Various Lies

Monday, June 28, 2010

Seriously, even my TV hates me!

Trying to stay sober during the summer in the US is nigh on impossible. I can't go to the gym every night because I have other things to attend to, and I'm not into the super hardcore body building that would necessitate a 7 day/week gym schedule. I have work to do in the evening, I have pets, I need to eat...usual homely and simple needs. All I ask is that every now and then there is something on the television for me to be entertained by.

In the summer there is a massive drought of anything except shitty sports like baseball. Baseball is fun live and the play-offs and World Series are OK, but during the season there are over 150 games and I can't fucking keep up with that! Also, even after 12 years the sports pages in the newspaper are still completely impenetrable to me so I can't catch up that way either.

All I ask is that a couple of times a week there is something on the fucking television for me to watch. After all, I pay enough fucking money for this. To have DVR, above average cable and internet I pay around $120/month. This is fucking daylight robbery.

Now the malodorous fuckstains that run Comcast have denied me access to a couple of networks, including The Science Channel, so the new Science TV show, Through The Wormhole, on Wednesday is denied me unless I pay even more money. And to make matters worse the money grubbing goatfuckers that run the cable networks are up to their usual hijinks and have managed to cancel/move one of the shows I was hoping to keep up over the summer. This happens all the time and I wonder why I fucking bother owning a television. At least once or twice every season something I'm watching either gets cancelled without warning, or as bad, moved to a different night or time so that I end up missing it if I rely on my DVR. Admittedly the show I was watching, Persons Unknown was a bit of a shitty throw-up of Lost + The Prisoner, but fucking hell, after a month we're almost halfway through and there is nothing else on, so why not let us finish it?

I am trying really hard to do the right thing here, but it's as if life itself is fucking with me right now. I could be in a poker tournament catching up with friends denied me by recent events. So I am left with cooking dinner, and watching movies edited for TV (i.e. 3 hours to show a 90 minute edited version of an average movie), paying money to subscribe to more channels or ordering a PPV movie.

Another early night with a book I guess.

note added in proof
Thanks to IMDB, which I usually hate, I found out the show in question isn't cancelled, yet, but moved to an earlier time. To catch the Kidz I suppose. At least I get to watch this pap and try and not think for an hour or so...The rest still stands.

17 comments:

Kyrsten said...

All I can say is take advantage of Hulu. At least you have it there.

Best shows to watch? Big Bang Theory (you'll love the science jokes), Better off Ted (because it's EXACTLY like my office) and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (for humor that goes above and beyond being SO NON-POLITICALLY CORRECT).

That's the stuff I do when I'm stuck at home because there's nothing happening. But I've also joined a ton of MeetUp groups so it's a rare night I'm home.

We all have our ways to deal...

tideliar said...

Hulu is a great idea and you make a good point. Right now I've got "Lie to Me" on which is at least new, albeit predictable (which is why I stopped watching before the end of last season).

Right now though all I have for Hulu is a Macbook Pro with a 17" monitor. I need to figure out how to get it on my TV :) (i.e. buy a nice new, huge TV).

What are MeetUp groups? I joined a Muay Thai/BJJ gym a year or so ago hoping I could meet new friends that way, but the atmosphere wasn't 100% my bag and I made excuses not to go. Now I can't really afford to rejoin. I'm thinking about finding a Judo club to join though... I need mates who aren't all about going to the pub.

And to the few who read this, I know you've offered to do other things to help me. This is just a general statement, not aimed at you at all :)

Becca said...

Or... take your cable down a notch to basic, and instead subscribe to Netflix streaming. Better than Hulu, IMO - no commercials, and I'd guess a better selection, though I have no actual evidence for that. I'm currently (re)watching the entirety of The State, which is hilarious.

tideliar said...

Oooh...more suggestions! Awesome Dr. Becca. Can I get shows like The Wire and True Blood...I hear loads of good stuff but I don't have HBO etc....

Hmmm...Judo or Netflix...

Gerty-Z said...

Netflix is totally worth it. I am working my way through The Wire, and you can get all of the other HBO shows that went to DVD. I don't think you can stream those,though. But if you don't hook your MacBook to the TV you probably don't care. With that and Judo you may never have to read another book!

Anonymous said...

