Technicolor luau on a technicolor green

Here I sit: drinking my Starbuck's double-shot and electrolyte enhanced Smartwater (which tells me that I am hydrated enough to be "witty"... we shall see), working on my iBook, listening to my latest iTunes indie downloads, writing a blog/article on the effect of feminism on inter-partner communication in marriage and, subsequently, the relative nature of happiness in marriage. Unassuming. Busy. Living out my Crate & Barrel life. Perhaps the living nightmare of some Conservatives... perhaps just another American trying to live a life she can be proud of. Really, that's a call for someone else to make. I find it amusing that I fit into the "latte-sipping liberal" mold so comfortably. I love my espresso, my sushi, my basic human rights-- how subversive!
It's been a busy month: A bear show in San Antonio, mounting responsibilites at work, closing for Spring Break, a trip to New York City, comp exams for graduation, class work and a job search: I've pretty much been "barreling on through," moving from one activity to the next.
I've recommitted myself to the "TV diet" which forces me to choose how and when I spend time in front of the telly-- the mindlessness of flipping channels is almost hypnotizing after a long day, but there are certainly more stimulating ways to spend my precious free time.
However, it's probably pretty clear that there are some weekly appointments I insist on keeping: House, The Office, West Wing and Grey's are "must sees." So, yesterday evening, having followed the diet's rules to the letter, I looked forward to seeing Josh and Donna be all romantic and awkward; to Meredith's wisdom; to the women of Wisteria Lane doing something (no longer) shocking. I sat down with an afghan I'm trying to finish and turned on the TV-- only to be greated by a blue screen and silence. I adjusted wires. I turned the VCR on and off. A placed the cable directly into the television to cut out the middle man.... nothing. Wondering if the problem was my system or something my broader, I went to my office: blue screen. I walked into the building's lobby and tried the television out there: nothing. I started to panic and ran downstairs while texting a friend about the horror that had become my Sunday evening. I tried the big screen in the basement: static.
At this point I got resourceful: classrooms have cable. I have access to a classroom: 20 minutes later, still no West Wing. I tried one more television on campus and then gave up. Perhaps all of the tvs had revolted, wanting to keep me on the straight and narrow for a bit longer. Or, perhaps, the world doesn't revolve around me, and the cable had gone out.
Turns out it was the latter.
It's somewhat sad that I take technological difficulty as a personal affront to my way of life. Earlier in the week, the internet was down and I was unable to connect to the wireless internet in my home-- it felt a bit like my best friend had moved away and forgotten to write-- or maybe that was just because I couldn't check my email. It's only when it breaks that I remember how very much "on the grid" I am.
Quite a contrast to my freshman year: computer, tv and cell phone free.
So, what did I do last night? I watch Battlestar Galactica on my laptop, talked to my sister on my cell phone and printed out a few more cover letters. Then I loaded my iPod with music for this morning's trip to the gym. And I found a way to catch the last 20 minutes of Grey's.
I feel much better.