In July, I not only dropped my landline, but my cable also went bye-bye. The cost kept going up as opposed to the time spend with it. I watch television, but my cadre of programs kept getting smaller. Reactions prove interesting. The ones with a cord already cut understand. My family has a hard time with it. ‘How will you watch the news?’ they ask. I get quite a bit from Twitter, and I do read the Winnipeg Free Press online along with alternative pubs like Rabble.ca or Mother Jones or Think Progress. Get through the gross stuff to get the gems from across the political spectrum.
‘What about your shows?’ they ask. I bought a season pass, in SD, for Halt and Catch Fire. I don’t need HD for drama, although high def Lee Pace sounds like an excellent idea. Joe and the gang don’t need extra pixels for what I see unfold. Google Play store offer shows for the same price as Apple TV. I will not buy Lucifer, but I will wait for the next season on Crave. While I scale geo blocks with my legally obtained VPN, pirating is a yo-ho-ho-no for me. I still remember how much it took it debug my laptop and the price.
I do notice some quality-of-life changes since cutting the cord. I go to bed earlier, usually with an audiobook on a sleep timer. I read more. I always read a book, but, this time, I read more books, with more focus. I spend time on my computer to write, and my show serves as a reward. It also allows me to post more on this blog. Focus came out the big winner in this round.
I get the reluctance. Ever met a person who says “I don’t watch TV” in a voice dripping with superiority? Yeah, I don’t like these people either and cutting the cord doesn’t make me better. I suffer from FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) like anyone else. It’s also a huge change as someone growing up with a television somewhere at her grandmother’s house, her parent’s house, or anyone’s house. I can change my mind and hopefully get a spanking-new PVR in the process. Let’s see what happens after a year.
Unpaused Life 