Torch, Spring/Summer 2011

Spring–Summer 2011 | TORCH 31 PHOTO PROVIDED BY DANIELLEWOOD Backyardigans again. “Maybe a little TV here and there isn’t so bad,” I say to myself as I look up The Backyardigans on Blockbuster’s website. I am fighting the urge to look up shows on the computer tonight. I thought this would get easier, not harder! But I am still excited about all the things I can do instead. Photoshop class, here I come. Day 11: January 6 I’ve signed us up for Blockbuster. If we are going to continue this “no TV” thing, I’ve got to have some movies! I can definitely do without reality shows, decorating shows, and poorly written sitcoms, but I appreciate and enjoy the art of creative prose, lighting, and acting in a well-done piece of cinematography. That must be why I have been drawn to a photography business. Day 12: January 7 I’m learning so much about the things that really matter to me. I have been taking online classes, going through my cookbooks, continuing our new studies, etc. I’m not saying I can’t enjoy relaxing with a good show, because I can. And I can’t negate what I’ve learned from TV (like how to sear an octopus tentacle, where sharks live, and what groups still admire Hitler), but as for applicable knowledge, the TV-less days win. Day 13: January 8 My days are still not long enough. I think I imagined mountains of productivity but, alas, I am only human, and the two or three hours I have gained each day cannot work miracles. Even so, I know I have accomplished more in these past weeks than I would have otherwise. Day 14: January 9 This experiment was quite a roller coaster, but our family needed it. We are going to stick to our new plan of DVD-only viewing for a while longer. It will help us regulate both the content and the length of our viewing, not to mention how it will help our budget. Liv will be disappointed her beloved cable man isn’t returning. Maybe she would like to send him some of her drawings! Danielle Wood, a 2003 graduate of Cedarville University, lives with her husband, Justin, and their two children in Gaithersburg, Maryland. She blogs at justindanielle.blogspot.com.