A roku entered my life last month, and I was sorely disappointed when I realized the little black box did not hold the key to my tv hopes and dreams (aka, easy streaming of all Internet videos not requiring a cord). You can only spell roku with "o.k." in the middle.
This last month involved some summer travelling, which included seeing a few old friends. This got me all nostalgic about my golden teen years of t.v. watching: excessive amounts of television granted by long, uninterrupted hours after school, pre-driving license weekends, and sweltering summer days . Most formative in my t.v. development was a Sunday night tradition watching the Simpsons and drinking beers with a few of my first fellow co-workers. In addition to being exposed early on to the theory that everything in life could be explained via a Saved by the Bell episode, I learned a valuable lesson prior to college that has stuck with me through the years: t.v.'s not an "idiot box" at all.
*House Hunters International - Between the Roku and my access to some cable t.v. on my travels, I got to see some of my old favorite guilty pleasure, which involves watching wealthy Americans gentrify countries while debating the age-old question - should they choose the house with the great view (which will be destroyed in the next earthquake), or the house on the beach (which will be underwater due to global climate change because of their 5-car garage back in the States)?
*The Hard Times of RJ Berger - I'm only a couple episodes in at this point, but this Netflix instant option holds hope for a fun teen dramady centering around the embarrassment and thrill of sexual self-realization.
*Teen Mom - MTV keeps the pregnant teen drama rolling with its summer return of the original teen moms. Not surprisingly, nothing gets any easier as adulthood continues to burst the bubble of invincibility and beating the odds. One episode in, it's looking a bit boring and edited to appear more dramatic. Maybe the sixteen and pregnant shocker shine has worn off this entire series.
*Brothers & Sisters Seasons 2-4 - Yep, you guessed it - I wiled away some more boring hot summer days on the drama-filled sap that certainly does not deserve anyone's time. I heard a (spoiler alert!) rumor that someone dies in Season 4, so I kept watching this terrible show in hopes that one of my least favorite characters would bite the dust. No such luck. I'm out of the instant gratification afforded by Netflix, so I really may stop here and devote my time to more reputable shows. Treme's also next up in my queue, so there's hope for you yet, dear reader.