Generation Kill. Some of the best TV ever made for mankind.

Flight of the Conchords. Insane New Zealand musos

West Wing. starting to date but fundamentally good TV that will take you a month at least to actually watch all the way through. Not that you'll mind.

Was gutted when I got to the end of the Wire and realised there was no more of it. Started watching it again from the start - still good.

-antipodean

GMP said...

Netflix (streaming if possible) by all means!

Try "Breaking Bad" (my new favorite series, season 3 just finished), then the classic "Six Feet Under", also "Dexter"

"The Wire" Gerty-Z mentioned is awesome. I also like the classic "Homicide: Life on the Streets", also British "Wire in the Blood" and Australian "City Homicide"

If you like SF, must see the awesome but shortlived "Firefly".

And last but not least "Mad Men"

Yum. I am now hungry for some TV myself...

tideliar said...

Y'all have totally cheered me up! This is awesome. I have some epic suggestions for new shows, and some ideas about how to go about this. I've written elsewhere (not here, the official meat-space blog) about how I am late adopter to technology, so knowing y'all are fully Pro-Netflix encourages me to try it out.

And although the Judo option is looking dodgy, The Grand Inquisitor (whose blog you must read, if you don't yet), has been texting me (SMS) about having a soccer kick around as well.

Maybe life isn't so bleak on a Monday after all!

Anonymous said...

Dude, you scored a nerd 94, I'm worried. I figured with a tat like that you'd be in the mid 80s like me.

I second the Netflix, with some Hulu help. Plus atdhe.net for sports stuff but with a 94 nerd I'm not sure you're following any of that. I dropped my cable a year ago and haven't looked back.

tideliar said...

ooh, a new new anonymous commenter. In fact, you might be my first seeing as antipodean signs his/her posts!

Thanks for commenting. The 94% score highlights the epic dichotomy of my existence. As does being able to write overly verbose pap like that last sentence. I'm 94% nerd, + liberal helpings of awesome and tattooed.

Thanks for the heads up on the sports channels. I'm a big NFL fan, and I enjoy end of season Series in most sports. Plus there's rugby, cricket and footie that need keeping up with too...

fey said...

We discovered Netflix earlier this year and I am totally hooked! TV shows which I love, and NO COMMERCIALS (the reason I ditched cable a several years back).

The free stuff online is good enough, but the increase in commercials finally made me crack and pay for Netflix - was totally worth in terms of the money saved on late fees alone!

Most stuff I can stream, and unlike the rental store DVD, Netflix DVDs can sit on your coffee table for weeks and not accrue late fees.

Professor in Training said...

Dude, you and me both. I've got fifty gazillion channels and there's nothing decent to watch except Seinfeld reruns which I've seen a fucktillion times before.

Cut back on your cable subscription and drop <$10 per month on Netflix. I use it to catch up on the British tv shows you can't see anywhere on American tv and love the unlimited streaming.

tideliar said...

@DG: i use my DVR most of the time because I'm fucking disorganised, ahem, I mean too busy and popular to be available as soon as a show starts. Usually I join them around 10 minutes and use the DVR to fast forward through commercials. It means my tolerance for adverts has plummeted though...

@PiT: Getting shows from the UK would be cool. I could save a fucking bundle too...all I need is the TV, Netflix and interchoobs access. There has to be a cheaper way of getting internet without relying on Comcast or AT&T or the satellite providers.

chall said...

I need my basic cable channels with Law & Order but after that hulu is my fave. Even on a small screen.... I would never get it hooked into the tv, too lazy and not really needing it. I like being able to lie in the sofa staring at my lap top in the knee.

In plain sight is awesome, imho. The dry humour between Marshall and Mary is amazing.

And no, nothing on the telly - although right now there is a sow about a British dude who built a house in lego on bbc america. quite strange ;)

Tv Show said...

tideliar nice to read your thoughts on this...

Comrade PhysioProf said...

Dude, if you're looking to kill time and not drink, watching baseball is the fucking best. You can pay $150 for an entire season subscription to watch every single MLB game in the fucking country in HighDef on your computer.

The whole beauty of baseball is the pace of a season with 162 games.Regular season football is very exciting because every single game is do-or-die. Regular season baseball is peaceful and comforting.

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