WatchingTelevision

Ever met a lonely television blogger? Of course not, that's because studies have now proven that watching television and writing long essays about it makes you feel less lonely. Sure, I'm sitting here all alone in my house with the latest episode of Legend of the Seeker paused on my television, but I feel like you're all here with me ... wait a minute, I better put some decent clothes on. Sorry about that. Apparently, the bonds I feel with Richard and Kahlan help ease my need to connect with real people.

So now I don't have to go out in the real world and make real friends, or ever hang out with them. I have thousands of friends on hundreds of channels! So fat, lazy Americans spending more and more time sitting around at home watching television is good for us. Sure the research says that it's no substitute for real interaction, but it's close enough. We need to get ourselves nice and complacent for when the machines rise up. And it'll be much easier if they know where to find us; sitting at home alone with our Friends.

In the past several days, I've given up on two new TV shows: American Inventor and The Loop. I gave up on American Inventor because most of the inventions shouldn't even had made it that far, and the whole thing is way too touchy-feely. I gave up on The Loop because, well, it's not funny.

But I find this "giving up on TV shows" to be quite liberating. When you watch television for a living, it's hard to keep track of everything that's on. And when you're head is filled up with too many shows and characters and plots, it's a relief when you finally decide, you know what? I'm not going to watch this show anymore. It frees up space in your head and gives you time to watch something else.

This can be a bad thing too, I guess. I never got into 24 because I was already watching another spy drama, Alias, and I'm probably missing out there. I never watch E-Ring because I'm a fan of The West Wing, and one military/political/D.C. drama is enough for me right now. I never got into The Amazing Race, because I already watch Survivor and American Idol and Airline and Little People, Big World, and one more reality show will drive me made (granted, TAR is more a game show, but you know what I mean).

I wish I could stop watching ER, because the show's been kinda boring lately. But I've put 10 years into it, and I'll be damned if I'm not going to see how it ends.