When in doubt, blame Congress.

Not bad for a mantra, eh? You don't have to limit your blaming to Congress, of course; feel free to spread it around to any government official you like.

Why is Congress the current subject of my scorn? First of all, I was already aggravated with them for that little dance with time that they lead us all in twice a year. And now they are messing with my televison.

"Oh, but you can get a converter!" "Order your coupon off the internet!" "Surely you are willing to pay a little to get a better quality TV?" These are the fun little statements that I have been running across on the internet. Obviously, a lot of people are in the tank for the digital conversion.

I'm not, although I admit that the transition offers me some hope. At the beginning of the current TV season, I was all filled with angst at the prospect of giving more of my life to the TV. Now, the government has answered the problem for me: on February 17th, TV watching will no longer be an option.

I have, however, ordered our coupons from the nice people over at dtv2009.gov (after all, I only have until Wednesday to do so!). Once they are mailed, we'll have three months to decide whether we want to watch TV or not. I certainly intend to at least try a TV-free life for a week or two, just to see what it is like.

So in this case I say, Thank you, Congress! You have made it easier for me to not be like everyone else. Well done.