#GeekSpeak: The sometimes random misadventures of @Abby_Cake
Sunday, November 6, 2011 at 7:34AM<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Abby. I met her in Chicago at the #20SBSummit, and this chick is raaaddddd!! She considers herself more of a nerd than a geek - but I think she's just all shades of random and awesome. Oh and FTR, the TNTML stance on nerds versus geeks are that nerds are products of a genetic predisposition, and geeks are raised. BOOH-YAH!!! I only have one more thing left to say ... HIT IT ABBY!!! </editorsnote>
#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @Abby_Cake
If left to my own devices, I would not watch TV.
I had a TV in college; I only used it for my NES console (a geek girl needs her 8-bit). I did not have cable, or even the local weather channel, for two years. I didn’t miss it. And I liked the void it created in my life. “Did you see [insert new show]?” “No.” The conversation would turn to more interesting things.
However, I have clocked a good amount of hours in front of the idiot box since this summer, due mostly to my unemployment and general lack of “anything better” to do. In the first few months I was not experiencing the heady anticipation and general contentment I am now. I was not happy. I was more or less forced out of my job, I leased my house, I sold my car, and left my friends to move to another town. I spent many hours slumped in front of the TV, letting my limbs protrude uselessly over the edge of the sofa. I also napped a lot. Mostly when boring shows came on.
Sometime after moving I rediscovered art, my writing began to take shape, and I developed a clear path for myself.
“The best way out is always through.” — Robert Frost
Now, during the day I do the work, I am present. Sometimes I listen to music; I like discovering new-to-me bands on Pandora. But most often I simply listen to myself. My heartbeat. My thoughts. My body’s reaction to stimuli. I will turn off the lights and work only from the glow of my screen. The words come easier with silence and tea.
Essentially, whatever mood I am in, I try to honor that. No distractions.
Then there is TV. I am not blaming Jared because I am just as much at fault, but when he gets home from class we will waste six hours laying on the sofa absorbing the useless information blared at us through the television. Part of this is due to the fact that Jared is simply exhausted and doesn’t particularly want to do anything after class. TV because it provides a passive action for our brains — pure entertainment. There is nothing and there is everything. And I know in my core that he would never give it up. I respect that.
The other part of our TV equation is that we deeply enjoy each others company and the connectivity available to us when laying close together, hands interwoven, enjoying a shared interest. Having a companion is such a magical thing.
Unfortunately, the fall television season has started, and I find myself trying to puzzle out which shows come on when. TV takes up a significant portion of my brain. Why are there so many shows on Sunday? Why does The Walking Dead overlap with Boardwalk Empire? Why does my life have to revolve on the TV Guide’s time schedule? Okay, that’s a little over dramatic, but I don’t enjoy the constrained feeling of scheduling my nights around TV show times. I do enjoy On Demand and Netflix which allow me to watch some (or all) of a show at my leisure. It alleviates some of the strain to know I can pause, get up, use the bathroom, make tea, check email, then resume the show when I feel like it.
I appreciate the feeling of control over my own life and would just as soon leave the house to do something else, then return later to watch each show at my leisure.
Ideally I would live in a world devoid of a television. But I recognize that a relationship is give and take. I choose to sacrifice this battle and fight fair. Because I love him, we have a TV.
xx, @abby_cake
#nerdsunite
Want more from Abby?? Check out her blog over yonder - and don't forget to drop her a follow on twitter!!
