Greek

I don't have the cable. In some ways it's good. It means I don't watch that much TV anymore. Which, I guess, is a good thing.

But, due to having no cable options, I resort to using Netflix instant viewing to watch TV when I sit down to watch something. This is a very good thing. Because Netflix has the rights to stream lots of those cable TV shows that I've never taken the time to enjoy in the past. Even when I had cable, I had the tendency to stick with network TV for my entertainment needs.

I have friends who have tried to get me involved in some of those shows from the USA network. I've heard good things about Burn Notice and Psych. Both of these are available online. And I hope to get around to them soon.

Recently I've been watching the ABC Family program, Greek. Mock if you will. The show features Kelsey Grammer's daughter, Spencer, as one the leads, and revolves around the lives of several members of several fraternities and sororities on the campus of the fictional Cyprus Rhodes University. It's really not that bad. I think it's kind of a fun show. And you know, Spencer Grammer, kinda easy on the eyes.

The whole fraternity/sorority thing got me thinking about Greek life at my own alma mater. I never got involved with a fraternity at Bluefield College. I toyed with the idea once or twice, but decided not to pledge anywhere. It just wasn't for me. My reasoning was pretty simple. Bluefield was a small school. And when I say small, I mean tiny. There were only so many people populating the campus. So for me to pay dues to hang out with guys I was gonna see all the time anyway seemed kind of a waste to me. I'm not judging anyone who did join the Greeks. I have several friends who were very active in their respective fraternity or sorority.

It just wasn't for me. Now, if I had been at a larger school, the odds of my getting involved would probably have increased. From what I've seen in movies and on TV, it seems pretty cool to have a house that you can go to to hang out with these friends that you've managed to form a real bond with. I can see the appeal of that sort of thing in a large university. At a small college, like Bluefield, there were only so many people to go around. As introverted as I am, I didn't want to limit myself to one group of people.

And then there's the argument that you form brotherly relationships. Or sisterly relationships where the sorority is concerned. That kind thing would hold a lot of appeal for me as a freshman in college. You're away from family for the first time in your life, so the Greek system would be a great way to find people with whom you have a lot in common.

I don't think I missed out on anything by not joining a fraternity. I made friends in college. And these friendships have grown and have lasted long past graduation. These are people I considered to be my family while I was at Bluefield College and they're people that I still consider to be family, despite the distance between us. We still keep in touch and let each other know what's going on in our lives. We share in the joy of a new birth and the grief of the passing of a loved one.

I can't speak for Greek alumni and how well they keep in touch with other members of their pledge classes, but I think we've done okay without knowing the Greek alphabet.