I'll admit it: I have a fetish.

Last month I asked the West Wing lovers who read my blog if they'd be interested in reading a WW blog. I got enough "yeah"s and no real "nay"s, so I've started to do it! I'm going to blog through the whole series (or at least that's the current plan).

I've got an introductory post and a post on the Pilot episode. CLICK HERE to check out the blog. The Pilot post is pretty long. I will try to make a better effort at brevity in the future. Please leave comments and interact. Otherwise it'll be boring for me.

Explaining things.

I like to explain things too much.

For example, I often find myself wanting to add pages to this blog, so I'll start creating an "About Me" page or something like that. I begin typing and before I know it I've provided so much detail, and so many disclaimers about my blog that any reader would just think I was insane.

Or, how about another example: Not long ago I ventured the idea of starting a West Wing blog (from where I would blog my way through the television series, episode by episode). Since then, I've been working on setting one up. I keep adding pages to it so that I can describe the exact process I will be using, or writing disclaimers about my lack of political expertise, or explaining how at first I was going to write one type of blog, but now I've decided to do it a different way... All kinds of information that is simply evident to anyone who reads the blog itself.

It's as if I don't believe in the phrase "it goes without saying." I just want to say everything by way of explanation.

(I mean, look at this post, for crying out loud! I'm even explaining details about how I explain too many details!)

Question for my West Wing-ers

A significant percentage of the people who read my blog are also big fans of The West Wing (I think). So if you belong to that group, I have a question for you: Would you read a WW-themed blog?

My wife and I continue to watch The West Wing on DVD somewhat regularly, and we are nearing the end of the 7th (and final) season. When that happens, we usually just start right over at 1 again and work our way back through the series. I thought it might be fun THIS time to blog through the series, with general thoughts/observations/funny quotes/favorite parts of each episode. Would that interest any of you? Of course, my hope would be to hear YOUR thoughts/observations/favorite parts of each episode too through comments and stuff. Like a little community of WW lovers who can discuss it and argue about it.

Now, before you freak out, here are a few disclaimers: First, what I am talking about would be an entirely separate blog from this one (so those of you who couldn't care less wouldn't be bothered). Second, though this idea might imply that we watch 2-3 episodes of the show per night, that's actually not true (it was at one time in my life, and in our marriage, but it's not anymore). We actually kind of tend to go in spurts. Sometimes (on rare occasions) we might watch 5 episodes in a week, but other times (more common), we might go three weeks without watching one. The blog posts would come about as frequently as the episode-watching.

(I might end up doing this even if nobody says they're interested... because I would personally enjoy such an outlet.)

What do you think?

Cokesbury and Santos on abortion

There's a Christian bookstore near our home called Cokesbury. Once when we were driving past Elizabeth said, "Every time we pass that store I want cake." I was confused. I asked, "Cake?" She said, "Yeah, that store is called 'Cakesbury.'" I pointed out, "Actually, it's called 'Cokesbury.'" She said, "Oh... Every time we pass that store I want coke."

I laughed. hard.

P.S. Matt Santos' position on abortion is silly (Matt Santos is a character on The West Wing who runs for president as the democratic party's nominee). I used to think it wasn't so bad. Even though he's pro-choice, he says that abortion should be "...a whole lot rarer than it is now." I respected that. I didn't like the pro-choice stance, but was glad that he truly sounded like he'd like to reduce the number of them in the country. Last night when we watched that episode (and I don't know why it's taken me so long to realize this), it hit me that his position is pretty darn stupid. He believes that life begins at conception. He asserts that abortion is "a tragedy." Yet his political stance is that it should be safe and legal. If you think life begins at conception and that abortion is a tragedy, then you concede that it's basically the murder of a person who can't defend itself. Why IN THE WORLD could you believe that it should be legal? (For the record: Yes, I understand that the show is fictional, and that Matt Santos doesn't really exist. Still, I've heard Democrats who hold this same position, or positions very much like it. Plus, I like The West Wing and I get passionate about abortion, so I thought I'd share.)

"True Confessions" Inspired by Pam

I'm taking my sister-in-law up on her offer for her readers to write a true confessions post.

1. I watch television shows on hulu.com whenever I get the chance. It's mostly limited to The Office and House, but if I happen to have a chunk of time free and there are no new episodes of those two available, I'll watch 24. Sometimes this comes at the expense of my homework.

