Do you watch TV

[SandyM]

We have 3 - a 19" in the livingroom, which usually has the news or hockey on; a 13" in the kitchen, which usually has cooking shows on, and a 27" in the basement (family room) which usually has music channels on (not VH1 or MTV, but satellite channels).

We pay far too much of a monthly bill for the dish when we really use it so little.

Although I did get sucked into the last 3 episodes of American Idol......

[Terrytx]

4-a small one in the kitchen that I mainly listen to the news while cooking in the evening, the family room where DD has the most control-but there are a few things we like to watch, the DH and my bedroom for movies and an occasional TV show, and in the "game room" that the kids play game on. All in all, we don't watch a whole lot, too much other stuff going on.

[gertdog]

We have one in our living room and a small one in our bedroom. The one in the living room is new- we just bought it in February. It is the first TV we've owned that has a remote control!

We watch too much TV, though the one in the bedroom is almost never used.

I did not have a television for my first 4 years of graduate school, though I did watch some shows at friends' homes. Then I got a TV and VCR but no cable. Then I moved in with DH (DBF at the time) and it was all over.

Recently we've been discussing turning the TV off for the summer and seeing how we feel about that.

[colleency]

We stopped watching tv on 9/11. I couldn't get the images of the planes crashing out of my head. And I found that when I watched tv, I couldn't function at all. So we stopped watching.

When we moved 1 1/2 years ago, we had to make a decision between paying for cable modem and paying for cable tv (without cable, we get a couply of channels, but very fuzzy). A few months ago, our cable company was bought out and they forced us to get cable tv in order to keep our cable modem price increase down. Lifeline cable (broadcast channels only) costs $10 a month. If we didn't buy that, they were going to raise our modem $15 a month. Grrrr.

But we still don't watch tv as such. I really can't stand the commercials. We taped Manor House on PBS. But other than that we watch DVDs. And mostly we don't even have time for that anymore. I'm trying to figure out how I managed to get anything done at all when we did watch tv, because we used to watch a lot.

[swquilts]

We have 3. One in the LR, one in the room where I use the treadmill and one is in the shop for DH to watch racing.

I usually end up reading a book or a magazine while in front of the TV. We have satellite so sometimes I'll change the channel to a music station and listen to that, commercial free!

[kristalsnow7]

Originally posted by julia
Just curious - does anyone on this board go without television or are you avid watchers? Just wondering because we've just made the decision to get rid of our television - we've decided to become out of touch with fantasy. I've called a women's shelter and asked if they'd like a tv, vcr and dvd player - I'm wasting entirely too much time on television and have decided to cut the habit.

I have one TV, no cable, and watch a few shows here and there. I always feel like I've really wasted my time, though, every time I've watched something. I've been thinking for a long time about giving up TV, and this thread has really inspired me to do so. Anyone else care to join me? How about a "Six weeks with no TV" thread, similar to the "Six weeks without sweets"? I'll still keep the TV for renting movies, but that will be the only time I turn the set on. Thanks, Julia!!

Kristal

[Alethea]

Originally posted by kristalsnow7

Anyone else care to join me? How about a "Six weeks with no TV" thread, similar to the "Six weeks without sweets"?

I'd be totally game!
-Thea

[kristalsnow7]

Originally posted by Alethea


I'd be totally game!
-Thea

Excellent! I'm going to "start" tonight. I'm excited!


Kristal

[JenniferJJ]

Just one - with a VCR.

Actually, when I moved in my house four years I went without a TV for more than a year and a half. I had rearranged my work schedule so much for appointments relative to buying my house that I just didn't feel like doing it anymore to wait for the cable guy (and the reception would just be fuzzy without cable). I also didn't care so much since I only had a small TV. I thought I'd do so much more "productive" stuff, and I'm not sure if I did. After a while, I did miss a few shows. Also, I felt a little out of touch with some of the culture things that come from TV. People would talk about the latest commercials and I'd just stare at them blankly. Also, I missed some big news events during my TV hiatus. I find that I don't watch too many planned programs, but will often watch just to either have noise (I live by myself) or to unwind (uh, maybe I could do the dishes and then read, hmmm.)

