Family Unable to Realize PIP Dreams

Tulsa, OK – In 1999, Ted Gusack bought a new television for his family room. “I can remember how excited my wife and kids were when I brought it home,” Gusack recalled. “There’s nothing to do in this town except watch television so it meant a lot to them.” For the first three years, Gusack tried to figure out how to use the picture-in-picture (PIP) feature. “We used to talk about how he could watch the Sooners game, the kids could watch the Gilmore Girls, and I could watch Jerry Falwell but we never got the chance,” his wife Gayle said. Gusack said the PIP button on his remote was a constant reminder of what could have been. “I finally spent the ten bucks and got myself a universal remote so I didn’t have to look at it anymore,” he admitted. “He saved the instruction manual for years,” Gusack’s son Alex said. “It has been really hard on him.” In 2005, the Gusack family almost experienced PIP when their neighbor Mongo offered to teach them how to use it. The following day, Mongo was arrested for sending his ex-wife feces in the mail before he ever got the chance. Gusack continues to resist Circuit City coupons for surround sound. “I don’t criticize him,” said Gusack’s brother, Frank, who lives in neighboring Owasso. “I’ve been trying to mount an LCD television on my wall for a year. Heck, I can’t even figure out how to stop my lawn sprinklers from pelting my neighbor’s car.”