I've been trimming some of those monthly expenses around here, getting things to where they can stay when I'm gone for a bit.
The last of the trims before I leave is probably going to be cable. Lately, though, I've been thinking I should at least just get the very basic stuff and not the expanded selection. I know, I sound like everyone's grandparent: there's nothing decent on TV. I just looked. Do you know 60 Minutes is doing a spot on a guy who has "an enormous sailboat"? Yes, that's hard-hitting, interesting journalism, for sure!
On the expanded selection, there's Miami Ink, a show I'm sometimes weirdly fascinated by, in the same way I'm amazed that this small city can support something like 10 tattoo parlors. Seriously. It's amazing. We can't keep two decent ethnic restaurants open in this city, but we have endless tattoo parlor choices.
I do like having reasonably fast computer access, but is there a different way to get it when I come back? (I have a cable package.)
And then there's the whole move to HDTV thing. My TV's something like 20 years old, and works GREAT. But the TV industry has convinced the FCC that I should get a new TV (or some transformer box) to see HDTV. On my 13" screen. Somehow, that just seems stupid.
I'm a child of the television age. I grew up on TV. My Mom will tell you that I barely watched TV as a kid, but somehow I can pretty much tell you the plot of every I Love Lucy episode, every Star Trek episode, most M*A*S*H* episodes, etcetera, etcetera. I didn't miss TV when I was in the Peace Corps, right, though, so maybe I'd just put on the radio and read more?
I could put the extra $100 a month to something more fun, more biking stuff! books! bourbon!
We did something else altogether - we taol them we did not want cable tv at all. But kept the computer and phone access. Then once they ahd taken out the cable boxes, we discovered that we still had access by hooking directly to the TV! NOw we have free cable tv (basic only, of course).
ReplyDeleteJust another option to consider....
In May we experimentally suspended our dish service (and therefore all television since there's no television where I live without cable or a dish), intending to just live without TV for the summer and then turn it back on in the fall. It's still off. I miss a few shows, but not badly enough to notice I'm missing them. We're saving a ton of money and getting a ton of work done, although at times I feel a little clueless in the faculty lounge when the discussion turns to what's happening on The Office. The neat thing is that if there's a good show out there, you can eventually watch the episodes on DVD.
ReplyDeleteTBTAM, Hm, interesting. I'd be all tense about it though. That's just me.
ReplyDeleteBev, You give me hope for turning it all off!