Tube, Glorious Tube

Am I the only one whose reaaaalllly annoyed that the writer's strike is still going strong? I mean, I am what feels like one gazillion miles away in the land of Krauts, watching American t.v. from a box in NYC that shoots a fuzzy, delayed signal to a US laptop linked to a Berlin television and even I am at my wits end. Don't they know how much a little (or alot) of American programming brightens my day?

And could this have come at a worse time? Kitty and Robert finally got married, just as Tommy and Julia's marriage was falling apart. Pam and Jim started dating while Michael and Jan's relationship continued to plummet further into dysfunction. Gaby and Carlos are trying to grapple with their new financial predictament but how long until she finds out he's blind? Not mention the back and forth between Rose, Meredith, and Derek. Will there be a resolution? Or will I actually have to find something meaningful to do at night?

I know, it's pathetic that this little Hollywood blip would mean so much but I have to admit that television was a guilty pleasure of mine even before moving to Berlin. I just love it and I'm not afraid to mention it (so there). That is why we went to such lenghths when we moved here to make sure that I could watch current American television. It was on the list of non-negotiables when choosing a city along with having access to running water and reliable electricity. And I have to say it has been blissful. Nothing excites me like watching Ina Gartner push food stuffs down her garage disposal (ahh, I used to have one of those) or seeing the ease at which characters converse with one another (or likewise, I understand them).

But never could we have expected that this would happen. That we would have the ability to watch television but have nothing to watch.

Ok. Nothing to watch is an exageration. There are still shows on...and even new ones at that but come on. Who wants to watch the "New American Gladiators?" That show was awful when it was the old American Gladiators in the 80's. And where do they find these she-men? There is not enough money in all the world for me to consider going on national television wearing an outfit reminiscent of a 1920's shot-put. And how many times must I watch commercials for Dance Wars or Clash of the Choirs? We all know these were convenient placeholders for when the real shows begin again. Why can't we recruit the daytime writers to write for nightime shows in the interim? Surely, they could do a better job.

Sigh. So I guess we'll just wait, then. I'll tivo Jon and Kate Plus 8 and The Hills marathon until they come to some sort of resolution to this mess. I've heard ITunes is going to start to offer 24 video downloads in a few weeks and thank GOD for Lost. Let's just hope in short order I'll have a choice as to whether I watch videos or t.v. during 60 CC's of mindless entertainment.

Maybe, too by then , I'll have gotten a life. Extra medium, please.