Bill and I have just completed our two-month experiment of not having televison. The apartment came with a set (do we still call it a set?), but we had no channels without the cable hookup. Living without TV has proven that you can spend a lot of time surfing the internet, and also watching downloaded US TV and cable series on DVD (Huff and The Wire, both astoundingly good, especially The Wire, but perhaps too intense for some viewers).
We reasoned that exposure to local television is an important part of understanding the culture, and plus the thing is just sitting there taking up precious space. Also, it has been difficult to shop without the benefit of informative advertising. Seriously, the first time I was confronted by a wall of laundry soap without even a corporate-generated preference or mind-echoing jingle, I was overwhelmed.
So, now we can steep ourselves in Irish entertainment. Why, just yesterday I watched, in part, Scrubs, Frasier, That 70s Show, Will and Grace and Bewitched (original Darren). And I learned a lot about local cleaning products.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
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2 comments:
While you were watching those US programs, last night I watched The Celtic Women from a theatre in Dublin. At one point PBS showed scenes from Dublin to which you had tour-guided us. For example: Trinity University and The Book Of Kells and the Oscar Wilde statue near St. Stephen's Park. I felt like a knowledgeable World Traveler.
Now those local cleaning products sound fascinating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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