My roommates have something against television. Most of the guys (I have five roommates) don’t watch more than one or two episodes of The Simpsons a week and wouldn’t even consider paying $5 a month for cable.
Furthermore — and to my dismay — the guys could care less about what Alex Rodriguez was doing Monday night. They have much better things to do with their lives.
I, on the other hand, had to be in front of a TV.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a TV fanatic — I’m a sports junkie.
Even more so, though, I’m a Seattle Mariners fan. Thus, if I couldn’t be at Safeco Field watching A-Rod come back to Seattle for the first time since signing a $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers, I at least had to watch him on the tube.
So off to work I went to watch TV (don’t tell the boss).
It’s probably just basic cable, but the Emerald newsroom at least has more than OPB to watch on its 30-inch Magnavox. There’s a nice little couch, beautifully highlighted by a light blue cover, which is more than suitable for me to watch my M’s kick some A-Rod ass.
Wait. What am I thinking? There has to be a better place for me to watch my sports. The Emerald office isn’t exactly oriented for my viewing pleasure. There’s always this keyboard-banging, music-playing, people-talking clatter in the Emerald newsroom, and it makes it hard sometimes for me to keep my focus on the game.
Maybe the Oregon State newspaper has a better viewing area and a better couch. Now that I think about it, the Emerald couch isn’t that great. There’s always some sleep-deprived copy editor sleeping there, and they’re starting to cramp my space.
There must be something better somewhere (I hear Texas has some good couches).
Better yet, I could just find a home that already has cable. I could get fat and eat my potato chips in the comforts of my own place.
But, wait, I’m forgetting about Mikey, West, Jimbo, Erin and Rusty. The guys may not have the same attitude toward TV and sports that I do, but I still have to respect them. It’s not like I’m just going to up and leave good ol’ 1456 because another house offered me premium cable with ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, HBO, Showtime and all that other good stuff (although that would be nice).
It’s just not right. I couldn’t just up and leave the house like that. I have a bond with my roommates — one that keeps us together as a team. The 1456 team.
And the Emerald isn’t so bad. There are some benefits. I have a flexible schedule that allows me go to classes once in a while. I also get to write about what I love.
Honestly, things aren’t so bad for me right now.
I’m pretty content, actually. The grass (or money) may be greener elsewhere, but I have made a commitment. And I’m going to stick to it.
Oh, about that A-Rod guy. He was 1-for-5 in his return to Seattle, a game that the M’s won 9-7. And in the second game, on Tuesday night, he committed two errors in the Mariner’s 6-4 victory.
I should know, I was watching the game on cable TV at my work (shhh!).