Preparing To Disconnect

I'm thinking about the big day now.  We officially decided to disconnect the cable after the last regular season football game on Sunday.  I'm still a little apprehensive and nervous about the whole thing.  It's easy to say you're going to commit to something (or for my husband to say it), and then another thing to live it. 

I'm already trying to imagine what it will be like.  I'm basing this largely on our stint last year when we cut back to basic cable for several months.  I thought that was bad enough.  The channels I will miss most are HGTV, Food Network and TLC.  Then there are the endless football games I have watched over the last many years.  I have kind of grown to like football, maybe out of necessity because my husband is such a big fan.  Now I finally understand some of the play calling and the penalties.  I even know how many yards certain penalties are before the ref calls it out.  I won't miss the violent hits and all of the off-field activities that go on with the players. 

Yes I am apprehensive, but still committed.  This is happening.  I'd almost rather just stop watching TV now.  That's what I said on my way home to work, but then I found myself flipping between Kennedy Center Honors, the now famous Tuesday Night Football game, and TLC's What Not to Wear.  Somebody cut the umbilical cord, quick.  I never would have missed this when I was working and going back to school.

A Year Without Cable TV

My husband and I have decided to venture into 2011 without cable TV.  This has been an ongoing conversation for a while, but we both feel ready to dive into the great abyss.  No, we haven't gone crazy and we aren't finatics, we just want to see what life will end up looking like at the end of a year with no cable TV.  We aren't judging anyone else who watches TV or anything like that.  We don't want to lose friends over this; we simply want to do this for ourselves and see if we can detach from the Nicotine-addictive TV for a while.

We both realized that it has been addictive over the years and we've talked about it, joked about it, and probably even argued about it at times.  It does seem to suck us in to some sort of trance and rarely does a day go by that we don't turn it on.  It provides ambient noise when you're in the house doing chores; it gets you excited about the next big ball game; it helps you cheer in the New Year; it's a little companionship in the middle of the night when you can't sleep.  We have come to rely on it so much that we wondered what would we do without it for a year?  Develop some new hobbies?  Get off the couch? Catch up on some reading or journaling?  Rekindle some romance after 21 years of marriage?  What will we do?

If you want to walk along side us on this journey, follow our blog.  We promise to be honest and to keep it rated PG-13.  It might be a big adjustment because it has been such a ritual that we have come to rely on.  It should be interesting.  We'll see.  So stay tuned (sorry I couldn't help myself), and cheer us on.

Joe and Christy