Parked in Front of the Tube

Share

I spent most of today happily parked in front of the tube.

First, I watched the tail end of the History Channel’s program on the Salem Witch Trials. I think I had seen it before, because I remembered the end when the historians were sitting around a table in the home of one of the victims discussing the hysteria.

Next, a really interesting program about the Plague came on. I learned several things I didn’t know or hadn’t put together before. It was interesting to see the ways in which this momentous event entirely changed history. This might have been the first program I’ve seen, too, that successfully brought home the enormity of the disaster.

After that I watched a program called Little Ice Age: Big Chill. Did you realize that a mini-ice age gripped the planet for about 600 years between around 1300 and 1850? I knew there had been one in the Middle Ages, but I didn’t realize it had lasted until so recently. I didn’t realize it had impacted so many aspects of our ancestors’ lives, too. For instance, there is a theory that Stradivarius violins owe their excellent tone in part to the coldest part of the Little Ice Age in which trees in the area where the violins were made grew particularly dense wood due to the cold.

Finally, I felt like watching a movie. I checked the Pay-Per-View new movie listings, but I didn’t see anything I wanted to watch. I decided to see if there was anything good in the bargain section (not really a bargain, since it’s only a dollar cheaper) and saw that they were offering Love Actually. I love those sorts of British movies, and believe it or not, I hadn’t seen it yet, so I purchased and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Sometimes it’s great to just sit in front of the tube.


Share

2 thoughts on “Parked in Front of the Tube

  1. I watched all three of those shows as well. I loved the Plague. I actually learned quite a bit that I didn't know. I'm going to order Witch Hunt for my classroom.

  2. I watced large portions of the first two as I cleaned out wreckage from my closet! 😉

Comments are closed.