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What would you be doing if you weren’t watching TV?

Started by Daniel Gibbons · 9 months ago

"I find television to be very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go in the other room and read a book." – Groucho Marx ... Continue reading »

70 comments

  • laurel

    8 months ago

    I don't watch TV because we live in a non-English speaking country and all that's on satellite always seems to be CSI re-runs.

    Instead I read and come across quotes like this:
    “Capital must protect itself in every possible way, both by combination and legislation. Debts must be collected, mortgages foreclosed as rapidly as possible. When through the process of law the common people lose their homes, they will become more docile and more easily governed through the strong arm of government applied by a central power of wealth under leading financiers. These truths are well known among our principal men who are now engaged in forming an imperialism to govern the world. By dividing the voter through the political party system we can get them to expend their energies in fighting for questions of no importance. It is thus by discreet action we can secure for ourselves that which has been so well planned and so successfully accomplished." - 1924 US Banker’s Association Magazine
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  • Tammy_D

    8 months ago

    That's just about the most frightening thing I've ever read. Where did you find this quote? One day, after all this mess is over, someone will acquire, through the Freedom of Information Act, Henry Paulson's private emails with AIG and Goldman Sachs, et al, and read something eerily similar to this, if not an exact copy. This statement is the personification of my worst fears about the state of our government right now.

    Which non-English-speaking country do you live in, if you don't mind my asking?
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  • laurel

    8 months ago

    I originally found it in the comments section of a blog I read but it was later taken down. You can find it on this page:
    http://www.itwillpass.com/quotes_bank_quotes.shtml

    I was just as scared reading Naomi Klein's Shock Doctrine, actually.

    No, I don't mind you asking -- I'm in Italy.
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  • Tammy_D

    8 months ago

    Italy...cool!
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  • laurel

    8 months ago

    It would be cooler if I could speak decent Italian! But that's nobody's fault but mine (as Led Zeppelin once remarked.)

    I should say that I'm not entirely convinced this quote isn't bogus.
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  • Linda Borland-Fitzgerald

    8 months ago

    Truly horrifying!! Didn't Bush Sr. refer to a One World Government too?
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  • rock girl

    8 months ago

    frightening!

    the bailout or "asset repurchase plan" as the WSJ so cutely calls it just feels like the first in a long line of dominoes, doesn't it?
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  • Katie Kay

    8 months ago

    Extremely disturbing!
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  • Constance

    8 months ago

    I'd be reading like Groucho or I'd be researching online.
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  • Anna

    8 months ago

    Don't own one so not my issue. I bother to write only because I was so overdosed on TV as a child it put me off it for good. Went the same way with cigarettes. My own Children are incredibly bright and always able to entertain themselves, something to be really grateful for.
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  • jennifersage

    8 months ago

    Anna you hit the nail exaxctly on the head here. I was in in dependant practice as a midwife for nearly 20 yearsand saw the pregnant mothers for their antenatal care in my consulting room in my house.I had a good range of toys and books. I could always easily pick the children who had no TV in their home. How did I do that
    :EASY They could entertain themselves with what was provided for as long as the consultation lasted.
    My appointments were placed an hour apart so the mothers could take all the time they wanted.
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  • Linda

    8 months ago

    Ditto Groucho............I can do so many things rather than watch TV, read, workout, walk, or work on my oil paintings. I bought a laptop just to sit in the family room and keep my husband company while he watches TV. He gets lonely...........go figure.
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  • jennifersage

    8 months ago

    OK, for the last 3 nights I worked an afternoon shift 3pm to 11.30pm. Always on Thursday night we meet as a group of twelve friends for a pot luck meal, good food, good wine, good conversation. Very nourishing for the soul. It's about intimacy,community, authenticity and vulnerability
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  • Kristin_The_Goat

    8 months ago

    The TV is on in our house most of the time. I actually really dislike that it's on, but my husband feels the need to have the news on all day. When I am alone I don't turn on the TV until evening. So what do I do if the TV wasn't on? I clean and organize spaces in the home, I work a little harder or concentrate more on my internet activities/business, I cook, get out of the house --- the one thing I should do... exercise!
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  • Debbie in NYC

