Hooked

I am giving this U-Verse thing mixed reviews. One the one hand, it’s delightful. I had a friend over for dinner the other night, and I could happily relish her company while taping my favorite show to watch later. And it merrily tapes all the “Mad About You” shows for me, so I don’t have to buy the dvd set. I can leisurely enjoy a marathon of that popular 90s sitcom when I have the time.

On the other hand….already my brain is turning to mush. I can tell because I am making poor parenting decisions. For example, Little Squirt and I have been enjoying hanging out alone all week while The Teens are back in school. Today I made spaghetti for lunch. I turned on the TV with the intent of going to the music channel, so we could dine with the lovely Vivaldi playing in the background. Or jazz. Something relaxing. But as I was surfing to find the music channel, I happened upon “Clean House.” It was about a family that lived in pig sty surroundings, not unlike Rock Star’s bedroom earlier in the summer. A team of talented people came to the rescue and turned their squalid surroundings into an organized showplace in no time at all. I was hooked.

Little Squirt and I grabbed our plates and ate on the coffee table, eyes glued to the set. Now that’s not Good Parenting. I had a number of options to do with my 6-year-old that hour after eating, none of which included (what my mother used to call) The Boob Tube. But what’s done is done. Yes, we lost an hour of our lives that could have been spent swinging at the park, playing Go Fish or reading Curious George. Instead, I got swallowed up in meaningless drivel. Which is okay on occasion. I’m just a little worried I’ll make this a habit. Because then there are the soaps……