i used to read more. i used to accomplish more. i used to tinker more. i used to explore more. i used to move more.
now i just watch tv.
it’s an addiction, you know. and boy am i addicted. and, to be honest, i probably don’t watch any more tv than i ever did. in fact, i probably watch less than i did when i lived in florida, where the year-round heat encourages indoor living and the tv is always there. at least in new york, you are forced by circumstance of living to get out and about every now and then. and so, i think maybe i watch less overall television.
but less is still too much. i have the nagging feeling, whenever i watch tv, that i should be accomplishing something constructive.
but i think this feeling comes more in the summer, when there really is nothing on tv but crap. with the exception of baseball, of course–watching baseball is never a waste of time. but the rest of it? at least in the fall, winter, and spring the tv programs are somewhat well-written, entertaining, and intelligent. lost. 24. desperate housewives. you know, scripted television.
the summer, though, is unscripted. and so last night, thanks to the tivo pvr thingy from the cable company, when there was nothing to watch on the 1000 channels we have, kirk and i could have a mini-“cash cab” marathon. followed by an live episode of “so you think you can dance”. because, of course, there was no baseball game due to it being the all-star break.
now don’t get me wrong. i like spending time with kirk, and i like hanging around the house, and i (at least on some level) like the shows we watch or we wouldn’t be watching them.
maybe this has to do with getting older, and feeling your mortality. but time is starting to really fly by for me, and though i enjoy the relaxing time i spend watching tv, there’s still that nagging feeling that i should be spending my time better. and, because i am at heart a very frugal person, it bugs me that i’m paying outrageous sums of money for 1000 tv channels and there’s nothing on worth watching, and i end up watching the same 6 channels all the time, mostly network tv.
maybe i should just unplug the tv altogether. or maybe i should just get an hdtv with a tuner built in, and drop the cable, and get dsl internet access. we hooked kirk’s mom up to dsl, and if she can use it without incident, i know we can.
i’ll think about all this some more tonight, while i watch the “so you think you can dance” results show.