Friday, February 08, 2013

Prayer and pondering...

I'd appreciate your prayer today as we have to appear before an appeal judge regarding my state health insurance.  I was on a waiting list for over two years for this special plan where I can purchase the insurance for slightly less than $100 a month.

It was canceled a couple months ago due to us accidentally omitting just one photo copy of a document they asked for (among many other copies we did not overlook).  We even offered to send the paper overnight delivery but they only said we could appeal... which we have.

It would be devastating to go back to being uninsured. Even with some hospital emergency room costs canceled, we are still left with a great deal of medical debt from the uninsured years.   So I'm calling in the prayers!

Deanna mentioned she has to use discretion with some BBC shows.  Definitely yes, although our PBS station (perhaps all of them) does bleep out swearing and block nudity (which doesn't happen often).  Having said that, American TV has become just as liberal with its' use of profanity and such.  They push the envelope more each year on the major networks.

I've always tried to be discerning, perhaps the most "pushing the limit" shows I ever watched were James Bond movies.  I haven't seen the last two so I don't know what they are like now.  There have been heated discussions in our home over who was the best Bond.

When Christopher was very young, he wanted to watch anime' on TV so instead of saying no, we watched it together!  Which is why I'm the only mother of all his friends who knows the difference between Goku (Dad) and Gohan (Son) in Dragon Ball Z.   It gave us an opportunity for years to talk about the difference between Eastern religions and Christianity.

To answer a question, yes... I do like New Tricks!  Our PBS station is no longer showing it but it was on for years.  I thought the premise (bring back "old" detectives to solve cold cases) was brilliant.  I'm hoping they bring it back when there are new episodes.

Since I was told there IS another season of Foyle's War on the way, I can hardly wait to see it.  I love good stories which take place in WWII England and this was exceptionally well acted. 

There are some shows that make me smile just thinking about them.  I have the DVDs of Good Neighbors (a special gift!) and they take me back to the 1970s when PBS was still in its' early years.  It was called The Good Life in the Mother Country.  If you have never seen it, it's about a man going through a midlife crisis who decides to quit his job and live off the land, problem is... his home is in a London suburb! 

Of course, Last of the Summer Wine can bring a smile.  I recently read that the series creator thought of the plot as an adult version of Wind in the Willows with the simple misadventures of three old (literally) friends.  I doubt such a show would be a hit these days for it is not a fast action type of show.  I saw it made a list (put together by a very young guy) of what he thought the most boring shows ever made, which does not surprise me in this age of instant everything.

I'm certain I've missed bringing up more BBC shows that I've loved through the years than what I have mentioned here.  Except for my favorite NCIS show, I doubt anyone makes better mysteries than the Brits and so many favorite dramas have come from there (I loved All Creatures Great & Small!).

Our library has a lot of the above DVDs but perhaps it is because it is next to a university.

Then, of course, there are all the wonderful Period Pieces so many of us love like all the different Jane Austens, movies like Cranford and North & South, Bleak House, etc. etc. etc.  A multitudeness of lovely films.

By the way, I've seen a lot of chatter online about the Super Bowl's half time show.   Was anyone else more than a little disturbed by it?

It seems to get worse every year. 

I saw about two minutes of it on Sunday and left the room.  I don't know when it changed since I'm not one to watch the Super Bowl every year but I do remember when it was much more family friendly.

It has been fun chatting about favorite shows and film!

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sending prayers.

Are you getting the winter storm where you are? It's incredible.

Simply Shelley said...

Sending up a prayer for you. One of the reasons I don't watch TV any longer....nothing fit for Christian viewing.....blessings

Vee said...

Yes, have said a prayer that all will go well with the hearing. It sometimes seems to me as if they create these hoops to hop through hoping that someone will trip up. I know that you never forget Who your true Source is. Amen.

Oh I think tv has truly become a vast wasteland. I watch a program and can't tolerate more than a few moments. Some of the British shows are a bit "naughty" for sure, but not worse than our own. We could put the amount of programming we watch into a teacup.

Nope, I didn't watch the halftime show, though I have heard both good (men!) and bad about it. I would side on the "bad" from what I've heard...a whole lot of shakin' goin' on.

Marge said...