2. I like McDonald's food. I say this as a "confession" because I feel like many people in my circle of friends since college see McDonald's as disgusting, cheap, greasy, nasty food that they'd never eat. It's much more hip to eat from Subway and to shop at Whole Foods. Well, I like McDonald's. The fact that it's cheap is one of the reasons. Eating off the dollar menu is the smartest way to eat out (next to Taco Bell, the cheapest fast food there is). I also think it tastes good. Their nuggets beat everyone else's. So there. I said it.

3. I know more about The West Wing than many would consider healthy. I refer to it constantly. At least 5 times every day, something someone says triggers facts, lines, jokes, and snippets from the show in my mind. I've also chosen The West Wing as my "pet project" that I'm using to learn how to use iWeb on my MacBook (iWeb is a program that comes on a Mac that basically lets you build and publish webpages. I'm building a West Wing website as a way to familiarize myself with and learn the program.).

4. I'm a huge procrastinator when it comes to anything I don't like doing. The dishes -- we can do them tomorrow. Dinner -- let's just throw something frozen in the oven, because I don't want to cook. There are many others. Believe me. (if you're Elizabeth, you already do)

Liberal arrogance

For as much as I love The West Wing, I feel like I'm starting to become more and more sensitive to the political aspects of the show that I don't like. I'm sure it's my heightened sense of awareness due to the coming elections. In the episode we watched the other day Josh is frustrated with republicans who won't vote for a bill he needs to pass. Among the contrasts he lists between the two parties is that "one wants to save social security, the other wants to privatize it." I don't know anything about social security, but I find it a little antagonistic and elitist to suggest that in the republican mind the goal is not to save social security.

In another recent episode a female air force pilot was in trouble not because she was having an affair with an inferior (married) officer, but because she was ordered to stop and did not. Everyone on the show (except Leo) seemed to be disturbed by her predicament and thought it was wrong that she be punished. Toby's opinion is that we've invested a lot of money into teaching her how to fly a plane which she does very well, so he'd choose having her do that rather than caring who she sleeps with.  When Charlie is asked what he thinks he says, "I don't think you can reasonably ask someone to control who they fall in love with." The whole time I'm uncomfortable because I think the characters completely miss the point. First of all, I'm not a fan of the lack of moral conscience they all seem to have. I'd like to point out to Charlie that no one is asking anyone to control who they fall in love with, but that having an affair with a married man, and continuing to do so after being told to stop is two counts of wrong.

The underlying frustration that I'm continuing to find not just in the show but in the Democratic party in real life is their elitist attitude. I've experienced enough very conservative groups of people, and I think that whatever you might say about them, they believe, for the most part, that Democrats want what's best they just strongly disagree with how to accomplish it.  Democrats, on the other hand, seem to have a much haughtier view of themselves. The attitude that is portrayed is that Republicans are not merely ignorant but bad people.  They're not out to make things better but to win.  Democrats, in their own view, are simply better people. This attitude can be found on television and in the liberally biased print media (I read it in Time Magazine every week). I'm pretty much sick of it.

Wings

As of yesterday I've been married to Elizabeth for 9 months.

It's hard to say that 9 months is a real accomplishment, but it kind of feels like one a little bit.  Tonight the two of us finished watching the last episode of the last season of the all-time greatest television show, "The West Wing."  It was a little sentimental, even though I've seen the whole series now more than probably anyone else on the planet who is still in his right mind.  I will discontinue rambling now.  I'm tired.  I can hear my bed calling my name.  It's not as creepy as it sounds.

Pilot

This is my first attempt at a blog. Let's forget that I'm coming a bit late to the party and embrace the idea that I showed up at all.

Let's start by laying some ground rules. Do not be surprised to find references both subtle and obvious to the world's all-time greatest television show, The West Wing throughout your perusal of my blog. I am a huge fan -- not because I love television, and not even just because it's a good show. I'm a fan because it's an amazingly engaging piece of work. It stimulates thought at all kinds of levels. After being introduced to the show by a college roommate, I have had the privilege of converting a host of others. They include my brother and his wife (and I'm pretty sure her whole family), one of my best buddies from college and his new roommate, and my wife. My wife and I are currently about a third of the way through the sixth season (there are seven) and we're beginning to wonder what we will do when we finish the series. Probably start right back over!

I'm not entirely sure what blogs are supposed to be used for. If I can figure out how to post photos and videos, I'll likely do that on occasion. Otherwise, I will probably just use this as an outlet to muse a little bit over stuff that I'm learning at seminary and in life. Happy reading.

Break's over.