Ramble Ramble

Perpetua over at Our Lady of Perpetual Breadcrumbs has started a weekly “thing” called ControverSunday, wherein those of us who are interested can all talk about controversial things–we’re starting with parenting stuff for the time being, but may branch out into other topics. This is my attempt at sounding even 1/2 as intelligent as the ladies over there.

This week’s topic is on television. Which, as luck would have it, is on my mind a lot lately. See, a few weeks ago, someone we know mentioned that they had read that exposing infants to television could lean to brain damage. Any kind of television, any kind of exposure.  Something about their brains not being able to process the speed at which the images move, or something like that. I’ve heard a lot of theories about television and kids, but actual brain damage was research I hadn’t heard about. And if so, Jackson is pretty much screwed.

At 5 months old, Jackson loves to watch TV*. He will stare at the TV, pretty much no matter what is on–sports, cartoons, Lost, you name it. But we don’t put TV on for him. There are no Baby Einstein videos, no PBS, no Nickelodeon. He watches what we watch–because he is where we are, and we like to watch tv.

I’ve mentioned before that I am a TV junkie. Well, having a baby didn’t change that. When he was a newborn, and eating every two hours for 30-45 minutes at a time, TV was a way to help keep me entertained and/or awake. While I was on maternity leave, it was a companion to help keep me from feeling isolated from the rest of the world. As he’s gotten older, we watch TV while he plays on his mat, or in his chair. And while I’ve begun to limit when we watch certain things, it’s usually more due to the loud/explosion-y nature or the “Mommy and Daddy need to concentrate to understand what’s going on” (hello, Lost) syndrome, than to any thought that we’re corrupting the kid, or harming his little brain.

Now, let me clarify here, just for my own sake. Despite what it sounds like in this post, the TV isn’t constantly on around the kid. Often, it doesn’t come on until after he’s in bed (see the aforementioned Lost reference). It’s rarely on during the day when he’s with his dad. And he doesn’t always care when it is on, as he’s too busy being tickled, or playing with his music box, or watching the cat or trying to eat his feet.

But, when it is on, I really and truly don’t think that the 2-3 minutes here and 5 minutes there of TV that Jackson sees is damaging. I pretty much think he likes the colors, light and movement–which, really, doesn’t seem that much different than a LOT of the baby toys I’ve seen. We don’t turn on the tv as the babysitter while we do stuff at this stage, but honestly I don’t think there’s any harm in Baby Einstein** when he’s a little older so dinner can get made or laundry done.

As the kid gets older, I fully anticipate that my thoughts on television usage will adapt and change. But in a generic, overall kind of sense, I don’t think that TV is inherently dangerous or bad. I think, like with most things relating to kids, it really kind of depends on how you use it, what kind of kid you have, and how you monitor it. But I reserve the right to change my opinion completely if the kid someday wants to watch Barney.

 *To be fair, the kid also loves to stare at my iPhone screen, the computer screen, the laptop screen, and just about anything with light and color. So, you know, there’s that.

**For the record, I don’t think Baby Einstein has any genius making properties. However, I think it’s age appropriate and visually interesting to babies. So while I think the claims to intelligence are bullshit, I think they’re fine for what they actually are–entertainment.

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I love TV. I watch a disgusting amount of TV–during my maternity leave it was really bad, but even when I’m working full time, I’m a TV junkie.

However, I don’t always get turned on to great shows right away, often not even getting my first viewing until after they’ve gone off the air (long live Netflix & television shows on DVD!). Just recently as an example, N.C. and I have started watching and become addicted to Battlestar Galactica. Like I said, I can be a little behind the times.

So here’s a list of my ” a little late to the party” viewing habits:

