Sunday Damages
Monday, 09 July 2012
The Saturday to-do list was longer than usual. Not that I ever finish even short ones; there are always plenty of items to carry over to the next day. And the next.
At the same time, the weather here (sorry to break this to you who live in the midwest, east and south) was glorious: high 50s Farenheit in the early morning - with blue, cloudless skies and the occasional riffling breeze - rising to 75F or 80F or so by evening when it drops down again to the 50s overnight.
Early, 6AM, I threw open all the windows for several hours to clear out the inside dead air, stayed overtime at the farmers' market to enjoy the cool, bright morning and then, back home, attended to the to-do list I'd planned for the day.
It was mostly the deeply boring stuff – dusting, polishing, floor washing, tub and sink cleaning, vacuuming, laundry and some cupboard reorganizing - the stuff I really dislike so much that I always put it off for too long until it's a full day's work, maybe two.
By late afternoon I was pooped. I figured I would read a few pages of one of the books I'm in the middle of, maybe watch a movie and have an early lights out. But I had not counted on Damages.
Among the stuff sitting in my Netflix queue for many months is that TV series starring Glenn Close. Obviously, since it premiered in 2007, I'm several years behind but isn't that what Netflix is for? We don't have to tie ourselves down to weekly television anymore.
Over time, I had read a lot of good reviews of the series so with nothing else queued that I was eager to see, I gave the first episode of the first season of Damages a try. I was tired and it if didn't grab me in the first 10 minutes or so, I'd turn it off in favor of sleep.
Dear god was I wrong. I don't have any memory of the last time a program, characters, writing, plot, production etc. so sucked me in and refused to let go. I'm not here to review the show and anyway, because it's been ongoing since 2007, many of you are probably familiar with it. The show is stunningly good. I watched four – count them, four episodes before forcing myself to stop and turn off the tube.
Sunday arrived with more on the to-do list plus the need to write a post for today, Monday. I read the morning papers, checked a few more things off the to-do list, thought about a TGB story but my heart wasn't in any of it.
So I did something I've never in my life done before. Ever. Beginning at about 10:30AM, I watched episodes of Damages. One after another after another after another.
People call this kind of activity - or lack thereof - vegging out. Not so in this case. The series engages the mind on so many levels almost any other drama on television will be a disappointment now. I was in pig heaven.
Oh, I got up to fix a bit of lunch at one point. A couple of hours later enough guilt at my sloth descended that I went outside and walked around for 30 or 40 minutes but I was thinking about the show the whole time and had to force myself to keep walking.
Late in the afternoon, I remembered I had a TGB story due and maybe I should think about dinner too – not that I'd done anything to work up an appetite. But since there are about 30 more Damages episodes on Netflix and they are all calling me back to the television, this is what you get today - space filler that takes no more effort than a diary entry.
But while writing it, I've begun to wonder if this isn't a feature of this stage of life. After 35, 40 or 45 years of squeezing one's every interest, pleasure, amusement, hobby, pastime and silly fun, too, into evenings and weekends with hardly any time for sloth, it's finally all right to gratify a minor obsession, as mine with Damages, that will be over soon anyway.
Am I alone in this kind of indulgence? What has so engaged you that everything else stopped until you'd had enough or it ended?
No promises that you'll see much of me on these pages until I've finished episode number 39. (Uh-oh, I just read that season 4 will be available on DVD later this month.)
At The Elder Storytelling Place today, Dani Ferguson Phillips: D.O.G.
I'm soooo envious of your day! How fun. Not able to do the same or even something close, but it's on my "to do" list for a later date. Dee
Posted by: Dee | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 05:37 AM
Honestly, I don't know why you feel guilty. Haven't you earned it?
This is why I love retirement. I do what I damn well please. Enjoy!
Posted by: Janine | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 05:45 AM
I've done things like that before with say watching all the Lord of the Rings before going to a new one. I am not a real big TV person though; so it's rare that I can stand it no matter how good the show is.
I can though take a day and totally blow it on a creative project where I just can't let it go even if it would make all the sense in the world to do something else for awhile.
Posted by: Rain | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 06:36 AM
Lucky you, to have all those episodes of Damages still to watch! My husband and I did the exact same thing when we watched it on Netflix - marathon viewings are fun! I had just retired and was in that state of euphoria when you realize that retirement allows you to do what you want, when you want.
Enjoy!
Posted by: Colette | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 06:49 AM
There are some books that have sucked me in like that. Yes, you see you turned your new attraction into an entry after all. That's what life's about.
Posted by: Mage Bailey | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 06:55 AM
I have done marathons with The West Wing, MASH, The Andy Griffith Show, Ozzie and Harriet, Bewitched, Father Knows Best,and Leave It To Beaver.
I get so involved that the only thing that I can do while watching is embroider or recyle newspapers.
One of the things that I do after the first-or-second episode is fast forward through the openings - the theme songs begin to drive me nuts!
