More TV

"Why would you want to watch more TV?" said Sandie.

Cindy's sister was asking a very good question and one to which we had given considerable thought. We are not TV watchers. A few years back we got the smallest DISH package possible, so we would have TV in the case of largely publicized emergencies, things like the wildland fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc. It was also nice to be able to get Cindy's favorite show ER which she has watched for 15 years and we were collecting from her mom in videotape. Once we got DISH, we taped that show and watched it in bunches of 2 or 3 but otherwise rarely turned on the TV. Cindy's mom called us if there was something newsworthy (like 9/11) that we should tune into.

Recently, however, we had decided that TV might be a good way to escape for a few hours a week. We are both terrible about going back to work after dinner in the evening instead of taking time to relax. In the summer, we often spend time after dinner in the yard puttering but in the winter we go to our desks in the evening. We knew we needed a way to get away from the piles of work that are always waiting, so we decided to gift ourselves with an upgraded DISH package and a DVR.

I bought a TV Guide to try to learn about programming because we didn't even know what was available to watch. We are recording a bunch of programs and watching them to find a few regulars we like. Sadly Cindy's show--ER-- is going off the air at the end of this season, so we are looking for replacements. We used to watch West Wing and Six Feet Under years ago before they were discontinued so we have a sense of what we like.

So far we've watched these shows: 24, House, Bones, The Story of India, and several movies on HBO. There are some shows getting ready to premier new seasons, and we have them set to record: The United States of Tara, Damages, and L-Word. We are having ball rewinding and pausing with the DVR both during regular and recorded programs What a marvelous invention!

So far, more TV has been a cool ticket to fun.