rowena_eureka

What role does TV play in my life? Stress release, company, information, entertainment, etc?

I use TV as a mental health entertainment/stress release buffer. I like to have several engrossing, fun stories flitting around in my head to think about. It’s like my own version of chewing gum so I won’t grind my teeth or smoke kind of thing. If I have several good stories tumbling around in my head, I think about them, instead of obsessively worrying or being overly critical of myself.  I use book reading and story writing the same way. It makes for a really cheerful life.

 
What limits do I put on my TV watching?

I try to limit myself to approximately 10 hours a week. Research shows watching more than 10 hours a week of TV adversely affects a child’s academic achievement. I’m not a child anyone—at least chronologically—and I don’t go to school anymore, but it seems reasonable to conclude that watching more than 10 hours of TV a week might affect my growth as a person too.

Since the research shows there’s no difference between kids who watch no TV and kids who watch 10 hours of TV a week, I aim for 10 hours because watching TV is enjoyable and gives me mental food thoughts to chew on.

What kinds of shows do I prefer?

Mostly I like shows that are well written, have intriguing characters, and make me both laugh and think. Here’s my list:

The Leads (Shows I Watch Regularly and Rather Obsessively)

1.      Supernatural- (CW) season 4

2.      The Big Bang Theory & How I Met Your Mother- (CBS) season 2 & season 4

3.      Pushing Daisies- (ABC) season 2

4.      Friday Night Lights- (Direct TV) season 3

5.      Fringe- (Fox) season 1

6.      Mad Men- (AMC) season 2

7.      Skins (BBCA) season 1 & 2

8.      Daily Show (Monday & Tuesday) (Comedy Central)

9.      Daily Show (Wednesday & Thursday) (Comedy Central)

10. Gossip Girl (w/ the daughterling or I probably wouldn’t watch for just myself)

11. The X-Files (season 1 on DVD in French w/ English subtitles to practice my French)

(Without the commercials this list adds up to about 10 hours)

The Understudies (recorded and stored on Tivo for instant fill-in when my leads have a repeat)

1.      The Office [only ½ hour] (There are a lot of Daily Show repeats, so I get to watch this pretty often.)

2.      Heroes

3.      Bones

4.      Gavin & Stacey [only ½ hour]

5.      True Blood

6.      Chuck

 
What do I do when I watch TV?

Just watch, though sometimes I eat my lunch while I watch a show, and sometimes I end up writing down favorite quotes from the show. I’m really picky about what shows I watch. Basically a show has to be so engrossing that I want to only watch it. If I find myself wanting to surf the web, clean, or fold laundry while I watch a show, that’s a sign I’m probably going to stop watching soon.