Televised debate
She Said: Until recently, television has never held much fascination for me. Growing up, I watched whatever my parents were watching, which was really whatever my father wanted to watch. My dad watched TV every weeknight from 5:30 to 9:00. During those hours, the living room was his kingdom. The remote was his sceptre, the couch his throne. None of his subjects (my mother, brother and I) was allowed to speak during one of his programs, lest we be shot a scornful look from His Highness. He would mute the commercials (this was before the days of Tivo), allowing for conversation to take place during the three-minute breaks. Once the program resumed, the conversation ended abruptly with the push of a button.
When I was 26, I moved into a little one-bedroom cottage. It was the first time I lived all by myself. No boyfriends, no roommates...no TV. I realized that although there had always been a TV in my dwelling, I had never owned one of my own. My parents gave me the little 15 inch TV they had in their guest bedroom. I put it in my living room on a TV tray (that's what they're for, right?) and put rabbit ears on top of it. It was great! I could watch the news in the morning, and dumb sitcoms provided background noise for my evening routine of dinner, dishes, cat care and laundry. And when I wanted to shut off my brain and relax, I plopped down in front of my tiny television on the futon that was my couch. It was a simple life.
When I bought my house, I kept my little TV and made some minor upgrades. Gone were the rabbit ears and TV tray. I signed up for basic cable and purchased a small stand with shelves. The futon's cheap metal frame bent and eventually broke. I replaced it with a beautiful but uncomfortable chaise lounge, another hand-me-down from my parents. It mattered little that it was hard as a rock; I rarely sat in it. I spent most of my time away from the house, finishing up my journalism degree at HSU and working part time at the Times-Standard. When I was home, I was studying, eating or doing domestic chores. On the rare occasion that I did sit in front of the TV, I was asleep within minutes.
Enter Tony.
He said: I remember when I first stepped into her living room. It was very nice and very clean. If you looked closely enough, you could almost make out a TV & VCR against one wall. Of course I was so nervous, I didn't make a crack. One night we sat on her chaise lounge and watched a movie. I was so in love I hardly noticed my numb butt and squinty eyes.
When I moved in, my very modest 27 ", 9 year old TV made the trip with me. Along with him came his friend the DVD player. A simple digital cable package with DVR followed soon after. It was great, the 5 of us, watching movies... laughing at a, not-so-routine,traffic stop... crying when they finally played catch... feeling Rudy's triumph. We were a great start-up family. But we all know that families grow.
She said: One of the very first things to change when Tony moved in was the TV-watching setup. Laughing, he said to me, "This has got to go. This won't work for me." He brought over his television, which dwarfed mine. He also brought his *gasp* entertainment center. The chaise lounge was moved to the office and in its place now sits a comfy reclining loveseat. The mini TV went into the bedroom.
The next order of business was a call to the cable company. We purchased some package that raised our cable bill by about $70 a month, but we did get the DVR and we can watch 99 channels in the bedroom, so I guess it's worth it.
We just got our wedding gift from Tony's mom and her fiance (lovely people, I might add). It's a 37-inch flat screen TV that plugs into another of our wedding gifts, the surround sound system.
But wait, there's more! Just when I think I have all the TV technology I can handle, he comes home with something else: an HD DVR. And the cable company gets another $20 a month from us. Cha-ching.
He said: Of course there is a Hi Definition Digital Video Recorder. What the heck's the point of having a bad-ass TV if I can't watch MNF in Hi-Def? Imagine how that'd look. I have people over to watch the game and I can't back it up to see that play again or I can't count how many raindrops are on that guy's helmet?
She said: I'm not exactly complaining. It's just that now the television holds me captivated in its glow. I have come to enjoy a regular lineup of programming, although I couldn't tell you when shows are actually scheduled, thanks to the convenience of the DVR. It's made me lazy. Who wants to brave the cold and rain to go running or drive to the gym when you can cuddle up with your sweetie on a comfy couch under a blanket and watch movies as though they were being acted out on a stage in your living room?
Comments
Ah, wedded bliss... You two are indeed the personification of the phenomenon. You are a lovely, beautiful couple. Be forewarned, my dear friends, studies have shown that a tv in the bedroom cuts a couple's amorous activities in half. That's 50% less badda-bing. Mini tv or not, I can't imagine the prolonged effect of *99* channels. That aside, excellent blogging. Keep it up!
Posted by: Uniqua C. | December 18, 2007 09:26 AM
Thanks for the advice, Uniqua. I don't care for the TV in the bedroom myself. It helps Tony fall asleep, though, and a rested husband makes for a happier marriage.
Posted by: She Said | December 18, 2007 01:47 PM
Television....The Great American Opiate. But, isn't it wonderful?
Books, sheesh, too much effort.
Posted by: Ekovox | January 4, 2008 05:38 PM