When I was younger, I used to measure time in a unit I now refer to as Garfields. A two-part episode of Garfield was thirty minutes... So every time a family member would call me out of my shell, I would lament about how much Garfield I'm missing. Garfield, the funny orange cartoon cat. A quick trip to Ride-Aid: one Garfield. A trip to the mall: a whole set of Garfields, at least four. The whole marathon would be up by the time we got back.
And don't even get me started on the one time I came home... I expected Super Mario Brothers to play at four o'clock, or what have you. And one day, it stopped. I almost cried.
Even as an adult, I still measure time in units of TV. Being alone an all, TV is my only social outlet. And, as I thought about it... The TV guide is a ... not good... but... suitable replacement for my once rigorous schedule. Adam nailed it right on the head when he mentioned how difficult it would be for me to adjust from total schedule to none at all. I am a Judger after all.
Here, I can outline for you my entire day, starting later than 10, because I don't wake up before 10, in TV. The View (gotta watch something), The Screen Savers, Star Trek: The Next Generation x 2, Rocko's Modern Life, (something else), Andromeda, Totally Spies, and then cartoon until cows fly. If my mom comes home, then it's Filipino drama all the way, and then maybe Game Ka Naba? (Game Na!) Then, prime time... Well, it's all about prime time.
There you go. Still thinking about my life in fictional units of time based off of television. Silly? Sure. Useful? Extremely. Sad? Totally. Carpal tunnel? Setting in quickly.
Posted by Mark Canlas at February 11, 2005 06:00 PM