Every year, at the end of May Sweeps, I turn the television off until September.
Crazy, huh? I mean, what would a "poparazzi" (a lover of all things pop culture-related) like me do with all that free time?
About three years ago, I decided to find out. At the time, I was watching way too much TV. I would get home at around 6 p.m., turn on the TV, and leave it on until bedtime. On weekends, I would cancel plans so I could stay home and watch Baywatch or Viper for the umpteenth time. If you asked me what was airing on any particular night, I could recite the TV Guide listings without missing a beat.
But deep inside, I just knew there was a brave, new world out there waiting for me. My Sony 27-inch TV was holding me back. If I could somehow manage to break free from it, I would conquer the world! See new things! Get a life!
Did any of those things happen? Wouldn't it be great if I said they did, if I said that not watching TV in the summer was a life-altering event?
It would be great, but it wouldn't be true. Yes, I got out more, got some more exercise, darkened my pasty skin a bit. But all the while I was strolling along, determined to take in all the nature that surrounded me, I couldn't help but think about what episode of Stargate SG-1 I was missing. Yes, nature is great and all, but I really, really enjoy watching TV. It completes me. No amount of dandelions and lilies will change that. And I don't think it makes me any less of a person to admit it. Some people like doing productive things with their time. Me, I like watching TV. I'm certain there is a multitude of psychologists who can explain my obsession with television. I'm sure it serves as a substitute for something or other I didn't get as a child, or allows me to live vicariously through one show or another. I don't really care, to be honest, I just love it. It's what gives me joy.
But I set a challenge for myself, and I'm going to see this thing through. So at the end of May Sweeps, I will turn the television off until September. I will leave my house and experience the "real world," rather than The Real World.
Now, you're probably thinking that doesn't bode well for my postings, seeing as how I write about pop culture. I thought about that, too, and briefly reconsidered my TV-free summer. But there's more to pop culture than television, and if some bit of summer programming hits the zeitgeist, I'll give up the rule -- purely in the interest of this blog, of course. Because that's just the kind of gal I am. I'm a giver. Or, in this case, a giver-upper.