TV is awesome.

hotpantsgalore & I don't have cable TV. We have watched a few recent shows via the magic of Netflix (The Wire, most of The L Word, Battlestar Galactica), but for the most part, my life has been TV-free for over two years.

That all came to a halt when I moved into my fancy new condo last week. The place has three flat-screen HDTVs - one in each bedroom & a gigantic one in the living room. Here are some of the programs I've seen since tuning back in to the boob tube:

• The Weather Channel, When Weather Changed History: I saw this last night. They had a special about the Galveston Storm of 1900, still the worst natural disaster to ever hit the United States.
  
• Animal Planet, Whale Wars: I've caught a couple episodes of this show, which documents the efforts of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to stop Japanese whalers who hunt in the Southern Ocean. I've never decided how I feel about SSCS's tactics, but the show is riveting.
  
• Fox's House MD: I watched this a couple of times, & I just don't get the appeal. He's a smartass! Who's actually rather smart! So what?
  
• Multiple networks, NFL football: 'nuff said. I love football, & now I don't have to be at a bar to watch it. If only the Eagles would make it worth my while to tune in. A TIE with the Bengals? For serious?

Lest you think I've completed capitulated to the cult of the (sorta) small screen, I'm also listening to Al Gore's book The Assault on Reason as a book on CD. Al blames some of our political difficulties on TV. His reasoning is kind of complex & I'm not sure I buy it - but read/listen for yourself. If you can fit it in between sitcoms.