    8 months ago

    When I'm not watching TV (although it is on most of the time I don't seem to actually watch it much) I am usually reading or catching up on email or browsing the Internet. Depending on my mood, I'll call friends or family or sometimes I'll put the radio or a CD on and just listen to music. I might decide to re-dress some of my dolls and take photos (I collect Barbie and Fashion Royalty dolls). It depends on my mood and how I feel that day.
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  • Ginger_Laine

    8 months ago

    Meditating, reflecting on the day, planning, and sleeping.
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  • Lisa D

    8 months ago

    I'm with Carrie - I'd read more. I rarely have time for TV, but sometimes I make the time for a family favorite (like Wipeout - ha!). I usually regret time wasted on TV.
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  • jennifer

    8 months ago

    Toward the end of the day I am so spent (mom to two under 3 yrs old & in my 2nd trimester with #3) and I had been handing the kids to my husband as soon as he walked in the door and slipping off to the bedroom to watch reruns of friends and equally mind numbing entertainment. Recently I started to feel like this wasn't best for our family. We rearranged some furniture (tv out of bedroom) and I have been having a little nap when the boys are napping ( another time I was zoning out by the tube) and then at the end of the day I've purposed to work on dinner while my kids and husband are playing together. I feel better about having a healthy dinner for my family and getting to see their fun with daddy. Plus, I'm sleeping much better at night now- and better quality time with the husband b/c of no tv where the bed is!! ;) That is what I'm doing instead of watching tv.
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  • DanielleLaPorte

    8 months ago

    Getting the TV out of the bed is revolutionary. It's a law in our house to never let the TV in the bedroom. Much of my (extended) family can't fall asleep unless the TV is on - and they have sleep issues. hmmmm....
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  • Ginger

    8 months ago

    I couldn't agree more. I have not had a tv in my bedroom for over 10 years and it really helps with sleep patterns...especially now as my hormones are doing their own disruptive thing . I read more. The bedroom does truly become a "haven"...candles, great linens, relaxing colors.
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  • Ginger

    8 months ago

    ....and journaling...write so much more without tv in bedroom....
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  • jennifersage

    8 months ago

    TV out of bedrooms yes. They are for talking dressing, loving, cuddling and sleeping. And out of living room. Note the word: LIVING, talking,cuddling,listening, sharing, playing, watching fire, being and doing alone and as a family.
    We hav eours in our den so the decision to watch it is much more purposeful. I watched hours of TV in my 20s,30s and 40s and into my 50s and then we shifted house and the TV ended up in the den. Our kitchen dining living area is for that one purpose:LIVING
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  • JoannieJ

    8 months ago

    I'd be reading.
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  • Leah Graves

    8 months ago

    I'd be at the gym or in school if it was a weeknight.

    If it was the weekend I'd be in the yard, on a hike, or out with friends.
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  • lezin bogan

    8 months ago

    i do not watch much tv but the 2 shows that i do watch i really enjoy. we do not get to the movies much and the 2 hours a week that i tune in are very entertaining for me.
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  • Kerry L

    8 months ago

    Practicing music, writing, cleaning the house, working out. Actually I TRY to do those things before indulging in TV.
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  • Tabitha

    8 months ago

    Knitting, cleaning, reading...
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  • Tammy_D

    8 months ago

    I would be reading, writing, and/or doing yoga.
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  • weezie

    8 months ago

    I don't watch TV, I listen to it. So I read, answer email, pay bills, cook, etc. while it's on. I suppose I'd listen to more music or radio if it were off, but I suspect I'd just find talk radio to listen to most of the time. Since the advent of DVR in our home, I no longer choose TV over other activities. It's a wonderful invention!
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  • Kelly

    8 months ago

    I read a lot of books over the last 18 months (not having a TV) and made full use of my New Yorker subscription! Also became a member of The Public Theater and attended every 3Graces Production.
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  • PaulaG

