The world is slowly coming to an end.

Friends, the long lived series I had grown to love immensely, is winding down to a close. With only a couple of more episodes left, it is tearing me apart, piece by piece with each of the remaining episodes. I am so sincerely happy, because I get to see a new episode, but then so intensely saddened, because it would be one episode closer to the finale. As it is with Sex and the City. The four women who lit up the small screen were an inspiration to me, not just in their singledoms, but their courage and the ferocity in which they approached life. They are four extremely well-educated and smart ladies, who knew what they wanted to do, how they wanted to do it, and did it well. They are so different from each other and yet complemented each other well as friends and companions. Frequently, women's friendships break down after a major life-changing event, such as marriages and having babies -- women do tend to introvert into their lives, blocking out the outer part. It is sad, but true. If I had to juggle a career and a baby, how would I ever have time for friends? These days, men do pick up their share around the household, or at least aids in household/domestic work, but women, more so than men, are the required sacrifice. They alone have the ability to breastfeed a child, and they alone can give birth and they alone have to go on maternity leave. But Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte, through thick and thin, maintained strong bonds as friends. They are quick and witty, made good money, they stand up for what they believe in. I am reluctant to accept that they are fictional -- although they are not without their problems, they have it all. But they too, are coming to the end of the chapter. My only hope is for the movie that is being talked about, to be out in 2005 if possible. And for Friends, I can only hope that its spin-off, Joey with just one of the original cast members, would be as great as the original.

I am devastated that two of my favorite shows are coming to an end. I am at a loss for words. And although they haven't actually ended yet, their inevitable fate puts me in a grievous mode. I can only hold on tighter to the remaining shows, such as ER, The Simpsons, and even more. Some may chide me and tsk their tongues in contempt for my pleasure in television. But every individual must have a vice; some, such as myself, need many guilty pleasures to ward off bad karma from all the stress received from worldly things. Television is one, chocolate is another, extended hours of sleep, a third. Some refer to this as being some sort of syndrome -- a collection of symptoms that classify extended singlehood. Some say that I need to get laid (oh, how bluntly they do tell me so!). But why would I need to? The glowing warmth of the television set is all the comfort that I need. Ah, TV -- how I love thee!