The Boob Tube

I just read a blog about TV watching. That author said she never watches TV, that she considers it a waste. I'm not quite to that same level of watching NO TV, but I don't like to watch it a lot either. I have a few shows I really like: American Idol, The Bachelor/Bachelorette, Smallville, and I like movies. But too much TV watching is a time waster. There's so many other better things that I could be doing and in my case anyway, that I should be doing. And there's not that much I'm interested in watching on TV anyway. In fact, most of what's on TV annoys me, even with five hundred plus cable channels. If it were up to me, I'd leave off the TV and listen to my music or just have silence while I'm doing something else. But the hubby and the kids are addicted to it. They seem to always want it on. When hubby's home, he ALWAYS has it on. It doesn't seem to matter if it's something he wants to watch. He'll find the least of the evils - watching a poker game, watching the animal police...anything. Sometimes I want to scream. Lots of times I pack up my computer and head to the book store or the park to get away from the boob tube and its incessant noise. I used to hear a lot of people say that too much TV watching was bad, that it should be limited. I agree. Thus it surprised me when one group of lunch pals at the day job talked about TV incessantly and acted like it was their whole life when not at work - like my hubby. I felt out of place with them as I'd never watched (even once) most of the shows they talked about, old or current. There's so much more to life than watching television. I like to watch some, but I'd feel like I was wasting my life if that's all I did after work. Another friend at the day job today said they were worried about their mother. Since she's retired from her job all she does is watch TV. That's her life. I'd never want to retire if I thought that was all that was left of life. I have lots of plans for my "retirement". It will be a retirement from my day job, but not from life. Not from my dreams. Instead of writing part time like now, I want to write a lot more. I want to travel to a LOT of writers conferences, visit out of town family and friends several times a year, volunteer somewhere to help other people, and make my life still count. As long as I'm able-bodied and my mind is good, I don't want to vegetate in front of a TV or for any other reason. I know a lady who claims she wants to be a writer. However, she also claims that she has no time to write. Why? Because after the day job she watches her recorded soap operas and another favorite TV show most of the night, every night. I just scratch my head. Obviously writing is not her priority. As far as I know she's not written a single word on her first book. Her priority is watching TV. That's fine except I don't understand how she bemoans not having time when she's the one choosing how to spend her time. I get a lot of writing done at night and on weekends when I'm not at the day job. Not as much as I long to do, but a lot more than none. While there are valid reasons people wouldn't find time to write (a second job, health reasons, being a caregiver to someone to name a few) TV watching all the time isn't one of them. At least not in my humble opinion. Conversely, I'm in awe of many great authors I know who make me look like I'm standing still in the writing department. While for some it's their full time job, for others it's in addition to another day job. I'm willing to bet they're not glued to a TV. Don't think I want to give away my TV. I still enjoy it...sometimes. You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)