Tell Me Your Story
There is a lot to be said about watching TV. I found out today that some of my coworkers have given up TV. That sounds good to me. I'm not sure I have the strength for such a heroic act. Even if I cheated and only watched stuff on my computer (you know what I mean) it would be difficult. The only show I watch on a common basis is The Simpson's. Nat has a few shows she watches. I try to sit with her for some of them. I'm glad she is not in to the "reality" shows. If I could figure out a way to hook my computer to the TV and play movies, I think we would spend more time together as a family.
Elle snags the TV most of the time watching the same movies over and over until Nat and I want to climb the walls. Kids can do that. I think it is an inborn need to memorize and learn. Kids may not learn faster than adults, they might just pay better attention to certain things.
When I was a kid, I watched TV non stop. I spoke with a coworker today and she says she hardly ever watched TV as a kid. She said that is why she is so day-dreamy. No, I'm very day-dreamy. I think that would have been there anyway.
My opinion of TV drops by the day. Most shows suck. I use my friends as filters. That is how I found Lost. I waited until the end of the  second season before I watched single show. It was worth the wait. Someone came in a bragged about how great the story was and I was intrigued.
I think this is how I'm going to do TV from now on. A) let my friends complain about how bad all then new shows are. I can then know that I skipped them for good reason. B) Listen for the names of shows that keep coming up in conversation. It is not a big deal to not have seen most of them. The stories have been told so many times I can guess most of the plots. That is why I like Lost. I cannot predict many of the things that happen. C) Listen for the gems that people rave about.
Somewhere in the middle, I'll find good experiences and some bad ones. People seem to like stupid shows like Friends. I catch Friends every couple of nights just because it is on. That is the kind of show I want to avoid. They are like a narcotic.They are mindless trappings for the attention. They are something to keep us from having to talk to each other. I hate that.
I find SciFi entertaining. I like things I cannot predict. I like things that teach me something. Even if it didn't mean to learn. That is where CSI type shows come in. They at least let a few facts slip by every now and again. I catch myself watching CSI XYZ when I'm nod doing other things. Mostly I read blogs when I can.
I like blogs because they are usually something that is going through someone's head right now. You get a sense of the moment most of the time. Reporters train for years to remove themselves from the story. Blogs are the other way round. It is when the bloggers have themselves in the story that the blogs are the best. Blogs from Iraq, blogs about people in the military, blogs about people who love training animals. The people talking about the thing that is happening are in the story themselves.
I get a funny feeling that all the media companies have it wrong. It is not the device that brings you the shows, or the shows themselves that will bring us into the next entertaining means of communication. I believe it will be normal people who tell their story. Then we realize there is no such thing as normal. Every story is unique and there for interesting.
What is your story?