Tuesday, October 23, 2012

"I don't even own a TV"

I've heard people say that my whole life. Friends and acquaintances that could proudly tout their televisionary independence. I've gone through peaks and valleys when it comes to TV watching. I've had crappy little TV sets that only carry 2 or 3 clear channels and I've had gigantic flat screens with complete cable packages. I've killed a whole day vegging out in utter laziness and I've had months where I've watched nothing but a rented movie or two.  But I have never been totally weened off of the boob tube. Until now.

So, what do you do to pass the time when you don't have a television? I mean, no screen-based entertainment at all (this includes internet people... no Hulu, no YouTube... I swear, I've had much more dramatic withdrawals from our lack of internet access than I have from not having a TV, but I digress...).  You go out, right? To the pubs! Or on a chilly evening stroll.

Right. But what about the evenings in? When its dark outside, you've finished dinner, and the chores are done... but its not quite time to get ready for bed? Then what do you do??

Well, you uke.

Or put together puzzles.
(this picture taken the morning after a crazy night of puzzling.)
Or knit.
(and unravel it all... and knit again... and unravel it all...)
You mess with the cats

You do a little finger pickin'

You bake apple/pear pie
(sans recipe... Tried to make it 'healthy' so I used minimal sugar. It was quite tart, but easily remedied by adding copies amounts of vanilla ice cream)
You stare at the ceiling

or out the window.

And, of course, you read.

At least, that's what we do! And for the most part, I don't really miss TV at all (although it would be nice to get the broadband hooked up so we could stream a show or two, I mean, I didn't move to the UK to stop watching Downton Abbey!) Most of all,  I'm getting used to the quiet. I had the habit of turning on the TV just as background noise, and I find I am happier without the constant bombardment of chatter and adverts. And Matthew and I are having some delightful fireside chats... OK, that took it a little too far, but we are a lot more present with one another, if that makes any sense!

I'd love to hear what any of you do when you're not plugged in- in case we run out of ideas here we can steal yours!

2 comments:

  1. That's awesome! TV is alright but to me it just kills boredom from time to time; either I watch an old show I love like Seinfeld or watch the Daily Show or Mad Men. An hour at a time every couple days.

    I wish I grew up without television though, as a kid it definitely dominated my life and I missed out on the richness and depth the world had to offer.

    TV, and frankly the Internet and computers too, are not really necessary. Just fun, sometimes educational distractions.

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    1. I don't know Ben, TV is pretty awesome. I mean, that's why so many of us plug in! I think the only way I wouldn't watch TV regularly at this point is by not having one in the house. That said, I think the internet has clearly established itself as the biggest time suck in my life. Not having access at home has been a most frustrating, and in some ways most productive, time.

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