Another couch-potato activity(?) involves watching a movie on DVD with the commentary on and then immediately rewatching the movie without the commentary with a different outlook.
Posted by: SusanG | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 07:08 AM
After I threw open my windows, after you reminded me, I looked at our viewing list for today. We have been hooked on the Tudors, Bramwell and Damages. Today will be North and South.
Posted by: Janette | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 07:30 AM
Oh Yeah, I am in the middle of year 2 of Eureka on Netflix - 2 years to go. My sister turned me on to that silly show and i keep watching episode after episode. When I'm tired of mindless maybe I'll try Damages. Enjoy!
Posted by: Marian | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 07:32 AM
Vegging? I thought that's what computers were invented for! I can waste days online, and have to set a timer to get the web work done early so I can attend to the rest of my life!
I have a Tivo, so I've always got an episode of House Hunters International recorded so I can get far, far away when the urge strikes.
Posted by: Lauren Nelson | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 07:36 AM
You're not alone. Since I retired, I've watched several thousand movies and TV series (most of them British), catching up on all the stuff I never seemed to get around to when I was otherwise engaged.
Far from feeling guilty about it, I look on it as a creative activity; during the same period of time, I've written a novel, a work of non-fiction, a volume of poetry, a memoir still in progress, a daily journal,and am now about to start a blog. The movies and TV series provide a necessary balance to the rest of my activities.
Posted by: Marc Leavitt | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 08:00 AM
The Wire - I was absolutely hooked from start to finish. Great column.
Posted by: Denise Minick | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 08:05 AM
(Late Comment about Marigold Hotel)
I told the gals at coffee this morning your recommendation about seeing the Marigold Hotel movie. The immediate response from one of them was: "Watch the movie??? I prefer to go to the Marigold Hotel and have my own experience." The others agreed as everyone laughed.
Just had to fill you in on this great reaction to a piece from your column by some fun elders.
Michigan Grandma
Posted by: brbrsln2 | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 08:11 AM
Well, I've always loved movies, so watching a marathon series like that, I hardly call vegging. Being totally engaged as you describe and that I too have experienced (on Netflix now, it's "McLeod's Daughters") is always invigorating for me. But then, I've always been a movie nut, loving the series best.
Posted by: arby | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 08:16 AM
I watched the first year of DAMAGES when it first came out and though I liked it, I never really felt compelled to engage it after that.
You've piqued my interests however and because I am a big fan of Glenn Close and I too have Netflix, I may reconnect and see if it keeps me as drawn to it as it has you.
As for vegging out, I too can get caught up in series like Damages, historical documentaries or a couple of hours in my gazebo with my latest book interests.
Even though it's hot here the gazebo sits under some older Post Oaks, providing ample shade. There's usually a slight breeze but I have my box fan down there with me to generate a little air flow anyway. I'll take 2-3 beers in an ice bucket, keeping a towel within it to cool myself as needed while I am there.
Posted by: Larry | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 08:16 AM
You are not alone. I watched the whole first season of "The Killing" in one sitting. I was mesmerized. It is a rare, joyful indulgence. Next is "Damages"!
Posted by: joann wallace | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 08:35 AM
This is glorious indulgence! I went through this with "The Wire" a few years ago, and "Justified" this past year. Since I was still working, it was mostly my sleep that suffered, as I would stay up much later than I should have trying to cram in as many episodes as quickly as possible. Now you've aroused my interest and I will have to add "Damages" to my netflix, too.
Posted by: Cathy | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 08:47 AM
What's great is that once you've decided to go ahead and do what you really want to do, is just sit back and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. Whether books, movies, or marathon series, I can't think of a word that describes that feeling of just letting go, no guilt, and enjoying it.
Posted by: Marge | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 09:39 AM
What's retirement and it's freedom for? We choose what we do with our time! For me it's movies, streamed since I don't have a TV, so I watch them on my large computer monitor. And if I want to watch 2 or 3 on a rainy day, why not? I say, good for you!
Posted by: Grandmother (Mary) | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 10:03 AM
My husband and I watched the first season of Downton Abbey on Netflix in the same manner. At the end of an episode, we would look at each other and say "one more" until we finished them all. It was a glorious waste of a day!
Posted by: Gaga Cheri | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 10:36 AM
Great! I am always open to new recommendations for Netflix. I have to admit, though retired, I wouldn't even think of turning on the TV at 10:30 in the morning. The ole productivity meter hasn't yet shut down with age...but you've liberated me, given me permission and...I approve!
Posted by: monica devine | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 10:45 AM
I just got onto Lost, much the same way you got onto Damages--searching around Netflix. 120 episodes. I try to limit myself to three episodes a night--to string it out. Was feeling guilty about this--geez!--so thanks. So I look forward to evenings--even to the point of regretting an evening commitment!
