Shit my TV says

I went to a St. Louis Camera Club meeting last night.  My first in about a decade.  I figured they probably finally went digital and so I thought I'd check 'em out.  10 years ago they were all still shooting slide film, which is incredibly expensive to buy and have processed, and insanely expensive to make prints from, so I walked after about a year.  Anyway.  They have gone digital and so I went last night and had fun and will probably re-join the group.

When I got home shortly after 9, M was camped out on the couch surfing the internet with the TV on as background.  (We are greatly enjoying a sense of normalcy after the past few months of insanity.)  Some awards show was on.  I asked, "What is this?"  He told me it was the People's Choice Awards.  I hung out for a few minutes, telling him about the meeting and stuff when there were breaks in the action on TV.  The only person I recognized on the show was Queen Latifah (whom I adore - that girl rocks it no matter what she's doing). Well, and William Shatner who is playing the curmudgeon in "Shit My Dad Says," which I have followed on Twitter for a couple years and which is hilarious (the Twitter feed...not sure about the show as I've never seen it).

So I realized last night that I'm amazingly out of touch with pop culture these days.  The show introduced Kristen Stewart and my brain vaguely recalled the name and that it thinks she was in the Twilight movies which are about, maybe, vampires and werewolves and hobgoblins and what have you.  However.  I wouldn't recognize her if I saw her on the street.  Latifah introduced some other celebs who not only didn't look familiar, I didn't even recognize their names.  M asked, "Who are they?"  I shrugged.  "I dunno.  I'm gonna go wash my face and read a book."  And so ended my television watching.

Is it necessary to know pop culture?  I mean, by and large, my brain will not turn to mush if I don't watch television.  Quite the contrary.  However, am I missing something important by not being able to talk with or relate to others about what's currently on television?  So often, I'll be with a group of people and a television show is mentioned.  "Did you see...?"  In a group, it's easy for me to just go quiet and hang back.  One on one, though, is tougher.  I used to just say, "I don't watch television."  Several people told me that I'm being snobby about it, so now I shrug and apologize.  "I'm sorry, I don't really, um, watch TV?"  People look at me like I'm an alien, or still a snob, so I guess there's really no way around it.

I'm not trying to be a snob.  I don't think people are horrible for watching TV.  It's just now how I choose to spend my time.  It seems to be an issue, though, to others.

At one of my former jobs, the company had Casual Friday.  My boss decided that our department was "above" Casual Friday and that we needed to maintain business casual each day of the week.  (Easy for her to say...she didn't work on Fridays!)  After about a month of this, I went to her.  "This is becoming an issue.  Every Friday I get comments about my attire.  People ask me why I'm dressed up, if I have an interview somewhere else, if there's an event, etc.  Our attempt to maintain professionalism is backfiring, as being the odd duck is calling more attention to our dress than to our work.  It's actually wasting time."  She acquiesced and the following Friday we fit in and didn't have to answer 90 questions about our clothes.

The television thing reminds me of this.  If someone mentions a TV show, the conversation invariably turns to why I don't watch television.  And most of the time, I'm on the defensive.  I'm the odd person who doesn't do what's "normal."  I find myself explaining that we stopped watching television three years ago when we went back to school, simply because we had no time to watch.  Each and every night was devoted to homework.  It was the only way to make it through - something had to give, and television was it.  (Well, and pretty much ignoring our families and friends for two years.)  Then I say something about how I've tried to start watching again but it's hard to get into shows that have been on for a couple seasons already, etc.  People like to hear that.  They nod and say, "Yeah, I get that."   A couple people have recommended that I rent the back seasons on DVD to get caught up.  I just nod.

It's too difficult to explain that we realized we haven't really missed TV.  People, by and large, can't relate to that.  The only time I think I might miss it is when I have a conversation like that outlined above.  Only because of the hassle of having that conversation over and over again.

However, I'm not going to start watching again in an attempt to fit in.  For me, there's more to life than what's on the boob tube, and my life isn't somehow deficient because I don't watch.  In fact, I dare say my life is richer because of it.  I suppose I'm just surprised that I have to point that out to people. It's ironic that people think I'm truly missing something because I don't watch TV.

This week has been perfect for me.  Monday and Tuesday nights, we played games as a family (after we made dinner together, ate together, and cleaned up together).  Don't Spill the Beans and Trouble and Hungry Hungry Hippos.  Lots and lots and lots of laughing, hugs and kisses, and high-fives/fist bumps.  After tucking Zozer into bed, I've visited my favorite photography web sites and read an incredible book I received for Christmas.  I went to bed early, which let me have enough sleep to actually get my ass up at 5:10 a.m. and to the gym.  Last night I went to the photography club meeting and had a lovely conversation about my most favorite thing in the whole world, and saw over a hundred beautiful images created by people just like me.

How on earth can someone feel sorry for me for having these experiences instead of watching TV?  I just don't get it.