Pages

▼

Friday, May 31, 2013

Three months with no TV

As the post title suggests, this is the end of my third month without TV, after I cancelled my Sky subscription at the end of February.  I would like to be able to nobly intone that going without TV was a lifestyle choice, but the real reason I switched off was because the rugby I'd originally signed up for so many years ago was being used to manipulate viewers.  Basically, Sky have spent the last few years forcing customers to subscribe to more sports channels to get the same content, but this Super XV season they started to cut down the number of games shown as well, so I decided I'd had enough of being held to ransom (treating your loyal customers this way seems to be especially poor strategy in the internet age, where free live streaming of sports events is just a google search away, but that's another matter...).

To cut a long story short, not watching sports TV or the movie channels at night has freed up a lot of time, and I've tended to spend that time painting.

So, how has it gone?

Well, after three months of doing a little painting every day - sometimes as little as ten minutes, sometimes as much as three hours - I have quite a few painted figs to show for it.

I'm three or four sessions away from completing another 50 cavalry, so if I cheat a little and squeeze them in, we've got an average monthly output of around 10 6mm vehicles, 86 15mm foot and 22 15mm horse.

I've already exceeded last year's painting totals in this time (barring the 6mm stuff), so I have to say that this no TV caper has worked a treat.

Also, I haven't missed the rugby as much as I thought I would...

As an added bonus, the blood pressure seems to have gone down now that I have no chance of accidentally stumbling across those 'history' channel shows featuring some wild-eyed fellow demonstrating 'conclusively' that (insert historical figure here) was in fact in communication with alien beings!!

OK, these aren't quite finished, but I'm including them in the tallies anyway...

at

14 comments:

  1. JasonMay 31, 2013 at 9:49 AM

    Congratulations on your successful life without a TV! I got rid of mine in 2007 and really I don't miss it at all. In the UK, no matter whether you only watch cable or satellite you still have to pay the BBC their TV 'Licence Fee'. This is around £145 for a year. No small amount! This licence fee doesn't cover the cost of any additional channels such as Sky etc. I gave up TV as a bad thing when:

    1. The BBC started putting their best TV shows onto 'other BBC extra charge to watch' channels

    2. The BBC were found to be producing extraordinary left-wing bias in so many areas of programming. The BBC were not even allowing their news reporters to refer to British troops in Afghanistan as 'our' troops. They had to be called 'British troops'.

    3. The BBC were funding the lifestyles of so many multi-millionaire BBC employees it became farcical.

    4. The best thing on TV was a repeat of the 1970's comedy 'Dad's Army' which had been repeated umpteen times since the 70's.

    In addition, this is the internet age...if there is something you really want to see, the chances are you can find it somewhere online. You Tube is great for historical documentaries of course! :-)

    Getting rid of the TV has been such a positive thing, painting and reading time has increased as you have found, and I no longer feel my own personal living space intruded upon by annoyances via the TV. I can also wind up friends enormously when they talk of modern celebrities or well-known current TV adverts and I can tell them that I have no idea of what they are going on about! :-) TV...much over-rated. Enjoy your liberation.

    ReplyDelete
  2. PrufrockMay 31, 2013 at 10:43 AM

    Good for you, Jason! It sounds like Sky Japan is just following the model set by others around the world then. As you say, it seems to me to be a risky way to go given the availability of so much on the internet. No doubt as time goes by we'll see a crackdown on sites like Youtube (word is they're trying to block it here in Japan) and increased internet regulation to protect vested interests, but that's another discussion :)

    Cheers,
    Aaron

    ReplyDelete
  3. MontyMay 31, 2013 at 11:35 AM

    Bravo on no TV and the big boost in painting totals! I pulled cable TV 3 years ago and hardly miss it. I also commend you on your steady progress with the Gauls. You haven't hit the wall!

    ReplyDelete
  4. PrufrockMay 31, 2013 at 12:56 PM

    The wall is getting closer, Monty! Is no TV your secret? You really churn out the figures. I am a painting dilettante in comparison to your good self!

    ReplyDelete
  5. BigRedBatMay 31, 2013 at 5:29 PM

    3 months without TV- inconceivable! ;-)

    If you can drop me an email I'll mail you the latest draft of my rules, which will help pass the long, TV-less evenings... ;-) Simonmiller60 at gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. PrufrockMay 31, 2013 at 5:36 PM

    Oh ho, that sounds good! E-mail incoming :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. PhilMay 31, 2013 at 6:00 PM

    That was a big challenge, and the result is excellent!!
    Phil.

    ReplyDelete
  8. CalibanMay 31, 2013 at 9:18 PM

    Good stuff, time not not watching telly is known as daddy's painting time in my house too!

    ReplyDelete
  9. AHuntJune 2, 2013 at 5:21 AM

    I also don't watch TV, though the rest of the family is not as strong. Sadly, I'd have to give up reading blogs to gain the sort of productivity you've achieved.

    I do find that if I paint a little bit every day it helps a lot. Especially since "a little bit" often turns into a couple of hours.

    Nice work.

    ReplyDelete
  10. PrufrockJune 2, 2013 at 11:04 AM

    Thanks gents - I'm surprised by how much more painting I'm getting done, actually. As you say, AHunt, the little bit each day seems to be the key. The question is, how much longer will the productive spell last? ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. bradJune 2, 2013 at 12:03 PM

    Long time, no type! Glad to see you're getting some great work done. It's great you did away with the TV. We were without internet and TV when we recently moved and it was kind of nice to be without it for a bit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PrufrockJune 3, 2013 at 2:15 AM

      Yes, Brad, my apologies. I still haven't got back to you about our planned game of 6th Fleet. I've all but stopped PBEM games due to other goings on, unfortunately. Will be in touch by email, anyway.

      Best,
      Aaron

      Delete
  12. DeanMJune 4, 2013 at 9:34 AM

    Aaron:

    I was remiss to have missed this post earlier. Lovely work on the cavalry. And very nice to hear you doing well without the "idiot box". Something I did without for several years while in the Army - just not necessary. I've long since lapsed back to owning TV with Comcast subscription - mainly for the internet (I try to believe). Oh, well happy painting and looking forward to more great works. Best, Dean

    ReplyDelete
  13. PrufrockJune 4, 2013 at 11:48 AM

    Hi Dean - as I'm in Japan I rarely watch terrestrial TV anyway, but I often used to flick on the sky movie channel while settling our youngest for bed and would end up watching half of some movie or another. Nothing wrong with that, but it's amazing how much extra painting I get done when I'm dead bored at night and with no TV option!

    Cheers,
    Aaron

    ReplyDelete