Going Downton

One Degree of Kevin Bacon

Apologies, my nine loyal readers, for the blogger's block.  We've all been working through colds here, luckily staggered by a couple of days so that Ben and I could bail each other out.  The adults were stricken first, and we sort of thought that Milo was some kind of baby Superman with no apparent microbial kryptonite.  Nope.  He's got it, too, although it doesn't seem to be changing his disposition too much.  In fact, I think he's found it to be a rather pleasant distraction from the pain of teething except when we have to stick the bulb syringe up his nose to suction out his snot.  Mmmm. 

None of that is really important.  What's important is that Ben and I have developed an unhealthy addiction to Downton Abbey.  Don't worry -- no spoilers, here; we're only through the first show in Season Two, but we worked our way swiftly through Season One, and I kind of can't stop thinking about it, even though it's soap-opera schlock dressed up in Masterpiece garb.

I'm enjoying the Upstairs, Downstairs quality of the show, obvi, and the personalities of the characters were established sufficiently quickly to let the viewer enjoy their little quirks.  I've got a few ideas for DA merch.  Here they are: 1. the Thomas action figure who, when you pull the string, smokes, smirks and makes ill-advised passes at attractive Turkish diplomats and square-jawed gas-blind WWI convalescents 2. the bumper sticker that reads, 'Lady Mary: so good, it killed him' 3. the card game which tests the player's ability to tell the difference between side-by-side pictures of Edith and Hello, Dolly! era Barbara Streisand 4. glue-on Carson eyebrows that express disdain for common behavior and 5. a miniature tub filled with Yorkshire pudding in which the Dowager and Mrs. Crawley wrestle for control over Dr. Clarkson.

Anyhoo, looking forward to continuing the marathon after Milo goes to bed tonight.  And ready for the Great War to be over.  The foxholes and hand-held camera work don't seem to be the BBC's strength.