NED, JIM AND MAL

I owe a great deal to my oldest daughter.

She introduced me to Diet Dr. Pepper, wearing tights in addition to heels higher than 1/2 inch, and to the short-lived-but-cult-classic television show "Pushing Daisies."

She tried to explain the plot to me, but decided it was just better for me to watch the show on DVDs, and she was correct.... again.

With the combination of tightly scripted witticism (Ned: "I hate secrets too." Chuck: "What?! You love secrets. You want to marry secrets and have little half-secret half-human babies."), vivid color saturation in nostalgic yet completely unreal staging, and pie-makers in impossible romances while solving murders, the one word repeatedly used in every review I reviewed (wow - reminds me of the song "see what condition my condition is in")- "quirky."

Ned, who is The Pie-Maker, is the definition of quirky - shy, retiring, secret powers, and desperately in love with a woman he can never touch.

And his hair is perfect.

My son has done his share of opening-mommy's-eyes, to things such as Carl's Jr. menu, 101 ways to completely destroy a bathroom, and the television also-short-lived-but-cult-classic series "Firefly."

He had a copy of "Serenity," the movie made after the show was cancelled, which I automatically had dismissed simply by the creepy DVD cover - spooky, greasy-haired girl and lots of weapons. He finally got me to watch it, and I immediately fell in love with it, and then catch up on all the episodes from T.V.

Another very unique show and script ("It's shiney, Captain!"), a science-fiction, star ship western complete with holsters, cows and back-water planets with mass-produced bad art and underground smugglers of wobbly-head geisha dolls.

And Mal, the captain, is a man who has lost both a political and personal war - burnt by love, bitter and suspicious of anyone outside of his crew. He wears leather suspenders and has the coolest eyes ever.

And I must give my daughter credit also for gently guiding me (translation - hit me with a baseball bat until I paid attention) to "The Office" (the American version), which fortunately has NOT been short-lived and is still on the air.


And of course the main reason I watch it is because of Jim Halpert. Perfectly to-the-limit touseled hair, tall, lanky and simply the sweetest guy in the universe.

Do you see a pattern developing here?

Yes - I am apparently going through some midlife crisis where I get crushes on younger men.

I obviously need help.

But not just yet. Please.