Exactly Why I Should Be "GLEEk" of the Week

Exactly Why I Should Be Named “Gleek of the Week”

By Julie M. Fidler
Batesville, Arkansas, United States of Proud to be an American

I’m not your average, every day GLEEk. I’m pushing 50. I suffer through hot flashes and Empty Nest Syndrome. So, why in the world would I tune in to a “kids’ show”? I’ll tell ya.

As long as I can remember, I’ve been a fan of pop culture here in America. Truly American culture. That’s why, in 1994, I started the website stuckinthe70s.com (currently undergoing a much hipper rebirth).

Aside from hosting my real-life ’70s teen diary, the site explores everything pop culture and kitsch from about 1967 to 1984. My passion.

Believe it or not, when I was in high school from 1977-1981, I was a bit of a geek. I know. Hard to fathom. In a day when it was cool to be into Cheap Trick, Kiss, Ozzy and the like, I proudly wore my Captain and Tennille shirt up and down the hallways. I was unstoppable.

I played alto saxophone in the middle school and junior high bands. Except in parades. Then … I lugged around a baritone sax bigger than I was almost. And, of course, our band always got behind the horses. I gave up the band in high school.

In junior high, I wanted to join the choir, but was deathly afraid of trying out. So, the choir teacher let me pair up with my friend, Dawn. Dawn had a “Rosemary Baby” haircut and freckles on her freckles. She was an alto, and she could sing.

The teacher grimaced through that and sent me to the alto section, where she kept telling me to lean in closer to Dawn and “listen.” I ended up playing the marimba for the Christmas choir concert, if that tells you anything.

So, when I read in TV Guide about this new Fox show, “Glee,” being such a big hit, I had to find out what the fuss was all about. That’s all it took.

Now, I identify with the cheer-leading coach and have a crush on the teacher. One hour of “Glee” serves as my time machine … just as my website does. I shut myself in with the show on a Tuesday night (for some reason, the old man doesn’t like it), and I become a student at McKinley.

Shoot! I bet Mr. Schu would even let me be in New Directions. And, if I could hang out with Kurt and Mercedes, I’d be in heaven. Artie is groovy, irresistible and we can safety dance anytime!

I really believe “Glee” has something to offer everyone. I think it is probably the best show on television that parents and kids can sit down and watch together. Then, talk about what you’ve seen. That’s what I did with my boys.

The generation depicted on the show is much like my own, but things are a heck of a lot harder these days, believe it or not. And, a lot of people my age don’t. I know because, as a single mom, raising two sons (now 18 and 22), it’s HARD!

“Glee” lets us all know … It’s OK to be born this way.