Not even two days into winter break and I'm already running into the classic problem that my parents have no idea what constitutes fun. Oh, I'm sure they enjoy their television session, but that's not what I'm looking for after a week of self-denial for finals. Somehow it still shocks them to learn that spending the limited hours a day that we have for entertainment on something I don't enjoy is not agreeable to me.
The problem is that the things I want to do (right now, mostly Kerbal Space Program) require a certain time commitment, which I can't make during finals, and more importantly cannot make during the large quantities of unstructured time between the orgies of work my parents voluntarily take upon themselves. Right now it's getting ready to move to a new house, which of course is a frustration all of its own category. But last Christmas I had the same problem with just cleaning and chores. Instead of doing the things I wanted to be doing, I was stuck with low-commitment entertainment because I knew that an interruption could come at any time. From literally the first day last year, which I had pre-announced I was going to spend relaxing and they should not expect my involvement, they nevertheless barged in with things to do.
So yes, I can see why you think looking at my phone is my idea of a good time, but it's not. It's just what I can afford when you won't tell me what time you're leaving because you don't fricking know.
Is it clear that I'm a little frustrated by this phenomena?
But to add to the complexity, I'm not opposed to watching television in general. Give it a few days, once I've relaxed and enjoyed my high-density fun, spending a few hours on medium-density stuff for variety will be a perfectly rational thing to do. This doesn't seem that hard to figure out but apparently it is for them.
(Maybe I'll send you two this blog post, since you never actually check my blog. But that would start an entirely different rant about time allocation for social media use.)
But what I came here to say is that, well, if one isn't trying to maximize the joy derived from recreation then it's not clear they know what recreation is. Is it supposed to be about helping others? No! That's what work is for! In a rational economy, anyway, but the Cathedral has seen about that, haven't they?
As I've said, I'm not an altruist. So long as I'm stuck in this world, I want to get joy out of it. And simply put, television isn't the best way to get that joy. Sue me.
