On Tivo, and TV

June 23, 2006

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A FOND FAREWELL TO A FRIEND

I’d like to start by saying a few words about my first and original Tivo machine, which bit the dust last week after nearly six years of devoted service. That Tivo was there for me -- and my roommate Tony -- in good times and bad. I’ll never forget the moment we realized that if you program the word "Pageant" into your Key Words, you might end up with “Save-til-the-End-of-Time” gems like the Pax channel’s America’s Best Mom Pageant with host Barbara Eden from Bransom, MO. There were some darker days as well, like on the morning of September 11th when we were glued to CNN, Tivo gave us the message, “Tivo would like to change the channel and record Mama’s Family.” Ah, memories.

Our Tivo met its maker just as we were programming it to record the Tony Awards. Maybe it was throwing some kind of “Julia wasn’t nominated” tantrum, though I think it may have just been exhausted from the millions of times we replayed the “Best of T.T. and Mario” sketch from Saturday Night Live where Maya Rudolph and Kenan Thompson sing, “Let me put it in a little bit… just the tip!”

STOP IT, YOU’RE HURTING MY HOO-HOO

Though I missed the Tonys, I was able to get a new Tivo Series II hooked up within days and this one can record more than one program at a time! What that means in practical terms is that I can now watch Ellen and Oprah. I used to opt for the latter because deconstructing Oprah never gets old. It’s my version of the New York Times crossword puzzle and everyday is Sunday.

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