Effect and Cause

I have this love/hate relationship with television. As in, I love television, but I hate the fact that I let it suck up so much of my life. I used to be able to watch tv and do something productive at the same time, but I've come to realize that this is no longer the case.

Having said all of that, I just ordered cable, which I haven't had on my own in years. Since 2004, to be exact. Even then, I only had the $10 package that includes the local stations, C-Span - that kind of stuff, and I would still while away hours a day watching tv. So. I ordered the same $10 package, which has actually somehow gotten cheaper (I believe it used to be $10.12 and now it's $9.14), and they are coming next Saturday to install it. By the way, why does anyone even need to come out here to do that? There's already a cable box at my house. The tvs are cable-ready, so I just need to connect the cable line to them. What in the world does a person need to come here for? You'd think they could just flip a switch and the box would go "live," so to speak.

I feel a little guilty for my decision to get this cable that will potentially increase my television-watching time. I've decided to assuage that guilt by rationalizing that having a cable connection to the tv will be better for my guests when we are watching tv together. Also, it will eliminate the static sounds that burst in intermittently, based on things like the fullness of the moon or the angle of the neighbors' tiki umbrella in the yard. So perhaps, I'll watch the same amount of tv, but enjoy it so much more.

In other news, I've been really sick this week. When I say "really sick," I don't mean "hospital sick". I mean "head congestion, earache, sore throat, and occasional non-productive cough sick" that makes me too tired to leave the house. Thankfully, Heidi braved the risk to come to my Den of Germs last night and keep me company, because I was getting really lonely. Generally, 2 days out of the office wouldn't make me feel so isolated, but since I was barely awake most of the day Thursday, I wasn't exactly keeping in touch with folks over email. I'm planning to spend the rest of the weekend at home, with the possible exception of having waffles and coffee with a friend tomorrow. And once again, I've missed my weekend with Tommy due to circumstances beyond my control. Boooo!