Okay, okay. I know it was my own choice. I turned off the cable and just said no to television. It'll be a year without TV come February, and I know I can make it but sometimes it really is too hard to handle. Sure, I watch it sometimes; at my parents' place when I visit, or at my sister's place when we are able to stand each other. However, watching it occasionally and having it at your fingertips in the comfort of your own home are two completely different things. I've gone without TV before. A couple of months here, half a year there. So far though, this has been the longest run.
What do I miss? Really, not too much, now. I used to watch the thursday NBC line up, but from what I hear, I haven't been missing anything much. All the shows I used to watch are cancelled. Gone are Party of Five, X-Files, and even Dawson's Creek, which I had figured they'd run until the kids reached their thirties. Looking back at my brief list, it really was a bunch of crap. I know how they all ended... badly. Julia didn't end up with Griffin, X-Files was incoherent right to the end, and Joey ended up with Pacey. (Nah, she should have been the one to kick it in the end. She always did seem like first prize at the country fair and the two boys always seemed ready to duke it out to take her home and maybe place her on their shelf with all their other trophies.)
I think what I miss most is just the opportunity to decide whether or not I am going to watch TV. Whether I am going to just say no to crap but yes to the occasional informative program. Or say yes to the hillarious That 70's Show or no way to lame, bio/scandal reviews of old or dead or cheesy celebrities. What I do like about having no choice at all is that it is no longer a question of willpower about when to shut it off. Simply put, if you don't got it, you can't use it. So, I read more. I've got a couple of new hobbies, like writing and basketball. I actually use the walking trail near my home.
Yet, it's the summertime that usually reels me into signing up with my local cable company. When faced head on with the first heat wave of the year, I usually make that quick decision to subscribe to over 100 channels. If I'm going to be stuck in the house so I won't melt into a puddle like the Wicked Witch of the West, the last thing I want to do is watch another viewing of Reality Bites on the old VCR.
What brought this whole train of thought on was seeing a posting about a possibility of a Celebrity-Style Survivor. Favorite Survivor winners from seasons past pitted against other Survivor favorites. Survivor does run in the Summer. I have seen it. And I will admit to liking it. But I heard that this possibility was a possibility in time for the next Network Sweeps. About the same time as my 1 year mark without TV. Who knows what will happen then?