Britain Envy Strikes Again

I just finished searching the PBS site for the Colonial House page (so I could fix a link in a previous entry) and I stumbled across Manor House. This was my reaction:

“But wait! That was my idea! I’m supposed to get a chance to be on that show! And it’s not supposed to be filmed in England, far far away from me. It’s supposed to be filmed at the Biltmore—where I’ve dreamed of living since French class field trips in high school. Those stinkers!” (Perhaps wankers would have been more appropriate.)

Back when I momentarily considered applying for Colonial House (OK, begged David to apply with me), my friend and coworker Sonya, who hates rustic living whether in present day or colonial times, said, “I’m holding out for Biltmore House.” My coworkers and I laughed. Then I thought, “Hey, PBS should do that. They should do a Gosford Park type reality show. Upstairs, Downstairs.” We came up with some other ideas as well. David suggested a Star Trek theme. Secretly, though, I hoped the Gosford Park idea would happen. And now it has. In England.

In the end, I decided not to apply for Colonial House because, well, David didn’t want to live like a colonial with me. How silly he is. If I had been chosen, I would have had to live apart from him for five months. Also, I didn’t figure many women lived in the colonies alone—except for widows, witches, Hester Prynes, etc. The application fever passed, and I realized Colonial House would still be fun for me, just the type of fun you have in front of the TV rather than with the plowshares. Besides, I was holding out for a desirable role—”upstairs” at the Biltmore. Now that too has passed.

I probably would have been cast “downstairs” anyway, knowing my luck.