Television

A few nights ago I lost the TV remote.  The one for our 16 year-old TV/VCR combo in our bedroom. The one that now has a digital converter cable box and can ONLY be controlled by remote (no old school getting-up-and-changing-the-channel here!).  I eventually found it under WG's bed (she likes to play with it), but for a couple of days we had no TV access in our bedroom.
And it was pretty darn nice!
I rarely watch the main TV downstairs.  Usually I reserve it for "Doctor Who," since that's the only TV that gets BBC America. I watch the smaller TVs when I'm cooking dinner or just chillin'.  But I'm beginning to wonder why.  WHY was I watching "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" last night?  These ladies were the same girls (not literally, but you know what I mean) I avoided at all cost during high school, and again when my kids were toddlers and I was thinking about joining a mom's group in L.A (thank G-d, I dodged THAT bullet! I once overheard a conversation at a coffee place by one of these groups who were sitting at the table next to us.  One of their members was absent that day, and they spent the entire hour ripping not only her apart, bur her 3 YEAR-OLD CHILD, as well!)  All I could think was "My G-d, these women are SUCH BITCHES!!!!! Why the hell am I watching this?!?!?!" before I FINALLY turned it off.
Because TV does that: it sucks you in.  It's like a cult. Or the Mob.  Before you know it you're DVR-ing shows about former Playboy bunnies and rocker wives, pledging your life savings and future favors to them.  (Luckily, we don't have a DVR.  I shudder to think how much MORE time I could waste if we did!)
To be fair, there are some things definitely worth watching.  The aforementioned "Doctor Who," of which I have been a fan for over 20 years (and has been running, although not continuously, since 1963), as well as things like "Sherlock"  on "Masterpiece."  It's a 21st-century version of "Sherlock Holmes," and is quite fun. There's also a local show called "California's Gold," which delves into the history of California landmarks.  Everything from the Golden Gate Bridge to the La Brea Tar Pits to Yosemite and even In-n-Out Burger (YUM!).
And "30 Rock."  Because Tina Fey just Gets It.
Also, my guilty pleasures : "Gilmore Girls" reruns (no real guilt there), "So You Think You Can Dance?" (less guilt) and "Dancing With the Stars" (HUGE guilt!)
Then, I must admit, there are the times I will turn on Nickelodeon or Sprout just because Mommy needs a break.
I'm not proud.

But getting sucked into all that other crap?  I don't think it's very good for me.  It's like junk food for the mind.   Not that I want to be one of those "I only watch PBS" types (although I do love me some PBS, especially when they do shows on dog researchers.  I think I've found my new career!), but MAN!  962 channels and 845 of them show 24-hour "reality" shows, while the others are talking heads screeching at each other!
Do I REALLY care if Perry Farrell's wife in an insecure ninny?  Isn't that his problem, and not mine?  And do I need to know the hardships of a bunch of wealthy celebutantes who whine and complain and only work when the cameras are rolling?
(Speaking of which: I was watching a rerun of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" the other day [less guilt for that, because it's still awesome!] and they had an episode with an alien race called the Cardassians.  They're REALLY mean, and they had captured and were torturing Capt. Picard.  It just made me wonder; this episode was made in 1990 or '91: foreshadowing?  Did they somehow know that the Kardashians would come along and torture all of humanity? Should I start my own spoof show and call it "Keeping Up With the Cardassians," about a group of whiny, annoying, mean aliens and their daily tribulations? Will it make me rich?  Would my karma be forever screwed?)
So I'm going to watch less of it.  I'm going to make a list of the shows I REALLY like (that don't spike my blood pressure) and stick to those.  If there's a movie on I want to see, fine.  But these "reality" shows are OFF MY NICE LIST!!!!!! Persona non grata! Unwelcome, uninvited, and will be asked, forcibly, to leave should they somehow sneak past the bouncers.
I've been cutting the junk out of my diet, and now it's time to cut it out of my brain.

Maybe, at some point, I'll even deal with the closets!