Rick and I were at dinner with friends last week, and halfway through a very fun evening, I glanced around their living room and realized there was something missing. No TV. Now, i’m a TV lover, I’ll admit, but even I have never gotten over the disappointment of moving to a land that gives you 400 channels as standard, yet rarely anything good to watch. Back in the UK, we grew up with three main channels, slowly expanding to five over the years (i know, crazy, right?), and even when cable became de rigeur, most people still just watched those five channels. With so little choice, the programming quality somehow seemed to be a lot higher, and there was always something good to watch.

Recently, it seems to have gotten even worse in the States. Apart from my top shows Lost and Top Chef (plus a few others that i’ll enjoy if they’re on, but don’t call ‘appointment viewing’), there’s nothing worth watching. So, why did I recently find myself delaying my Sunday by watching repeats of repeats of bad, cheesy shows? I had no idea, but i knew i didn’t feel good about it. Not when there’s so much in life that needs living! Rick kind of agrees, apart from his beloved sports of course…

So, we have a new rule that we’re going to try and stick to. The TV doesn’t go on, ever, by default. If there’s something we want to watch, that’s great. But if not, and the only option is a Lifetime movie starring a z-list actor, we’ll pass! It might be hard to go without the comforting background buzz at first, but we got excited by all the other things we might do if the tube stayed blank. Here’s our starter list:

  • Go to the gym
  • Take a walk together, and with Sophie
  • Take a dance class
  • Go to the movies
  • Cook together
  • Go out with friends
  • Go to dinner
  • Finish decorating our apartment
  • Read more books
  • Start writing our own books!
  • Watch a great Netflix film or documentary (yep, this counts!)
  • Get more sleep
  • Take an evening class

Sounds like a pretty great list, huh? Of course, we do these things now, it’s just that the TV has a nasty habit of becoming a convenient excuse for being sloth-like. No more! Let’s see how we do, and hope i don’t get withdrawal symptoms…

Ok, my favorite TV show. Ever. (copyright: BBC/Adult Swim)