Couch Potatoes

Like just about everyone during this lockdown, I guess, we’ve become couch potatoes. At least in the evening. During the day the wife and I “telecommute” and the girls “teleschool.” In the afternoon, if it’s nice, they hang out on the deck. Patch does her soccer drills at the park. They alternate walking the dog. Sometimes I walk in the morning with my headphones on. Sometimes the wife does.

But what we’ve all been doing for the last forty days or so, is watch TV in the evening. I read someone somewhere who wrote, “If Netflix existed in 1776, there would never have been a Revolution.” I kinda agree. But that hasn’t stopped me from the cultural indoctrination.

Politics and philosophy aside, I wondered this morning as I was showering just how much I’ve watched. I then compiled a list. It’s surprising in its length. Or, rather, not.

In approximate chronological order:

Jack Ryan, Season One (8 episodes)

Jack Ryan, Season Two (8 episodes)

Jim Gaffigan comedy special

The Hunt for Red October

Patriot Games

A Hard Days Night

Thirteen Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

Captive State

Community, Seasons One, Two, and Three (50+ episodes)

Tiger King (8 episodes)

Tiger King and I

Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events

The Karate Kid

1917

Extraction

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

And that’s just the stuff I can remember nearly six weeks in. Altogether that’s something like 75 or 80 hours in total, about two hours a night. Sounds about right. Additionally, Little One is working her way through all ten seasons of The Walking Dead (we forbade this when she was younger; now she’s going on 16). Patch still watches her cartoons and Disney-style flicks. And the wife and my oldest watch Outlander and SVU. There really isn’t any shows/series I watch by myself. In fact, with the house constantly occupied since March 21 the TV / living room hasn’t ever really been unoccupied.

Couch potatoes.