The TV Trap

One of the worst things about being back home and unemployed is how easy it is to get sucked into a TV marathon. It doesn't matter what channel it is, they are all seemingly black holes for productivity. I never really watched TV in Spain (aside from the few American TV shows that I downloaded on my computer), and to be honest, I didn't miss it. I got so much more stuff done. I painted. I spent time with people. I read more books. I went out more.

But for some reason, here at home, I just can't seem to ever turn it off. Maybe it's the fact that I'm home with nothing to do, or that there are hundreds of channels with movies and shows all in English (though rarely is anything of quality), or maybe it's the way they trick you into watching the next show by starting the next episode without a commercial break. It's not like the shows that I'm watching are actually worth watching either. In fact, they're horrible. I'm wasting my life away watching things like Snooki and Jwoww, Teen Mom, Say Yes to the Dress, House Hunters International, and the worst, by far, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. Most of them are so bad, I kind of have to watch. You know, the train wreck thing.

Anyway, of all of the horrible TV shows that I get caught up watching, House Hunters International is the most productive. If nothing else, it inspires me to dream about someday buying my own house in Spain, even if it is just a vacation home. Of course, that day is a long way away. I'm still working on finding a job. And then, you know, my student loan payments will start killing any remaining dreams pretty much immediately afterward. But at least I'm getting ideas.