An enduring legacy?

I am killing time now waiting for the Jets-Colts football game to proceed enough so I can begin watching it (I am DVRing it) and fast-forward through all of the ads and halftime stuff without catching up and having to watch some of it live.

I admit that the DVR is one of the first things that occurred to me today when reading a Nicholas Kristof column about a family that sold their house, bought one to replace it for half the money and gave the rest to charity. He was challenging people to think about what they would give up. I think I would part with flush toilets before handing over my DVR.

I know that's not what TV advertisers like to hear, but that's the deal. Plus I'm not drinking much beer right now and am not looking for a new car so most of the ads on football games aren't aimed at me. Have to admit I'm nearing the stage of life where the products advertised on network news shows have more relevance for me.

Of course, I have already spent a couple of hours today going through the print editions of the Sunday papers, paying extra special attention to the ads, which play a large role in deciding what I'll buy. Plus the coupons are so great! And I would NEVER use Craig's list (which is killing newspaper classifieds) or shop at Wal-Mart (the company disdain newspaper ads). And it's so handy, now that the ads are often on the front of news sections, which used to be reserved for actual news. (The preceding was a paid political message)

A confession: at my behest, all members of my immediate family have answered "newspapers'' when asked by retailers where we heard about their products even if, strictly speaking, it was not always the truth. Or even if it was a lie. Now that my children are grown and away from my direct control, I can only pray that this is one part of my legacy that will endure (at least until newspapers go out of business.)

Medical update: For those keeping score, I'm getting around with less wincing. Am still complaining a lot, though.