I haven’t had television for several years now. I mean I have a physical television set covered with a thick coat of dust and collecting more (totally intentional since I think the thick coat of dust will protect the TV set in case of it being knocked over or something despite its size and weight… you never know… it could happen!) in the living room corner but it doesn’t have any input unless I pop a DVD into the DVD player because I don’t subscribe to cable or satellite service. The main reason for that: I loved TV too much. You could say I was addicted.
For the longest time, I had resisted getting cable TV and just used rabbit ears. I didn’t really feel the need for cable TV except for better picture quality and not having to adjust the rabbit ears whenever I changed channels. I didn’t understand why people would complain about not having anything to watch on TV, and these people had cable or satellite TV with several premium channels. I always had something to watch. The show didn’t have to be good. If I started watching a show, I tended to get sucked in no matter how bad it was. Also, I never got sick of reruns even if I had seen it more than once already.
Do you remember my infomercial purchases? You don’t seriously believe I only bought thirteen items off infomercials, do you? I mean, consider the extreme lameness of the things I listed there. There are A LOT more convincing infomercials hawking products that look and sound much more practical and promising. You can infer that I probably watched almost all infomercials out there at the time, and you’d be right. I did. Many times, I could be found watching an infomercial at 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning. Most of the times I would resist the temptation to dial that 800 number and place my order, which led me to watch the same fucking infomercial over and over and over whenever it came on until I finally decided to make the call.
Now you see why I hadn’t needed more channels. But I finally caved in and subscribed to cable TV after watching a couple of episodes of The Sopranos at a friend’s place and got completely hooked. Now there were still more shows to watch, and I started losing sleep trying to watch TV. If you know me just a little, you just KNOW how much I looooove sleeping and so you might understand how much I was addicted to TV. And when I moved to a new apartment with Dish Network, I had even more to watch!
I realized I had a problem, but it was still hard to keep away from TV. All these years, the first thing I had done when I came home from outside was to turn the TV on, and it would be on until I had to go out again or until I went to bed. It was hard to break that habit. And did you know realizing you have a problem doesn’t make you stop loving the shows you’ve been watching? So one day, I canceled the service after convincing myself that it would save me about a grand a year. I missed it terribly for the first couple of weeks, but afterwards, I hardly thought about it except I occasionally missed Late Show with David Letterman, my all time favorite TV show.
It seems there are much more good TV shows to watch nowadays because I constantly see plurks or tweets about TV shows and how much they love them and how much they have waited for the season premiers, etc. But these TV talks have never really affected me other than feeling a little left out. It hasn’t really made me want to get cable or satellite service. UNTIL NOW, that is. Yeah, I have the itch. It’s been itching for a couple of weeks now ever since citizenjaney and some others live-plurked the goings-on of the first episode of What Would Brian Boitano Make on Food Network. And I must say, my eyes were glued on that plurk. Yes, it’s a cooking show and it’s highly unlikely I’ll ever make anything Brian Boitano makes on that show. But it was hilarious just to read about it and I can’t imagine how fucking hysterical to watch the actual show!
I’ve searched the net for a video, but I haven’t succeeded yet. So for two weeks, I’ve been agonizing over this question. Should I get it? I know it’s a lot of money just to watch a 30-minute cooking show, but once I get it, I will be watching more than just one show, so it would be worth it, right?And I would like to know what Brian Boitano would make every week. Is that so wrong? And Letterman every night to boot? That’s a fair price to pay, no? But will I fall off the wagon and devote my already too short time at home to watching TV? Should I, or shouldn’t I?
13 Comments to “Tee Vee, or Not Tee Vee: That Is the Question”
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I thought I was fine without TV… and I was. Until we figured out we got free cable for awhile, then when they shut that down, we HAD to buy from the new company.
I should rephrase being “fine without TV” though… I still bought shows off iTunes and watched online. So it’s not like I went without my shows, really.
