I'm too sexy for my television

When you ride an elevator, you're usually unaware of how far you've traveled because there's no point of reference, unless of course one side of the cab is glazing, and you can see outdoors.  There are actually two doors that work in tandem to seal off the elevator cab from the openings on each floor.  If the inner door were transparent (within a typical setup), that would make all the difference.  Then you could stand there and count the number of outer doors you'd passed as you traveled, or at least be cognizant of the movement within your periphery above and beyond the vibrations and humming noise.

-------------------------  


There's a decorative mirror in our "foyer" that I must admit serves to tempt me more often than not.  There have been periods of time where its been purposefully covered over for this very reason.  I used to believe it was all about vanity but now I'm more inclined to cite my tendency to fall back on my flesh to not necessarily tempt but to appease.  Temporarily appease, that is.

I believe I could probably be a chest model.  Or perhaps a nipple model.  Is there such a thing?

I've never been more fit and "filled out" (as a friend of mine described it) in my life.  I know.  180 lbs. isn't anything to write home about, but work with me here!

What I need is a mirror that would allow me to see beyond my skin versus one that provides a duplicate epidermis.  One that would reflect the motives of my heart.  And besides, no vision of a thousand lights could come close to the atmospheric care and attention of God Almighty.  I mean, really, what's the point?

The Bible declares the heart to be shifty and unstable.  I can attest to that.  I find that mine is so much so that I sometimes find it difficult to see it relative to my "in the present" circumstance.

-------------------------


My family spent a long weekend away six weeks ago to celebrate the beginning of Autumn.  Our temporary abode was a lovely farmhouse on the edge of the Mississippi Delta.  This rancher had been recently rebuilt after taking on heavy damage from a tornado years prior, therefore it was modern and fresh.  One end of the building housed a sizable living area with a fireplace and flat screen television.

It's difficult for a man to ignore a remote control.  Even one who rarely watches TV at home.

This was our third time to take up residence here.  On every occasion, we've stationed ourselves in front of the TV during one of our evenings away and watched an hour or so of programming.  Cartoon Network had provided some nice fodder in the past.  So, we returned to that same watering hole.  We ended up watching a visually stunning feature called "My Scary Godmother".  If only the plot had been as well crafted as the imagery.

We all stepped away from that experience feeling less than we'd been before.  As if we'd just wasted an hour of our lives.

In order to decide on that feature, I'd breezed through the channels a few times prior in order to familiarize myself once again with everything available.  Because it was getting close to Halloween, that theme was woven throughout most every channel header and tagline.  And some of it was cute, but much of it was quite frightening.  That's all I'll say.  Not just the visuals, but the lack of restraint that was behind those visuals.

Two things:  One, it's unfortunate the CGI is as inexpensive as it now is, and two, television executives / actors must be the most shallow individuals (other than maybe gay men) on the planet.  It's all about looking out for number one.  And who gives a shit who might be damaged via the aftermath.

What really sickens me is knowing that black children (mostly living in poverty) are more prone to have access to this crap than any others i.e. their families watch more of it than most.  This crap being mind numbing programming and advertising.

-------------------------

Our super premium deluxe front load washing machine stopped washing our clothes a few weeks ago.  After pushing the start button, it would start after engaging the electronic door lock only to stop a few minutes later.  It then would display "READY" in the beautiful designed and uniformly backlit display after magically unlocking the door.  The stinky load would only be partially damp.  Too bad it couldn't actually clean clothes that quickly even when it was working correctly.

My car's automatic transmission fluid had never been changed before Friday.  I hadn't planned on having it replaced until I felt the five speed unit slip slightly a few weeks ago whilst driving up a small hill on my way to work.  The manufacturer's recommended fluid change interval is 110,000 miles.  I was only at 88,000.  No matter.  Transmission repair work is expensive.  Having the fluid replaced only cost me $79.95 (before coupon) and an hour of my time.

The super premium deluxe front load washer washed and washed our family's clothing for six years before malfunctioning repeatedly.  It was an amazing machine.  Quiet, efficient, and smart.  But, it could not be repaired sensibly for more than it would cost to replace the machine outright.  This made me very angry.  I felt and still feel as if I'd been had.  Our new, much more rudimentary top load replacement washer is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow.

I refuse(d) to lose all control again.

I need an automobile to get me to work everyday.  I need a washing machine to wash the clothes of all five members of the Turner family.  I need an elevator to get me to the proper floor in the building I work in. 

-------------------------


I am an appliance whore, but not a stupid one.  Television is the most amazing appliance ever invented.  It is a mirror and a window wrapped up in one device.  And all you have to do is push one button to make it happen.  Unlimited appeasement.  No more alone.  And the people inside don't even look like you!

But....like an elevator, there's more to this contraption than meets the eye.  You really don't have much control over the experience itself.  It may do its job, but there is so much that is constantly going on in the background that you know nothing about.  In some instances, that may be okay, but because television is a decidedly visual appliance, the man behind the curtain must be taken into consideration.  It cost a lot in the long run to not do this, regardless if you're a Christian or not.

If only we could sit in the television network board rooms with the rich white people and listen in on their agendas.  If only we had some insight into what they truly were trying to achieve (besides making money).  Maybe then we'd reconsider the allure of that magic remote control.  Maybe.

The Bible talks about being mindful about what we put into our bodies.  It describes the body as the dwelling place of God's spirit.  It's to be a holy place.  Set apart.

Besides the prominence of shocking CGI effects, I found there to be a prevalence of homoeroticism for all to see during my short stint with TV six weeks ago.  For a straight man, perhaps this plays to the wind, but for a gay one, I beg to differ.  To be more specific, why do all the white men on television look like fitness models?  And I'm not talking about just the shaving cream commercials.  I'm talking about the reality show hosts and so on.  More and more of these men look unnaturally fit and muscular.  All of which is prominently displayed through their tight fitting / low cut, very casual clothing.

If I were straight and watching television on a regular basis, this would have to depress me.

-------------------------


I'm not stupid.  My body's worth more than television has to offer.  Yours is too.

Thinking of watching some television?  Please reconsider.  There's an infinite number of things to do that are far better choices.  Pick one of those.

And if you have children, for God's sake, take them to the library.

Lagniappe