The Slice: Sometimes, you just have to think big

Because of some health issues, I spent a fair chunk of this summer living like a shut-in.

Except for medical appointments and walking around the block to slowly regain my strength, I didn’t really go out. Not at first anyway.

So my wife had an idea. What, she asked herself, would be the perfect thing for someone cooped up indoors all day?

Her answer? A big-screen TV.

We’ve always had a television and watch our share of TV. But my wife thought that when I got tired of reading and looking out the window for my neighbor’s cat, I might enjoy watching the almost life-size Detroit Tigers find new and interesting ways to underachieve. And then there was the Tour de France and its countless hours of big-as-life bike crashes in the colorful European countryside.

Yes, I could have seen all that on a TV of more modest dimensions. But my wife suspected the huge screen would make the viewing experience somehow more special.

And you know what? She was right.

But here’s the thing. At the risk of sounding snobbish, we had never thought of ourselves as big-screen people.

We have friends with big screens. And we don’t judge them harshly or assume it suggests idiotic shows are the center of their lives. We just had not thought it was our style.

Then we got one.

When visitors stopped by, I almost found myself apologizing for the size of the TV screen.

I know. Ridiculous.

So I have come to a realization. Anyone who wants to conclude I am shallow or somehow less culturally aware because I have a huge television is welcome to do so.

But don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

Warm-up question: If you found yourself sitting next to your favorite big celebrity, what would you say that he or she would find fascinating?

Today’s Slice question: When you see hyper-defensive landscaping (XL rocks at the edge of someone’s property), do you assume there is a story of cars going off the road that inspired the placement of such a barrier?