Television

I've started to really dislike television. The whole concept, not just the programming. There are definitely shows I enjoy watching, and that's the problem.

It's just too easy to get sucked into episode after episode of "My Name is Earl" or "The Office" instead of doing more productive things, such as spending quality time with Liz and Beatrice, writing, working out, being involved with my community, or being in touch with family and friends.

After working all day and commuting back and forth from Fairfax to the District, I want the few hours that I have at home to count for something. When I look back on my week, I don't want to have to realize that I burned precious hours being a passive consumer of mass media.

There's just so much more to life.

A Lesson in Marginal Utility

We're finally replacing our current basic cable with Verizon FIOS (with DVR) on Tuesday! The channel lineup is outstanding and diverse, so kudos to Verizon for catering to its customers.

Having studied in Germany (Trier) back in 2003, I was happy to see that FIOS offers two German language channels: Deutsche Welle and ProSiebenSat 1 Welt. It would be good to refresh those language skills after six years of disuse.

But not so good that I'd pay $14.99 per month. I'd probably be willing to pay about a third of that. Especially since I can get a lot of content online through Netflix and otherwise.