    8 months ago

    Reading…and not finishing my crocheted afghan. TV is very useful for doing handicrafts.
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  • Suzyn

    8 months ago

    Listening to my thoughts, talking with my husband, writing, journaling, wrapping up projects.
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  • laurie_matthews

    8 months ago

    Reading, taking photos, creating, spending time with friends.
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  • Mike

    8 months ago

    I tried an experiment and that was to have no cable for 4 months. This definately was not an issue for me but my kids, ohhh ahh! I thought that I may need the 'mind-numb' of the TV but in fact haven't missed it at all except for a few shows that my friends ask me about like 'Wipeout' or 'Survivor man'.
    I still have a TV but only watch the occasional DVD together with the kids which is usually quite enjoyable or for doing yoga at home!

    So I suppose what I'm doing with limited TV is: making more meals ahead of time, working out, reading and reading in bed, spending time walking the dog, spending time with the kids etc.

    Have a great day!
    Michael
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  • Betty Ann

    8 months ago

    reading a good book
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  • Brenda

    8 months ago

    I would read a book or call a friend
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  • Gena

    8 months ago

    Funny you should ask... I don't watch TV. I have one, but it is used for movies. I think it might be on for about 5 hours a month. There's just too much else to do! Lately I have gotten into African Dance at Decidedly Jazz Dance Studio in Calgary, AB. I am also reading about 4 books. Since I stopped watching TV (a few years ago) I noticed how I don't miss it all that much... Grey's Anatomy took some weening time... I do rent DVD's of shows, but like I said, the TV is on all of 5 hours a month so it takes me a while to get through a series.

    Have a great day!
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  • kerrymac

    8 months ago

    I don't turn on the TV unless I know something I truly enjoy is on... I usually try to finish up the dishes and a few chores before then. If I wasn't watching I might be putting away laundry, painting orders, reading on doing photography tutorials. What I should be doing more of is snuggling my hubbie and playing games!
    www.snickerdoodles.typepad.com
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  • Katie Kay

    8 months ago

    I would definitely read more. TIVO and me, we have an understanding, I let him watch all my fabulous shows when they air, and in return he keeps them stored for me as long as I want him to so I can watch them anytime of day and not have to tell my hubby & kids "Pipe down I'm watchin' my stories".
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  • Cheryl

    8 months ago

    Read more books - such my copy of Style Statement that has been sitting on my night stand for a few months begging me to continue the journey.
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  • Ava

    8 months ago

    I rarely ever watch tv, so...much the same things I do now: reading, various internet-type things, work on de-cluttering my living-space, sewing, and crafty things.

    Now, if I were to forgo the internet...I'd probably get more sleep, get caught up on my reading list, and might exercise more.
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  • lisasonrisa

    8 months ago

    I would definitely be reading more (this is a popular answer!). I'm rereading "Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire" right now. I would also be writing more on my blog.
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  • Laura

    8 months ago

    Listening to CBC, writing, readingand walking in the park.
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  • Linda Borland-Fitzgerald

    8 months ago

    Accomplishing more of the things on my 'to do' list or maybe just resting, which is rare.
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  • Karen

    8 months ago

    I would be running up my long distance phone bill, going for a run, tinkering in the garden, and spending a lot more time surfing the web for useless information or purchases.
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  • Dena

    8 months ago

    I'd love to say that I'd be painting or writing a book or playing my piano, but chances are I'm on my computer! In fact, I listen to the TV more than watch it!
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  • ChaseLisbeth

    8 months ago

    drawing, playing with the dog, napping, reading, cooking......there's a line in an old REM song where michael stipe says that sleep delays his life, but it always feels like it's tv that delays my life more than anything else.
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  • JoeM

    8 months ago

    I watch less and less TV. I'm a writer and would much rather be working on television and movie scripts, writing a novel, finishing a contribution to another person's article or publication, or working on a new article for a journal or magazine somewhere. The longer I live the more I've come to understand the pen is definitely mightier than the sword. I carried a sword for 30 years, so now I'd like to carry a pen.
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  • Kate

