The Free Entertainment

When one is prepared to pay, there's no difficulty in being entertained by electronic media. Internet access is swift and reliable. There is a diverse panoply of television offerings which are both fun and indispensable to keeping up with all the things people are talking about. Needless to say, it is only necessary to turn on the tv and make a channel selection before that very thing comes in as clear as day. Those two things- along with the music probably supplied by the same device that delivers the internet- provide all that is needed, and are probably given no real thought or appreciation. I know that has been the case for the most part where I'm concerned.

Those amenities deliver everything into my home and work well- why shouldn't they? In fact, when they don't, it's a travesty of shocking proportions. Minutes after any breakdown manifests itself, I'm outraged and expectant that the scandal must soon encompass the globe. My attitude has been different when, as now, I have not had such luxuries available to me. That sense of entitlement and that lack of thought about what I've got evaporates quickly. Much of the time, I pine fruitlessly for the thing I want and can't have, much as does the quitting smoker. I've often observed that I don't seem to have a very addictive personality, but I believe it's to my credit that I always am sure to add the caveat of television and the internet. It's a hard habit to break even when there's nothing there really to feed the habit.

The nature of my reduced circumstances is sad indeed. I must scrounge for internet access, taking it where and when I can. Visits to the library offer the surest prospects, but are not easily fit into my schedule many days. It's a hunt, but one which is tedious and exasperating rather than thrilling or pleasurable. I and my roommate have likened it to fishing. You sit by the water with a rod, checking periodically to see if anything is biting. It's accepted that much of the day will be spent in idleness, with perhaps a small part of it spent in excitement with the quarry. It's more fun to do nothing by a river or lake than it is by a computer, though.

It's a kind of a similar story for the television. It used to be easier to watch it for free. With the switch to digital signals, you have to have the converter box and an attached antenna. Pulling in a station used to mean the possibility of no signal, a passable signal or a perfect signal. The way it mainly seems to be now is an all or nothing proposition. There is the fun of finding relatively obscure channels which feature old shows, little-known films and what must be third rate programming even for foreign language local media. Even free radio now is second best to the recent development of satellite radio. Most places I've ever been suffered from poor radio signals except for the car.

I've complained a lot, but with the exception of the internet, I believe I'll benefit considerably. The financial aspect of this is plain, but I often bemoan how little time I'm able to make for reading, the radio and such things. The things I've lost have also sapped time and energy from more productive endeavors such as writing and spending time in the real world. None of those things are a problem anymore. Even if there were no such silver lining, though, I'd be hard pressed to unfavorably compare my life to very many. Some people have real problems.