Tag Archives: TV

Feb5

I Have A New Friend

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I Have A New Friend

It’s been another interesting week for a change. Definitely never a dull moment around here. I have a new friend I can talk to.

The internet has been pretty unreliable this winter. I believe we’re on modem number five since I got here in October. But who’s counting? New modem. New password. But it got even better on Friday. I now have a new box in my room that connects to my TV and internet. And miles of new cable. But I now also have two remote controls for my TV. One merely turns it on and off.

The second remote is my new friend. I get to talk to it when I want to change channels or ask for movies or whatever. There is a catch though. It only speaks Spanish, not English. So I have to work on my imperatives so that this gringa doesn’t confuse it too much. And it is definitely another way to practice my Spanish.

Of course I still talk to Alexa every day. I don’t want to hurt her feelings. After all, she is coming back to Washington with me next month.

Speaking of Alexa, here’s another one of her jokes:

I once knew a peanut who wanted to be a teacher, so I recommended a job in macadamia.

Here’s another:

Did you hear about the new electric car from Germany? It’s called a Voltswagen.

That ought to pacify Alexa. She got as much attention in this post as my new remote control even though her jokes are so corny.

Happy Sunday!

May11

Guns and Pot

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Guns and Pot

In Mexico when I watch TV the programs are all in Spanish. When I’m up here in Washington, not only do I watch TV in English, I enjoy watching old westerns. I’ve been watching episodes of The High Chapparal lately. Lots of guns and violence. The same is true of The Rifleman and Gunsmoke. We all grew up watching those shows back in the 60s. I even had a cap gun when I was a child and we all played Cowboys and Indians.

Back then school shootings were unheard of. We didn’t have guns or rifles in our homes. It was a safer time.

Living in the state of Washington it’s very different. Many people I know here have at least one gun or rifle in their homes. They’re not always secured in gun cabinets. They’re often loaded and kept in nightstands or other drawers. I have female friends who carry them in purses or in glove compartments of their vehicles. They marvel at the fact that I don’t have one of my own yet.

Apple Blossom Festival was held last weekend here in Wenatchee. Just before the Grand Parade, a somewhat enraged man opened fire resulting in an officer being shot before he himself was shot and killed. Shootings are becoming all too common.

Then there’s pot, something we used back in the 60s to enhance our enjoyment of everything from rock concerts to sex. But we’ve all aged and now use it more for pain control. My philosophy remains the same now as it was in the 60s—– everything in moderation.

I recall flying in to Kelowna, Canada from Seattle a couple of years ago. Going through Customs, I was asked if I was carrying guns or had any pot. When I replied in the negative, the officer’s comment was “Are you sure you’re coming from Washington?”

I spend six months of the year in Mexico. When my friends ask me why I want to live in such a dangerous country, I shake my head and tell them to look around at their own neighborhoods.

It was great being a teenager in the 60s. It was a unique decade of flower power and hippies promoting peace and love. What a contrast to the decade we are currently in!

Times have changed.

Apr14

Habit or Addiction

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Habit or Addiction

When does a habit become an addiction? When does one become delusional using denial as a defence mechanism when it does?

Over the past few months I’ve had some interesting conversations with people surrounding this topic. Covid seems to present us with more than enough time to indulge, or in some cases, overindulge.

A friend remarked the other day that Creme de Menthe is nasty. Apparently she had run out of wine and the only alcohol she had at home was left over from being drizzled over ice cream quite some time before. She doesn’t consider herself an alcoholic. Yet she couldn’t go one day without alcohol. Hmmm. When had her occasional evening glass of wine turned into more than 8 ounces daily? Chalk another one up to Covid?

I love my morning coffee. I also love chocolate. Both are notorious in terms of caffeine content. While I can go days without chocolate, I’ve never gone days without coffee. Is my morning habit of coffee an addiction? I don’t think so. The odd time I’ve missed a morning I’m just a little on the lethargic side, not shakey or headachey. But maybe I am delusional. Maybe I am addicted to caffeine.

Tranks. Now those are drugs that once were my best friends. The drawback was that I couldn’t feel emotions such as anger. I merely floated through life on a cloud. Teetering on the edge of addiction, (according to my then therapist), I somehow managed to leave the pills behind more than a decade ago. I must admit that occasionally I wish I were still floating but I also realize that it is far healthier for me to feel emotions and to learn to control them.

Videogames. Sadly, I believe that I have become addicted to Candy Crush Friends. That Yeti is just so darn cute! I love the way he prances about when I pass a level. I also started playing Candy Crush Saga again after taking a year off. I started that game back in 2013 while recuperating from knee surgery. These games have become more than just a habit.

My ex was a hopeless TV addict. It drove me crazy. Half the time he didn’t even know what he was watching as he’d doze off. But God forbid if I tried to turn the idiot box off. Suddenly he was wide awake. Grrrrr.

There are a myriad of other things from sex to hoarding that can easily evolve from habit into an addiction. There are two choices. The easy one is delusion and denial. The hard one is confronting it and dealing with it.

OK. Call me delusional. I’m not ready to give up coffee, chocolate or candy crush.

Apr2

TV Time

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TV Time

I don’t usually watch TV often. I much prefer spending time with people. However, seeing as I’m stuck in the twilight zone, I have added TV to the list of my current best friends.

Friday marks the end of my first two weeks self-isolating. Writing and coloring occupy a great deal of my time, but TV is right in there now as well.

Primarily I watch movies in Spanish. But I find the selection here quite heavy in sci-fi, fantasy and horror which I do not enjoy. Martial arts movies are also popular and not my preference either.

As I write this I’m watching Moana. I enjoy the music. My favorite movies are dramas and comedies. But I have also found other interesting programs to watch.

I saw a documentary the other day on ocean life. I went on safari in Africa another time. I learned how not to smuggle cocaine out of Brazil. And I am mastering the art of cooking such delights as swordfish and octopus, not that I will actually prepare either of those dishes LOL.

I’ve always loved cartoons and the Disney channels keep me entertained. And then there is Los Simpsons.

I haven’t yet resorted to watching movies in English on YouTube. But the crystal ball tells me this is definitely a future possibility.

Stay at home and stay safe!