When I took my current position working for a Washington, D.C. based public-interest law firm, part of the deal was occasional trips out to company headquarters.  With the upcoming Kelo Day campaign, coupled with the fact that I hadn't been out since February, it seemed like a good time to take another trip out to meet and coordinate with the team.  January had a break in her high-stress, wedding photography filled June this weekend, so she joined me on this trip out so we could relax a little and see the city.

The downside to this travel is the necessity of "corporate attire."  It's not a big inconvenience, and it's actually kind of nice to get a bit dressed up every now and then, but factor that in with a full day of recycled air conditioned offices, ubiquitous fluorescent lighting, and the hum of office equipment everywhere, and by the end of the day I just feel completely wiped out.  Here's a picture, for illustration.

As a result, our first evening in the city was uneventful; January did some photo editing while I sat on the bed and watched hotel TV.  Without TiVo.

I haven't watched TV without some sort of TiVo-like device since 2002, when Jay first got me hooked on Windows Media Center software.  Only one hour of TV per day translates to over 120 hours of commercials every year;  I would guess I've watched 120 total hours of commercials in the past 5 years combined, thanks to this technology.  The downside of my dependence on these magical boxes is that when I'm in a position where I don't have this filter, such as a Washington, D.C. hotel room, I revert to a mindless TV-watching drone who will watch pretty much anything. The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.  My Boys.  Two and a Half Men.  It's shameful.

We actually went through this same thing when we first moved into our house and decided to get cable.  For two days, before the TiVo arrived, I watched nothing but a My House is Worth What? marathon on HGTV.  I lost an entire weekend and my sense of pride in my new home.  It certainly did renew my appreciation for the ability to watch the shows I want to watch, on my own schedule.

With the rest of our trip ahead of us, we're going to try to spend a little less time in front of the hotel TV and do a little sightseeing; Stay tuned for some pictures .

Comments (4)

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written by andy, June 24, 2008

Exactly, Jay. Even when you do sit down without a specific show in mind, and you have something like TiVo or Media Center, at least you have the guide to help you narrow your search down first, rather than flip through channel after channel of crap.

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written by Jay, June 23, 2008

What is it about live TV that makes me a zombie? I recall a trip and hotel TV where I actually watched Suite Life of Zack and Cody and Hannah Montana. I don't hate myself that much, really. And Suite Life... just makes me angry because those damned kids need haircuts.

I think it's a matter of active vs. passive. When you control the start, stop and no commericals, you have a goal. When it's the passive version, all bets are off.

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written by andy, June 20, 2008

In the spirit of full disclosure, that was actually me yesterday. This is "today" Andy.

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written by Chalupa, June 20, 2008

You look so un-you. It's like a scene out of The Office and you're about to narrate something crazy you just witnessed.

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