OK, I don't get why dh's tastes make a difference. Never have. With family or roomies, as long as I wasn't hogging the device, they didn't have to not hate what I watched. Why does big el love change that?

Because there are three adults living in a very small apartment, and the tv and dvd player are in the only public room, where the computer, the reading chair and the stereo also are. I would, in fact, be hogging the device and the useable space. Sucks, but them's the physical realities.

We listen to music and watch tv and dvds amicably, but it's most always something we all enjoy. None of us get to watch or listen to something that actively drives the others insane. No death metal, no soaps, and no Farscape.

Also? No fishing shows. IJS.

Eh, then having the big el love doesn't change anything about my scenario--I just didn't know you had device restrictions.

I've heard it a fair amount, enough to surprise me, from people who don't have device restrictions, and the explanation I've most often heard is "But he likes to watch TV together!"

Which I totally don't get.

Sometimes you want to do the SO a favor by making some shows a mutual experience & social occasion. (Or so I hear.)

My best friend has an SO who likes movie-going, so she tries to reserve some movies for couple-viewing. Which means that when I ask if she's up for a certain movie, I have to make a mental calculation as to whether it's one that he's likely not to want to see, like musicals and horror and action. The funny thing is, since it takes him forever to get around to clearing his schedule enough to make time to go out for this, she misses most of the non-'Richard' movies. Le Sigh.

Oh, I have girlfriends I see non-DH movies with. It's funny, because I see a different type of movie with some than I do with others. It's not all what I know they're into, sometimes it's whose experience of a particular movie is going to expand and enhance my own, you know?

I suppose I can see saving up for mutual entertainment experiences like that, though if waiting for the SO meant frequently missing out entirely my response would be "let me know when you're free and we'll go see whatever you want, even if I've already seen it."

Luckily there are enough unRichardian movies that we do get to see stuff now and again. And he refused to see LotR (still hasn't, so far as I know) because "it would ruin his experience of the books" so we got to share those.

Note that he has a lot of good qualities as an SO and person, and I like him, but one must allow for his critical viewpoint.

There have always been shows I like and DH doesn't - and TIVO makes it easy not to watch them when he is around. I cured him of his more annoying habit of making comments when I was watching something he didn't like. ( ok cured is a bad word. I asked him not to) It is one of thoes compromise things. I watch a lot of stuff on cartoon network that really irritates him. ( and honestly, most adults too) So I avoid those when he is around. But since we only have one TV - and it is in the same room with the best reading chairs - headphones are your friend.

Just watched "Family Ties."

OMG OMG OMG OMG LOVE SHOW NOW OKAY MUST WRITE LJ POST AND START S2.

oh lord, P-C. you haven't even gotten to the good stuff. that settles it. time to make up some dvds so i can rewatch.