LIZ DREIER | Because you watched ...

Back in March 2020, when it became apparent that I wouldn't be substitute teaching, or much of anything else for that matter, I came up with a plan of action that would keep my mind and my hands busy.

There would be no time wasted binge-watching TV in my house! I planted a garden, started making masks, wrote letters, did spring cleaning and baked everything I could find in my recipe card box.

It's been a year since I started this schedule, and I've stayed with it like a reporter looking for a Kardashian.

So, I figured it wouldn't hurt to watch one TV show, and I could do it while I folded the laundry, an efficient use of time. Nothing on network television appealed to me. We don't have cable, so I switched over to Netflix. Immediately, I was overwhelmed by the number of selections. I texted an expert on TV programming — my daughter in North Carolina.

She texted back, "You haven't lived until you've watched 'Tiger King.'"

"Is that a new Disney musical?" I asked.

"Not exactly," she answered evasively.

"A nature show?"

"Sort of. Trust me, you'll be hooked," she texted back.

She knows I like programs about animals and history and science. Thinking this was something on "Animal Planet," I typed in my search. About two minutes into the first episode, I realized this show was not about history or science, and the animals included some of the zookeepers.

Yikes!

What next? The clothes were folded and put away, and I really needed to exercise. Since I didn't want to walk in the rain, I searched YouTube for workout videos. I grabbed the weights for a good lifting session with some guy whose muscles had muscles. I tried a yoga routine, a cardio workout, ballet, and kickboxing.

At 5 o'clock, I limped into the kitchen to start dinner.

The next day, I decided that since I had to sit with an ice pack on my knee anyway, I might as well enjoy some TV nostalgia. As soon as I turned on Netflix, a list of programs appeared under the heading "Because You Watched Tiger King." For some reason, "Star Trek", the original series, was one of the choices. This was great! Captain Kirk, my first TV crush!

I was engrossed in an episode about a pregnant rock creature who was attacking humans, when my husband came in and asked, "Are we eating tonight?"

"Hold on! I think Dr. McCoy is about to have an emotional scene."

"Oh, good grief!"

The next day, I watched "The Twilight Zone" on my iPad while I cooked.

Oddly enough, it was the episode where aliens come to earth and give everybody a book entitled, "To Serve Man." After I finish season one, I think I might go back to where I started and check out "Tiger King."

I need to find out what happened to Carol's husband!

This story was originally published March 29, 2021 at 4:26 AM with the headline "LIZ DREIER | Because you watched ...."