Born Spectator

I have a fascination with television. If a TV is on and I'm in the room, I cannot keep from watching it -- even if the sound is off. We visited some friends once, and they turned they muted their TV while we sat and chatted. I was nearly useless in the conversation because I was constantly staring at the screen.

It looks like the apple hasn't fallen very far from the tree.


We've noticed lately that Scott has taken an interest in TV. I was watching a show a while ago with him on my lap and he stopped fussing and starting watching along with me. He particularly liked the commercials, where there was a lot more variety. He fussed a bit more when the regular show came back on (I think it was the news).

Yesterday, I propped him up on the couch and he was quite fascinated to watch the TV here at R's parents' place. An earlier show had ended, and a movie had started up. Scott was glued to the first ten minutes of "Anna Karenina" -- an adaptation of the lengthy novel by Lev Tolstoy. I turned it off after a few minutes, so he probably won't find out how it ended until he gets old enough to read.


I think he was shocked that I would interrupt his entertainment.

In the evening, we went to the "Grand Finale" of the International Fireworks Competition here in town, and we wondered how Scott would respond to the show. I figured that he would be interested by all the lights and sounds.

It turns out that I was right.

For the entire 30-minute "pyrotechnical display" his wide eyes were fixed on the sky. I think he might have been frightened by the whole thing, but he certainly wasn't bored. I worry that some of the explosions might have been louder than is really healthy. During the climax of the show, when things were getting pretty furious, he started to grip my fingers a bit. Other than that, he seemed pretty happy with the show, and was probably quite pleased when they announced that the team from Spain had won.

We were given VIP treatment, thanks to R's dad, who is kind of a big deal in these parts. He was able to get passes for us that got us into the "VIP Village", where we enjoyed some light refreshments and a chair to plant on our patch of grass. This is R's brother, who was quite at home in the Village.