After a year and a half, I got a bigger TV and then cable.

[Alethea]

Okay Kristal, I started last night too. It felt great to me, and I had no desire to sneak a peek at anything. However, my BF may take some convincing on this. Though we don't technically live together, he's here a lot of the time, and he is a complete techno and mediaphile. He spent last night on the web while I was reading, but I could see this being interesting. As long as I'm not in the room, he can go for it, but I'll stick with nothing but movie rentals for me.

[kristalsnow7]

Originally posted by Alethea
Okay Kristal, I started last night too. It felt great to me, and I had no desire to sneak a peek at anything. However, my BF may take some convincing on this. Though we don't technically live together, he's here a lot of the time, and he is a complete techno and mediaphile. He spent last night on the web while I was reading, but I could see this being interesting. As long as I'm not in the room, he can go for it, but I'll stick with nothing but movie rentals for me.

I've gone two nights without TV, and it feels great to me, too! We have very similar situations: I live alone, but have a TV-addicted BF who comes over all the time. He knows I don't like TV that much, so he usually doesn't watch as much as he does at his place, but I'm curious to see how this will play out. I have a feeling he's going to be spending more time at his place until the 6 weeks are up!

I took advantage of my "free time" last night and played the piano for well over an hour. I haven't done that in ages, and it was really wonderful.

Kristal

[lhall]

We have 4 tvs.

One in the sunroom, one small on in the kitchen, one in the living room and one in our bedroom.

The one in the kitchen has a built in dvd player and can also go in the car (NEVER for trips under 3 hours). I use it to watch/listen to the news/weather in the mornings and to do my yoga workouts. If I use the sunroom tv/dvd I have to move a table. We have a dvd player in the sunroom, and a vcr in the living room and our bedroom.

We don't watch a whole lot of TV. The kids watch 1-2 hours a day, but rarely more. We might use the tv in the bedroom 2 or 3 times a month. Otherwise, we have a few shows we watch, and we rent a lot of movies. I don't watch everynight, and rarely more than 2 hours at a time.

Leigh

[AD]

I don't really stay glued to the TV much but my mother and I will often leave it on just to keep us company. We aren't very social, so the TV is important to us. Between the two of us, we have four sets, (and may soon get another for the bathroom). We've always had cable. Still, I find most of what's on is either boring, violent, immoral, or downright disgusting. I usually just leave the Weather Channel or Food Channel on without paying much attention while I do other things (cooking, cleaning, etc.). The only shows I actually watch are Judge Judy and, with my mother, Suze Orman (mainly for humor). I used to like the Golden Girls, but I've already memorized every single episode. Also, my mother has to see her soap operas

[bluestocking]

It's funny that you ask this now- we just got through being a Nielsen (sp?) family for a week! We thought it was a riot to be charting our viewing habits...we own one TV, that seems like enough! (just DH & me) Over the course of 7 days we watched TV for 9 hours. 4 of those hours were after 12:00 when DH was sleeping on the couch! We aren't fanatically anti-TV and I'm glad we have it for special events or important news stuff, but we just don't seem to have it on unless we have a purpose. We get our news from papers, Newsweek, and NPR, and our entertainment from music, books, hobbies, etc. I teach school and my kids are stunned that we don't have a TV in our bedroom- they all do!

[HejazSunKat]

I could never give up TV, I do love 'my shows' but aside from watching a few selected programs I don't have much time for the boob tube. I WOULD like to get better news programming though and when I get home for good I want to see if I can get BBC or some other non-US news format in addition to the home grown stuff just to have some balance and perspective. I've come to hate US news programming with it's constant hysteria: 'Breaking News!' 'Terror Alert!' 'America Freaks Out!' not to mention how busy the screens have gotten. I'm a Libra for God's sake, it's too much for me.

[kristalsnow7]

I saw someone had revived an old cable TV thread, and that made me remember this one. I pledged to give up TV for 6 weeks, and I did it, no problem! How about you, Thea? And how's it going without TV at all, Julia?

[CompassRose]

I just want to say that KValley, on the first page of this thread, is my hero.

