an inappropriate innuendo. And I realize that most TV doesn't portray that anymore, nor are audiences looking for that. But when I can have kids through aresol cans into my backyard that they'd been huffing, and see girls from my own undergraduate, Christ-centered university get onto the trolly exposing their underwear because their skirts are so short and their ugg boots are too high, I need to be engaging them in discussion, not watching a TV show that promotes it and qualifies it as okay because it's just high-schoolers figuring out "who they are".

Please don't take this as a "I am much better than other people because I don't watch Glee or anything on TV" because I am SO not that person. And I do watch shows that are questionable at times (I can't get enough of Big Bang Theory and it's regular discussion of "coitus"). But this year, since moving into our new house, I've watched less TV. I am sure partly it's because that Seth has refused to let me get cable because it's too expensive and partly because if I had it, I would be watching it all the time instead of reading my thousands of pages for grad school. But I must admit, it's been pretty nice not having it. While I've grown more dependent on my netflix que, I've realized that I haven't missed things as much as I thought I would. Sure, I miss mind-numbing sitcoms, but honestly, I think I miss the social aspect of them more - knowing that I know what people are talking about the day after something airs. Knowing that I am "in the loop" about what's going on in pop culture. But, if I were to be totally honest, I'm not very in the loop with some of my friends. I am not very in the loop with my neighbors or immediate community. Nor am I always aware of the loop that God is creating around me.

A couple of years ago, I felt like my world was surrounded by the rich and famous. I wanted to know everything about them; who they were dating, where they ate dinner that night, what whacko name they had come up with for their next kid, etc. But eventually I had to take a step back. I realized I knew way too much about what coffee shops people were frequenting than how my best friends were doing while teaching English in China. While sometimes I still look at people.com, I've realized that people.com is about more than celebrities - it's about PEOPLE. Sure, there are days where I wish I were famous (because then I could SO get away with naming my future daughter Cinnamon), but those are the days that I realize that I feel lonely and just want people to "know" me.

I don't think TV, as scandalous or as wholesome as it can be is the answer. The answer is people; knowing each other and being with each other through life's predicaments of teen pregnancy, understanding our sexuality, divorce, and a smidgen of OCD. It's embracing the spirit of the inner being to dwell on things that are pure, noble, and righteous, and telling those around us, "Don't stop believin'!"