Turn Off Your TV

I want to invite everyone to observe TV-turnoff week with me next week.

OK, just ignore the really bad graphics on that website for a minute. Now I'm not saying tv is evil, because if that were true I'd be such a hypocrit. I can't seem to go a week without my House fix. And we all know that I wouldn't have nearly as big a penchant for home improvement if it weren't for Norm and the gang on This Old House.

BUT, it is a time sucking waste. That's right, how many hours a week do we all lose by channel surfing because it's only 30 minutes before the next half-way decent show? I know I've watched far too many episodes of Seinfeld waiting for the Simpsons to come on. And it's just sad. And what makes it even worse is the shows that I watch even though I've seen the episode before, or the shows that I watch because it's what's on and I need to numb my brain for a while so I don't have to think about my own problems. And then midnight rolls around (or even 1AM) and I haven't actually gotten anything done. All night.

I grew up in a house where the tv was always on. There was after-school crap and Star Trek with Dinner (which was sort of OK because episodes of the Next Generation still soothe what ails me, no matter how ridiculous the plot-line was...) and then more junk after dinner until it was way past my bedtime.

I gave up TV in college. I made an agreement with my roommates that we wouldn't have one. When I moved to Boston after graduating I lived alone without cable/antenna/etc. It was a good time. I got a lot of other stuff done. Then Paul and I moved in together and we got broadband cable, and that's when it started. At first is was just a show or 2, then it was the ST Next Gen marathons. Then for a little while once we moved we no longer had cable again, and all was good. And then the day Comcast called me up at work and said that I would save $2 on my service if I added basic. "Um, so you're telling me that I will pay less and get more?" Yup. I will get more crap and less sleep. I will discover Gilmore Girls and form an addiction which only eases when House got the same time slot and even I had to admit the Gilmores just weren't who they used to be. If I want someone annoying, I'll watch House, because at least he's supposed to be annoying. And he's good at it :)

But right now in my life there's far too many sub-par shows that I seem to get sucked into watching anyway, so I'll be happy to say goodbye for the week. I may cheat for House, but he's the only one. Oh, except maybe Numb3rs... though I have a feeling I'll be getting it on DVD someday, so maybe I can wait and watch it without all those annoying commercials that are subsidizing my broadband internet connection.