live tweeting

TV Talk: The Olympics!

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By Edwiges Lopes Tavares (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

I didn’t think I’d be excited for the Summer Olympic Games. All the talk of the problems in Rio de Janeiro — like the contaminated water and beaches, including two of the most storied beaches on the planet, and the high crime rate  — left me a little…flat. And concerned. I figured I’d go into them with a shrug and a pang for the shows that won’t be airing for the next few weeks.

I was wrong.

Now that it’s nearly time for the Opening Ceremonies, I’m feeling a twinge. No matter what the issues with the venue, as was the case in Russia in 2014, the perseverance and hard work of the athletes themselves are a siren song.

I’m still worried for them, especially in the water-based sports. I hope everyone leaves Rio as healthy as they arrived. Still we get to see people who are the best at what they do attempt to do the best they’ve ever done.

The funny thing is that Chicago actually competed to host these games. Oprah Winfrey, along with other big Chicago names, headed off wherever it was to plead Chicago’s case when it was down to the final few choices.

Chicago lost; Rio won.

I was disappointed at the time, but now, when I think of the logistics of the world descending upon us…that was a near miss. Rio is expecting nearly half-a-million visitors. Given that Chicago is pretty accessible, I expect the number may have been higher. Yikes.

Thanks, IOC!

Here’s the thing about the Olympics: it’s a world-wide phenomenon. And now that our global communication is easier than ever I can watch the events with people literally anywhere in the world, in real-time.

Talk about live-tweeting.

So good luck, athletes, every single one of you. We’ll all be watching the culmination of your dreams.

Check out  my full-length novels,  Her Cousin Much Removed,  The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management and Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only), and the sequel, Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) which is now available!

And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!

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TV Talk: Twitter

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It's a bird! Get it? TWITTER? Eh. Everyone's a critic.

It’s a bird! Get it? TWITTER? Eh. Everyone’s a critic.

Nope, it’s not the name of a show you’re missing. Though for any TV execs in the room, have I got a pitch for you!

Twitter is an amazing tool. It can bring you news before it’s news; it can instantly link you to people with similar interests; it can act as a source of endless amusement with various hashtag games. It can even bring love, as two of my friends found.

(What’s that, hypothetical reader? Did I maybe nudge them in the direction of magic? Why yes, yes I did, funny you should ask).

But my favorite use of Twitter is television.

You might have noticed that if you’re following me on Twitter. I’m currently live-tweeting five days a week — at least when I’m home to do it — and TV has never been so much fun.

From reality shows like Real Housewives of etc. and Below Deck random flavors to my science-fiction staples of “12 Monkeys” and “Orphan Black;” fantasy newcomer “Wynonna Earp” and soapy satire “UnReal,” I hunker down in front of my keyboard, mind my hashtags and tweet away.

Some shows are much easier to live-tweet than others. “Real Housewives of New York” (RHONY for those in the know) doesn’t really require eyes on the screen. With “12 Monkeys,” looking away for a second is impossible.

Still, no matter where you are in the world, you are suddenly at a viewing party, and the best thing is you don’t even have to share your snacks. Everyone has opinions, from the super-snarky to the truly insightful, and everyone’s invited.

A little hesitant about the idea of live-tweeting? Don’t be! If it’s too much to tweet while you’re watching, you can always wait for commercials. Be interactive, read and respond to other tweets, retweet the ones that tickle you and reciprocate when someone does the same with yours.

Easy-peasy.

And just so much fun. The best part? You can support your favorite shows, as well. A strong Twitter fan base probably helped to rescue “Nashville” from the great TV beyond.

So see? You’re not only having fun on Twitter. You’re helping.

Check out  my full-length novels,  Her Cousin Much Removed,  The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management and Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only), and the sequel, Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) which is now available!

And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!

 Sign up for my spamless newsletter!

When Twitter is my Favoritest

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I didn’t think I’d like Twitter. And I didn’t.

At first.

I warmed up to it slowly, following people, getting some followers. And then I connected with people, and thought, hey, this is not so bad. Not the best thing in the world, but not so bad.

And then I decided to try live tweeting TV shows. It was like the heavens opened and sent a single, gorgeous beam of light. I had found it.

The perfect way to say those things I say out loud to myself while watching TV, but out loud to the world. It’s amazing. If you think it, you can tweet it.*

*(Note: Please, for the love of all that is holy, unholy or mildly perforated, do not tweet everything you think. You do not want to be the originator of the Tweet Heard Round the World Before You Couldn’t Hear Anything Else Because Everyone Is Talking about That Tweet But Not in a Good Way. And yes, there was a probably a shorter way to say that).

True, you have to actually be home at the time the show airs to really have the fun of live tweeting, and yes, there are those thingies, “commercials” I think the kids are calling ’em these days, though prefer to think of them as very short films with a particularly strong viewpoint. It’s not a flawless system.

And I also haven’t mastered the art of tweeting two shows at once, though it appears that some people do, so there are nights where I have to make some heavy choices. What can I say, life is full of hard decisions.

But if you love your shows, and you find yourself saying things to your television even though it can’t hear you — unless it’s a smart TV, then it’s listening to everything you say and storing it, and no I’m not making that up — you might as well say them to all the other people doing the same thing. That’s what Twitter’s for, right?

I think. Honestly I have no idea. All I know is it’s fun when a show is on.

Check out  my full-length novels,  Her Cousin Much Removed,  The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management and Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only), and the sequel, Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) which is now available!

Sign up for my spamless newsletter. And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!