WHAT IT'S LIKE WATCHING A TV PROGRAM ON THIS COMPUTER

I've been watching a TV series on Hulu. My computer does not allow continuous action, but it does allow continuous audio. Freeze frame of a wall. Dialogue for two minutes and I never did see who either of the two men talking were.

Freeze frame of one person who is talking to another but I don't get to see the other person so I don't know what is going on, or with whom, and it was kind of a heated argument.

Change of scene. Two women talking but I can't tell who is saying what because the computer freeze frames on one of them and then in 30 seconds I see who she is talking to...or maybe who was talked to. I'm not sure who was once married to the man the other is now dating...I wonder if this is worth it.

Probably not.

Maybe for more reasons than a slow computer.

PS And I have to listen to the commercials because there is no way to skip forward. Yes, probably/definitely not worth it. Probably. Maybe.

LOST

"Hello," I wave my hand frantically in the air and Phil pushes the pause button. Listen, listen, talk, talk, listen. "Good-bye." Un-pause.

"Hello," and we do the whole pause-listen-talk-good-bye routine two more times.

So, because of the pausing during LOST I did not have to watch any commercials. And because Phil had the remote, I did not get to watch the commercials that looked interesting. Zip, right through them all. All the upcoming movie trailers--didn't see those. The brand new commercials that looked halfway decent--didn't see those.

But...because we had also pushed the magic button. The little red magic "record" button I can go back and watch it all. And look for hidden meanings and clues and try to figure out what is going to happen in seven weeks, when the writer's strike is still on and we are left hanging...again.

I wonder how many babies have played the part of Claire's baby? And how many will? And are expectant parents in the LA area hoping for bald headed twins with blue eyes?

I wonder if it's in Hurley's contract that he can't diet until the series is over?

I wonder if this addiction is better or worse than a being addicted to chocolate.

And hey! What the heck ever happened to that plane-shaking, pilot-snatching, smoky monster? How many plot lines are possible in one series? This one looks like an eighteen-legged octopus. And if we remember all the people who have died--that had an interesting semi-plot going--it looks like a whole aquarium full of octopi, and a handful of worms thrown in, just for good measure.