AC Nielsen Says 28 Hours/Week is Average

There were a few other things that conspired to stop the blogging that I have to admit I succumbed to. A sudden re-interest in computer games was a minor one. Because of the issues at work that were pounding me left and right, I remembered suddenly having this urge to pummel something. Normally, this type of behavior is frowned upon outside of a hockey rink, and to make matters worse, I haven't been able to work hockey into my schedule since early August. However, when you have games at your disposal where you can be a Jedi Knight, Spider-Man, Indiana Jones or a member of the USS Enterprise or Deep Space 9, you can safely work out these pent up
feelings of frustration. But that was really the tip of the iceberg, because I've also fallen prey to something that I was proud to ignore for the better part of 4 years.

I got sucked in by the dreaded television.

And I'm not talking about watching DVDs or anything like that. I'm talking about regular TV viewing. The kind I haven't done since "The X-Files" closed up shop and sent my former TV honey, Gillian Anderson, packing for the theater. I'm talking about returning to TV viewing levels approaching that of the average American...and that's a LOT of TV.

I'm really not proud of this. I was pretty happy to fill my hours with more constructive pastimes like cleaning the bathroom or reading MacWorld. But it just turns out that there's some really compelling TV out there now that the Reality TV craze has finally begun to subside. And now I'm watching it. For that, I blame JJ and Teri.

JJ is JJ Abrams, creator of the show "Lost," which I am so hopelessly addicted to that I frequent the "official" website and virtually hobnob with other fans and occasionally the actual show's creative team. It just so happens, he also created the "X-File" killing "Alias," a show whose charms(i.e.: Jennifer Garner) I was able to resist for 3 years...until they put it after "Lost." Both of these shows seem to fill the void that the "X-Files" left behind in terms of providing a very dense mythological background that keeps you watching if you've seen the beginning, but can really turn you off if you try to come in halfway.

Teri is Teri Hatcher, who joined up with a bunch of other women (mmmmm....Eva Longoria) for "Desperate Housewives." Again, yet another addicting show that carries it's plots along from episode to episode to keep you hooked, but also has that great black humor that makes you wonder just how they got away with that on TV.

So now here I am, faithfully programming the VCR for these shows when I realize...as long as I'm here, maybe I should start taping "Enterprise" again so that I can fulfill my duty as Star Trek geek.

Oh yeah, it looks like a new season of "The Amazing Race" is starting up. That's a cool show, and I can actually watch that from the beginning! Better set the program.

Wow...that's a lot of time programming the VCR and watching the tapes, especially when you've got kids to raise. I'm going to have to make sure to stop there, even though WFS looks like he could be good on that show "Boston Legal." What? Candice Bergen's joining the cast? OK, where's that VCR remote?

*Sigh*...6 hours of TV a week...I'm so ashamed. I need to do something about this.

What do you mean the Sci-Fi channel has a new version of "Battlestar Galactica" starting?