TR snippet: TELEVISION AT THE EL CORTEZ

Okay, I know that we don't go to Vegas to watch television.

However, here I am writing on my word processor in this fine, quiet little Vintage room at the El Cortez.

I have such a cold!

I thought about trying to arrange going home early today, but it seems such a waste when I can sit at the video or live poker even feeling a bit under the weather as long as the coughing eases up so I don't bother anyone.

Meanwhile I dozed off to some television.

I like it that here there are some stations with movies and things to skip to when the commercials come.

Some people we met at the Orleans spent some time watching television there, perhaps with kids, and saw "Meet the Fockers" twice because it was the only thing that was on.

I'm skipping between some comedy station, some sitcom bits, and a movie set on Mars and it entertains me.

Of course, this is nothing like watching at the Super 8. There I have my favorite TCM channel and a few HBO stations so there is no need to play "time the mute" for commercials.

Then too, I find here in the El Cortez vintage that I can hear one or even two other televisions when mine is off. What a shame! That spoils the otherwise unaffected quiet.

I am spoiled because at home we have teevo and so there are always interesting things to watch with the commercials in fast forward, and then the Roku further spoiled me because there we have no commercials whatsoever.

I don't watch much television, but when I am sick I like it better than reading although I did bring along my Kindle this trip and love it. I loaded almost a hundred books for about $5 total (most were free) and I can increase the print so that I don't need my reading glasses.

I'll never read all of them. I"m well into Dickens' Bleak House, however and some of what I loaded can be read in snatches, like collections of anecdotes, word lists, the entire Bible, poetry. In the case with the pop up light I could read in bed while my wife slept and not bother her at all.

Then for Christmas I bought myself an NPR radio. This manages to get about 800 radio stations, and all the NPR stations in the country, by using the wireless computer router. It is a fine little box and ends forever my constant moving of radios and antennae trying to get a clear NPR signal just from the local station.

A fellow I met on the Tropicana bus was ranting about how much better it was back in the 50's when we were kids and he made some excellent points. However, to be old in an age of technology is just delightful.