2003-07-14 - 1:33 p.m.

regular readers will know that i haven't had a television in my home since early in the year. overall, my situation has improved without a steady diet of the shiny box, transmitting capitalist messages to my vulnerable retinas. but TV did serve an important purpose in my life: sanctioned zone-out time.

i feel all of us need an hour or two in our day to simply zone out, let one's mind go, uncross one's thoughts and impulses, crawl back into one's body. an hour or two of pointless sitcom reruns at the end of a long day selling paint was often a perfect excuse to do that. i know some people meditate, but watching TV is so much easier. unfortunately, i was mildly obsessive-compulsive about television, and its better that i don't do it anymore. but how to unwind?

currently, my favorite outlet for the OCD unwind is the repetitive online game. the ones i like most rely on pattern recognition. my favorite video/computer game has always been 'tetris' and i gravitate toward games of that ilk. two of my current favorites are 'collapse' on yahoo! games, and 'anna nicole's head game' on eonline. both reward quick impulses and ordered thinking. that might not seem relaxing to you, but it chills me out somethin' powerful.

we live in an increasingly uncertain and random world. for those of us who are neurotic to begin with, or mildly OCD, or have control issues, its even a little bit harder. spending some time in the controlled environment of a flash game, finding order and pattern in a seemingly random cascade of colored blocks is very soothing. plus, it keeps score so i can always try to 'best' myself.

i also really like to play solitaire, especially on the computer. i was not entirely surprised to find that my mom likes all the same computer games that i do.