Friday, May 16, 2008

Bio Network

When I have a long run on the treadmill, I find myself watching the Biography channel. In the early morning, from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., they usually show two "classic" profiles. It's fascinating enough that it takes my mind off the running. This morning's profiles were about Uri Gellar and James Praag.


I'm not really sure what to think about these two mind-bending folks. (My gut tells me they're either charlatans, or they made a lucrative money deal with ... could it be ... SATAN?!) At any rate, good information for the next time I do a crossword puzzle. I've also watched bios on Pat Tillman (football player killed in Iraq), Barbara Eden (I Dream of Jeanie actress), and Sandra Dee (as in, "look at me, I'm ..."). It's the kind of TV station the family I grew up in can't pull themselves away from. We are sponges for pop culture. Try playing Trivial Pursuit with us sometime and you'll understand.


The Bio people know how to keep a runner tuned in. I didn't even stray during the commercials. They'll end each segment on a cliff hanger like: "James' life was about to take a turn in a very drastic way." Drastic way? What could it be? I've got to keep it on this channel to find out, which is exactly the kind of thinking my tired, running mind and body needs. So I'll tell myself that I'll run through the commercials, and then I'll treat myself to a one-minute walking break after the commercial break. It works every time. With 15 minute of show, followed by three to four minutes of commercials, it's not long before the two hours of running is up. And I've got a little bit more trivia knowledge for the next Christmas-day challenge of Trivial Pursuit. Watch out brothers and sisters: this is when a little bit of Bio channel can be a dangerous thing.



1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Well written article.