Wednesday, June 18, 2008

The End of the Pretty Color Picture Box...

It's been a three weeks now since the television has been turned off.

No, we didn't do it because we thought poor Hawthorne's morals were being corrupted. Images of him moving into the big city of Allentown and stealing cars, chasing down hookers, as well as violating speed laws never crossed our minds. Although he too enjoyed the shows on PBS (Wild Discovery always made him growl at the lions or wanna play with the hyena's...), it also wasn't that we feared a rerun of Cujo bringing out his inner-Saint Bernard to wreak havoc on our quiet country life.

It was just time.

I'm not sure what I imagined it would be like. Images of me hitting it with a sledge hammer in the hopes of getting an antenna signal for a glimpse of something pretty crossed my mind, as did thoughts of Richard screaming "PLEASE can we get CABLE again!!!!" as he suffered withdraw from endless Little House on the Prairie episodes (definitely not something I'm missing, mind you!).

But it was the thing that filled the empty voids, you know? Those times when you came home from work and just wanted something mindless to do to unwind, or those Saturdays when you couldn't mow due to lightning storms, or those long, lonely winter days when all you had to entertain you was a piece of string and a wish for spring...

But you know what? A little weeding is just as therapeutic. A little cleaning, a little straightening up, reading a great book, or even drawing and painting--all wonderful ways to fill up that time you thought you should be watching Malcolm in the Middle on syndication...

Have there been moments? Sure... Picture me salivating as a friend describes what happened last night on Medium, or surfing the web at lunch for just a glimpse of Matthew Fox's hot 5-o'clock shadow...

But we survive, don't we? Of course, let's not forget we didn't drop NetFlix, nor did we disconnect the television from the DVD player or VCR (how many of you under-twenty-somethings just went, "What's a VCR?") so we can rewatch some of the old favorites that we have yet to sell on eBay...

Be that as it may, though, it is wonderfully freeing. Granted, our cable provider didn't believe we weren't going with some other competitor. She was sure we just didn't want to tell her who we chose to get our "television needs" through (her phrase!), and tried several sales tactics in order to try to get us to keep the mindless color box hooked up to the line...

Alas, three weeks and absolutely loving it...

Although, if you don't mind, you could fill me in on who the Mole ends up being... If you were so inclined...

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

hello jason! well, now i know that granddog of mine will listen so much better now that he is not watching that evil tv! :) i think sometimes i want to drop everything that connects to a thing in the wall but i think i would probably take the tv away first than the computer. than some days the computer first than the tv. when we had no electric for 9 days dad and i lived very different and i got alot of my projects done so much faster i cleaned out closets and all kinds of other things and even read a bit more. i did miss listening to music. i was singing alot to myself and got the old hymn book out and looked up some old hymns and sang them. sometimes all 5 verses! :) i didn't really miss the young and the restless. but when i did get the power back it was nice to return to the living. i caught up on the young and the restless (you know that is all fast action stuff):) and was able to listen to my tv radio station! all was right again. (still can't sing good but i do anyway.) i missed my sweeper a lot also. i felt like i was living on a dirt floor! :) i did find out you can use a sweeper with the generator but the power of the sweeper does not seem as great. but i am surprised sometimes i miss those 9 days. did not miss the computer at all. so i guess the computer will go first today. :) no more hearing from me jason on your blog! stop looking so happy about that! :) :) well, better go. will have another cup of coffee with sylvia over the phone. did not talk with her for maybe 3 or 4 days! that is almost as bad as missing the young and the restless! :) love and prayers

Anonymous said...

first and foremost, I missed you too mom...those 3 or 4 days seemed like an eternity...lol
anyway, ja...the tv? good thing I don't come to your hose too often - or I'd go nuts...
anyway, I love tv. I admit it. I'll sit in front of it forever if there were money to be made in doing just that...yeah, I know..I sound like a lazy person..but I truly am not lazy..just like the pretty color picture box (as you call it) lol
love ya lots...red

DaBich said...

Now that hockey season is over till fall, I find myself watching less and less TV...and I don't miss it!

I'm getting out more for walks, reading more and stimulating the brain, and I like it!

Kel said...

I still don't know how you do it. Our TV is a member of our family (and cable is his personality). Yes, my TV is a he. And now Katie is nutty for My Friends Tigger and Pooh, so I couldn't imagine her withdrawal either.

I'm like the only person currently watching The Mole, so I'll fill you in.

DaBich said...

Now that hockey season is over till fall, I find myself watching less and less TV...and I don't miss it!

I'm getting out more for walks, reading more and stimulating the brain, and I like it!

mom said...

hello jason! well, now i know that granddog of mine will listen so much better now that he is not watching that evil tv! :) i think sometimes i want to drop everything that connects to a thing in the wall but i think i would probably take the tv away first than the computer. than some days the computer first than the tv. when we had no electric for 9 days dad and i lived very different and i got alot of my projects done so much faster i cleaned out closets and all kinds of other things and even read a bit more. i did miss listening to music. i was singing alot to myself and got the old hymn book out and looked up some old hymns and sang them. sometimes all 5 verses! :) i didn't really miss the young and the restless. but when i did get the power back it was nice to return to the living. i caught up on the young and the restless (you know that is all fast action stuff):) and was able to listen to my tv radio station! all was right again. (still can't sing good but i do anyway.) i missed my sweeper a lot also. i felt like i was living on a dirt floor! :) i did find out you can use a sweeper with the generator but the power of the sweeper does not seem as great. but i am surprised sometimes i miss those 9 days. did not miss the computer at all. so i guess the computer will go first today. :) no more hearing from me jason on your blog! stop looking so happy about that! :) :) well, better go. will have another cup of coffee with sylvia over the phone. did not talk with her for maybe 3 or 4 days! that is almost as bad as missing the young and the restless! :) love and prayers