Vacation Television

At home, we don't have cable.
Or satellite.
Or antennae.

Therefore as AA says - "we don't have channels".

It is difficult for vacation time not to become a couch-fest in front of the television.

On our last trip - cooking shows ruled.
They were EVERYWHERE! and the kids loved them, having learned all the characters from afternoons at Grandmother's house.

This time, I am not sure what rules the airways.

We spent one day in which there were several newer Scooby-Doo cartoons on the agenda. 
I'm sorry, I never like the old Scooby-Doo cartoons with their inane template story lines ... and the fact that they wore the same wardrobe - constantly!

I reallydislike the newer versions ... mainly because at least with the old versions, the dark evil was always explained away as some man-made incantation.  Now the evil is often never explained.

And SHAGGY!!!
Who ever they got to replace Casey Kasem just doesn't quite have it... I mean -at best it is a poor, formula impersonation of Kasem.  I began to obsess on the last phrase of Shaggy's every sentence... there is a phony falsetto - meant to sound like the characteristic squeak that Kasem used.

It'll drive you mad!

Anyway, our condo offers free DVD's so we have been able to select our viewing a little more carefully.

I made a mistake not too long ago.  When we were unsure about our vacation plans and a beach trip didn't appear real likely, we all watched "Jaws". 

Ab proclaimed that she was never going swimming in the ocean again. 

She soon backtracked but I could see the influence of "Jaws" exhibited by the caution both she and AA have displayed.

As fate would have it - on Sunday, Discovery channel announced the onset of  "Shark Week" - every night toothy terror with a dash of salt water.... we have been avoiding Discovery channel.

Ab has found a new past time with Discovery-Health, which both she and Mom enjoy.

And they like to point out their non-squeamish nature to AA and I every chance they get.  Ab in particular has enjoyed steering the conversation at the dinner table to her favorite subject:  Yucky entrails tails from Discovery Health - not a good topic to accompany spaghetti.

Finally, one morning was consumed with back to back episodes of Extreme Makeover - Home Edition  ...  honestly, someone needs to explain to that Ty Pennington guy about using his "inside voice"!

 All in all, I have found television to be about as empty as it ever was (at least since the mid 1960's) which adds to the appeal of the surf.  Which is also where I am going now.