Television’s death knell (for me)

Life is gradually squeezing television out of the picture and as Smallville raps up its final season, I may no longer have a reason, patience, or time to watch TV. Yes, I know that I’ve said this before. But there are some differences between then and now:

1. I was single then. I have a family now.
2. I had proactively decided to quit TV then. Circumstances have made TV mostly obsolete now.
3. There simply isn’t time in the day.

There are TV shows that I enjoy, Smallville being among them. I also like The Big Bang Theory, Blue Bloods, and most of the HBO series like Boardwalk Empire, and Big Love. My DVR faithfully records these shows for me. But what I have found over the last several weeks is that I have had no desire to head downstairs to watch one of these recorded shows. Every time it occurs to me to do so, I think: do I really want to spent 40 minutes watching TV, or use that time to play with my little boy; or if he’s already asleep: read more from the current Astounding. Or write. Or take care of things around the house. This is saying a lot, especially since I still haven’t watched the newest episode of Smallville, and it’s been a week. I’m 2 weeks behind on Big Love and I’ve lost count on all the other shows that are recorded.

Some of it is schedule: where would I fit this into my day?

Another problem is that the Little Man like to watch his shows, stuff from the Disney Channel like the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse; or stuff from Nick like Sponge Bob. Or he’ll watch Cars DVDs. Or Elmo. The sounds from all of these shows, heard repeatedly, is like some kind of Chinese water torture. It makes me seek out quiet, and look forward to the moment when the TV can be turned off.

I don’t know if this trend away from television will continue–it certainly didn’t last time around. But like I said, the circumstances are different this time. I really do want to see the final episodes of Smallville. The other shows I care about a lot less. Given the choice of activities on any given day, television has pretty much fallen off the radar.