    8 months ago

    I would be reading, cooking, working on my business plan and cleaning!
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  • Natasha_L

    8 months ago

    Reading. Sleeping. Playing a board game. Catching up with someone I've been meaning to see/call. Working out more or getting outside to do something physical - even if it was only a walk arount the neighborhood in the evening. I've lived without a tv before and I'm tempted to do it again - all those shows I thought I couldn't live without seemed so trite and irrelevant and I found other things to do when I needed to zone out - or rest. I love not having one on summer vacation, and never in the bedroom. I did check out Charlie Rose last night - but every time by cable bill comes I wonder if it's worth it.
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  • Susie Hutchinson

    8 months ago

    I would be sleeping!
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  • Elisabeth

    8 months ago

    Well truthfully, if there was something I would rather be doing when I'm watching tv, I would be doing it. There are a few tv shows that my husband and I enjoy together, and it's lovely to curl up on the couch with him for an hour or so and laugh. Sometimes my husband will want to watch a show that doesn't interest me, so I do other things - read, work on my computer, pick up clutter, work out - while he's doing that. And sometimes, I don't want to work or read or talk to anyone; I just want to lie on the couch and be entertained. That's when I turn on Animal Planet or TLC and just relax. :D
    In all, the tv is off most of the time in our house. No one watches the news, or flips channels mindlessly out of boredom or inertia, or puts it on for background noise. We turn on the tv maybe 2 or 3 times a week, when there's something we definitely want to watch.
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  • LaLou

    8 months ago

    My budget eliminated the possibility of cable for me and I've been without it for a year. Don't worry though, there is plenty of mindless crap on the handful of channels I do get.

    I live in a small apartment so basically the kitchen, living and dining areas are one small room. By committing to turning off the TV in the evenings I would eat more mindfully, unwind with music and go to bed earlier--going to bed earlier would lead to more time with the boy in bed ;)
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  • Amanda | Cultivated Grace

    8 months ago

    I haven't owned a TV in four years, and it's one of the best decisions I've ever made. I've even had people try to GIVE me TVs, and have turned them down. I honestly don't have the time. I need a lot of self-nurturing, and between school, homework, cooking/eating, working out, journaling, cleaning, reading, making art, sleeping.....my days aren't long enough as it is. I do have a netflix membership and watch the occassional DVD on my laptop. I enjoy renting television series, as I get the good stuff without commercials. Speaking of commercials, except for the ads on websites like this one, my life is nearly advertisement-free, and that makes me feel much more content with my life.

    We have precious little time on this earth...it could be considered intellectual and moral laziness to spend our time and energy wrapped up in fake stories instead of going out and creating our own.
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  • jennifer

    8 months ago

    I really like your philosophy on time management.
    "it could be considered intellectual and moral laziness to spend our time and energy wrapped up in fake stories instead of going out and creating our own."
    We do have such a short time here when you think about the perspective of history, and the fact that no one is guaranteed another breath. I'm inspired to live within these thoughts and outside of the control of the media and commercial world. Thanks actionpotential!
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  • Ellen

    8 months ago

    For me, it's what I do instead of watching TV on a daily basis:
    Reading
    Laundry
    Working
    Cooking
    Enjoying my sweetheart
    Walking the dog
    Chatting with the neighbors
    Sleeping
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  • alligator_kate

    8 months ago

    Several years ago I put my working t.v. that I had inherited from my roommate in college out on the street with a note. This was on Avenue A in the East Village. I had been waiting for the t.v. to die of natural causes, as my dear husband loved his Sunday cooking shows, and I had not wanted to deprive him of them. Being a penny pincher, he probably wouldn't rush out and buy a new t.v. But fired up over a silly fight, and realizing that this Zenith was actually well built and chugging right along indefinitely, I left it on the street with a note written in red ink that read "Free. Working. Take me. I'm your's. Then the contract is broken. Sincerely, Dr. Faustus." It was snatched up in about 15 minutes.
    Now I read more, write more, listen to public radio, collage, knit, and er.... spend more quality time with my man, who forgave me and now downloads his cooking shows to the computer.
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  • Courtney

