Hello, my name is Dan and this is my DT Log.

So, I ventured to the affluent San Diego neighborhood of Carmel Valley today. Nothing surprises me any more about the City of San Diego. But apparently they are going to great lengths to promote their new waste-disposal program:

This is saw on the side of two different trash collection vehicles today. What better way to get people to recycle than to threathen them with bodily harm?

I’m probably taking this the wrong way, though I can only guess that the plain “Reycle” campaign was met with apathy. Perhaps the only way city residents can be coaxed into compliance is by adding the “Or Else.” in big block letters, conjuring the images of Scorsese films, or Marcellus Wallace getting medieval on your ass, or Kathy Bates ready to sledgehammer your legs into compliance.

Luckily, the City of San Diego website has an Or Else What? section, so its residents can assuage their fears about possible midnight raids and cement shoes.

This is something I just realized is a little scary.

On-Demand (Channel 1, Cox Digital Cable) has virtually all programs from Noggin and PBS Sprout. For Siobhane, I have a regular 3-hour block of TV for her to watch in the day. I also let her watch additional TV if I have stuff to do.

Right in the middle of the DV recording of “Blue’s Clues,” she grabbed the remote control, gave it to me and said, “Miffy.”

I said, ok, but then I thought about the rammifications. Now, Siobhane can demand just about to see just about every show, just about any time of the day. I lose a little bit of control over the situation.

Twenty years, my parents got a VCR for the first time (1986). Before that, whatever was on TV at the time I had to watch or I missed it! I actually threw a tantrum one day when I was 7, because stupid channel 6 moved “Scooby Doo” back a half hour and I missed it.

Siobhane can be placated by any of her favorite shows around the clock. I make sure the programs are for the most part educational and contain no commercials. But surrendering control, I am a little uncomfortable. She’s better off than most kids, but the TV has become a sort of babysitter.

[sigh]

Ah well, but at least she can count to 20 now. That’s more than I could do when I turned three.