The Columnist Manifesto

B and I signed up for cable TV after more than a year without it. It's not like we never plopped ourselves in front of the television set -- just that we watched DVDs. But we did not have access to cable or network programming.

All this came to a screeching halt this Thursday with the arrival of the cable guy.

Why did I capitulate? Because the Washington Redskins are in the playoffs for the first time since 1999 and only the second time since they won the Super Bowl after the 1991 season.

Last Saturday, as the Redskins eked out a win over Tampa Bay, I watch from my neighborhood bar. I was quite lucky, actually, that the bar was nearly empty, and I was able to plop myself right in front of the big screen TV.



I put away two beers, two baskets of pub chips and a bratwurst -- no so much because I really wanted these things, but so that I would feel some entitlement to occupy the table for three and a half hours.



Frankly, I pined for the comfort of watching in my own living room. Control of the sound environment, a more judicious selection of snacks, the opportunity to cuddle under a blanket, being able to multi-task, or go to the bathroom without worrying about my stuff getting stolen.

The fact that I'll have all this for this afternoon's Redskins-Seahawks game strikes me as pure luxury. It's funny how by the simple expedient of depriving yourself of something most people take for granted, you can turn it into a special treat.

UPDATE: The Redskins lose 20-10 to the Seahawks. It's one of those games where it seems like my team is never in it, yet they could and perhaps should even win -- the sports fan's equivalent of a slow, agonizing death. But at least I had good snacks!