I hate not having cable TV

[jiacinto]

I really do. My brother's house doesn't have it.

What people don't live with cable?

[greatauntoftriplets]

1. I don't have cable and could care less.

Miss having Cpan from what I hear of it.

Spanish Pipedream (AKA Blow Up Your TV)
© John Prine

She was a level-headed dancer on the road to alcohol
And I was just a soldier on my way to Montreal
Well she pressed her chest against me
About the time the juke box broke
Yeah, she gave me a peck on the back of the neck
And these are the words she spoke

Chorus:
Blow up your TV throw away your paper
Go to the country, build you a home
Plant a little garden, eat a lot of peaches
Try an find Jesus on your own

Well, I sat there at the table and I acted real naive
For I knew that topless lady had something up her sleeve
Well, she danced around the bar room and she did the hoochy-coo
Yeah she sang her song all night long, tellin' me what to do

Repeat chorus:

Well, I was young and hungry and about to leave that place
When just as I was leavin', well she looked me in the face
I said "You must know the answer."
"She said, "No but I'll give it a try."
And to this very day we've been livin' our way
And here is the reason why

We blew up our TV threw away our paper
Went to the country, built us a home
Had a lot of children, fed 'em on peaches
They all found Jesus on their own

[hlthe2b]

4. 'love that song...

and I really wish I had the self-restraint to actually get rid of the thing...

[greatauntoftriplets]

5. I rarely watch the damned thing.

The boob tube, I mean. Never had cable.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

14. That is one of John's best. I love it too.

I have cable. The wife and kids watch it. I rarely do. And never BS TV "news" anymore.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

6. I'll take Illegal Smile on a Friday night

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

2. People who have learned to read or listen to the radio

People who take walks.
People who did not even have color TV when they were kids.

[hlthe2b]

3. well, I barely do--- I have the bare bones $13/MONTH

variety (I'm at war with Comcast)....

So, I get network, a few shopping channels, hallmark, and tvland...
I do miss having cable access to the news channels, when something good is going on, but hey... this will give you a chance to go out more, right? New city, new friends?

[KG]

7. shoot - i haven't had a TV in 5 years.

wean yourself off of TV, you will be the better for it.

[hlthe2b]

20. what's the best approach: cold turkey or slow wean?

it's a terrible time drain, and brain-killing narcotic, but I am addicted, even to lousy stuff..

[Redneck Socialist]

24. Cold turkey...

is the only way to go. If you leave yourself a backdoor you will watch whatever is on even if all you can get is fox news.

[fishnfla]

8. All sorts of people "live" without TV

maybe you should try it. might be the first step to getting your life back.you need it to live? despite what they tell you, its not air.

[Nikia]

9. Have it but don't watch

In our area, we had to get cable television to get cable internet. We watched it a couple hours a night for the first few months but rarely watch it now. We mostly got off our television habit in college. Did you have cable television in your dorm rooms at college? We didn't and got very poor reception so I didn't even try to watch. The cable television in the dorm basements was usually already in use by someone who was watching something specific that you'd better not try to change.

[Booberdawg]

10. I would die without cable - but after what you've been through

I'd be happy just to be under a new roof.

It's temporary Carlos. Just until you get on your own feet. :D

[david_vincent]

11. You pay for TV with the time you spend watching commercials

Therefore, all channels that carry advertising should be free.
When I was in junior high, our TV broke. My dad didn't bother replacing it for 4 years, since he never watched it himself.
I read a lot of books and got good grades.
Hey, if you're in Iowa now, guess what you could get involved in?

[SOteric]

12. I don't have cable any more and I like it that way.

It sucks up too much money and too much time.

Now I can find the time to read, to surf the internet, to engage in activism, to write, to visit with friends and still run a load of laundry now and again.

Marx was wrong: Television is the opiate of the masses.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

15. Television = Religion or, at least it will eventually

Wait and see.

