By Jeanetta Darley

This will come off sounding completely arrogant but honestly I rarely feel guilty about much of anything. So you can imagine my lack of inspiration when given the topic of “guilty pleasures” to write on. While I personally don’t feel the need to keep the odd or possibly embarrassing things I love under wraps, society sometimes might not agree with me. So if I had to pick something that might possibly (not that I am giving into this mentality) fall into the category of a “guilty pleasure” then I guess it’s time I came clean.

Ok here goes.

I, Jeanetta Darley, being of sound mind and body do here by declare and confirm that I am now and forever will be a Whovian.

I can feel your blank stares.

“A what???” you might ask.

Yes, you read that correctly.

Whovian: a lover, follower, fangirl supreme of Doctor Who.
So at this point, you’re either still staring with a confused look on your face or you’re jumping up and down yelling “ME TOO!! ME TOO!!”
Doctor Who is a science fiction television show from across the pond (or if you speak boring The United Kingdom) that has been on the air for 50 years. Fifty-one to be exact (and all true Whovians would be exact about that). The show follows the adventures of a mad man in a blue box called The Doctor who travels in space and time. I could go into a great deal more detail but that is usually when people’s eyes start to glaze over. So unless you are truly interested I’ll just leave it at that for now.

We Whovians have a special bond–a bond of shared adventures and narrow escapes; of heartbreak and hope. Most people can’t understand why a grown woman (or at least one that appears to be) would be so involved with a silly sci-fi show. But you see, I met The Doctor a long time ago on a small b&w tv set back when one of the few channels that existed was PBS. It was unlike any show my 8yr old self had ever seen. The Doctor, then in his 4th generation (oh did I mention he changes), could go anywhere and everywhere, as well as any when. It was imagination with no reigns; no walls. And you believed that anything was possible.

I have gladly paid for myself and my three Whovian offspring to watch showings on the big screen at the movie theatre. I have ordered countless wibbly wobbly timey wimey theme t-shirts and sonic screwdrivers from Amazon.

I drink from a disappearing TARDIS mug and I occasionally write in Gallifreyan. I have crocheted a fez and bowtie. And I have dressed a child as a Weeping Angel for Halloween (the Angels really are the scariest you know).

So all that said, I still don’t feel that my love for Doctor Who is something that I should hide or feel odd about because someone might think I’m a nerd or that I am too old to watch it and love it like I do. Honestly, there is no guilt in the pleasure for me. I figure that you’re going to miss a lot of good things in life if you don’t let yourself enjoy it once in a while.

Oh, and one more thing. DON’T BLINK!

I know I’ve made quite few inside references that only a fellow Whovian would get. Spoilers! But I hope you can read around those and take my message that if there is something that you truly love in life don’t let the world make you feel bad about it. And, hopefully, I’ve peaked some interest into how amazingly wonderful Doctor Who is.

Jeanetta is a crocheter & coffee addict, chicken keeper & goat wrangler, a farmer girl & maker of drunk jellies. You can find her online at www.jeanettadarley.com or on twitter, pinterest & instagram @jeanettadarley.

By Dorothy Hill of Dorothy’s Desk

Under most circumstances I reject outright the response of ‘guilt’. It’s time consuming, eats me up from the inside out, and fills me up with self loathing.

However, it’s time I finally own up to it. It is not an exaggeration to say that my family and friends do not understand. I’m okay with that. It even seems somewhat silly to admit to such an innocuous thing: I love watching reruns. Movie reruns and my favorite TV show reruns. Evidently I’m easily entertained.

I have a library of movies that I watch over and over. It’s just a collection actually, but library sounds so much more sophisticated. One of the big problems with that is that after I get my library collection almost in place, a new delivery format is created; so then I get to start over. It costs a bundle. Think video tapes being replaced by DVDs. Video tape players being obsolete and replaced by DVD players and the next technological step: the Blu-Ray.

There are still many of my Disney VCR tapes that need to be upgraded to DVD. They are thinner and don’t take as much room to store. My mini collection of the three versions of The Secret Garden all need to be upgraded. Three versions of the same title! It is interesting to see how the same story is interpreted differently over time. Jumanji, is an exciting story about spending your life surviving a game and trying to set things right once you quit playing. Even writing the titles ignites a desire to go watch one of these. I have kept a VCR tape player hooked up to my TV for this very reason: so I can have access to my outdated library.

