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Diary of a recovering addict

Lately I’ve become aware of how much of my life is lost to the television. How many nights have I spent channel-flipping mindlessly? What could I have accomplished had I turned it off?

Thus began my reintroduction to reality. Two nights ago, I removed my TV and DVD player to a safe location, with visions of sitting in my favourite armchair with a cup of something hot and having a really good read. Or spending some quality time writing that story I’ve had in the back of my mind. Or having the freedom to throw on my jacket and step out, regardless of which episode of Enterprise is on. I could live my life without needing to know if Giles will have his head lopped off or if Marge will have her boobs done.

Yesterday was my first full day without television. As I had some cleaning to do, I decided to turn on the— Doh!

Anyway, I distracted myself by rearranging the furniture so that the room didn’t focus on the the big, empty spot where the TV used to be. Then I sat on the couch, and considered how much this experiment was going to suck.

What will I do without a TV? I’m a hardened addict. And Shaw Cable is my dealer.

Day 1 ended pitifully. I started up my computer and watched Enterprise in a 3″ wide window. So very sad.

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Creature of the night, I am

I lurk in the darkness.

I rise before dawn.

I hide from the daylight

and emerge after sunset.

I am a cubicle dweller. (Muah ha ha ha ha)



Cambie Street Bridge, pre-dawn. I think I need to clean the windshield.



Sunrise at Coal Harbour.

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Brackish liquid

This is indeed puzzling. Which tastes least like coffee — the stuff from McDonald’s or the stuff from the coffee vending machine?

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LOTR: FOTR SE

Last night I watched the new director’s cut of the Fellowship of the Ring. I loved the new scenes — it restores some very important character and plot information — but it’s way too long now. I think Peter Jackson could easily have made LOTR into six movies.

My suggestion to someone renting the director’s cut: watch it in two nights, pausing between books one and two (after Chapter XII, “Flight to the Ford”). I’ll avoid spoiling it for anyone who hasn’t read the book or seen the movie, but I will say that it’s an obvious pause in the action after a serious chase scene and a river (the “flight to the ford”). Although the movie is split onto two discs in the four-disc set, I felt that the break came at a strange spot.

Anyway, I survived the marathon movie-watching session. Now I have to tackle the DVD “extras”. And when am I going to find the time to watch it with the three different commentary audio tracks?? I’ll have to watch it three more times before I return it on Monday.