The thing is, I almost never use even the television. We're getting ready to cancel most of our subscriptions to various services via our cable (we still have cable and not satellite, although that may change soon as that formerly modern device seems to be justifiably dying off). And the reason, honestly, is that we very rarely turn on the TV. We will go--and I am not exaggerating--weeks without using the damned thing. So why pay for services that we use so rarely?
I can't tell you when the last time I went to televised news for information. I just don't do it. The very act is pointless. And I loathe pretty much all of the drama and comedy shows promoted for popular consumption when I encounter them. There might be something there I would enjoy, but by and large so much of it is relegated to subscription services that I'm just not going to victimize myself to this ploy of economic vampirism.
So. We're moving toward getting rid of all but the most basic of Internet services. What we're going to end up with is a WiFi connection whereby we can access streaming video. If we want to sample something, then it'll be there at what we consider a fair or bargain price. No more signing up for services we rarely use, and no more pissing away our hard-earned dollars.
I long ago lapsed into getting most of my news through foreign sources that I access via the Internet. And I cannot tell you the last time I followed a network television show. Decades, likely, as I haven't been a fan of such things since my days as a teenager back in the 1970s. Frankly, I just don't know what the attraction is toward modern pop culture.
Admittedly, I am not hip to such matters. And, frankly, I just don't care.
And it has occurred to me on more than one occasion that as I bemoan the death of things like bookstores, and the periodical comic book, and the wealth of daily newspapers, perhaps there is a current crop of 30-somethings who decry the extinction of early video game consoles, Saturday morning cartoons, and rock music.
Recently, on our eleven-day vacation to celebrate my recent retirement from the grinding 40-hour workweek, we noted that we did not once set up our television in our travel trailer. Carole and I talked about it, not because we felt like watching a movie or viewing what passes as news in the USA, but because we had not one iota of desire to do so. The little flat screen stayed in its cupboard storage and we read books during our downtime relaxing from a day of sightseeing or kayaking or hiking.
And that's the thing. We both still read. Books are what we generally retreat to for entertainment and relaxation and education. Yes, I admit that I sometimes use an e-reader of some type, but even there we both prefer real books made of bound paper. I suppose, in that way, we are among the last of a dying breed, soon to lapse into extinction.
And that's okay. I really don't want to live in a world without bookstores, and without the people who grew up reading print books. As I wind down this mortal coil, I am struck by the things that I no longer chase. I may write of them this week. Or I may not.
For now, Carole and I are planning our next trips. Except for June, which is full of things like Father's Day, my son's birthday, my birthday, and our wedding anniversary (our 35th!), we plan to be camping or travelling elsewhere on a pretty much monthly basis. I've been waiting for decades to be able to do this kind of thing. We've found a couple of mountain locations that look attractive for both July and August. I'll post photos when we've logged those trips into our history.
 |
| I'd much rather explore this trail (which I did), or plan a trip to another such wild place, than bother with a TV show. I will be doing more and more of this as my active life builds up (and then, inevitably, winds down). |
 |
| What's around the next bend in the river? I'll find out. |
No comments:
Post a Comment