Hello. My name is Callie, and I’m a DVR-aholic.

Lately, I’ve noticed how addicted I am to the little box attached to my TV. It remembers when my shows come on and to stay up late if it’s going to be a two-hour special, so that I don’t have to. If I’ve got to take a phone call, I just pause the action instead of muting it. It makes my life easier – usually.

But when I’m watching T.V. at a friend’s house without DVR, I remember that DVR is a luxury. Suddenly, I have to pay attention to what’s going on because I can’t rewind to hear the dialogue I’ve missed. See, I have a tendency to talk to the people around me when I watch TV, and when there is no DVR, I’ve got to keep quiet. Apparently, I’m spoiled.

Oh, how I relish pausing “Jon & Kate Plus Eight” when my brother starts to tell me a long, drawn-out and boring story! There are no words to describe how wonderful it is to start “Nip/Tuck” 15 minutes late and to fast-forward through all the long lame commercials. DVRs, of course, can pause or rewind live T.V. Think about that for a second. No, really think about it.

We’re used to being able to fast-forward and rewind, since we all had VCR’s when we were little.

But this is live T.V.!

I can pause President Obama to answer the phone, come back and not miss a word of what he said.

Perhaps the greatest example of the awesomeness of live T.V. rewinding is for sports. No one wants to know what happens before you actually see it happen, and no one wants to miss that great play. You don’t have to be glued to the set anymore if you’re a lucky DVR owner. If you’re hungry in the middle of the fourth quarter, go ahead, fix yourself a snack. Your DVR has safely captured every play.

Basically, DVR is freedom. No longer do you or I need to keep standing dates with our T.V.’s. Plus, it seems like every single show on television now-a-days is so serialized that if you miss one episode, it’s nearly impossible to catch up. DVRs are a remedy to this issue.

After getting a DVR, I started to forget what time shows came on and sometimes even what days they were on. But my trusty DVR would save me every time. Of course, most shows are offered on their network’s Web site now, but I really dislike watching T.V. that way. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll do it if I’m bored or I didn’t have enough room on my DVR, but shows were meant to be enjoyed on a big television screen, not my 13-inch MacBook.

To put it simply, DVR changed my life. Sure it creates “DVR guilt” (when you feel bad about not watching the hours of shows you’ve taped), but it frees you to go out instead of holding a date every day with a television set.

Catch up on your shows after class when there’s nothing better to do. Take confidence that your DVR recorded your show and live your life.

– Callie Kavourgias is a journalism senior.