Memories of the 80's

I mostly grew up in the 80's, so I feel nostalgic about movies like "The Goonies", "Pretty in Pink", and "Some Kind of Wonderful." What I missed out on were some of the 80's television shows, since my parents controlled the remote back then. One show that is a great example of 80's style and mannerisms is called "Square Pegs" and it stars Sarah Jessica Parker right before she was in "Footloose" and "Girls Just Want to Have Fun."

The popular girl on the show, played by Tracy Nelson (sister to the Nelson twins), speaks all "valley girl" to an extreme point. "Like, gag me with a diet pill. Oh my god!!!" She is very annoying, like, for sure. Anyway, I watched some of the episodes the other night, courtesy of a friend who checked it out from the Berryville library. Even though I didn't watch the show as a kid, seeing the fashions and hairstyles definitely brought back many 80's memories. It was a totally fun time!

What I don't miss

I was talking with my son's teacher the other day about the fact that although we own a television set, we do not subscribe to cable or watch any TV channels at all. Living in the mountains makes antennas useless, and without paying for cable or satellite, we can't pick up any stations in our area. This is just fine by us, as we prefer to be totally in control of what we (and especially our kids) are watching. So we only watch the videos we own, or ones we check out at the library for free. It has been years since we have paid to watch anything.

On a recent vacation with relatives, the hotel had plenty of television channels to pick from, but we weren't interested. Flipping through the channels only reminded me of what I dislike the most about television programming. During the day, there is mostly soap operas and talk shows to pick from, which I believe actually lower your IQ the longer you watch. I mean, why would we want to know the life story of someone who requires a paternity test to know who her baby's father is? I think the only reason people watch these shows is to make their lives seem normal by comparison.

Even watching movies seems like a waste of time lately. I sit there and think of all the more productive things I could be doing. Only about one out of every ten movies I watch do I consider really worthwhile anymore. Anyway, that's my two cents.

The almighty television

Today in the mail, I received an invitation from Direct TV to enjoy 150 channels at the low price of $29.95 per month for an entire year. Since television was the first expense we cut out in our household in order to save money, I figured the cable and satellite television companies would really suffer during a recession. Then I remembered... this is America. Where would most Americans be without television? How would they know what to buy, where to shop, what to eat, or what to drive?? The TV addiction runs very deep for the majority of this country.

America has a love/hate relationship with television, though. I've noticed that whenever I tell people that we don't watch TV, almost everyone will say something along the lines of, "Well, I don't watch that much, mostly educational channels and the news." Also, no one likes the look of the big gray box in their living rooms. Hence, the invention of pop up tv furniture and armoires to hide the TV behind doors while not in use.

I've never heard someone proudly announce that they watch four hours of television each day, yet this is the average for the American public. This saddens me, because this is essentially time that is wasted. This is time that could be spent with loved ones, strengthening family bonds, working on hobbies, exercising outdoors, or simply relaxing and having some real meditative "down" time.

Keep it hidden

I guess by now most people know how I feel about television. I have mentioned that we do own a set, but only watch movies on it. I don't like to see the big gray box when it is not in use, so we keep it behind the closed doors of an armoire. There are many options besides tv stands for televisions.

Aside from an armoire, TVs can be mounted on the ceiling or wall, keeping floor space clear. This is a great option for households with young children because all the electronics and cords are out of reach from curious hands. Even old cedar chests, bookshelves, or medicine cabinets can be converted to house a television set. If it must be in your home, get creative and hide that ugly beast!

Still TV free

I am very happy to report that my family has survived thrived for over two years now continuously without television. We still watch movies at home, but no commercial television. Since our kids were two and five when we gave it up, they don't know much different and have had no adjustment problems. I suspect it would be more difficult to get an older child or teenager to suddenly give up TV.

Do we miss it? Never. I think it is silly now when I hear people discussing last night's episode of whatever reality show happens to be popular that season. They are a dime a dozen in my opinion and offer no value whatsoever, educationally speaking or otherwise. If someone asked does Fenphedra work ? I would happily answer that I don't have a clue, because my time is not constantly robbed by commercials. If I wanted to find out, I would simply search the internet. Television commercials are one-sided, since they are paid for by the advertising company. When you research information on the internet, the results are well-rounded, ranging from scientific research, to statistical data, to user reviews.

I've noticed a lot more people sharing the same views and giving up cable, and many giving up television altogether like we have. Maybe it is because we live in a small town with many progressive thinking people, but I would like to hope that this trend will be widespread. We have nothing to lose. We have more family time, intelligent activities, and relaxation to gain!

Hide your TV

For those of you who aren't quite ready to "cut the cord" with your television set, at least you can keep it out of sight when it's not in use. We keep ours in an armoire with the doors closed unless we are watching a movie. We stopped watching television two years ago with many benefits and only watch videos occasionally .

Believe it or not, there is even a way to hide plasma TVs. Most people just hang them on the wall, but there are pieces of furniture specifically made with a pop up tv inside. They are called Plasma TV lifts and when they are closed, they look like a wood dresser or buffet. Then with the push of a button, the TV slides up out of a panel in the top of the unit. What will they think of next?

What I don't miss the most

Sometimes when I have free time I just sit and think. Since we don't have television, I don't have the option of just "vegging" out on the couch watching TV. And I definitely think this is a good thing.

