Less TV, More Reading and Sleeping

Last night was an easy one. It was my free night. Tom and I have an arrangement where we each get 2 free nights during the work week; this has been a life saver for me. Gavin had borrowed a Godzilla movie from the library. So it was very easy to decide to take a bath and then do some reading.

I can't get anyone in this house to play Scrabble with me more than 3 times a year, but I still love it. So I starting reading Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players. The cutthroat Scrabble world is quite a subculture, but it sounds too exhausting for me to ever contemplate competing.

It occurred to me that perhaps I should be writing, but actually my body and mind were screaming for some R and R. I conked out before 9. And, of course, I am writing now. Outside of the many "nos" I want to work on, I have also decided to get up by 4:30 every day and reclaim an hour for myself. This is not hard for me; I am an extreme morning person. What IS hard is reminding my fellow early riser, Gavin, that if he comes down before 5:30 he is on his own until Mommy lifts the "cone of silence." This is a way-outdated cultural reference, so Gavin had never heard this and thought is was hysterical. Score for me; keeping him laughing works wonders.

It occurred to me that's it's lucky our household only has 1 TV. When we do watch, there's more sense of community. And there's less temptation overall. Did you know the average American household has 2.93 TVs? Only 1.1% has no TV--I am shooting for that eventually, but I fear I may be vetoed in my efforts.

I read up on 20 ways to say no. Handy, but it occurred to me that the hardest people to say no to are often your own family members, who are so on to you.