Sunday, January 6, 2008

What's on next?

Like many people, my mom has behaviors that have been maintained for as long as I can remember. Some are habits, others are routine. I find comfort in these repeated actions, finding them as little reminders of the unique person my mom is.

These habits sometimes aren't even that out of the ordinary.

My mom was sitting with my dad and I on Sunday afternoon in our living room. My dad was reading the paper while the Giants game played out on our television. My mom was flipping through the TV guide, and I was online.

TV Guide. Not the miniature magazine you could look at in the supermarket line, shuffling through the crammed check-out line, overwhelmed with a wall of wrapped candy bars and gossip magazines. I'm talking about the guide you'd get in your Sunday mail, in the comics and coupons package.

I don't really know of anyone else who actually looks to the inky, recycled-paper booklet to find a good TV show to watch.

We do have DirectTV, equipped with a guide option. We do have a remote control, with the capacity to flip through channels.

But my mom always opts for the old-fashion TV guide.
And I will always think of her casual preference as something much more.

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