I have to tell you that I generally like watching Spongebob Squarepants. I like that he's a nice guy. I love the episode in which he carves a masterpiece from stone and Squidward is jealous and steals it. I love hearing things like, "With lots of love and affection, we can take care of him." I like Gary, how the snail reminded Spongebob how to tie his shoes when he forgot.
But when I'm just hanging around in the living room, trying to clean up a bit or working on the computer, the sound of Spongebob on television just drives me nuts. (I just typed Spongeboob by accident. Isn't that a Freudian slip?) The commercials drive me nuts. The slight whine of their voices drive me nuts. The way the sound goes from a running burble to a loud spike of noise drives me nuts.
I go absolutely crazy and end up with that vacant mom-look in which a child just knows that the silence and the look is the precursor to an explosion about dirty clothes on the floor or homework that isn't finished. It's a universal look that every kid understands and fears. Nick hasn't left any dirty clothes on the floor. He has done as much homework as he can right now.
He's getting sick. It's a week after the fact, but he's getting the scourge that was going around at Seabeck. So, I'm not in his face about homework. He's behaving well. Actually, he's just sitting on the couch with a glazed look on his face. I have no issues with Nick, but why do I feel this grinding aggravation when the television is left on too long.
It's the television's fault. The producers, writers, and advertisers all work to grab my attention. Over and over, my attention is jerked forward to the sound at that side of the room. Over and over, I realize that it has nothing to do with me or what I'm doing. I can relax and ignore it. That's not good enough. My attention is summoned again and again and again. That's fine for someone who's watching, but for me, it's a cause for insanity.
Still, when Nick's not feeling well, I'm not going to make him turn it off. I'll just have to live with the insanity. No big change there.
Thank you for listening, jb
But when I'm just hanging around in the living room, trying to clean up a bit or working on the computer, the sound of Spongebob on television just drives me nuts. (I just typed Spongeboob by accident. Isn't that a Freudian slip?) The commercials drive me nuts. The slight whine of their voices drive me nuts. The way the sound goes from a running burble to a loud spike of noise drives me nuts.
I go absolutely crazy and end up with that vacant mom-look in which a child just knows that the silence and the look is the precursor to an explosion about dirty clothes on the floor or homework that isn't finished. It's a universal look that every kid understands and fears. Nick hasn't left any dirty clothes on the floor. He has done as much homework as he can right now.
He's getting sick. It's a week after the fact, but he's getting the scourge that was going around at Seabeck. So, I'm not in his face about homework. He's behaving well. Actually, he's just sitting on the couch with a glazed look on his face. I have no issues with Nick, but why do I feel this grinding aggravation when the television is left on too long.
It's the television's fault. The producers, writers, and advertisers all work to grab my attention. Over and over, my attention is jerked forward to the sound at that side of the room. Over and over, I realize that it has nothing to do with me or what I'm doing. I can relax and ignore it. That's not good enough. My attention is summoned again and again and again. That's fine for someone who's watching, but for me, it's a cause for insanity.
Still, when Nick's not feeling well, I'm not going to make him turn it off. I'll just have to live with the insanity. No big change there.
Thank you for listening, jb
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