Yet another reason I don’t watch TV
Because on the first day I watched in maybe a year or more, on October 23rd they played a Christmas ad!
I’m posting partly because I was reminded that the universe started that day, exactly 6,026 years before (for details, scroll down). Anyway, here’s the story:
Podcast guest E.J. Perry was quarterback for Brown University when we recorded our episode. Possibly partly from being a guest, he signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars (likewise, after endorsing my book, General Lloyd Austin became U.S. Secretary of Defense and after appearing on my podcast Eric Adams became Mayor of New York City).
I decided to watch Jacksonville play the New York Giants, which they did on October 23. It was hard to find a TV to watch since I don’t have one, didn’t want to impose on friends who don’t watch football (I used to know many but I think we all aged out), and didn’t want to buy drinks at a bar. My building has a small gym with a TV, so gambled no one would be using the gym at that time and watched.
On October 23rd they played a Christmas ad! It wasn’t even Halloween, let alone Thanksgiving and they showed a Christmas ad. E.J. ended up not playing that game, so I ended up stopping watching before the end of the game.
Not having watched TV in months beyond what I see in public places like bars as I walk past, the experience watching was revolting. Everything was a distraction, trying to get and hold my attention. Ads were stupid. My ad blocker stops ads even from online videos so my web browsing experience shows few ads.
If I calculated right, October 23 is sixty-three days before December 25. Soon Christmas ad season will begin December 26.
The Universe Started That Day, Exactly 6,026 Years Before
Coincidentally, the book I’m currently reading and loving, Rescuing the Planet: Protecting Half the Land to Heal the Earth, mentioned that October 23, 4004 BCE was the day the universe began, according to James Ussher (1581-1656), an Archbishop of Ireland in the seventeenth century.
Answers in Genesis gives the history and some details in The World: Born in 4004 BC? Ussher and the Date of Creation.
Scientific American posted on it too: October 23, 4004 B.C.: Happy Birthday Earth!.
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