I used headphones... played some soft music in the background. Helps block out the commercials without being too distracting.

That bit about fixing a messy cable run being a real win hits home. It reminds me of trying to put my grandma's VCR back together after it ate a tape. I had that rainbow ribbon cable out and spent an hour just figuring out which way it flipped so the door would open again. Getting it to work felt like magic, but I also never wanted to see another one.