But I LOVE having TV as something to do when I’m bored, or have friends over. I don’t have your problem with turning it off though… So I don’t really know!!!
Have you checked iTunes for the show you’re talking about? Buying it for $1.99/wk might be cheaper than getting cable just for that show.
.-= Katie´s last blog ..September yo. =-.
We don’t have TV either (unless you count the PBS stations we get with our rabbit ears), and I like it that way. Otherwise I get all obsessive about shows like you did.
Besides, if there’s something I really do want to watch, I can usually find it on Hulu for free (www.hulu.com).
.-= Rachael´s last blog ..Year Five! I AM GOING TO WIN! =-.
Oooh, this is a tough one. I always say I could make do without cable as long as I have Internet service. Although, night time in my bedroom is my Food Network and Travel Channel time. And maybe some reruns of Two and a Half Men. Oh yeah, and Chelsey Lately and The Soup on E! — crap. Who am I kidding? I love having cable. Oh, and Craig Ferguson. Me to the yeeeeow.
As someone who watches way too much tv, I have to say DON’T CAVE Yoonie! I envy your will power to just cut it off cold turkey. If you sign up, you’ll be watching you Brian Boitano and Letterman, then next thing you know, you’ll absolutely need to know what happened on the latest episode of the Real Housewives of Atlanta as well as whether Jeremy made the soccer team on Little People Big World. Soon it will be your bookshelf covered in inches of dust, and your blog entries will dwindle to once a week and only be 3 sentences long, because you need to find out whether Bobby Flay beat the young upstart chef from New Zealand on Iron Chef America. Be strong Yoonie.
I too am TV-less, though both oxling and Mr Obround have one and do watch them occasionally – I do not. But like you, I am dying to see WWBBM and think he should instacast his show on the interwebz for poor souls like us.
I mean………. Brian, save us from ourselves while also blessing us with your show…. pweeeeaaaseee?
OOps, talking to people not here, that’s not good.
Anyway….. stick to your guns lady, hold out against TV…. we’ll find a way to watch him….. somehow…… maybe we can tweet him into instacasting his show on the interwebs…. hrmmmmm
.-= Cylithria´s last blog ..By Invitation Only =-.
I’ve never even been to iTunes store. Oh wait… I think I did. Yeah I created an account and tried to buy something and it totally fucked up my account, so I never went back.
Rover, thank you for drawing that picture. That’s exactly what’s going to happen.
So I guess, I’ll wait for the video to appear on the web and yeah, Cyl, let’s use your RALLYBOOBS on WWBBD!
I only have cable when I’m at school. When I’m at home I have rabbit ears and every time I go home we have different channels. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. Whatever. I watch TV on hulu and Youtube when I’m home.
.-= EssenceOfInsanity´s last blog ..Have Swine Flu? =-.
I just saw the Nano thing in your side bar!!!! You’re doing it this year?! That’s so awesome! You’ll join the crazies!
.-= EssenceOfInsanity´s last blog ..Have Swine Flu? =-.
I’m not sure I would get it for that cooking show, but then again I don’t really care about Brian Boitano
.-= Miss Attitude´s last blog ..Why don’t men come with their own handbooks? =-.
I am totally addicted to the TV, and often have it on in the background while i go about my day. I even have it on when I’m reading, and I pay attention to bits and pieces of the shows, just to catch the gist of what is being said/done/etc.
Definitely hold out. BB will put his shows on the web eventually!!
.-= Devyl´s last blog ..Friends and Influences =-.
I can’t wait until you’re plugged in and can join in the WWBBM fun!
.-= perpstu´s last blog ..Right Hand on Green, Left Foot on Blue =-.
I can’t sleep without the TV on… You might end up like me if you do end up getting cable again. Oh, and you MUST get DVR. Record, pause, play, rewind!
I love the show Unwrapped on the Food Network.
.-= Baja´s last blog ..Sitting on top of the world =-.