Librarius Interruptus/TV

In 1999 I gave up television. It wasn't something I planned -- I just found myself living alone without a TV, so I went with it.  For a few years I didn't own an Eye at all, and later I watched only what I could stick in a DVD or VHS player.

Recent events have changed that.  Every night for the past few months I have had 200 channels at my disposal, which sounds like good odds but often isn't.  Mostly it's . . . excuse me, the children across the table are singing and playing video games.  I will send subtle hostility their way -- not to worry.

Mostly TV has been what I expected:  lame content and annoying commercials.  But the level of intrusion makes watching almost anything impossible: logos, pop-up-ads, movies chopped-up all sorts of ways . . .

The kids again.  Not my kids, you understand.  My prods was insufficient, so I went to the attending librarian -- all is well.


So I've had my finger on the pulse of pop culture through it's central conduit, and already I'm bored.  I can't even use to thing to unwind, so agitated is the mush of my brain.  But, I will have a TV at my next domicile, if only for news, but mostly I'll just use the DVD player -- why suffer the onslaught of advertising?  I can no longer relate to the frenzied anticipation of a favorite show being on at the same time every week, nor to a medium that feels the need to advertise itself continually (except, of course, during commercials.)

Why are those logos there anyway?  Am I incapable of finding out what channel I'm watching?  "You get used to them", I'm told. But what does that mean?  Goddamn librarian.  Coward!  He has not sent the interrupters to the children's library.

I mean, why detune myself to everything I'm watching that relies on framing?  Doesn't "getting used to" a hack job, such as this library, mean shutting part of yourself down?

OK, the insensitives have left.  But wait!  Now there are more: loud-mouth-cellphone talkers, and people with coal in their lungs.  And this crappy computer.  Attend to the network!

What was I saying?