One of my first, most thrilling memories was watching rocket launches. They fueled my interest both in science and science fiction.

I admired the courage it took to be crammed into a tiny metal box, just a couple of feet away from the vastness of space. Or to walk in space!

I remember being glued to the TV, awestruck, as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin bounded over the lunar landscape.

A good friend of mine, the director of another Colorado public library district, celebrated her 50th birthday with a "Jubilee." She took the year off. During that time, she made herself available as a volunteer. But she refused to lead anything. "I'll stuff envelopes," she said, "but I won't write the letters."

I'm not exactly sure how this happened, but suddenly I don't watch TV anymore. Not the news. No regular programs. Not talk shows.

I'm not being a snob about it. My family has a fair number of VHS videos, and a growing number of DVD's.

Many a night, we'll even plunk ourselves in front of the tube with TV trays and a pile of spaghetti. But we watch movies, not TV fare.

So why don't I watch regular TV?