Posted by: Anne | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 10:46 AM
"Damages" and the first few seasons of "24"! There have also been quite a few books over the years that have kept me up all or most of the night--usually non-fiction, life-or-death adventure stories like "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer or true crime books by Northwest author Ann Rule.
Posted by: Elizabeth Rogers | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 11:04 AM
It is absolutely, positively, without a doubt OK to "finally . . . gratify a minor obsession." I suffered some guilt pangs when I first retired and would realize that I'd spent an entire day "doing nothing constructive" but then I woke up to the realization that NO. ONE. CARED!! :) Enjoy!! For me, it's currently reading blog posts and interacting some with several of the bloggers; I've learned a little about a lot of topics over the past several months! Better than a college education, 'cause I can pick and choose what I study!
Posted by: Karen | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 12:04 PM
Absolutely!!
I did this with The Wire and Downton Abbey and Veronica Mars and West Wing and Strumpet City and and....
You go girl!
XO
WWW
Posted by: wisewebwoman | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 02:18 PM
I'll definitely add "Damages" to my Netflix Queue! I've recently been hooked on this Netflix BBC (8 parts) documentary: Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State. Highly recommend, if you haven't seen it. Learned a LOT I did not know about that era, though I thought I was well-educated in that past horror.
Also I tend to wrapped up in a good novel, and have sometimes stayed up nearly all night finishing it. Retirement, it's GREAT!
Posted by: Cara | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 03:03 PM
Just finished the Hunger Games series on my Kindle. Although book 2 wasn't quite as stunning as the first, and book three a little less than 2, I still had to keep on reading until I had completed them all.
Posted by: helena grace | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 05:14 PM
Thanks for telling us about "Damages." done the same with first two seasons of Ballykissangel and Downton Abbey, now watching Gray's Anatomy. My husband says, "Want to watch an episode of 'blood and guts?'"
Posted by: Kathleen Noble | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 05:15 PM
Genealogy, days and days of digging up dead people, or at least disturbing them a bit.
And just when I'd run out of paper trails autosomal DNA testing arrived and Himself can barely drag me away to cook a meal or sweep the cat hair up. Ahhh... retirement!
Posted by: deb | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 05:24 PM
I'm so glad someone else will admit to spending hours watching marathons on Netflix. I did this with Downton Abby and Friday Night Lights. Queued up and waiting are the last two seasons of Damages and Breaking Bad.
Posted by: Judy | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 06:57 PM
This happened with two of Isabel Allende's books, Daughter of Fortune and Portrait in Sepia. Love historically based fiction. Was working at the time though, so suffered a "reading hangover" in the mornings from this obsession.
Posted by: Christine | Monday, 09 July 2012 at 07:41 PM
Have to check "Damages" out....
"Northern Exposure" does that for me. I love that series. We have slothed out twice watching that.... ENJOY, Ronni!
Posted by: Diane | Tuesday, 10 July 2012 at 05:48 AM
what fun! we used to do this with star trek, and babylon five episodes. bunch a folks lots of food and 10 hours of watching. i am going to retire, so i can do more of this kinda stuff, getting lost in an activity. great post.
'productivity' is not all its cracked up to be.
Posted by: eema | Tuesday, 10 July 2012 at 07:13 AM
Oh, the joy of Netflix and being able to watch episodes of your favorite TV shows back to back! Yes, I'm indulged just as you have. Have you tried Friday Night Lights yet?
Posted by: Virginia | Tuesday, 10 July 2012 at 08:21 AM
Drat! My comment was not posted yesterday. I guess I must have goofed up.
Posted by: Darlene | Tuesday, 10 July 2012 at 09:58 AM
Hmm... they show that here but I've never watched it. It must be on opposite something I really like. But I hear Netflix or something like it is coming here, so maybe I'll give it a shot eventually. That's one helluva recommendation you've given!
The last thing that grabbed me like that was when I discovered how they side launch the big ships. I had NO idea that even existed and spent hours on YouTube looking for every video I could find! :)
Posted by: Nikki | Wednesday, 25 July 2012 at 07:52 AM
Oh geeze, am I ever sorry I read this post. Yeah, a year or more after my husband died when I began to settle down to real life, I indulged myself in just such a marathon. My video store guy convinced me I should watch the first episode of "Mad Men" since I had worked in TV in the '50s-'60s.
I felt so decadent with such marathons, but also strangely liberated that I had earned the right to spend my time as I pleased after so many years -- to heck with schedules and to-do lists. Balancing life became an issue, but that's another topic.
Subsequently, I have had a movie marathon, too, about which I've written. Also, I got into a series about India directed by an Indian woman whose name now escapes me.
TV is on the fritz this weekend and am experimenting with life without it -- not because I can't purchase one of these newer big screens -- I just am curious to see how I react. I figured I'd find some HBO and/or Showtime videos my Video Paradiso guy might recommend, but recall now hearing about Damages -- so this clinches it. Not sure yet, if I should thank you.
Posted by: Joared | Sunday, 29 July 2012 at 01:16 AM