"Seen anything good on TV lately?" This is a question I ask my best friends; closest confidantes; bosom buddies.  This is the jumping off point of a heated conversation that can last for 10 minutes or 2 hours.  I have my favorite shows - Grey's Anatomy; Brothers and Sisters; Boston Legal; The View  - as well as a host of HBO series and vast numbers of movies on On Demand which I love to discuss.  Talking about shows on TV, analyzing the characters, voicing opinions on hosts and guests is a luxury that I find I only do when completely relaxed and with people I am most comfortable with. 

I read a lot, attend seminars and concerts, socialize as much if not more than most. But, nothing, nothing is as relaxing as watching TV.  I have the luxury of a TV room.  In that room is a TV, a beat up couch, and a coffee table and a light.  You can find me many a night stretched out on that beat up old couch with a pillow under my head and a blanket covering my body from toes (no shoes allowed) to shoulders. 
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I try not to "go to the couch" until after 8 pm, but this is a self imposed rule and can be easily broken.  Because once I hit that couch, there's no going back.  I rarely answer the phone; don't do anything constructive.  I just lie back and play with the remote and fall into the la la land of visual content. 

I have HBO, Starz and Encore.  I have On Demand (the best invention since microwaves) and DVR (like Tivo - the second best invention since microwaves) so I have lots of choices.  So, now I can pick what's currently on, what was on (without ads!!!), or a movie.  What a delicious menu!! 

The problem with this evening regimen is that I am so comfortable, so relaxed that I often fall asleep on that old beat up couch and miss most of the show or movie.  But, now I don't care anymore because I have DVR - well worth the $12 month so that I can sleep in peace knowing that Denny Craig of Boston Legal  will still be there tomorrow.



Real Estate Hint #9 -  You can look at pictures and videos on the internet, but there is no better way to see if you would like a home than a preliminary driveby.  I often recommend to my buyers that they drive by the houses that they have chosen from the internet, and then set up an appointment with me to see only those houses that they want to go into.  This allows buyers to do a lot of the preliminary  home search work on their own time without having to coordinate their schedule with mine.  And, if you hate the yard, location or style of the home there is no need to see the rest.