Brenda, prayers are said for your hearing. It's in the Lord's plan, whatever the outcome. TV? I wish there was something decent to watch. I do have it on for the noise as I'm working around the house, but watch very little anymore. I wonder what my grandparents would think of what's being shown on TV these days!

Hugs and blessings,
Marge

Anonymous said...

Praying!!

Heather said...

Praying for you as well.
We also own Good Neighbors on dvd after watching episodes on Netflix.

Half-time show was appalling, I watched in utter disbelief.

Thank you for mentioning all these shows and programs. We watched a British show called Heartbeat which involves some detecting work by the local police and other local drama. I don't know when it was first produced, but our local Ontario channel airs it.

Thickethouse.wordpress said...

Dear Brenda, I am praying for you. What happened seems so wrong. It should be quickly fixed.

I watch less and less tv, though I do find things on pbs and netflix...Recently our public stations have begun airing Death in Paradise - a British mystery set in the Caribbean - and Born and Bred (hope that's the right title) about a father and son medical practice in the UK in the 50s. I'm enjoying both. Perhaps they are on netflix, too....And netflix has Ngaio Marsh's Inspector Allyn mysteries, too, another old-fashioned series.

Anonymous said...

I do hope you are approved for the insurance. It's too bad someone didn't use common sense and compassion to handle the matter immediately, especially when it is simply a matter of one omitted form! Bureaucracy at its best!

Say a prayer that the storm surge from this Nor'easter isn't severe. We are still reeling from Sandy!
Dee/NY

Judy said...

Praying God's grace to you today - that He will grant you peace in the midst. Be of good courage, dear one. He has promised grace sufficient for the task He gives.

Heather L. said...

Oh I pray the judge is merciful and you are able to get that insurance! I know how important these things are. I am praising God that our hospitals approved our application for lowering our bills (in our case wiping them out). I had no idea what we were going to do about them as they had stacked up at the end of the year more than we thought.....God has been so good to provide along the way, although I still feel we spend an inordinate amount of our income on medical expenses!!! Maybe everyone does these days......

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

I didn't have a chance to be online this morning and missed your post! I am praying that everything went well.

I should have clarified that I mostly watch the British TV on line such as Netflix since we do not have TV, so no helpful bleeping etc. Also we didn't like regular American TV, excepting NCIS, so I didn't compare the British to the American. The American was bad enough when we got rid of it!

We do tend to like the British shows - my girls have a fondness for Dr. Who - particularly with David Tennant, and of course we love all the period movies.

I tend to stay away from Dickens mostly as I find him depressing. That Nicolas Nickleby about did us in!

I haven't seen Bleak House, but I did hear that Little Dorit was good.

Deanna

Manuela@A Cultivated Nest said...

I hope it goes well for you Brenda! I have insurance and am still paying for medical bills from last year just because our deductible is so crazy now.

I'm watching The Good Neighbors now! No matter how many times I watch it, it always makes me laugh.

No I wasn't disturbed by the half time show. But then I'm a big Beyonce fan. At least she can sing without autotune!

Little Birdie Blessings said...

Brenda, I'm so sorry to hear about your health insurance issues. I will definitely keep that in prayer. Thank you for all the suggestions for BBC mysteries. My husband enjoys them and he's actually watching one right now that he hasn't seen, thanks to you. ~ Abby

Tracey McBride ~ Frugal Luxuries® said...

Sending prayers for a perfect outcome for you and ours sweet Brenda! We ate our standing rib roast during the half-time show so cannot offer an opinion. I tend to ignore them for the most part anyway. I know the guys love their sports so we find a happy medium. :) If I had my way we'd arll be watching Downton Abbey! ;)))
Love,
Tracey xox

hopeinbrazil said...

Brenda, I've enjoyed your recent posts (and subsequent comments) to BBC shows. I saw a clip on YouTube yesterday of the 2008 Sense and Sensibility and was surprised to see "Matthew" from Downtown Abbey in the principal male role. I'd like to watch the whole thing sometime.

I tried to watch Call the Midwife, but it was too intense for me (too many mothers and babies almost dying). I watch TV to relax (which explains why I don't watch much!)

Thanks for the new titles to explore. Hope everything goes well with your insurance.