I Like to Watch

Just like the Peter Sellers line from the moving Being There, I like to watch too. I love TV. I would like to think that I only watch heady, sophisitcated fare, but my DVR would not agree. Among my series recordings are "My Name is Earl" (RIP), and Kath and Kim. But I am not ashamed.

My love affair with TV started in my early teens. I remember my first TV. It was a 9 inch black and white model that I bought with money earned on a paper route. The first night I owned it, I stayed up late and watch the classic mafia movie "The Black Hand". I don't remember what my second TV was, but I owned it in my latter teens when other interests seem to dominate the male mind.


Once Terri and I married, I began purchasing a string of progressively better TV sets. We quickly abandoned the 13 inch color set Terri brought to the marriage for a new 25 inch color console. We were living the high life.


Next was a 20 inch set with stereo audio. I sacrificed picture area for better sound. It was also the first TV we owned that had a remote control and the first connected to cable TV.


For my 30th birthday, Terri bought me a massive 30 inch monster. The thing weighed over 100 lbs. Carrying that thing in the house was the cause of a double hernia I had repaired. We recently gave that set away to a friend. After the digital transition and with prices for flat screens dropping, those old dinosaurs have little value.

The next set was a 45 inch rear projection TV. It was large, but picture quality was poor. We only kept that one a few years before giving it away. I think my daughter sold it on eBay for $75. I am surprised she got that much.

It was at this point that I became a TV collector. My first HDTV was a 60 inch Sony DLP. Sony sure makes good stuff. The 1080p picture is still the best in the house. Neighbors would tell me that when they pulled into my driveway, it was like parking at the drive in theatre.

My next set was a 42 inch plasma. We purchased it to fit the custom space over our fireplace. It was pre-wired for a flat screen, so we were required to buy one to install there. The next set was a 32 inch LCD screen for the bedroom. Our last purchase was a 50" plasma to replace the screen over the fireplace. It seems that we did not leverage the entire space well enough with the 42 inch, so that is now fixed.

As much as I love TV, I like browsing the TV section of electronics stores just as much. I rarely miss an opportunity to see what the new models look like, and are priced at. The new LED screens have caught my eye. Maybe Terri would like one for her Christmas present. I was also impressed that you can now get refrigerators with flat screens built in. There is another idea.

You may think that 4 flat screens (and 2 non-digital TVs) would be overkill in a 3 bedroom house with 2 occupants. I think not. After all, both bathrooms, one bedroom, the garage, patio and storage areas are still without screens. I would admit that putting a TV in the storage area would be extreme, (I can always move a set there when I need to).

I think you know what I will be doing tonight. Yes, watching TV. COPS and NASCAR will compete for my attention. Terri wants to see a pay per view movie. Don't worry, we will work it out.

You need to understand that TVs don't watch themselves. Somebody had to do it.