true confession, british style

so after telling you that i had placed my television more or less in permanent storage, i dusted it off.  masterpiece theater needs no more press because "downton abbey" speaks for itself!  (i decided when it comes to media, i will make an exception for the likes of OPB or NPR, both smart!)  i also decided that, once a week for seven weeks, it is ok to stay up past my bedtime for a good old fashioned british soap opera.  i find the interplay of story lines between the aristocracy and the servants to be most intriguing, having always identified more with the hired "help" as it were and feelings of empathy for the hard-working class.  the banter betwixt shirley maclaine (american mrs. levinson) and maggie smith (tried and true brit the dowager) is barbed and priceless and has me laughing out loud from where i sit, statue-like to keep the antennae working...