Close

Those who know me know that I have a few major addictions. One less, since I quit smoking, but quite a lot remain. Shoes, of course. And pasta. And nutella. And US TV series.

The latter has gotten much worse since I moved to Switzerland. Must have something to do with spending all my free time by myself and the weather being miserable. Which means that I have now moved past the stage where I've caught up on all the latest seasons of all my favourite shows, and into the stage where I'm just grabbing random DVDs off the shelf in the hope that it will turn out to be something I like.

My latest obsession: The Closer. Never mind the fact that I've been crazy about Kyra Sedgwick since I saw her in Singles a long, long time ago (everybody our age needs to go back and see that movie, by the way). This show is brilliant. And I have finally found myself a role model.

A no-longer-so-young woman who prioritises her career. Check.
Who deals with insubordinate subordinates all day. Check.
Who, despite all her best intentions and desire to do the right thing, manages to piss off everyone she works with. Check.
Who lives in constant fear of disappointing her parents. Check.
Who cries at work one minute then bites someone's head off the next. Check.
Who is single and not so convinced she really wants to have kids. Check.

And despite all that, she is awesome.

But honestly, tell me.
Is it weird that my role model is a homicide detective?
Is it weirder that my role model is a homicide detective on TV?

There are, of course, a few key differences between Deputy Chief Brenda Lee Johnson and Little Res.

Key difference #1: The accent. It makes all the put-downs sound better. I bet you my team would like me more if I said y'all.
Key difference #2: She has a gun.
Key difference #3: She lives in Los Angeles. Where it's sunny.
Key difference #4: She can eat junk food all day and never get fat.
Key difference #5: She actually loves her job.

But we do wear the same glasses.