A big reason I wasn’t getting much use of my cable was a complete lack of interest in recording programs. I didn’t like the idea of paying for Cable and adding the cost of Tivo service, or purchasing a digital video recorder. Even less appealing was the idea of using a VCR and keeping antiquated tapes.
It’s no fun watching Lost, then feeling utterly lost after missing an episode. Waiting for HBO seasons requires a level of patience I do not possess. Rome and Big Love each took more than 1 year between the last airdate of one season until the beginning airdate of the next season. During the vast gap, HBO taunted me with frequent commercials for these elusive programs.
Rather than letting these networks toy with my emotions, I dumped them. After canceling my cable, I found that it’s much easier to wait until an entire season is available at once on DVD. Even better—wait until the entire program has run its course. No more waiting for the next season, no more forgetting plot lines and characters between episodes or seasons.
Getting the entire season from Netflix is also very convenient. Not only are entire seasons available by DVD rental, many programs are also available to play instantly. No, this isn’t a commercial for Netflix—I’m just an overly enthusiastic member.
So if you don’t watch every program right when it airs, you might be afraid of coming across as out-of-date in your conversations around the water cooler. Trust me, if you do it right, no one will know the difference. I played this game for years—especially during sports season. For example:
Them: “Hey, did you see that exciting last-second pass during the 4th quarter?”
Me: “Amazing!”
Them: “It was so awesome! And then he fumbled… (etc.)… and then he scored!”
If you haven’t figured this out already, I’ll let you in on a little secret about people: they really don’t care what you have to say. They’re usually just looking for an opportunity to talk. AND…people like you more if you listen.
You can knock yourself out by watching every sporting event, catching every news story, and sitting through every sitcom. Or, you could take the easier approach and let someone tell you about what you missed. It’s like a modern version of the Town Crier.
