Published: September 25, 2009 12:27 am      

LEE WARD: Passing the time with some television 092709

Being off work for a few weeks, I’ve found it difficult to pass the time.

I don’t knit or do crafts, and even if I did, I haven’t felt well enough to focus on anything.

Except television.

For the most part, TV is easy to focus on. And it’s easy to not focus on it when it’s on, if that’s what you want to do.

Sometimes I just like it on to make a little background noise. I even like to drift off to sleep — or nap — with the TV on.

I am one of those people who leaves it on for the dogs, too. I believe they are comforted by the constant noise. I believe they think they’re not alone with the TV is on. That’s kind of how I feel, too.

I did get tired of television as I was lying around like a lady of leisure. You get tired of anything if you endure it long enough. But besides that, television can be boring.

There are plenty of decent programs on, but you can’t just summon them up when you want to see one, unless you have the box set of DVDs, which I don’t. I like the excitement of stumbling upon a favorite movie or a marathon of an old TV show. Having access to whatever you want whenever you want can become boring, too.

During this lengthy spree of television viewing, I learned just how boring — or ridiculous — television can be.

It seems as though there is an entire channel devoted to showing nothing but that program that features guys in their 20s pulling juvenile pranks on one another.

Even though I like the Food Networks’ “Iron Chef,” I realize it’s ridiculous to turn cooking into a competition.

But apparently, Americans will turn anything and everything into a competition: fashion, decorating, physical stunts, even dating.

I was shocked to learn that the handsome actor Antonio Sabato Jr.is the star of his own dating show in which his mother helps him choose his ultimate match. Most women know if a man’s mother has that much influence on his dating choices, there is only one thing you can do: run. I don’t care if he is a good-looking, well-to-do actor. Run.

Apparently, we will watch spoiled teenagers discuss their vapid personal lives, talking heads chatter about the personal lives of famous people, reruns of terrible sit-coms, biased news broadcasts and weather forecasts for Europe. I will watch tasteless adult cartoons in the middle of the night; I even sat up until 3 a.m. recently watching a King Kong movie, and I hate the premise of any King Kong movie.

But there is an occasional gem on the small screen.

I thoroughly enjoyed looking at shiny things on the shopping channels and I found marathons of “The Beverly Hillbillies” and “The Andy Griffith Show.” I was finally content, for a little while.

LEE WARD can be reached at lwar@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2661.