Because most philosophies that frown on reproduction don't survive.

Friday, August 31, 2007

The Last Picture Show

I don't know about you, but when we sit down to watch a DVD we have to go through a set of delicate maneuvers with the wire that runs the video from the DVD/VCR player to get the picture to come in. The contact is so loose that we've had to brace the plug with CD cases to wedge it in. The jack is located right under the screen, so the whole setup gives our living room an air a certain air of trailer-park elegance.

If we just want to watch t.v. we have to go through the same procedure, since the contact for the cable on the back of the television was ripped out in one of the several incidents in which some young thing stood on the cabinet and tilted it enough to allow the t.v. to slide off. Both television and children have emerged relatively unscathed from these shenanigans (except, of course, for the cable contact). Not so the heirloom coffee table on which the t.v. landed full force.

Of late it's become more and more difficult to get the picture to resolve, and yesterday the contact finally gave up the ghost. There won't be many tears shed when the shell is put out on the curb. We didn't have a t.v. in the house when I was growing up, and Darwin's family rationed t.v. time sparingly. The girls can imitate the youthful example of their parents and find other things to occupy their time, like walking to school in the snow uphill both ways.

And then in a few months we can get one of those spiffy wall mounted t.v.s that won't take up valuable floor real estate, which we couldn't justify while the old t.v. still worked. Now if only the vacuum cleaner would finally die...

8 comments:

Rick Lugari said...

A TV is a necessity if you want to homeschool your kids. How else can you teach them about the real world if you can't sit them down in front of soap operas for three hours a day?

Melanie Bettinelli said...

I think my husband's hoping for a similar death. He keeps pointing out the television's annoying whine and poor color. I know he has his eyes on those flat screen ones.

mrsdarwin said...

Melanie --

You might already have a case there with the whine and the color. The thing with our ex-telly was that once we got the picture in, the thing worked perfectly fine. But it's kind of a relief to have the thing die so obligingly. A television with no picture is useless, and so we don't have the "well, it still works" excuse to keep it around.

Anonymous said...

I guess I won't be bringing my soldering iron with me next I come out for a visit. =P

Histor said...

You know what, Mr. Lugari?

I've never watched soap opera. No wonder I have such a hard time assimilating into mainstream American culture.

And *sarcasm* I want nothing more than to be a mainstream American.

Personally I would recommend not getting the new fancy TV. The likelihood of damage to electronics is directly proportional to the cost of the device squared.

Histor

Daddio said...

My wife was thrilled when our washer and dryer voluntarily gave up the ghost. She would get so mad every time I fixed them over the last three years... I suspect sabotage, but I did have a clear conscience when we plunked down two grand on the new LG front loaders. They save so much energy, they pay for themselves (in 24 years...)!

Anonymous said...

I would love for my vaccuum to die so I can get a dyson! :)

Matthew Lickona said...

Get a Miele, Bridget.
I have the same bloody setup on my TV - cord in front, propped with a DVD case and wrapped around a cabinet catch...