I've had a HD TV since the summer.

And today is the first day I figured out how to get HD channels.  How about that.

Digital channels are weird.  I mean, you go your whole life with whole numbers (and maybe A vs B sides) but now I have to learn about hyphenated number channels?  Yeesh.

Anyway, there was nothing but news to watch on the big five networks* so I ended up watching Zee TV, which is some network with Indian** programming.  The first soap opera was in love with the 360 camera trick (which must be awkward for the actors to just stand there waiting for the camera man to finish.)  It was called Dictator Didi or General Didi or Ambassador Didi or something.  I don't know, I didn't watch much but despite its title it just seemed to be about regular soap stuff.  "Will so-and-so blah blah blah?  Tune in!"   Then it immediately went to a second soap about a worried woman facing off against the devil.  The devil looked like an ordinary man, so I was a little loss.  If I only watch the first few minutes I'd be making a joke about how Indian people have special powers apparently.  The devils fireballs are negated by red powder, and then the Hindu top god (I'm guessing) takes the body of a smug woman and talks him into repenting his sins, while the worried woman resurrects her husband from death.  Lots of crying and family politics at the end.

Is it odd that I can't watch American soaps but can watch foreign ones? 

After that there were some Indian music videos.  I obviously don't watch a lot of Indian media but what little I see of it (especially anything marked as Bollywood) makes me wonder if India is going through what the U.S. did during the Golden Age.  And remember that took place during a freaken depression and a war.  Everybody's happy and there's no sense of irony that I have yet to see.

A few commercials reminded me of my experiences with Indian food.  I mean, even when I went to a vegetarian restaurant the food was still ridiculously spicy.  I can't even eat a spicy chicken sandwich without suffering a little.  I think one of the things they were advertising was called Hot Spicy, but I can't look it up because I don't trust Google.***

There was also an ad for Indian Mail Order Brides.  Hmmm, could I go vegetarian?**** 


I like India.  I hope they win the inevitable nuclear war with Pakistan.




* -  I have no idea why I consider The CW a big network, other than I guess I used to root for UPN and The WB in their first years.

** -  I mean India the country, not Indians the natives in America.

*** -  Oh, and another thing about Indian food that has nothing to do with watching Zee TV.  India, you guys need to get more sugar in your diets.  You call THOSE sweets?  We in America will show you sweets!  And...a few more pounds on your bodies...

**** - Nah.


More:  General Didi is the first show's name, but it was originally called Hitler Didi.  Buh?  There doesn't even seem to be a character named Didi. 

Also weird?  No sitcoms.  Come on!  I've watched several episodes of that Mexican school sitcom.  (You hear about the one that got in trouble a year or so ago for BLATANT racism?  Yeah, that one.  I was surprised it was still on.  I swear its been on as long as I even knew about Univision and Telemundo.)  At least give us a game show or something.