The beginning...

Friends it has been much too long! I've been letting myself get so sidetracked with everything else going on in my life and I've hardly had anytime to think about why I'm not dating... which I suppose is a good thing? But it's taken a toll on this old girl, So it's time to get back on the saddle, it's like riding a bike I hear!

I'll start by introducing a new segment... I wrote an op-ed piece for my government class... he left the topic up to us and I ended up deciding to write what  I know... so rather than force you to read it all at once, I'll keep it short and sweet and give it to you in pieces for the next couple of days... let me brag for a second though, after reading my paper he compared me to a famous essayist he's currently reading and told me my paper was publishable, so at the risk of getting a big head... here goes...

Part one:

                                                     

                              Why do I love TV so damn much?!

            I may have just wasted 4 straight hours watching 30Rock on Netflix, or maybe I was catching up on my Hulu queue, either way the one thing I was NOT doing was picking a topic for this paper. Once I realized my main distraction could itself be my topic it was all down hill from there.

Type “Television Addiction” into Google and you’ll discover that 1. It is not a diagnosable condition of the DSM-IV 2. 60%-70% of Americans believe it is addicting and 3. Researchers have yet to define the difference between “normal” and “problem” television viewing. (So take that, Dad!) Despite the lack of research and studies to produce any sort of statistics on the subject I have been told on multiple occasions by at least five people that I’m probably addicted to television. So why, what is it about television that I love so DAMN much?! This question is one I intend to answer. To what end, one might ask? Well, presumably to make someone laugh, and to justify the countless hours a week spent on my laptop.

            Let’s start with the simple questions: who, what, when, and where? Who: Me, and almost every non-Amish human. What: Television in all it’s varying conditions: drama, comedy, reality, noir, fantasy, science fiction, current events, cartoon, competition, etc. The list is never ending; everyday hundreds of television ideas are being thought of, pitched, purchased, piloted, fan-girled, and canceled. When: Fall-Spring and Spring-Summer, oh, and thanks to Netflix and DVD Boxed-sets, everyday! Where: Well it started on the living room floor, the whole family surrounding the television but has since progressed to anywhere you’re laptop, iPad, or Internet enabled phone can travel and/or catch a Wi-Fi signal.