    8 months ago

    If I weren't watching television, I would be reading a novel.
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  • Scott424

    8 months ago

    Talk with my lovely wife, Play more with my son, Walk the dog, Write down a real estate action plan, read about real estate. Have more fun...
    reply
  • DanielleLaPorte

    8 months ago

    this speaks brilliantly to today's question:

    "Most of us spend many hours each week watching celebrated athletes playing in enormous stadiums. Instead of making music, we listen to platinum records cut by millionaire musicians. Instead of making art, we go to admire paintings that brought in the highest bids at the latest auction. We do not run risks acting on our beliefs, but occupy hours each day watching actors who pretend to have adventures, engaged in mock-meaningful action.

    This vicarious participation is able to mask, at least temporarily, the underlying emptiness of wasted time. But it is a very pale substitute for attention invested in real challenges. The flow experience that results from the use of skills leads to growth; passive entertainment leads nowhere. Collectively we are wasting each year the equivalent of millions of years of human consciousness. The energy that could be used to focus on complex goals, to provide enjoyable growth, is squandered on patterns of stimulation that only mimic reality."
    - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, author of Flow
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  • jennifersage

    8 months ago

    What a smoking piece of truth. Yikes!!!!! I amoff to Amazon to have a look at this book. The Truth is painful. I am mindful if Lucia,s posting on the arts
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  • Lori_from_Texas

    8 months ago

    TV is one of my favorite escapes from the slings and arrows of every day life...if I weren't watching TV...I would be faced with a boy who loves to hear stories, a girl who wants to talk through her day, a husband who wants my arms around him, a book enticing me from the kitchen table, a mother who would love a phone call, and a journal with a waiting page.
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  • Andrea

    8 months ago

    We have a TV, but no cable, and we don't pick up any channels with an antenna. So I read a lot---more than anyone else I know. I do watch TV when I'm at my parents' house (they live just down the road), but that's usually only one or two days a week.

    If I watched even less TV than I already do, though, I'd spend it playing with my toddler son.
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  • candylee

    8 months ago

    I'd be starting to read "The World is Flat" which has been sitting on my bookshelf for ages.... I *will* start it one day... soon!
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  • leahlillith

    8 months ago

    i don't watch t.v..... i used to be addicted to it. i live in the boonies where the choice is sattilite or nothing. i've opted for nothing,. i read more, connect more with my friends... most of the time.... my life is richer, more alive, more like life.
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  • Ngonzi Truth Crushshon

    8 months ago

    As a child, my dad would only let us watch 2 tv shows a day...Everytime we watched a tv show or movie we had to discuss it. I thank him for that. Now I'm a much more social person.....and I think challenge the status quo. U should never let someone or the tv tell you what/how to think. Think for yourself!

    Socializing. talking. hanging w friends/family. churching. spanish class. working out. emailing. myspacing. facebooking. therapizing people. HA HA!
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  • lynn

    8 months ago

    We haven't had TV in our home since March 17, 1994 when our oldest was 15 and our youngest was 6. Several of our five kids have thanked us for pulling the plug. We can watch movies, but have no TV reception. With all this "free time" we read, do projects, visit with each other. It is amazing to see what has happened to TV and commercials in 14 years.
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  • Angela

    8 months ago

    If I didn't watch tv, I'd read, sew and do needlework.
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  • paula

    6 months ago

    Playing Xplorers on asobrain.com
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  • Ramona

    8 months ago

    I don't watch much TV; however, America's Next Top Model is my guilty pleasure. When I am not watching TV, I am reading, surfing the Web from my iPhone or thinking of ways to turn my new house into a real home. Recently, I found myself on the phone a lot, but since I felt drained, I curtailed that significantly. Now my "friends" are a tad bit upset; one even accused me of being in a "funk".

    ~Ramona
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