apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Or have a baby, then you won't have time to do any of the above!

cant really think my life w/o music with words. no tv yes, but no music.. cant.

I no longer have a tv or a microwave. It really helps me stay focused on what I care about and more time for blog reading ;)

Buy a book? Start a book club?

I live in a building where all the units have free cable. I own a 13 inch retro ball tele that I haven't turned on for 8 months now. I love not watching television. I listen to podcasts, do all my homework instead of most of it and have time for my kitties and my art. There are so few things worth watching these days anyway.

I rarely watch tv anyway, but when my computer crashed badly last year, after the obligatory withdrawal period, I began to really enjoy my life with no computer in it.

I can live without TV, but not the computer........YIKES

OMG. You have my Mom's LR set from when I was growing up!

I haven't owned a TV for years... but I doubt I could go long with out those darn internets!

I need an internet fast. Too damn much to read, too much to clutter the brain. And I haven't knitted in ages...

is that a record cabinet to the left of the TV? gorgeous!

I love how that shade of blue pops.

does media fast include blogs??

I moved here from Eastern Europe 14 years ago and had a major culture shock, especially regarding medias, one of them - having hundreds instead of the 3 channels, I was used to. Six months down the line, I found myself spending evenings on the sofa, surfing the channels and munching the chips - all the stuff I didn't want to do with my life. So, I decided to quit - I sold the TV and lived without one for over 10 years. It was the best decision I ever made (after quitting smoking). I read the news on line and listen to my WNYC - those two I couldn't live without! Recently, I bought a TV again and even though it still feels like an alien, I am glad I can watch hot political debates this year. So, it was good all this years without TV, but it's also good having it back!

Who cares about the media. That room rocks!

But I'd have to give up AT...

I do this every week- Jewish Shabbos. And it's lovely. You'll enjoy it. Sounds corny, but longs walks are better than TV and board games can be more fun than reading blogs.

When I moved to Sweden 2.5years ago I sold my TV. Didn't buy a new one until 2 months ago. I haven't even plugged it in to see if I have channels. I just want to watch the occasional movie. Everyone I know thinks I'm crazy, weird, or is awe of me. I find people's reactions quite entertaining and interesting. I'd love to get rid of the computer too (for a while!) but I'm a student so right now it's a necessity.

I'd say go cold turkey. You won't miss it after a two weeks.

i am doing a 48 hour internet fast this weekend. the blogosphere and its snarkiness (not on this site, but on every other) is slowly eating my soul! that is one thing i appreciate about AT -- i can read through the posts and the comments without confronting an endless torrent of whining! i do feel that it is increasingly hard to listen to one's own thoughts with so much chatter, chatter, chatter on the web 24/7.

Try not turning on your tv when you come back from holiday especially if you have been abroad or somewhere without tv. Being away helps to break the rut of watching.

Can I just say that the room pictured is fantastic.

I am going media-free on weeknights (Mon-Th). No computer, no TV. Getting a lot more done!

i just think it's funny blogging about media fasts.
hee hee

i agree with stephvixen.

i recently got a new computer.. and have been using that to watch dvds. I have not turned on my tv in who knows how long. i think im moving it to the closet this weekend.

I also do not have the internet at home.. which is sometimes inconvenient.. but also great. Its too easy to get sucked into the internet.

and now when I do see TV.. the LOUD and fast commercials stress me out. seriously. have you ever noticed how commercial breaks are twice as loud as the show?

still- theres no point in cutting out music. unless its bad music.

We have a television set because we love rainy day movies. TV advertising is so terrible, so loud, so ridiculous, so obnoxious that is melts my brain. We only have the "basic" cable package because it knocks down our internet cost. Of the 9 channels we do get the only good one is PBS. So if we do watch anything, it's the News Hour with Jim Lehrer, or the PBS evening special. But all in all, we watch maaaaaaaybe two hours of television a week, if that.

So that's not our vice. My vice is using the computer at work; down time spent surfing the net. Which, with my speakers muted, is only audibly quieter than wasting away in the evenings in front of the TV. There's certainly enough color, flash, consume! consume! consume! advertising going on on the web to induce seizures. And while you can mute the TV, when you're reading an online article you can't help but notice the sidebar in fluorescent green bold face offering you the chance to shave the legs of this cartoon woman and win a $20 coupon!!! Ohmygod. It makes me insane. So, my struggle would be to not check my email, check my favorite websites, get lost in a couple of the gossip sites. I mean, it's terrible. I love living life outside of work away from the television and away from the computer; but 9-5, Mon through Fri? It's the internet. And while I'm an awesome employee, I know I could get more done if I could unplug the connection and have no way to feed temptation when it's slow here. Ugh. Giving TV up was easy, I did it because I couldn't stand it. But the sweet, sweet internet? Oooohhhh..... we'll see.

Had to media fast for 24 hours for a class in my communication s major in college. No one ever makes it.... not only did we not get TV there was no books, magazines, radio, CDs, or internet. No AT!

Yeah, I think that a media fast would need to include the internet, but if you have a computer at work, then you're not likely to quite do that. It might make it fairly easy to do the "fast" part at home, though. But if no one else at your home works outside the home with internet access, then it's not really fair.

The version of media fasting that I was introduced to was to give up anything that would expose you to advertising. Thus: movies on DVD - OK, regular TV - not; books - OK, magazines - not.

One therapist I know has clients go on advertising fasts, and she says it really helps people let go of anxiety and perfectionism.

I think stepping away from the internet and TV periodically is a good idea, but you'll have to pry the book out of my cold dead hands. Also the music.

Can we get more info and photos of that room?

For years I had a cheapie tv with bunnny ears and 5 channels and I was fine. My new apartment has cable included and I am watching a lot more tv. I wish I could turn off the cable and save the 40 or so dollars.
I think I may need to unplug the cable and hide the tv in a closet or even get rid of the tv - the tv seems to take away my energy to do other things like reading or other projects - yets it so enticing to zone out after the workday.
Apartment therapy remains my guilty pleasure.