Plugged in

,

SB and I are plugged in! Okay, actually we are almost plugged in. SB won a neat, little flat screen television at his firm's Chinese New Year celebration over one month ago. We got around to unwrapping it finally and oohed and aahed at it.

We thought of how our lives would change with this brand new piece of technology that firmly places us in the 20th century. Outside of the home I am firmly ensconced in the 21st century, plugged into the Internet almost nonstop, and very comfortable and capable navigating through data clearinghouses or working in 3D. Back in the little shoebox in the Valley, we are well behind the curve. I have not owned a television in six years; SB last had access to one in 2004. I can count on one hand how many times I have played with a Nintendo/Sega/Wii/whatever they call it now, since I first tried my hand at jumping over mushrooms with Mario at my neighbor's flat in Braemar Hill in 1988. Our family also bought our first microwave in that year.

One could say that my family wasn't the most up to date. But we also never spent much time at home being sedentary. My father grew up in a farming community, and he never let go of the work ethic and general activity. Things that became household items during my formative years that never entered my home included: the VCR, CD players, laptop computers, Ataris, playstations, mobile phones, and pretty much any electronic introduced after 1985. We did have a record player, cassette tape player, television (which I could watch for one hour per week), and the aforementioned microwave oven.

SB likes to make fun of me and look upon me with mock pity when he mentions a movie (that I had no access to) or music (that was not one of my father's records or mother's cassettes) or anything involving fun with electronics because 90% of the time I have never seen/heard/done it. But I can kick/hit/throw many varieties of objects, including him.

So here I was with this flat screen television. I was very excited, possibly more excited than the normal response to seeing a small television. We had previously purchased Steve and Shoil's DVD player (my first) and surround sound system (my first) when they renovated their place and now I had something that output visual images to hook up to! I had lots of plans for all the movies I was going to catch up on. I was going to see what the big deal over The Godfather was.

Of course that was over a week ago. And the television still sits in its box on the floor, waiting for me to take it out some time this century. I guess I am more like my parents than I thought.

Comments

Jennifer W said…
I need a TV/Web-aholics anonymous meeting. I am addicted and it's unhealthy. Good for you for finding more productive hobbies. That being said, the Godfather is pretty amazing, and worth setting up a television for.