When my children want to know what to get me for a special occasion I hand them a VCR tape and ask that they get that movie on DVD, Blu-Ray if available. Makes shopping for gifts for me pretty easy and within any budget they have. Guess I could hand them the Star Wars boxed set and hope for the best.

One of the things I do feel guilty about is the time investment in watching movies I’ve already seen many times. Really, how many times do I need to watch Firefly, the Complete Series? Evidently the answer is, at least one more time. And the reruns of NCIS, Castle, and Rezzoli and Isles? I could watch several shows every day.

So, the only reasonable thing to do if I want to keep my rerun library is to set a time limit. Except for my holiday watch list, like It’s a Wonderful Life and Charlie Brown Christmas. And now that I think about it, my Easter, Valentines, Thanksgiving and Christmas movie favorites. And of course my patriotic films in July.

I certainly cannot ignore The Wizard of Oz on my birthday since my name is Dorothy and I truly am from Kansas. Besides that, I was under a roll-away bed when an actual tornado ripped a path through my neighborhood. All I lack are the magical red shoes and the Munchkins and the Lion, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man. I already know how to deal with the Wicked Witch, becaaaaause I’ve Seen The Movie!

Regrettably, I will also need a Tardis from Doctor Who. There doesn’t appear to be any other way to recapture the time I spend on reruns.
No judging.

Dorothy Hill has lived in Arkansas for 10 years. She finds it easy to invest an entire day reading while ignoring everything else. She is married and has 4 grown children and 4 grandchildren. She is currently serving as Secretary for the Little Rock Chapter of American Christian Writers. What she really wants to do is quit work and fill her days with writing.

By Ricci Ellis of Imperfectly Ricci

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…… Did you just sing the rest in your head? I did…HA! No, I’m not talking about Christmas, I’m talking about FALL!!! I LOVE fall and everything that comes with it! To me fall is all about my favorite guilty pleasures…I’m talking about the return of all of my very favorite tv shows, the Miss America pageant, college football (WPS!!), and of course, the return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte!!

Can we talk about Pumpkin Spice Lattes first? I have been an addict since I moved to central Arkansas six years ago. My apartment was next to a Starbucks and I was working night shift at the time and developed a once a day habit. It was BAD!! These days I’m trying to stick to once a week and since it’s been so hot out I have Pumpkin Spice Frappuccinos instead. Sooooo yummy!!!

I don’t know about you but I absolutely look forward to all of my favorite shows returning in the fall! I love me some Grey’s Anatomy, Once Upon a Time, 19 Kids and Counting, and Resurrection just to name a few! Does it seem like they are all starting late this year? Just me? Hmmmm…

I also love college football!! Confession time- I went to a really small school in south Arkansas and we didn’t have a football team so I don’t really understand football at all! I went to the games when I was in college but that was only to flirt with the frat guys. HA! I even dated a football coach for a while but I just never understood the game. I have also never been to a Razorback football game! Please don’t revoke my Arkansas card after that statement. However, after all of those confessions that does not stop me from cheering my little heart out for the Razorbacks each game day!! WOOOO PIG SOOIE!!!

And last, but not least my other guilty pleasure is watching the Miss America pageant. I have watched it every year for as long as I can remember. I used to have watch parties with my Mom and then my friends but the last few years I have just DVRed it and watched it later. Time for another confession- I totally used to make myself “Miss Arkansas” “Miss America” and “Miss Universe” sashes out of ribbon and prance around my room in my swimsuit and my Mom’s heels and my sashes. What can I say? I had high hopes! So yes, watching the Miss America pageant is most definitely a guilty pleasure.

Now that I have confessed all of my embarrassing confessions, what are your guilty pleasures?

Ricci Ellis is a millennial lifestyle blogger based in central Arkansas. She started blogging in 2010 after her dream of becoming Miss Arkansas/America/Universe was crushed. You can find her blogging over at Imperfectly Ricci or on her favorite social media sites Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.