1. Battlestar Galactica–as mentioned above. I heard all kinds of great things about the show (the re-imagining that ran from 2005-2009, not the older version), so we added it to the Netflix list long ago. When it finally came up, we were luckily in the mood to give it a shot, and I have to say that so far, it’s one of the best TV shows I’ve ever seen. I want to know what the budget for each episode was, because each on screens like a movie! Granted, we’re only in the first season, but from what I understand the quality holds up over the long haul.
2. Veronica Mars–I think I started watching this one a full 3 years after it went off the air, and was hooked pretty much right away. Kristin Bell was awesome in that role, even if it was a little silly sometimes!
3. The Office–ok, this one is kind of sad. I never could get into The Office when it first came out. It was just so…painfully close to real life. And painful. And awkward. And did I mention painful? But then they started showing reruns on TBS, and I’d catch part of an episode here, or the end of an episode there, and I slowly got interested. Now we’re starting the series from the beginning (even though I think we’ve probably seen a good 1/2 of them in reruns by now). Plus, who can resist Jim and Pam?
4. How I Met Your Mother–another one I am entranced with after catching a few reruns. I don’t know why I didn’t watch from the beginning, other than it probably conflicted with other stuff I watch on Mondays (why is Monday such a TV night for me? Can’t they spread the love out?), but now that I have a DVR that can record 4 shows, I’m loving this one!
5. Arrested Development–I’m sad to say that I got into this show about 4 episodes before it ended. Of course. The Bluth family though is worth my time on DVD!
6. Scrubs–This one I blame on the endless reruns on Comedy Central, TBS, and it seems like every other channel that runs syndicated shows. But I’ve sort of got a crush on Dr. Cox now, so it was meant to be.
7. Dexter–I probably would have kept up with this one, if I paid for premium channels. But, since I don’t, I didn’t come around to it until the middle of the second season. I’m a little disturbed by my enjoyment of this show, but have to admit that Dexter is one compelling serial killer.

The nice thing about getting into a show well into it’s run, or even after it has gone off the air, is that you get instant gratification–no waiting for the answer to cliff hangers and season ending surprises. Of course, you end up totally out of the cultural loop, but better late than never, right?

P.S. Today is my first day back at work, and I’m pretty heartbroken. I’m trying not to focus on it (hence the completely random TV list), but could really use some smiles and distractions today. Sooooo, I’d love to hear about shows I should be watching, or Netflixing! What are your favorite shows, past or present? Why? (or if you just want to leave me a happy, smile inducing, non-baby related comment, I’d love that as well!)

And, as always, more lists can be found over at Anna’s at abdpbt!

We’re at that time of year that always makes me a little sad. A time when I revel in the good memories, and wait anxiously for a time when new memories can be made.

That’s right, it’s season finale time on TV.

Ok, yeah, so maybe I watch too much tv. But seriously, the months of June-early September are dismal in TV land. DISMAL I say. Though there are a few exceptions (hello, Burn Notice!), the summer months are mostly a wasteland for television.

N.C. and I tend to use the summer months as a good time to catch up on series or shows we may have skipped before (the joys of Netflix!), which is all well and good, but I miss the characters I spend so much time with over the year. I’ve always gotten attached to characters (the end of a good book has long saddened me–I hate not getting to know more about the characters I’ve been reading about), and my current TV landscape is no different.

Look, I know I watch too much TV. I know that it’s ridiculous that I’m writing a blog post mourning the season finales of fictional people in a little box. I should read more, exercise more, go out and play more, etc. I know this. But honestly, I like my tv. I like good storytelling. I like relaxing after work with everything from mindless drivel to insanely mind-bending philosophical writing (um, Lost anyone?) that is presented to me in one hour increments.

And let’s be honest–I’m probably going to have to forgo some of my tv obsession this coming fall (or at least postpone it until such a time when I’m not sleep deprived). So join me in mourning the end of the TV season, as I say farewell to my favorites and hope beyond hope that I get to see them again come fall. Or whenever (damn you Lost and your “we’re not coming back until 2010″).

And let’s hope the upcoming episodes of Burn Notice are enough to tide me over.

Rather than get each other a bunch of gifts for Christmas, N.C. and I got a new TV. Our old one was, well, old and busted, and this new TV is totally the new hotness. It has made headaches go away, and eye strain disappear, and all sorts of lovely things.

However, because it’s so fantastic, we now have HD. Which means that our old Tivo (which I’ve had for almost 4 years now) isn’t quite up to the job anymore. Since our cable company gives us HD programming at no charge, we decided to (*sob*) cancel Tivo and just use the cable company’s DVR.

So far? I’m not impressed. We’ve had it about a week, and it’s 1)non-intuitive 2)non-user friendly and 3)not quite as easy to maneuver (are those all the same thing?). I find myself missing my Tivo remote (so clear and easy to understand), my Tivo menus (so clean and well designed), and my Tivo ways to search, record and browse programs.

But, since we went through all the trouble, today I called Tivo up to cancel my service. And I was instantly struck by the difference between dealing with Tivo and dealing with the cable company (or honestly, many of the services you end up having to call when you have problems). First of all, the menu options were clearly laid out: To cancel your service, please press 2. How many companies make it that easy to cancel your service?

