No Beer and TV Make Thom Something Something...
So I've been home for about a day now, and back into the world of tv (cable and everything!) and I've come to a relatively simple conclusion: TV annoys me. Sure there are the random good programs (Gilmore is a must for taping still, despite its downward turn as of late) and it's a lot nicer to get sports highlights with footage of the events, and if it were say football season I'd have something more to watch, but overall it's crap and boring and annoying. Maybe I flipped by MTV too many times, and paused for too long when I did, but I can honestly say that I can do without TV, and I almost feel tied down and contrained by having it there and available. I did perfectly fine without it the whole last 14 months, and I now have absolutely no intention of getting cable when I return to the western hemisphere (but maybe antena for Fox/CBS/ABC during football time).
That having been said, don't think I've turned into one of those hippy Ithacans with the good old "Kill your TV" bumper stickers. Those stickers annoy the hell out of me, as do the fanatical people who rant about how TV is killing our children and destroying the world. I don't want to be associated with those people, but much like agreeing with a Bush stance, it happens sometimes, despite the internal agony and shame it brings. I'm also not trying to convert anyone else out there, and in fact I almost hope that I don't. This is just my own personal revelation that I no longer need or desire cable television. But don't worry, I have no plans to turn my back away from video games, partially because I love them, partially to piss off the idiots who think they are destroying the minds of our children.