On Parenting, Murphy's Law, and 24

After posting the glowing review of my favorite-most television program, I failed to give some background on our viewing of the show.

I've been waiting approximately 18 months for my favorite show to return. The writers' strike last year along with Southern California fires and Kiefer's incarceration for DUI worked together to bring about this looooong delay. Still, Kiefer did his time, the fires were put out, the filming resumed, and all was back on schedule, delayed by just a year...only 12 months...a mere 365 days...sigh.

Okay. Okay. I'm an adult. I'm mature. I can wait patiently for something fun and important to me to come back, right?

Of course...(snort...huff...sigh...)

Rewind to last Sunday night.

7:30 p.m. -- I'm scurrying around, setting up the VCR, vacuuming the rugs, preparing the coffee machine and snacks, doing whatever is necessary to be ready for a comfortable viewing of our favorite show, the show we've anticipated for sooo loooong.

7:40 p.m. -- Emily calls down that she's not feeling good.

7:42 p.m. -- I resume breathing after suggesting she sit on the toilet. (It's not unusual for her to get a little "put out" that she can't be a part of fun things like this so she fakes illness or does something to get some attention.)

7:45 p.m. -- I'm looking at my watch, wondering where my sister and brother-in-law are...and hoping that they won't show up minutes before the show.

7:50 p.m. -- I lock the dog in his crate to prevent him from "puddling" due to his intense love of my sister.

7:55 p.m. -- Emily announces -- with lots of tears -- that's she's thrown up in the toilet.

7:56 p.m. -- I resume breathing after shouting that "she had to be kidding." Sadly, she wasn't. Happily, I married the most wonderful man in the entire universe, and he went to help her. (Bad Mommy! Bad, bad, bad!! *wink*)

7:59 p.m. -- My sister and brother-in-law show up, just in time for the end credits of The Simpsons.

8:00 p.m. -- We all sit down to watch the first episode of 24 Season 7...snacks and drinks will have to wait for the first commercial break.


Fast-forward to the next night.

There's not so much excitement around the second night of the shows. We all sit comfortably in our own homes. The kids are ready for bed and reading in said-place...no tummy troubles to speak of.

7:38 p.m. -- Stuart drifts off to sleep, promising to take "just a short nap."

7:40 p.m. -- I laugh and tell myself that I don't need to sleep. I might be tired, but it's too close to the actual show to..........

8:00 p.m. -- The Christmas carol clock begins to "sing," waking us both with a complete shock. We scramble to find the TV controllers. I knock over my cup of coffee and smack Stuart with a controller in an effort to start the VCR in time. He's on the floor, trying to mop up the spilt coffee.

8:01 p.m. -- All is "calm" again, and we both sit to watch "Part 2" of the premiere, our hearts still pounding in our chests as we realize we nearly slept right through it all.

* * *

To quote a passage from Robert Burns' poem, "To a Mouse:"

"The best laid schemes o' mice an' men/Gang aft agley." (Which roughly translates to "The best-laid plans of mice and men/often go awry.")

Indeed.

Sigh.