Next, after less than a minute or two of wait time, a polite, well-spoken young man picked up the phone.The polite young man asked me how he could help me, and once I told him I wanted to cancel, and why, he said: Well, we’re always sorry to lose good customers. Since you’ve been with us for so long, I’d like to make you an offer to try and keep your business. (which he proceeded to do, in a non-smarmy way).

But here’s the kicker. He told me I didn’t have to decide right then. Instead, he offered to basically put my account on hold (no payments) for 3 months while I decide if I want to take the offer. He then gave me his name, a case number, the date the offer will expire, and the phone number to call back when I decide either way.

Now, I understand this is all just a ploy for customer retention. I also understand that now the onus is on me to remember to call and either say yay or nay. I further understand that if I don’t they’ll pick right back up in 3 months charging my card.

But here’s the thing. This gave me a chance to go home, and talk to N.C. It gives me a chance to continue to test out the cable company’s DVR to see if I can adjust to it. It gives me the opportunity to analyze whether I want to take them up on the offer, rather than being put on the spot for an answer.

I obviously have brand loyalty. Not just to Tivo, I’m that way with my bank, my cell phone company, my satellite radio, and many other services. And I have NEVER had a company that made being a loyal customer so easy.  In fact, many of the companies I’m loyal to have actually made it VERY difficult. But this time? I was on and off the phone with Tivo in less than 10 minutes, I got a really good offer for being a loyal customer, and I was given time to think it over. Who does that?

I don’t know what we’ll do, but I will say this. If you’re in the market for a DVR, Tivo, as a company, gets customer service right.

We’ve been so busy lately that TV has taken a backseat to other things in life, like blogging, work, art, family crises, and the like. So this weekend, we took some time to catch up on our TV and I have to say, I’m kinda annoyed.

I love TV–I pretty much have shows that are must see every night of the week except Friday and Saturday. But I feel like this season some of my favorites have left MUCH to be desired.

So, today’s list the 5 Shows I Love That Are Disappointing Me Greatly:

1. Heroes. It hurts me to say this, but dear God what have they done to this show? It’s like the writers decided this season would be opposite season. Sylar would be good. Suresh would be stupid. Maya would be strong woman sex-kitten. Peter would be powerless. And then, they would flip back. And then go back to opposite day again. Why must writers screw around with these characters? Add to that the fact that there are too many characters and not enough character development any more. Look, I’m a great suspender of disbelief. I stuck with this show through last season’s messiness. But it’s gotten out of control with the characters just randomly changing their entire personality, and right now I don’t have any real confidence that the writers/producers know where they’re taking the plots.
2. Survivor. I know my husband and his best friend may disagree with me, but this is my least favorite season of Survivor ever. I think all the players are lame and their game play is beyond bad. And frankly, there are more disasters of a personal nature than there normally are. I strongly dislike most of the cast, both as people and as players, and have from the beginning. I’m just waiting for this season to be over and hopefully a better batch of contestants to come along next time.
3. Grey’s Anatomy. This is another one where I feel like the characters are all acting..well…out of character. I give this one a pass over and over again for some reason, but damn, there are some serious problems here. Not least of which is the Izzy/Denny thing. I’m pretty sure I know where the storyline is going, but even still, it’s just too much. Too crazy. Too annoying! I mean, yes I liked Denny as a character, but if the only good storylines the writers can come up with for Izzy revolve around that character, they’re not trying very hard anymore. Hello, daughter she gave up for adoption/relationship with a seriously damaged guy/all the damage she did to her career last year? She’s got all this good stuff in her backstory, and THIS is what the writers are doing? (btw, you must watch this video courtesy of Joel McHale and The Soup. Hysterical!)
4. Pushing Daisies. Ok, so there’s nothing in this show that’s killing me, except for the fact that it’s been cancelled. So every time I watch, and I see what creative, lovely writing they’ve put out, and I compare it with, say, the two scripted shows above, I get very very sad.
5. Lost. Because it’s not January 21 yet. And so help me, if I’m as disappointed by Lost when it comes back as I’ve been by Heroes and Grey’s I may have to give up my TV.

Of course, does my disappointment mean I’ll stop watching any of these shows? Probably not. I’ll just bitch about them more and more. I’m nothing if not loyal.

Anywho, that’s my Monday list–for some more listy goodness, head over to abdpbt.