Of all the television shows I remember watching, the ones I miss the least are talk shows. Some of them were reasonable in their content, like Oprah or Montel Williams. But the Jerry Springer show in particular was a total circus. It was purely for entertainment, not informational at all. I mean, requiring a DNA test to confirm your baby's father is bad enough, but some of these women came back on the show over and over to get more men tested. Do we really need to see this??

Worse still, is that these shows are on in the daytime, when small children are home with their mothers. I certainly don't want my children to think this is normal behavior. Anyway, I'm still content without TV. This month marks one continuous year and we are still going strong!

Celebrity gossip

It's amazing how differently I view celebrities and the idea of television since we got rid of ours over a year ago. A whole part of my life and brain was just clouded with nonsensical and irrelevant data. Who really cares what happened on _____ (you fill in the blank) last night? Or who dumped who after only being married two days? Is that all people can find to talk about? Well, I don't miss it one bit.

And even if I did have an insatiable urge to catch up on celebrity scandal, I can easily find it all on the internet. This way, I can see what I want on my own time rather than wasting away in front of the television set. I could even leave comments and vote on the gossip if I so choose. For now, I choose not to. In the future? Only time will tell. But I hope that as I spend more time on earth and as my children get older, we will have less time to waste, not more.

Could you survive?

I like to think I'm a "survivor". I can stay calm in stressful situations, can find uses for things that seem useless, and have a pretty good sense of direction. Premiering June 28th is USA Network's Burn Notice, a new series where one of the characters will have to deal with a situation like being stranded in an unknown city with no money or resources. Sometimes I play out this scenario in my head, just to prepare myself in case this ever happened to me.

If I somehow found myself in an unknown city, the first task would be to talk to people until I figured out exactly where I was and also to locate a map as soon as possible to get my bearings. If I was planning to stay in this city, I would have to think about the basic needs of food and shelter. Most cities have some form of shelter for homeless people, so I would locate a shelter before nightfall. Finding food can be tough if you have no money, but chances are you could find at least a quarter on the ground or from someone willing to give you some money. That would at least buy you a banana or an apple from a grocery store or street produce vendor.

Depending on how long I was planning on staying in this unknown place, I would have to think about getting a job to raise money for food and shelter. Even if I was planning on traveling back to my home town, I would still need money for any kind of travel besides walking. I would never consider hitch-hiking because it is too dangerous and there are a lot of weirdos out there.

I can still get deals without TV

Since my family has lived happily without watching television for over a year now, I don't get tempted by commercials or infomercials. Sometimes I do like to check out new products on my own time and I found out that there are websites devoted to the top "As Seen On TV" products. They even have internet specials for ordering through their website.

For instance, if I wanted to try the new Nutrisystem Nourish Diet, I could get a week's worth of free food for signing up through TVTopTen.com. The food is conveniently delivered directly to your door. Nutrisystem even created special eating plans for diabetics, vegetarians, and senior citizens.

Slippery soap

Speaking of obsession, soap operas are the ultimate in housewives' guilty pleasures. They watch every day, but probably are embarrassed to admit it to their husbands. But if their husbands ever watched even one episode, chances are he would be wondering what will happen the next day. Soap operas are great at leaving you hanging, wanting more.

One of my earliest memories of television as a young child was the soap opera All My Children. My mom watched that one faithfully for about twenty years. When I saw a website devoted to All My Children listed at PPP, I had to check it out. I am surprised to see many of the same actors and actresses are still going strong! They look like they've hardly aged at all. They must have really good make-up artists behind the scenes. This website lets you read about all the episodes, including future episodes (appropriately called "Spoilers"). You can go to the message boards and chat with fellow soap addicts. You can also peruse the news area to read about which stars of your favorite soap made headlines and when they will be making any public appearances.

Celebrity obsession

Upon hearing the news of Anna Nicole Smith's recent sudden death, I found myself wondering why people are so obsessed with her - and with celebrities in general. I mean, they are just people like us with really good personal trainers and hair and make-up artists. We've all seen the shows where people get "make overs" and in the end, they look just as fabulous as a celebrity. So what is the obsession?

Is it just the fact that we've seen them on TV or a movie screen, so if we see them in public or even in a magazine it seems surreal? My husband plays music and has a few very devoted fans around the world. He once got a letter from a girl in Russia that was very over-the-top, saying how much she loved him and on and on. I remember thinking that I was glad she lived so far away. I can't imagine getting letters like that on a daily basis, like some celebrities do.

If you pick a career in the limelight, you can never have a private life again. This is just the price of fame and fortune. I say, no thank you.

Time wasted

I often hear people say they wish they had more hours in the day to accomplish more things. You always hear people say "Time Flies" and talk about how fast the kids grow up. What I don't understand is why so many people continue to watch so much television. I know it's easy to get caught up in your favorite series - that's why we have given up television all together. We have movies that we watch occasionally, but I don't feel our time is wasted as much as when we used to watch television.

Television has so much filler with commercials, that you really only get about 20 minutes of showtime anyway. I think if people stopped watching TV and started spending some quality time with their children, the world would be a better place. People would have the time to accomplish those things that always get pushed aside, and children would be closer to their parents and less likely to get into trouble.