..that is the question. Whether it is nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous Wheel of Fortune, or to pull out the aerial plug and by opposing end them. (My apologies to Billy S)
We turned our TV off, and unplugged the aerial, in December 2004, and our house has been TV free for 14 months. We took that decision for a number of good reasons, and on the whole it's been really beneficial. We've had much more time each week to be productive/creative, we spend far less time becoming infuriated by banal and patronising programming, we no longer feel ourselves becoming dumber with each passing moment, and we're spared an awful lot of inane marketing.
In fact it's quite an eye opener to see how much of the daily conversation in a workplace and elsewhere revolves around TV programs: it's only when you go cold-turkey, and you therefore can't relate to at least half of the topics being discussed, that you realise how pervasive TV has become in almost everybody's lives. Based on the watercooler conversations, it seems the major 'must see" shows that I completely missed out on were or are "Lost", "Desparate Housewives", "House" and "Dancing With The Stars". People at work tend to think it very strange when you say you don't watch TV - I think to most it's a completely foreign concept - but turning off is a very interesting experiment that you may want to try one day (but for more than one day of course...maybe start with 14).
Well, the whole point of telling you all that was that we decided to pop the telly back on this Wednesday to watch the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games. As they're being held here in Melbourne, it seemed vaguely un-Victorian, if not un-Australian, to be completely oblivious to them. So we sat down at 7:30 and flicked the switch. Well, i'm not entirely sure that it was worth breaking our self-imposed TV 'fast' for that particular event: elements of the opening were very good, but many other elements were downright embarassing. I know it's a very subjective thing, but a lot of the imagery in particular was pretty irrelevant and unrepresentative, and the theme (if there was one) seemed pretty patchy and misguided. I think someone tried to make things a bit too arty and clever, but forgot to keep it entertaining. But who am I to judge? Many people said many nice things about it - and some of those people weren't even on the payroll. So perhaps i'm just incapable of appreciating anything too high-brow.
In any case, the TV has stayed on past Wednesday, and we've watched quite a bit of the swimming, cycling, triathlon and gymnastics - which has been infinitely more entertaining than the opening ceremony. I'm not a sports fan by any stretch, but there is something very universally appealing about watching people give their best efforts toward an endeavour, sporting or otherwise. And I admire the self discipline that must have been required - particularly as so many of these guys and girls are just teenagers - so my hat goes off to them (and the Australians have been doing really, really well in the first two days - 25G, 15S, 18B = 56 medals so far).
So while the jury is still out on whether the TV will be switched off again for another year or so, I'm thinking that perhaps it'll stay plugged in for at least the next two weeks!
Matt
Friday, March 17, 2006
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Jessica's 'Sweet 1/6th'...
Hi again - remember me?
One day you find yourself too busy (or too tired) to post, and suddenly three weeks have passed. I'm not sure if time is flying by seemingly so quickly (a). because I'm getting old, and old people always grumble about that or (b). because work has suddenly become quite busy (and is therefore bordering on 'enjoyable'), or (c). because of Miss Jessica. I think it may be a bit of all three, but (a) is clearly the majority shareholder.
Speaking of Jessica (when am I not?) she is officially 2 months old today. Well tonight - actually - at 11:15pm. She's doing great and is now full of enormous smiles and excited cooing noises. She's sound asleep right now (just to contradict my last sentence), and doesn't seem all too keen on marking this occasion with any great fanfare. To celebrate The Big 2 , I'll post 2 recent photos (and as with all of these, you can click for a larger version). Not bad, eh?
Work's been very busy over the past few weeks. I'm getting out on the road an awful lot more, which is a nice change from sitting at a PC in a windowless office for 8 or 9 hours. Not that I'm complaining - I have it much better than most - but given the choice, I'd always pick heading out for a site visit or two. My role took me to northern Victoria last week, so after a 4 hour drive I was able to spend a leisurely couple of hours walking through one of the most popular (locally & internationally) wineries there. It was a truly beautiful place, and I'll definitely take 'the girls' there for a social visit sometime soon. And although I didn't expect to be festooned with cases of wine as a token of their esteem, I was mildly disappointed to have not been offered even a tasting! Not even one! Not even their cooking sherry! I'm choosing to believe that their decision was not really a snub, and was motivated solely by concerns for my safety on the 450km/4hour drive home. Yeah...Sure it was.
But in any case it was a beautiful spot to have seen, and it's an enviable way to spend a workday. Oh, and as it's known as the WIne & Gourmet Food region, I stopped off at Milawa Mustards and bought a Hot Honey seeded mustard and a White Peach chutney - all homemade and presented in locally made pottery - either of which would have made the trip worthwile on their own. (Did I sound a little too effeminate just then?)
One day you find yourself too busy (or too tired) to post, and suddenly three weeks have passed. I'm not sure if time is flying by seemingly so quickly (a). because I'm getting old, and old people always grumble about that or (b). because work has suddenly become quite busy (and is therefore bordering on 'enjoyable'), or (c). because of Miss Jessica. I think it may be a bit of all three, but (a) is clearly the majority shareholder.
Speaking of Jessica (when am I not?) she is officially 2 months old today. Well tonight - actually - at 11:15pm. She's doing great and is now full of enormous smiles and excited cooing noises. She's sound asleep right now (just to contradict my last sentence), and doesn't seem all too keen on marking this occasion with any great fanfare. To celebrate The Big 2 , I'll post 2 recent photos (and as with all of these, you can click for a larger version). Not bad, eh?
Work's been very busy over the past few weeks. I'm getting out on the road an awful lot more, which is a nice change from sitting at a PC in a windowless office for 8 or 9 hours. Not that I'm complaining - I have it much better than most - but given the choice, I'd always pick heading out for a site visit or two. My role took me to northern Victoria last week, so after a 4 hour drive I was able to spend a leisurely couple of hours walking through one of the most popular (locally & internationally) wineries there. It was a truly beautiful place, and I'll definitely take 'the girls' there for a social visit sometime soon. And although I didn't expect to be festooned with cases of wine as a token of their esteem, I was mildly disappointed to have not been offered even a tasting! Not even one! Not even their cooking sherry! I'm choosing to believe that their decision was not really a snub, and was motivated solely by concerns for my safety on the 450km/4hour drive home. Yeah...Sure it was.
But in any case it was a beautiful spot to have seen, and it's an enviable way to spend a workday. Oh, and as it's known as the WIne & Gourmet Food region, I stopped off at Milawa Mustards and bought a Hot Honey seeded mustard and a White Peach chutney - all homemade and presented in locally made pottery - either of which would have made the trip worthwile on their own. (Did I sound a little too effeminate just then?)
Also, in the three weeks I've neglected to post, Mum's whole relocation has taken place, and she moved in to her new place a couple of days ago - albeit in a very minimalist fashion (she has no furniture or bedding or clothes or even a fridge while she waits for the transport company to deliver her container "tomorrow"). We were able to visit last night, and Jessica had a long cuddle while we all chatted for a few hours; it is just so great to see Mum settled into a fantastic place nearby.
Well, after writing around 60 emails at work each day, you'd think I'd be better at this blogging thing. But right now I'm feeling pretty tired and incoherent - thanks for not mentioning it - so I may head off to sleep.
Until Jessica wakes up, that is. And we have a cake.
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