When I was younger, my sister and I would good heartedly poke fun at our Grandma. I assure you that it was not mean spirited in any way at all. We used to see if we could get her to say "I was watching my stories" or "I'm going to watch my stories". we thought it was hilarious that she referred to the programs she watched on TV as "her stories". For a long time this usually meant Murder She Wrote and Matlock. We used to see how many times we could get her to say it during one dinner. It honestly wasn't that hard of a game and I think my Grandma probably caught on after about the twentieth time we did it.
Only now that I am getting old (actually I am old) do I understand why she referred to them in such an endearing way. She loved this shows she could watch in one sitting. They were simple. She didn't have to remember what had happened in the last episode let alone some detail way back from season two. She just sat down, relaxed and was told a full... story.
I now realize this is what I do every summer. My summer routine consists of waking up without an alarm (that used to be around noon now it is still before 7:00 AM... because I am an old man and that is what old men do), I work on some investing for a little while, and then i work on some fun curriculum for my classes next year. After that, I eat, exercise and then I sit down to watch my stories. While my grandma had Matlock and Murder She Wrote, I have dun dun... Law and Order.
I am basically addicted to that show. And I don't mean the new episodes of SVU or whatever else is on now. I mean the reruns dating back to 1990. I just love that an entire story from crime to due process can be covered in 42 minutes. I don't even really need to pay that close attention. I already know how they will end so it is just a relaxing thing to have on in the background as I chill after working all morning.
Although Lennie Briscoe and Mike Logan played by Jerry Orbach and Chris North are my favorite duo I will watch any partner duo. By the way, here's a fun fact Jerry Orbach is the voice of Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast. I swear it is true! Next time you see Lumiere picture him as an alcoholic detective who makes bad jokes about someone who was just murdered. It really changes the whole movie.
Anyway, I will watch any duo in the solve the crime then prosecute the criminal formula. In fact I actually used an episode in class to show kids how writing a claim is like collecting evidence and then presenting it to a jury.
But this summer, I have put up a new Law and Order story. Law and Order: Criminal Intent. Even this one does not always involves a court case, it still tells the complete story in one episode. The thing that steered me toward this version was Daredevil. Yep. This is a way to see Kingpin about 150 pounds lighter and slightly less crazy. Vincent D'Onofrio plays Detective Bobby Goren and he is awesome! He is a savant who basically knows everything and uses that to help solve cases. And again, he and his partner do it in a cool 42 minutes. I'll probably make it through the entire series this summer.
So what is your "comfort story"?