Before moving to my new place, I contemplated satellite vs. traditional cable and regularly checked online to see which companies had the best deals running. I ultimately decided to wait until I got here to make a choice. Magically, upon arrival, when my TV cable was plugged in, sweet entertainment poured directly onto my screen. I decided to see how long it would last, not so much because I was "stealing" cable, but because I assumed the past contact had just not run out yet. I would, therefore, enjoy the tail end of it.
And end it did. 16 days ago. It was a rough Sunday night when I first discovered the situation. I should add that my DVD player had not yet made the move. My next decision was to wait till the first of the month before adding cable again, but this filled me with a certain extent of anxiety. I would miss the 2nd episode of Project Runway. I would miss finding out what adventures the Goselin family had been on with Jon & Kate + 8. I'd miss Glenn Beck and Tucker Carlson and my other favorites for news. Could I do it?
Here's how I survived the last two+ weeks.
- Movies. Since that fateful Sunday night, I've watched A Beautiful Mind, What About Bob, The Holiday, all installments of Anne of Green Gables, Gods & Generals, Gettysburg, The Jane Austen Book Club, the complete HBO special John Adams, Amazing Grace, Fool's Gold and Definitely, Maybe. (and about 1/2 way through the 16 days, my DVD player got to Richmond)
- TV Online - I caught up with the episodes of The Office I had missed on the campaign trail and have watched a few shows on BYU TV.
- Books - A whole book and a half so far (Anything for a Vote and Richmond Burning)
And, you know what I've noticed about myself? After a solid week of withdrawals and struggles, I began to feel a difference. The movies were loaded mostly toward the beginning of these last days, as I couldn't adjust to things be quiet. Heaven knows I've been able to throw away a few late night hours just flipping channels and finding things to entertain me. When that option was gone and I began to purposefully choose my entertainment, the quality drastically improved and I feel much more uplifted. I've learned much.
I've even gotten to the point that I'm seriously considering not signing up for cable. There are two very strong reasons why I still would, though. 1. Olympics and 2. Presidential debates. I don't know that the online option will ever be the same for those.
1 comment:
Yay Melissa! Welcome to the more measured, meaningful life sans cable TV (or much of any TV at all). Indeed it CAN be done, and I think you'll realize at some point (if not already) just how little you actually miss it. I don't have cable and haven't felt at all deprived. As you said, it's way to easy to waste time flipping channels, esp late at night. I have old fashioned rabbit ears that allow me to watch The Simpsons, Jeopardy, the Olympics, Dancing with the Stars, and PBS--what more do you need? :)
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