This entry would probably have been more appropriate on Tuesday, but I just didn't get around to writing it then (laundry and all). Oh well.

On Monday, I was sitting around with Hill watching Boston Public and making jewelry. After the show was over, there was nothing on TV, but Hill decided to watch 7th Heaven because it amuses her. Now this is normally a show that I avoid like the plague, given my general distaste for religion and "family values" and all of that crap that's ever so popular in this day and age. I blame my actually not getting off the couch and leaving the room on Monday on my sluggish mental state that night (I'm doing much better since then, thank you). When I'm not feeling well, I am more likely to sit through bad things, which would explain why I watched Encino Man one day on TV without batting an eyelash.

Anyway, 7th Heaven is one DISTURBING show. Seriously, this show is supposed to promote "family values?" The hell? Now don't get me wrong, I certainly am known to enjoy watching bad shows to laugh at them (hence why I've been known to watch certain reality shows), but this goes beyond good bad into My God that's bad bad.

I saw the Valentine's episode (apparently named "Hot Pants." I'm afraid to ask), and if you read the recap, you'll see what horror I saw. First off, you see the horndog reverend (minister, whatever, I screw up all those damn titles) trying to have very lame phone sex with his wife. You see the oldest son calling up all his ex-girlfriends on Valentine's Day (of course, they all have dates) to find out why they broke up. Ah, yes, and that came off so much better when they did it in High Fidelity. Ripoff! Though the constant pity gets amusing after awhile, especially when one ex's mom disses him and then goes on at length about how they're not right for each other.

You see one dingbat daughter having a cow because her ex is taking his new girlfriend to a hotel and MY GOD, they might have sex. Honey, I hate to tell you this, and yes, I'm aware it's a CHRISTIAN show and all, but plenty of people go to hotels when they're in a relationship. It's actually pretty common in the real world. (As I should know.) Though that doesn't necessarily mean you HAVE to have sex in the hotel, either. They could be ... playing Parcheesi, for all you know. (And on this show, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that was what they were doing.) Also, everyone but the horny reverend acts like sex is the nastiest thing on earth. Take the hotel couple, for example. Really, when your girlfriend asks you over to her house and then says you've got it to yourselves for the rest of the night, would you really expect her to say "Ew, I didn't mean HAVE SEX, I just meant make out for awhile?" after she'd made SUCH a big deal about being alone? Even more bizarre is when he turns her down because "if we make out, we won't stop" (oh, come on, you can have more control over yourself than THAT) and how unlike all his other girlfriends who he's made out with, he wants to marry this one, and thus he won't touch her. Naturally the girl's offended at this and locks herself in the bathroom. The evening ends when we find out that the hotel trip was really to go meet the boy's mother, who's in town for the night. "That's the nicest Valentine's Day present ever!" she swoons. You know my feelings on meeting parents, so I just won't go there.

The boy's ex and her equally dippy sister decide on Valentine's Day to go stalk the sister's ex on his VD date (I didn't know God encouraged stalking), and they're caught in five seconds flat. The evening turns into the Ghosts of Boyfriends Past And Their New "Supermodel" Girlfriends, all of whom parade past the girls and laugh at them.

I was completely shocked to hear from Hill that almost all of the above morons were supposed to be out of high school or something. They all act like they're 14. The only high school guy in the bunch is the only one who has a good VD- despite his being grounded, he's allowed to have a hot "animal" date come over while he's babysitting. My parents weren't CHRISTIAN like this family, and they still wouldn't have let me done that. Oh yeah, and Dad said to keep it "parentally guided. No making out", and yet they do and he doesn't get in trouble for it. Mom said something like "She looked very nice when sitting on top of you." Uh-huh. Even the little girl in the bunch was whining about not having a date. What is she, 11?

They seem to be living in some bizarro world, I swear.

And it's all so damn screwily done, too. My best friend Jackie is strict Christian- has never done so much as held hands- and yet has managed to have a soap opera love life that's a bit frightening. If she can do it, I see no reason why the characters on this show can't pull it off without being so ridiculous about the whole thing and playing push-me-pull-you all night long.

You know what? It gets even worse. While I was digging up the recap for the show I saw, I looked over at the next two after that and Oh. My. God.

The High Fidelity ripoff dude, in the very next episode, is looking for a bride. He's even reading Brides Magazine. I'm not kidding. You see, he's decided that he will marry The Very Next Girl He Dates. Which he does in the episode after this, despite the fact that he and said girl (a) barely know each other, (b) have been on one date, (c) seem to disagree on a lot of issues, and (d) she's Jewish, with (e) a rabbi father, and (f) both parents do NOT want her to marry out of the faith. A minister's son and a rabbi's daughter. Oh lord, is this ever gonna be a mess on this of all shows. I realize that I've pretty much shot my credibility on the quickie engagements thing, but even I wouldn't do that. And why is everyone in both families wondering if they'll get married on the first date (when they don't know about the guy's plans to marry the next girl he dates)? The HELL?

It's scary how everyone's obsessed with marriage on this show. I know, I know, it's a Christian thing, but you'd think they wouldn't make SUCH a big deal about it all the time. Just because you're not engaged at 18 doesn't mean you're washed up, geez.

Okay, moving on...

I heard some weird things about Dave's Monday night. Instead they went over to some chick's house to hang out, and the chick apparently has a big old crush on Dave. Not that I can blame her, but I got squicked a bit when he told me he'd just told her about the handfasting and she made a comment along the lines of "It's my birthday tomorrow, and guess what I want?" He's all "Doesn't married mean anything to you?" and she goes "No." Lovely. I just don't get these types. I will admit that I had a slight flicker of jealousy at hearing this, until it occurred to me that he's had years to take advantage of her crush, should he have wanted to. Duh.

There was also an even more interesting development. A friend of Teri's was there, and apparently... she looks almost exactly like me. Blonde hair (mine is currently red-blonde) and weighs a bit more, but I guess looks enough like me for Dave to think "How'd Jen get here on a Monday night?" Musta been freaky for him to see some chick who looked like me that he couldn't go make out with. He took pictures, so I guess I'll eventually be able to judge for myself. I still find this very hard to believe that she looks THAT MUCH like me. Especially since the last time I was told that someone (a potential roommate at the time) looked like me, well, I just didn't agree with that. Not every girl with long darkish blonde/brown hair and glasses looks alike, folks. We may have similar body type, but her hair's curly, mine's not, her eyes are brown, mine are hazel, I have a big chin, she has a pointy one, etc. It ain't like looking into a mirror.

Lord, this week is just dragging on. I keep thinking it's a day ahead, when it's really not. "Oh crap, it's ONLY Wednesday." I know that I did have a weekend and two days off a few days ago and all, but it feels like I've been on the workweek for two weeks. (You shoulda heard the whining on the phone last night about that.) I've been in need of more cash for a few days now, but was planning to wait until Thursday to hit the bank (since I'd be passing by anyway when I went to go get train tickets). I figured I had enough cash on me if I brought my lunch for a few days and then splurged my last $12 or so on Thursday so I could get by foodwise until Thursday afternoon. Well, I was an idiot, thought TODAY was Thursday, and didn't pack a lunch. (My stomach rebels after two days of home cookin' and demands I get food that I had nothing to do with preparing.) Now I'm down to a measly $6 for lunch tomorrow, which I might be able to get away with if I don't get real hungry.

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