People - the real kind vs. the fake kind

Last night, after a fantastic run in my new, super snazzy shoes (seriously, look at them...), I spent a good chunk of the evening without my woman (does that sound offensive?) experimenting with some foods that Gered forced me to purchase over the weekend. Wheat bulger, scallions, and fennel. Sounds delicious doesn't it? How about when I throw in some sweet potato fries? Yeah... that's better. Anyway, I talked with my parents via video gchat. Despite my new economy interwebs package, the streaming video and audio seemed to be unaffected. It was a nice converstation... we talked about politics, the meal I was attempting to make, someone's rash (thankfully not in sequence with the discussion of food), my dad's work, and of course, why I was trying to give up TV (again). Also, my mom tried on her new winter coat like six times for me give my opinion on.

It was nice... wait that's a little weird. Usually when I talk to my parents, it feels a little (... at risk of upsetting my mother)... naggy. Hmmm. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't look forward to reconnecting with my family on a regular basis, but usually talking to them while cooking stands in the way of watching TV while cooking. Come to think of it, a lot of social activity I used to engage in seemed to stand in the way of my watching TV time.

My mom asked me last night why it was that I could remember every little detail about every episode of every show I've seen, while her and Emily would forget what happened in a show they watched within hours of watching it. My explanation was that, unlike them, I invested in the lives of the characters - i.e. "Friends" were my friends. She didn't buy that. Well then mother, why is it that I miss TV so much? Why is it that I continue to ask what's happening in shows? I don't care what the plot is - I barely know what a plot is. I want to know how my friends are doing! Which is why I was considerably concerned last night, when Dad told me that Nate gets shot at the end of season 2 of Leverage. (Seriously, it's a TV show, Brett.)

Gladly, I think I'm really starting to reconnect with real people as I let go of the fake (albeit lovable) characters of the shows I used to watch. The most interesting thing to me is that I feel just as refreshed/released from the burdens of the work day by spending time with others as I used to from the passive act of watching people act out lives on a TV. Maybe being social - though more engaging - can provide just as much respite for my weary soul as TV used to... maybe more so? I don't know for sure, but we'll find out soon enough!

(BTW that's the first time I've every used the words "albeit" and "respite" - how about that?!)

Today's temptation rating: 5.2

Days without incident: 23