I’d like to make a suggestion for anyone who has a compulsive need for background noise: shortwave radio. It’ll satisfy any need for background noise and expose you to some very interesting (and sometimes bizarre) viewpoints. Many “world band” stations transmit with huge amounts of power and can be easily received with only a cheap shortwave radio and the attached antenna. And you can choose programming ranging from international news from sources such as the BBC World Service to freaky right-wing conspiracy theories and biblical end-times prophecy on some of the programs from stations like WWCR (I was listening to one last night that talked about the connections between Freemasonry, Satanists, the Egyption sun god Ra, the Illuminati, and the war in Iraq). If you’re not sure where to start, pick up a copy of “Passport to World Band Radio.” It’s a fairly inexpensive book ($20) and will tell you everything you need to know to get started in shortwave listening - radios to buy, stations to listen to, what’s on at any particular time - everything. And best of all, there are no monthly subscription fees or any other costs aside from the purchase of the radio itself. Trust me, if you or someone you love (heh) has a compulsive need for background noise, you’d be hard pressed to beat shortwave radio for sheer coolness.
MrsB loves to have the TV on, and nothing else will do. So I found a solution: Wireless Headphones!
The pair we own are made by Advantix, if I recall correctly. Picked 'em up at Radioshack. Takes all of two minutes to hook them up to your VCR, TV, DVD, whatever, then just charge your batteries and let 'em rip.
We originally got em because I was doing overnights, and this let the other person watch the tube when one person was asleep, but they came in handier when I started doing the early morning shift.
From Bertand Russell’s lecture, “Why I Am Not a Christian”:
While there is something to what he says, by ignoring the contributions of the evangelical Christian church to the slavery abolition movement and the movement to abolish child labor, Russell makes a grossly inaccurate generalization.
Whoops, wrong thread. My apologies.
I’m going to recommend divorce. It’s the only hope in this situation, I’m afraid.
Pestie, I really like that idea. For some reason, that sparks my interest and quite possibly gives a completely different feel to that of TV.
Since we no longer live together leaving the room doesn’t sound like the greatest option. In that case I might as well leave his place and just go back to mine to do something that is more interesting.
We do have headphones but he only uses them when I’m asleep in the bedroom. If he were to use the headphones when I’m there we wouldn’t be able to visit and that’s sort of my reason for being there in the first place.