Was a title of a television program back about 30 years ago, or so.
I use to save TV guides and ran across a few. Interesting to see that in San Francisco there were only 4 TV channels. Amazing!
How did we ever survive with that?
Now there are hundreds and nothing to see...... There use to be a few TV shows that would recap the previous year, but for some reason I failed to find any while zipping past all the channels that are on the satellite. So, last week was devoted to music.......
All those channels and I usually can narrow my viewing to about 5.
BBC America
The History Channel
The Learning Channel ( Which has too many shows with nothing to learn about unless you want to learn about Tattoo shops)
The Discovery Channel
CNN
And the only review of 2009 was a half our program that devoted about 50% to Hollywood and super star gossip from the past year.
Sad. Truly Sad.
Our other Satellite receiver picks up all the Canadian Channels and that is usually were I get the unbiased news programs.
There is local Mexican Channels from Morelia, and if I am adventurous I can point our C band dish and pick up tons of other South and Central American channels.
But in the big picture, TV is just noise to keep in the background while doing other work around the house. At least we don't have one in the bedroom. Don't need a night light. And besides all the experts always say that you should never watch TV in the bedroom. It's only for bed related use.......
Besides I enjoy reading much more anyway. Only problem is that the pages and letters get fuzzier more often then they use to.....
So, with nothing that I want to really remember for last year, I am starting out with a new clean slate.......empty.
No mush in my mind, I have erased it all, sharpened up the pencil. Purchased a new printer, cleaned my etch-a -sketch , cued, all refreshed for new fuel to whittle down into some lopsided perspective only a cantankerous open-minded old fart who has done too many things which can't be written about, can do.
Or maybe I can......
We will see.
We will somehow get through this year too!
6 comments:
Where as in the 'old days' we had no need for discretion as the options were few - now days discretion is an absolute must; and of course some accounting for taste as well. Is it better this way - probably as long as your discretion and tastes are good ;-)
Go ahead and write about 'it.' I will edit my reading with discretion and taste - or not. ;-)
You got something against tattoos, big feller? I have one. Used to have five.
Tancho,
I think you are right! We are witnessing the death of television as we knew it. That's okay. Now we can entertain each other like people used to do before television. When I was a kid just about everyone of my older relatives could play the piano or guitar. We used to gather around a piano at every party and sing the old favorite songs. Now there is silence except for the ghostly glow of the T.V. and some mindless chatter or loud music in the background. I am looking forward to your renewed vision and I will be very pleased to read everything and anything that you write. More power to you my friend!
Ahh, discretion, John as always is paramount in good taste and upbringing which I still abide by. One of the things my parents instilled in me. Seems nowadays there are more reckless words tossed around with out consideration of the ultimate outcome. As always one has the ability to turn off, tune out and ignore the offending....instead of complaining and making a bid deal out of it.
Felipe, I love tattoos, especially when mounted on nubile energetic canvasses, so to speak. I am bothered that millions of mothers will think that because the channel moniker is "The Learning Channel" the it is safe to perch their offspring in front of the screen, without a balanced discussion of the benefits and disadvantages of overusing their blank young canvasses to be marked for life. Many kids do not consider the consequence of such art when applying for employment in the corporate work force....that may be changing, but not to quickly.
Bob, the death of television started when they took off the Smothers Brothers because of sponsor complaints. Now the whole model is going down the tubes. With 300 or more channels the pie has been cut to so many pieces that what was once a lucrative money machine is struggling to stay alive. I was closely involved in a broadcast property that in it's heyday had over a 100 employees and today is at 6. It will only get more diluted as the speed of delivery improves via the Internet.
You are absolutely right, that parties use to be fun, a little wine, a highball or two and their was music and song. Now it centered around a "media room" and people watching the screen and not talking to each other. This medium at least allows some pontification for the fellows like us that enjoy spewing and swapping stories now and then.
I think the slow painful demise of the television industry as we knew it, is out-paced only by the slow painful demise of the American culture.
While I agree with your list of 'watchable' tv shows, I have crossed CNN off the list. Lately I've been watching aljazeera. . .
http://english.aljazeera.net/
Having made my way in life in the Music Business (we use to call it the RECORD Business) I should mention that music videos seem to have pretty much ruined music as well - very sad in as much as television got people thinking the picture was more important than the sound - grrrrr.
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