We’re too busy reading to fiddle around with a literature curriculum! Trust me, it’s not as crazy at it sounds.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007 at 12:10AM The great experiment is at an end! The Man brought home a television, and all is right with the world. We may never have school again.
I'd write more, but we're in the middle of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and I don't want to miss the knitted scene.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007 at 10:04PM The last time I wrote about our TV-free lives, I was a desperate woman. Today I am pleased to report that I have moved on. I wish I could say the same for The Man, but even though I can't pronounce him cured, I can report progress. He's read more books in the last month than he has in the last year. Now that is something worth celebrating! The Man does not share my opinion, but he'll come around eventually.
I have come to realize that the television ruled too much of my life even though I rarely watched it. I would always try to sit with my peeps while they watched their programs, but I'd soon leave the room because I couldn't stand the noise of the cartoons or the eternal droning of ESPN. I'd retreat to my bedroom and play on my computer. Now that the television is gone, I do not have to hide from it. As a result, I spend much less time playing online, as evidenced by my failure to post in the last two weeks. (Sorry about that.) The thing is, I don't really like to sit by myself in front of the computer. I'd much rather sit in my quiet living room, reading and knitting and goofing off with my family.
Another good thing that has come of our broken television is that we go to the movies more often now. I love going to the movies! I can sit back and relax without feeling like I should be folding laundry or paying the bills while I watch the film. And since we have a dollar cinema nearby, we can go twice a week without breaking the bank.
I know that eventually we will buy another television, but for now I will enjoy the quiet.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007 at 12:11AM Our television, a 27" Magnavox floor model we bought in 1995, died on the first of July. Eventually we will replace it, but until we do we will wallow in our grief and remember better times. We'd buy one right now, but we want a nice one (well, really a spectacular one) so we'll have to save our pennies for a while. We are unwilling to raid the emergency fund for a television, though we are sorely tempted to call this an emergency!
Anyway, I thought I'd blog about our practically tv-less existence. The first week wasn't so bad; Kelley and her girls were visiting and we were all very busy with other things. The second week was hell. I am not exaggerating. I don't use the television during the day, but going without my movies at night has been awful. I've tried watching them on the computer, but it just isn't the same. The Man is in even worse shape. He is a big fan of ESPN, and not having it is killing him. He tries to watch his favorite sports and his favorite shows on the computer, but again, it just isn't the same. The kids are actually the ones having the least trouble, probably because JellyMan still has the 13" JVC I bought my junior year of high school. It is good for playing video games on, but little else. The picture is so bad that watching movies on it is pointless, and besides, it's so small!
Many people write of newly discovered interests and hobbies, an increase in reading time, or a bonding experience with family once the television is out of their lives. I can report none of these; our interests and hobbies are the same, we've always spent a lot of time reading, and I like to think our family is pretty well bonded already. The only effect the absence of television has had on us is a heightened state of anxiety.
Then again, it's only been two weeks.
