Finally fixed

by tess

Tim’s Aunt Gertie arrived yesterday from Georgia. This morning he had to leave the office briefly to take a call on his cell.

Tim: Regis and what?
Pause.
Tim: Oh, okay. Let me talk you through how to turn it on.

Pale and frustrated, he returned 25 minutes later.

And so I wondered, not for the first time, when exactly we strayed so far from simplicity that turning on a television requires a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering. Have we perhaps made a once-brainless act too complex?

I know that some of you have been very concerned about my own recent Television Trauma. (Recap: the broken receiver resulted in no DVD, no Roku, and no headphones for an extended period of time.) You’ll be thrilled to know that on Saturday morning The Hubs repaired the whole thing! It’s not exactly 100% perfect (you have to select BlueRay to turn on the cable, choosing TV does nothing at all, and iPod queues up the DVD), but I know how to make each component work and I am eternally grateful to own a fully functioning system again.

I celebrated by (finally) watching the Netflix DVD that’s been accumulating dust for several months, After Hours with Daniel. If you’re not harboring a secret inner foodie, you won’t be entranced by watching chefs and restaurant critics eat and out-smarm one another for two hours. It was so good that I watched it twice, then forced The Hubs to watch it. Of course I had to bribe him by baking chocolate croissants, but he watched it with very little fuss. Probably because his mouth was full.