TV or not TV

I realize that my readership is somewhere between 1 and 3 people - me, my husband and one of my sister (thanks, love you guys!) so no one else may ever see that I am about to say something that most people don't like to admit to. I love TV. Specifically, although I do watch a few "regular" shows, I love reality TV. The list of shows I DVR is longer than the Mississippi if you stack them end to end. Yes, I've heard TV rots your brain, but really, can't TV be a good thing too? I think so. And I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say I think it can be downright inspirational.

Case in point, I have never seen an episode of So You Think You Can Dance that did not make me cry. When an un-trained b boy does a contemporary routine or a ballroom dancer tackles hip hop and does it well, and the judges give them positive feedback, how can that NOT be amazing?! Even Flipping Out, which centers around a not so lovable control freak, Jeff Lewis, makes me think, wow, look at what he is accomplishing. Watching Jeff meltdown or bark his fast food lunch requirements to his assistant is one thing, yet on the other hand, watching him make smart business decisions and maneuver a new approach to his business, flipping houses, which was grossly affected by the downturn of the economy, is another. And, if it weren't for shows like Top Chef and The Next Food Network Star, I wouldn't know an amuse bouche or duck confit from a french fry. Inspirational AND educational!

So, what does this all have to do with my blog and upcoming school-dom? As cliche as it sounds, life is meant to be lived, in whatever way we see fit. For some that means in front of a camera. For me that means being one of the older students on campus, going back to school to try to accomplish something most others in the culinary field have been doing naturally since they were old enough to crawl to the kitchen. Well, me and my walker say, bring it on! Did I mention I'm going to school with my 19 year old son?

That's a story for another day.