Wow Friends, I never expected to get so much useful feedback on such a trivial blog! I feel like I should be paying you all for your wise council and validation. It really helped a lot. I have made a few changes based on all of your comments. I haven't gone as far as cutting the cable, but I have cut way back on my television viewing. Also, I bought a used treadmill from craigslist and have made a rule that I can't plop down to watch TV until I've done at least an hour on the treadmill first. The hour on the treadmill gives me 100% justifiable TV time. I could even justify watching the Bachelor if I was on a treadmill the whole time, but I won't. I won't. You all called me out on that one, and I'm really grateful. (I guess I'll have to rely on Brian's blog for my pop culture fix.) I've also talked to Chris about canceling our satellite subscription and upping our netflixs from 2 movies at a time to 4. This would definitely make all of our TV watching much more deliberate and conscientious. (BTW Dave, I have The IT Crowd in my Queue but it hasn't been released yet.) I think we'll do that when this season ends and everything goes to reruns.
I had mistakenly thought that if I wasn't watching TV then I would have to be doing something more productive, like paying bills or doing a special cleaning or organizing project around the house. I guess I thought that there was something wrong with down time. So now that I've realized it's not an either/or situation I've taken your suggestions and started mixing up my down time a little more. I've read a couple books, played guitar with Chris, and engaged in more deep and meaningful conversations with my husband (which may or may not be a euphemism for sex). My ultimate goal is to discontinue commercial television all together and only watch DVD's, but I'm not there yet.
Thanks again, friends, for all of the great comments and insights. You rock my blog and my world.
Oliver in Brazil: April 2024
1 week ago
3 comments:
Wow, I think your response is more than any of us expected. Again, I don't think there's anything wrong with watching a lot of TV, so long as you're happy. I'm glad that you've found happiness in other activities, and think that a lot of your choices (especially the treadmill) are awesome. Good for you!
If you were to get rid of your cable would you also have to discontinue your Tivo subscription? Also, I'm pretty sure the first season (but not the 2nd or 3rd) of the IT Crowd is available on Netflix, though it's kind of hard for me to tell since we had to get rid of it when we moved.
Your posts on TV have made me think about my own television addiction. I've gotten in the habit of plopping down in front of it at the first opportunity that it's become a habit that's hard to break. I really ought to get myself a good book and curl up on the couch to read it; but at the end of the day I often want to switch off my brain. Of course, I often don't watch for more than 30 minutes before I fall asleep!
The treadmill idea is a really good one. We had a treadmill until we sold it on Craig's list a while back... I prefer changing scenery so that's why I jog with our dog. Of course, TV has a similar effect as far as visual stimulation.
Hooray!! I love that you're mixing up your down time. It is hard to imaging your mom never showed you downtime was good and acceptable. Are you missing your programs or are you watching them less frequently? The rule of 1hr of treadmill is a great idea.
As for the rest of your family, are they adjusting well, do they act like things are out of sorts? Do you feel out of sorts?
Consciously putting in a DVD for your children forces you to think about how much time they have been in front of it. Maybe it is a good thing but I find myself feeling guilty that the TV is being turned on yet again. I can’t wait for summer to kick them on outside.
Good luck with your changes. I think you will really be happy with the results.
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