We also have a TV, and a VCR, but that's because our livingroom is more comfortable, cheaper, and less sticky, than Silver City. Nor are we such devoted media slaves that we cannot wait until the latest movie comes to the local indy video store.

I buy a lot of kitchen magazines (questing for ideas for my one-day-to-be-renovated kitchen) and cannot believe the number of designs in which a TV is treated as a fundamental essential for the complete kitchen. TV in every room. TVs in the bathroom, too, presumably.

Apologies to anyone who might indeed have a screen over the potty, but that's totally pathetic.

[kwormann]

Originally posted by CompassRose
I just want to say that KValley, on the first page of this thread, is my hero.

Julie has been my hero ever since I have "known" her!!!

[badunnin]

Originally posted by CompassRose

Apologies to anyone who might indeed have a screen over the potty, but that's totally pathetic.

No screen above the potty! It's on the wall opposite! j/k!

[CompassRose]

As a matter of fact, speaking of screens in the potty, I was in Ottawa a few months ago, and went to eat at a lovely bistro in the Market... called, if I remember right, The Black Cat.

I went to the bathroom, and there in the floor in front of the facility was a television under glass tile! With the channel-changer handily placed conveniently near the elbow of the average sitter.

(And a hand-lettered sign on the door: Please limit your stay to five minutes.)

[Alethea]

Kristal, thanks for bumping this thread up again. I meant to when after the 6 weeks was up, but forgot. I too successfully avoided, banned, shunned, etc. tv for six weeks, and it felt great! There was only 1 day when I felt the urge to lose myself in the mindlessness. It was a tough, depressing day all around, but I went for a run instead, which was great. And, now that the 6 weeks are up, I feel very reticent to turn the tube on again.

Thanks for starting the challenge; I'm very glad you did!

-Thea

[jmarie]

Who has time for TV? I can't get away from www.cookinglight.com/community!

[msbillie]

We have 4 tvs, but I'm not addicted to it. I think my other family members are. My dh bought me a real cool flat-screen tv for the kitchen, but I rarely watch it, it's mostly on when I'm busy in the kitchen and I don't pay attention (I know, sounds crazy). I don't sit and watch tv, because by that time I'm too tired and I fall asleep

[kristalsnow7]

Originally posted by jmarie
Who has time for TV? I can't get away from www.cookinglight.com/community!

Uh, ditto!

[Alisa]

We have one but I don't know why. Pretty expensive plant stand.

Books are lovely.

[Little Bit]

Last night I watched the first installment of the PBS series on Henry VIII and all his wives. That's the first bit of tv I've watched start to finish in a WHILE.
I do tend to turn on the tv when I make dinner or clean the kitchen, but more for the company of the noise than the content of the show.

I haven't even watched Monk or Dead Zone this summer, either. Neither one seemed as much fun when the new episodes started again, so I haven't bothered.

[julia]

Originally posted by kristalsnow7
I saw someone had revived an old cable TV thread, and that made me remember this one. I pledged to give up TV for 6 weeks, and I did it, no problem! How about you, Thea? And how's it going without TV at all, Julia?

It's going just fine, thanks kristal - no withdrawal, no shakes, no nothing - I absolutely don't miss it - spending more time with the husband, going for walks, getting creative with cooking and reading more. Best decision I ever made.

[cindyluwho]

I used to watch a TON of tv as a kid, and would still watch when I was in college. But my first year of grad school was insanely busy, and I think I watched about 2 hours total that year in the grad student lounge and at a friend's house. I realized that I get alot more done when I don't watch tv! So I decided not to have one, and none of my roommates have wanted a tv, at least not in the common space. Well, technically I have a tv, but it has been sitting on a high shelf in my closet for the past 4 years and has no antenna, so I have only watched it once when I was very sick and had nothing to do for 2 weeks. I recently got a laptop computer with a DVD player, so I can watch movies now, but that seems very different to me from vegging out in front of the tv every night.

The drawback is that half the time I am not sure what people are talking about when it comes to popular tv culture, and I do not get the same news coverage that most people get. So I don't exactly have my finger on the pulse of American culture, so to speak, and I don't quite know what my European friends are talking about when they complain about what they perceive to be the propaganda in tv newscasts, especially Fox news, since that is not where I get my news from.