Showing posts with label living room. Show all posts
Showing posts with label living room. Show all posts

Monday, November 24, 2025

I watch just enough of my wife's TV shows to (kind of) know what's going on


This is what it's like when I start asking my wife questions about whatever she's watching on television. I think she enjoys when I interrupt her.

My wife Terry has always been someone who gets things done.

Most days, you can find her working around our house cleaning this, organizing that, cooking dinner, or otherwise keeping things together.

Whenever she takes a break from her various household duties (and she isn't out thrifting or spending time with our grandson), you can find her in one of two places.

Sometimes she sits in the corner of the living room putting together large jigsaw puzzles of the kind I could never in my life finish.

Other times she reclines on our couch and watches TV.

This usually takes the form of Terry making her way episode by episode through a multi-season show like "Smallville," "Charmed," "Supernatural," or many others.

Most recently, she has been watching "Once Upon a Time," the ABC fantasy drama series that ran from 2011 through 2018.

Usually she does this alone, as I'm either at the office or otherwise occupied with whatever my to-do list prescribes for the day. But a few times a week, often right after I shower at night, I come sit on the couch and watch whatever she's watching.

Which of course means I randomly pop in and out of television series that have complicated, evolving plots.

Which also means I'm not always 100% sure what's going on.

Still, I've usually seen enough of a given show to know: (a) the main characters, (b) the general direction of the story, and (c) how these series are generally written.

So I can follow along.

Sort of.

I try not to plop right down and start asking my wife questions to bring myself up to speed, but from time to time, that's exactly what I do.

Sometimes she'll answer mid-episode without hitting the pause button, while other times she will sigh, stop the show, and fill me in.

I also do various Google searches to discover major plot points, the fate of certain characters, and even the backgrounds of the actors on the show.

This last item is something that either amuses or annoys my wife, I can't be sure. Out of nowhere I'll pipe in with something like, "The actress who plays the evil queen is Lana Parrilla. She used to be on '24.' She has her own online clothing company."

Terry, who has asked for none of this information, will stare at me for a second. Sometimes she'll sarcastically thank me "for that important update" before returning to her show. Other times she'll simply turn her attention back to the TV without saying a word.

Either way, I like to think I've enhanced her viewing experience.

Saturday, June 5, 2021

Rearranging your living room: The pinnacle of excitement


A couple of months ago we rejiggered the furniture in our living room. It was the first time we had done this in a while, and it caused quite the stir.

Quite the stir, that is, not only among the people who live in our house, but among our regular visitors as well.

Everyone had their own opinions on the new configuration, which saw the TV switch places with the piano and the sectional couch pulled around at a new angle, along with a few other minor changes.

We were able to move the TV only because we switched from WOW cable to AT&T TV streaming service. Previously, the TV was placed right where the cable came up through the floor from the basement. But a streaming TV can go anywhere in the house where you have WiFi, so that opened up a lot of design possibilities.

The important thing is that my wife, the person who spends the most time in the living room, liked the change.

But seriously, you know your life has fallen into what might be described as a mundane routine when a living room rearrangement is the only thing you can talk about as a family for a week.