[deek]

13. nada

If I would, it would be for music videos and some sort of access to bbc. Alas, my priorites don't include cable. Why can't I get PBS nor my local govt meetings without cable? hmph

I rely on my dvd/video collections for entertainment--approx 3 hrs/week--and DU/Yahoo for my news.

Having to pay $30+ for basic access is ludicrous. Isn't this supposed to be included in our "freedom"? Freedom to access relevant current events? Public Broadcasting System only if you pay up the nose? The same with being connected with local governmental issues?

I get 3 stations. Sometimes I watch Simpsons, King of the Hill, and MadTV. It may be a bit snowy, but I have other priorities than watching the other crap that I would have to pay for.

Note: I used to be married to a TV addict.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

16. Yeah, all that, and WE (the people, that is) own the airwaves...

yeah, like hell.

[Nikia]

17. You can watch music videos through launch

It is Yahoo's music site. They have a lot of videos. I go there often.

[Cleita]

18. Hey, I didn't have a television most of the time when

I grew up let alone cable. When my family did have TV we only had two channels. I also never had television all through high school college, or my whole twenties unless I went to someone elses house.

Try not even watching TV for a few weeks. You will enjoy the peace and quiet. If you really have to get a fix find a saloon with no customers, buy a beer, and ask the bartender to put your favorite program on.

[Spider Jerusalem]

19. You have a PC. You have an internet connection.

Why do you need cable? Entertain yourself interactively rather than passively. Read something. Try this: http://www.blackmask.com/page.php (lots and lots of e-books, sorted by category.) or go to http://en.wikipedia.org or http://www.everything2.com and look up something you're interested in, and follow the hyperlinks to related subjects...personally I can get lost for hours doing that. Try using your brain. It can be fun.

[Demobrat]

21. So your brother took you in and you're complaining

because he doesn't have cable. You're lucky you're not my brother. I'd throw your ass out.

[leftist_rebel1569]

22. This reminds me of "Space Ghost: Coast to Coast"

like, way too much (btw, it's a show in cable). Has anyone seen the last episode of that show where Space Ghost gets cable put into his apartment? It's also the one where they're locked out of the studio in the beginning and Moltar and Zorak escape and kidnap Jon Benjamin...

[Redneck Socialist]

23. Don't even have a TV...

Kill your Television. You will find you suddenly have an enormous amount of free time that you can waste on other activities. (like DU) You will also find yourself to be tremendously better informed as you have to get your info from better sourches.

The only thing I miss is sports.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

25. Sports are better on the radio

Use your immagination.

[Redneck Socialist]

29. I like baseball on the radio...

...but I have a hard time following any other sport that way.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

30. there is another sport besides baseball?

huh.
new one on me.

[greendog]

26. I havn't watched TV for 30 years...

...and I don't think I've missed anything important.

TV exists to promote 2 things:

1. Stupidity
2. Overconsumption

You're better off without it. :)

[Deja Q]

27. Haven't had it for over a year

Yes, at first it was rough - I missed the shows I watched. But saving $50 per month in return was rather nice. :D

My next goal is to oust tv totally. If not now, then by 2006 when the FCC forces everybody to move to copy-protected HDTV... At least I have the freedom to boycott.

In a way, I still miss cable and the shows I did like.

But it's an addiction. Like smoking, drinking, or spending.

[NightTrain]

28. I have cable and rarely watch it

I only got it because they bundled in basic cable with my broadband connection for an extra $8.00 a month. But I could easily live without those 75 channels of pre-fabricated bullshit.

Just be glad you have a place to live, Carlos. Something like two million of our fellow Americans are homeless!

[XanaDUer]

31. After everything that has happened, is cable really that important

in the larger scheme of your life right now?

For what it's worth, when I quit my insane job, I dropped down to basic cable. Yes, it sucked, but I read more than ever, do crossword puzzles, go for walks, etc.


You learn to deal with what you have to.

Be glad that lack of cable is what you are worried about, and not:

1. terminal illnesses
2. homelessness
3. being stuck in crappy old south florida

So re-do your resume and get on with it.

[jiacinto]

32. Yeah I am doing that now

nt