The living room shake up is mostly complete. The orientation of the entire layout has changed from landscape to portrait and I like it. As a matter of fact, I've really been enjoying my living room quite a bit. So much so, I didn't hesitate much when I put in my order for a HD & DVR DirecTV installation last week. The generous 5 hour installation window begins in a couple of hours.

It's a well known fact that I've never had cable television since I returned to the beach over 2 year ago. Cable internet, but no TV reception at all. The problem has been I've gone through enough cycles of being TV free to know that I'm a more productive person without it. But I've done some trial runs recently and I definitely think I'm in a more disciplined, "take it or leave it" state of mind. Famous last words, right? The fact of the matter is I've been watching TV via podcasts and NetFlix for quite some time. Most TV show DVD's have 3 or more hours crammed on to a single disc and I'm ashamed to admit that I've consumed them in marathon couch sessions just to get the disc back in the mail the next day. I guess that's why I sprung for the DVR package, so I can maintain my "on demand" habits without deadlines.

I also didn't hesitate last night to go out an purchase a new home theater receiver to accommodate both HDMI sources: the satellite receiver box and my beloved 360 Elite. The receiver isn't particularly fancy but it's exactly what I needed. Until today, I was running video directly from my Xbox to the TV and routing audio through the receiver. Now I can once again route both video and audio through one box and I still only have one big, fat HDMI cable snaking through the walls to the TV. A/V harmony has been restored.

But it isn't all A/V club. Some furniture has been eliminated which makes things seem bigger. I just need to solve my shelving issues. The problem with being moderately handy is I keep picturing the ideal solution and thinking, "I could build that pretty easily". It hasn't happened yet. Maybe I'll get some ideas from HGTV HD tonight.