Despite all the rain, this weekend was pretty entertaining. I got in some time in the garden. Working in the garden really tunes you in to the changing season. I love the preparations for winter. I�m almost ready for snow.

We were supposed to have an interview with a potential babysitter this afternoon, but she just called to tell us she just found a part time job and wouldn�t be looking for any more work. I�m actually a little relieved. As much as I�d love some more time to work, I�m not so keen on anyone else taking care of AJ on a regular basis when it is possible for me to do so.

AJ is becoming quite a little video addict (according to this article, he is far from alone). When we were all sick a few weeks back, we got pretty lax and let him watch more than usual because we just couldn�t keep up with him. So now we�ve put ourselves in the position of saying �no, no, no� all the time.

The idea is that we should be encouraging him in more imaginative play, which he�s just starting to figure out how to do. He has always loved us to make his animals or puppets talk to one another and to him (a la Kukla, Fran and Ollie). But it is only within the last month or two that he has started to create such conversations on his own.

This weekend he came up with a new variation. After about the 100th turn-down of his request to watch TV, he came up with an idea. �No, Mommy, watch pretend TV.

He ran to find what he calls his �marote,� an old remote control that doesn�t seem to belong to any appliance anymore. He lined up two AJ-sized chairs next to each other facing a window, pointed to one and said, �Mommy sit there.� I followed his instructions and he sat down next to me and pointed the remote at the window. �I hit number 2.� �Are you watching channel two?� I asked. He nodded. I had to know what kind of programming was on the Pretend TV network, so I asked, �What�s on channel 2?� AJ thought for a moment and then replied, �Horsies.� He flipped the channel again. �Channel 3.�

�What�s on channel 3?�

�Arthur.�

�What about channel 4?�

�Football.�

�And channel 5?�

�Toys. And hopscotch.�

�Channel 6?�

�Horsies.�

�Channel 7?�

�More horsies.�

�Channel 8?�

�Toys.�

�And hopscotch?�

�No, just toys.�

He described an endless array of programming that, with the exception of Arthur and football, was completely unrelated to any programming we have ever seen or to anything actually outside the window that was serving as a TV. I am particularly anxious to see more of the toys and hopscotch channel.

I loved hearing his ideas for how his own personal programming would go, but I am not so happy that when he goes to imagine things, he imagines television. It reminded me of an essay by Adam Gopnik from a September 2002 New Yorker (no online archive, that I could find) called �Bumping into Mr. Ravioli.� (The essay is also included in Best American Essays 2003, which is a particularly good collection this year. I definitely recommend it.). Gopnick talks of his concern about his daughter Olivia�s imaginary friend Charlie Ravioli who is always too busy to play with her. Charlie and Olivia have imaginary cell phone conversations and occasionally bump into each other and make future plans to get together, but eventually Olivia can only talk with Mr. Ravioli�s secretary. Gopnick is disturbed by the idea of an imaginary friend who is too busy to play � isn�t the point of an imaginary friend to play when other cannot? But he eventually concludes that Olivia is merely trying to be a part of an adult world she can�t get into, a world where everyone is too busy to do any real talking, and instead are constantly racing around and bumping into people.

AJ�s pretend TV makes a similar use of fictional media (Olivia�s pretend cellphone) and exhibits a similar sense of isolation. While AJ�s game doesn�t show busyness, it also doesn�t show real interaction and puts him in an isolated role, albeit less passive than watching real TV.

In any case, I think it�s time to be inviting some real live friends over to play with him.

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