Guilty Pleasures

I'm not sure how or under what circumstances, but a long time ago, mom came to acquire some flatware that's actually silver. As much as she's gung-ho about appearances and likes to go all out when entertaining, the silverware has been gathering dust in the hutch, likely because it's gone gray by now.

This morning she has brought me some polish, a couple of rags and two pieces: one flat-handled butter knife with little decoration and one slotted serving spoon, embellished all up the handle. I've since polished both and presented the results to her. She's ecstatic. She has told me that she found them at a thrift store when I was still in primary school and just never got around to keeping them up. I'm going to be looking up the pattern and the make when I get a chance. These are the kinds of things I get side-traced with. A few years ago, after doing the research for the three collections of a large museum in order to prep for their insurance, I very seriously considered getting an appraisal license. I'd gotten deep enough into the process to know what it entailed, I just never made up my mind about it.

For the time being, I'm going to be polishing silver as I prop myself in front of the TV with my latest guilty pleasure: USA network dramas. Specifically, White Collar and Suits. White Collar speaks to me because they're always going after the latest art heist or some antique from a dead dynasty. It's fun to hear them talk about the provenance and the historical context. I've been impressed with the research that must go on in the preparation of each episode, much of it being right on target except for in one instance when I argued something as being pre-renaissance and they claimed it to be renaissance. I'll let it slide since the onset of The Renaissance has long been hotly debated. As for Suits, I think I just really like the idea of intelligence paying off, whatever shape it comes in. I think TV caters too overwhelmingly to the lowest common denominator and if I can find a sharp mind that also makes me think, I'm in.

Still, I refer to them as guilty pleasures because for all the great premises that they put forth, they still have some polishing to do. As new series, they are going to have to hone their product, demanding better acting, in some cases, or steering from predictable characters, in others. The writing is surprisingly smart and even witty, but can get dismissed when it's not delivered correctly. I don't know who the directors are for either of the series, but I do think that they have promise.

At the moment, these are marginal shows. If anyone is watching them, I'd be surprised. I'm comforted, however, that dramas are still being made and have not completely stepped aside for reality shows about wealthy and inconsequential socialites.

I'll always be a fan of good story-telling.