The television

This week I decided I was really going to limit how much I watched television. The idea was to get more homework done instead of coming home and turning on the tv and “relaxing” until bed. I still got the same amount of homework done, but other differences were real nice.

I watched “Heroes” on Monday. Technically I’m not supposed to be home in time to watch that, but class got out very early and my other plans for that night had to take a rain check. I also watched some parts of the extras on my Wallace and Gromit DVDs trying to find appropriate clips to show fourth grade as examples of stop motion films. But it was nice to turn it off after and have that time of quiet to get ready for bed.

Tuesday and Wednesday I didn’t turn on the TV at all. I was amazed at how much calmer I was in the evening, how much easier I went to bed, how less rushed I felt getting ready for bed. I loved it. Okay, so Tuesday wasn’t that quiet because grades for the second term were due by 2:30 on Wednesday and I still had quite the stack to record. My arm felt like it was going to fall of Wednesday afternoon and my right shoulder still hasn’t gotten back to normal completely, well, a normal level of pain that is. But I was still much less frantic than I think I would’ve been if I would have had the tv on. And Wednesday I was able to quietly drift off to sleep.

Thursday I watched the last half of a show after I got home from belly dancing. It really made a difference in the evening. The same thing again this evening.

I think I like it off. I’m not going to get rid of it. But I’m not going to turn it on just because I’m home.