Indulging in leisurely distractions
Apr. 21st, 2018 09:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mtbcWhen I first left home I mostly gave up computer games: they are just too appealing and unproductive for me. I would still happily spend many hours a day playing games if I could. I am also cautious about alcohol: I like it a bit more than I would a normal tasty drink so I make sure to occasionally go several days without it and to avoid it when I feel stressed enough that it would be unusually welcome. Food is another thing that I find that I really do appreciate. I don't have fancy tastes: hot buttered toast is among my favorite foods. I am not a hedonist but I do greatly appreciate some of life's simple pleasures.
The
For instance,
I need to relax my brain toward the end of the evening or I cannot sleep. I get enough enjoyment from television that I figure that it may as well be my drug of choice even if I find myself suspecting it of being an avoidable waste of my time. I note that a book that is interesting but not a page-turner, like Geert Mak's
The
worstpastime in which I much indulge is television dramas. To wind down for the last couple of hours before sleep I find that passive escapist consumption works well. Furthermore, I find many shows to be genuinely engaging: it is not just a case of finding something to watch because there are enough good shows on, at least in my opinion, that I do not want to miss out on those experiences.
For instance,
Counterpart(2017)'s first season just finished and we just had the BBC's brief adaptation of
The City and the City(2018) (I liked the book) but we are now into new seasons of
The Americans(2013) and
Legion(2017), the new season of
Westworld(2016) is about to start and Netflix just dumped on us the new season of
Money Heist(2017). They each have their merits: taking a couple of those, I find
Counterpartan interesting exploration of how we are shaped by our environment and
Legionis very imaginatively varied in how it uses photography and music to tell its story. Admittedly,
Money Heistwas just my latest moreish guilty pleasure.
I need to relax my brain toward the end of the evening or I cannot sleep. I get enough enjoyment from television that I figure that it may as well be my drug of choice even if I find myself suspecting it of being an avoidable waste of my time. I note that a book that is interesting but not a page-turner, like Geert Mak's
In Europe, can also get me ready for sleep but maybe it suffices to be careful to not watch many hours' television each night. I can allow myself some pleasures.
