I was used to watching nothing but The Golden Girls reruns whenever I wandered toward the television. After Friends ended...well, I suppose my TV-watching spirit died a little...but, hey? Who's didn't? I quickly adjusted to minimal TV viewing, and used it more as a distraction than anything, hence why I chose to watch a sitcom whose script I probably know start to finish, season-1 to season-x.

But then came an increased awareness of this thing called High Definition TV. I've become a snob, and have a hard time watching The Golden Girls because they appear so grainy...what is the monstrously-sized blob lording over the left of the screen with the thundering voice? Oh, it's Dorothy. Of course. (I love you, Bea Arthur, I really do!)

But I find it ironic that with the multitude of cable packages that Nick pays for every month, there are but a handful channels that I even consider. The graphics artist in me appreciates the beauty in the flawless picture (yes, I intend to make this sad observation intellectual if not artistic), and fumes even further as another CSI episode clarifies a blurred image by ADDING PIXELS FROM THIN AIR. The life of a graphics artist so belittled. That's totally why I traded it all for an entry level position at the bottom of a totem pole: who's laughing now, huh!?

But it is an excitement when we find some sort of show on at bedtime (around 8:00, sadly) on a network station, and we rush to refold the blankets covering our laps and restore the living room before tackling the steps two, three at a time all while cheering excitedly as we head toward the new bedroom TV, "LET'S WATCH IT IN HD!"

And it is now that I know the interesting phase in my life has passed.