In a land of carousels and sunny shores

On Saturday I discovered some extremely disturbing news about a relative of mine. My life will never be the same after this, nor will the lives of those involved. Our concern for my mother's friend, and her family, in Fukushima continues. And there have been the usual petty, superficial problems around here that we face on a daily basis. I've reached my limit. I need an escape. Not just any escape, though. To enjoy anything too happy and joyous actually feels wrong to me right now. On Saturday night I was mindlessly flipping through the channels, searching for just the right amount of mindless garbage to let me unplug for a while. And I found it.

I have always said that I would never ever ever watch an episode of Jersey Shore. I can't say that anymore. Would it be too ridiculous of me to say that this show is a lifesaver? Probably, but it was exactly what I needed at the moment. Unfortunately, though, now I, like most people, have been sucked in and now find myself hooked like a drug addict. There's a marathon on this upcoming Saturday. I can't wait. I'm so ashamed.

On the other end of the spectrum, I borrowed Carousel from the library. Unlike most musicals, which I know by heart, I've only watched this one a couple of times because it's depressing. I was watching clips of Gordon MacRae on Youtube recently, and decided to check the film out again. Maybe I have a better appreciation for it because I'm older, maybe my tastes have changed, or maybe it's just the right film at the right time, but this has now entered my top faves list. Granted, nothing will ever top Seven Brides for Seven Brothers for me (it just can't be done, I've always loved it), but I have a new appreciation for this movie. I mean, how can you not?


*sigh*

So, uh, Carousel and Jersey Shore balance each other out, right? I hope so. Speaking of carousels, I love this. Anyway, I'm hoping that we'll get a break from tragedy, at least for a little while. Long enough to recover from what we've been dealt. And long enough for me to get my hands on a large bag of Jelly Bellies, because I have a massive craving.

Ugh.