Mindless

After all these years, and probably, if truth be told, somewhere near the end of the useful life of the phenomenon, we finally broke down and bought the huge 250-channel television package, and then, a couple weeks later, the giant 42” flat-screen HD TV.

Welcome to the 21st century, I guess.

So now I can sit here on the couch, remote in hand, and watch at least three live sporting events simultaneously, thereby pretty much completely turning off my mind and living the good life as defined by American males everywhere coast-to-coast.

Woo-hoo.

Additionally, I can follow along on the radio so as to listen to the local announcers for the Washington Huskies game, and tomorrow, of course, I’ll screen the Steelers contest while catching the audio from Pittsburgh on the internet.

So much for getting anything productive done on the weekend, huh?

I’ve gotten so used to the incredible resolution on the HD big screen that I no longer marvel at being able to see the blemishes and razor burn on the faces of big leaguers. But I’m still not prepared for how food commercials look; I must say there’s nothing particularly appetizing about Taco Bell tacos or Jack-in-the-Box hamburgers glistening in glorious 1080p.

Currently, I’m switching between the American League baseball playoffs, college football, and major league soccer. I hardly give a damn about the outcome of any of these events, but I nevertheless am enjoying the spectacle. I haven’t, admittedly, fallen into the habit of plopping myself down with a bowl of cereal to watch cartoons all day long, but who knows? Bugs Bunny is pretty amazing at this degree of clarity.

We didn’t buy the super-duper special package that includes HBO, Showtime, and all the premium channels; that’s probably just as well; I’ve got to get some grading done one of these days.

Right now, though, I’m gonna just keep chillin’; all I need to complete things is my beer and a taco.