remote control

the remote for my cable is broken. i can't figure out what's wrong with it. i've changed the batteries, pushed all of the various button combinations, and even banged it against my sofa. this is awful. in the old school days, it was easy enough to get up and switch the channel. we had the broadcast nets plus a few key cable networks. 20 channels at most. but now the channels i like to watch are 50, sometimes 100 away from one another. i can't surf between shows whatsoever, and even have to buy myself a bit of time when switching to a new show. i'm forced to compromise missing the end of one to catch the beginning of another. so here i am on a wednesday night, forced to watch the american idols' ford commercial instead of checking in on criminal minds or last night's real housewives of ny. i know you're shocked by this, but yes, i am single.