On Being A Swinger

I'm in love with my DVR. Don't get me wrong; I've always had affection for it. I recognized the moment I got it how dramatically it would change my life. And it definitely has. No longer must I choose between watching the gazillion-hour-long season premiere of The Biggest Loser or watching the latest installment of Fringe. Let's face it, setting a VCR was way too annoying to be a daily thing, especially when you tried to do it two minutes prior to the show and realized that you first had to set the clock (because you had unplugged the darn thing since the last time you used it). With the DVR, I can simply click on the upcoming program and set it to record. It takes all of 5 seconds. So you can see why I'm crazy about it.

These days, though, I've found even more appreciation for my DVR. And I gotta tell ya: it's the greatest invention since oxygen.

You see, Michigan is considered a "swing state". I don't know why we have to be swingers (I jokingly refer to residents of Michigan, Ohio, and other swing states thusly), considering how badly Michigan's economy has floundered under G-Dub's administration and the fact that the state has gone blue in the past 4 presidential contests, but this is what they tell us. Being a swinger can be a good thing. With Michigan's 17 electoral votes up for grabs, not a week goes by that one of the candidates, presidential or vice-presidential, doesn't make an appearance somewhere around here. But it can also be very annoying. Those of you who are fortunate enough to live in a state that is solidly blue, or even one that is solidly red, probably think you are being bombarded with political tv ads. Hah! Take what you're getting and multiply it exponentially. That's what we swingers must endure.

What I wouldn't give for an annoying Head-On commercial right about now!

Now don't get me wrong. Politics are important, especially in our country's current state of economic unrest. But can't I have just one hour of the day when I don't have to hear about it? I guess not.

My new thing is to record all the shows I want to watch, even if I'm home and nothing else is on. That way, I can skip through all of the annoying political ads. This has been great for my temperment, as I am no longer prone to swearing at the television. (Okay, so I still swear at the television during football games, but we're not talking about that right now.) My DVR has been my lifesaver, rescuing me from drowning in an ocean of political hyperbole.

I am in love with my DVR.