Monday, July 21, 2008

Dork

I admit it. We watch a lot of shows on Discovery Channel.

For example, "The Deadliest Catch". For the life of me, I can't figure out why Doug & I are so into this show. I mean, the extent of the dialogue is "49 crab. Four. Nine. Crab." It's really the same action, over & over again. They drop the "pot", & then later, someone throws a hook out (with a miss every once in a while), they pull the "pot" back up, sort the crabs, etc.... Thrilling stuff....but we watch it.

Then there's "Dirty Jobs", which is a little easier to understand the appeal. Plus, Mike Rowe's a funny guy, & not ugly, either! (He also narrates "The Deadliest Catch", so maybe that's the secret...) There are several other shows that we watch, but I'm really not writing about that....I'm writing about the one thing that actually made it to our calendar.

SHARK WEEK!

That's right, I added Shark Week to our calendar. I don't really know how much dorkier I can get.

I've always been fascinated by sharks. Any time there's a shark show on television, I'm bound to watch it, & movies? My gracious, yes! I can't get enough of the shark movies! Jaws, Jaws 2, Deep Blue Sea, & on & on... Even the semi-stupid ones, like Jaws 3 & 4 - if they're on, I'm very likely watching! Now, the really stupid Shark Hunter & Shark Attack movies, not so much...but we've seen them!

Mind you, I only like to watch sharks, & only from a safe distance. I have touched a shark before - a very tame nurse shark - at an aquarium in Cancun. That was close enough, even though I'm sure that I've been in close proximity to one in the wild. Whenever we're near the ocean, I'm in it, I just can't help myself.

On a much more, um, personal note, that little tidbit spawned a new name for that dreaded female cycle that no one seems to want to call by its proper name. "Aunt Flo", or "the monthly visitor", or even "riding the cotton pony" just wouldn't do....I call it "Shark Week".

Some of you that actually know me in real life may know the reason for this, but the rest of you don't, so let me give you a brief explanation.

Doug & I love to travel, & we're drawn to places like the Caribbean because of the ocean. We love it, & we watch it for hours. I love to swim in the ocean (never too terribly far out, but I do get out there), even with stories of shark attacks & such. Believe me, I'm always thinking about it when I'm in the water, but I love it unless the water is too rough or too murky. Plus, being that I'm obsessed with shark shows, I've picked up a few tips on avoiding shark attacks.

As we were preparing for a vacation several years ago, I mentioned to Doug that I was concerned that I'd "start", & not be able to swim safely (not that it would really stop me). Doug didn't get it at first, so I told him that I'd hate to have my death or injury from a shark attack featured on "Shark Week" because I was swimming while...well, you know.

It just kinda stuck from there.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

LOL!! I'm gonna start calling it Shark Week now too...that is just too freaking funny.

LucyinStLou said...

That photo seriously freaks me out! I've never gotten into Deadliest Catch, but Dirty Jobs is fascinating.

Vagablonde Bombchelle said...

I have a little crush on Mike Rowe myself! I think the appeal of Deadliest Catch, Dirty Jobs and also Ice Road Truckers is the reminder that my job could suck so much worse.

On a side note, my crush on Mike Rowe is not nearly as strong as the host of Really Big Things, Matt Rogers (just want to eat him with a spoon.)

Tony said...

Ew.

Stepher said...

OMG!!!

I LOVE Sharks! check out our video on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/_s_t_e_p_h_e_r_/sets/72157604739328612/

We went swimming w/sharks off of Oahu's North Shore last august. We were actually in the water next to this 14 ft. Tiger as the video was taken. The shark cage is soooooooooooooooooo awesome!!!

I'm going to steal your "Shark Week" term ;-).

Claire Uncorked said...

Kristal, be my guests! Enjoy the looks you'll get.

Lucy, imagine how the photographer must've felt! I think a wardrobe change might've been necessary!

Michelle, Mike Rowe is awfully cute, isn't he? I like his voice, too. I'm certainly glad that Matt Rogers ditched that silly American Idol thingy he had for a while, but I didn't know he had another show. I'll have to check it out.

Tony...oh, Tony...

Stepher, I'll have to check that out! That's one reason that I probably wouldn't just go swimming in HI - I've heard that tiger sharks are all over the place! I love the ocean, but those things are scary....

Tracey said...

I love Shark Week too! I also have found myself mesmerized by Bear Grylls on Man vs. Wild. Any time he has to swim through cold water, he strips down. Fascinating stuff. I plan on Tivo-ing Shark Week this time, as I will be in Florida on Va-cay next week! I'll let you know if I see any sharks!

Claire Uncorked said...

Oh, Tracey, Bear Gryllis IS fun to watch! I think he's as crazy as they get, but he's a helluva lot hotter than that other dude Survivorman. And his show's not bad, either.

Have fun on vacation!

allaboutattitude said...

I got traumatized by Jaws so many years ago too. Sharks are nasty things.

Thom said...

It's shark week at work, so I stayed home today. Dangerous waters...