CHANGE THE CHANNEL FAST

Who do we root for? What fills our minds?

Iranians who have to obey, shut up, stay home, make no waves, or go out and protest and maybe die?

While waiting to see what our President wants us to do, my fists clench, I'm frustrated. Pent up, yes, but shrugging. Hitting the off switch on the TV and heading for the work on my desk.

I can do that, even though I'm in a dither, silently shouting no no -- there can't be another war -- drowning out there could be! Pakistan ... North Korea ... the verbal warring over health care ... the latest flurry of suicide bombers in Bagdad ... How can I do my life and carry all that with me?

I've never ever been an Entertainment Tonight, or Access Hollywood watcher. Discovery Channel's autopsy show, Dr. G, Medical Examiner with Dr. G's clear, energetic determination to solve why and how a person died -- is definitely diverting. And the Trauma, Life in the ER show with those life and death emergencies -- it's almost comforting, between the hammer of the Hardball Matthews, Keith Oberman, Rachael Maddow gang.

But the weight of NOW -- the citizens of Teheran being forced to shut up about the stolen election, calm down, and go back to living their lives -- it turns me into a blob, shapelessly unfocused on anything, except finishing a small personal job. Like writing this -- spelling the names right -- keeping away from the unpronounceable ones that I can pronounce for a minute, but not retain.

So when Fran, my blog coach, dear friend whom I trust, sent me a link to the latest on Jon & Kate, I clicked. Murmuring Kate and Jon, Jon and Kate, I do my skim reading of the words, hundreds of words, massive attention they're getting.

Susan Boyle was worth paying attention to -- she means, she meant, and she still shows me the power of talent, guts, and taking a chance. But Jon and Kate, Kate and Jon seem like cardboard cut-outs, copied, reproduced to the nth power. Like printing presses and Kinko's copiers can do, and television screens do. How many televisions in the world are right now conveying the latest on Kate and Jon, Jon and Kate and their ... what ...?

I can't, I won't, I refuse to pay attention to the manufactured importance of any of their problems.