500 channels and nothing to watch

For those of you who know me personally, you know I like television. I'm not a nut about it. I don't have a flat-screen or plasma t.v. and I don't have one in my kitchen or bathroom. (Although a t.v. in the bathroom opposite the toilet seems like a great idea.) I was a Nielsen ratings family for about two-years and it was a dream come true. I watch a lot nature and science shows, cooking shows (Giada, yum), love the stuff about crab fisherman on the Bering Sea and if I were going to be stranded somewhere it would be with this guy. I had a roommate who said my tombstone will say, "If I miss something good, tape it for me," but for all you who think I'm a champion coach-potato I found the gold medalist in coach-potatoism.

'A Beijing soccer fan refused to let the small matter of his house burning down disturb his enjoyment of Tuesday's World Cup match between France and Spain. A fire broke out in a hut in the center of the Chinese capital at 3am local time Wednesday -- kickoff time in Hanover -- and gutted the traditional courtyard dwelling. "When the neighbors shouted 'fire!', I took my little baby and ran out in my nightclothes," the man's wife told the paper. My husband paid no attention to the danger, just grabbed the television and put it under his arm. After getting out of the house, he then set about finding an electric socket to plug in and continue watching his game."'

Other world cup stories from China list a guy who quit his job, even after being offered a raise, so he could watch the tournament. A victim of theft refused to press charges because he didn't want to miss the start of a match and the police let the thief go. Still another locked his wife in the bedroom when she turned off the tournament and then "settled back down to watch the game ignoring her loud protests." I know that it could be argued that it's the World Cup that drove these people crazy but I'd like to take the simpler explanation - that I found someone more addicted to television than I am.