Category Archives: Uncategorized

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A week without cable wrap-up

I finished my week without cable, and it was both refreshing – and disorienting.

Refreshing because of the unbelievable amount of accomplishments, when there is no background noise as a distraction.  In seven days, I:

  • completely reorganized my computer;
  • sorted through an entire storage unit of boxes and papers;
  • reviewed all VHS tapes and DVDs;
  • transferred all my CDs onto my computer;
  • compiled new music playlists;
  • updated my podcast subscriptions AND found some interesting new programs; and
  • wrote five chapters on a book.

On the other hand, life without constant muttering of a TV program in the background was highly, disturbingly disorienting.  I never realized just how — quiet — my apartment building can be.  I knew, intellectually, that we had great soundproofing — the building is a cinderblock and brick construction, with firewalls everywhere.  My next-door neighbor held a 21st birthday party in his place with 30 guests and the entire Black Sabbath/Ozzy Osbourne playlist — and I never heard a thing!

But without the TV, it was — eerily quiet. No sound to break my concentration, which also meant that after Day 3, I was on the verge of hypervigilance.  A squeaky pipe was enough to make me jump.  By Day 5, I felt like I was in a slasher movie, waiting for Freddie or Jason or Michael to jump out at me!

Still, it was educational.  I learned that I spend a lot of time with the TV as background noise, tuned to a program I’ve seen multiple times and for which I have already memorized the dialogue.  I definitely can stop that, saving some money on the electric bill. 

But I don’t think, after all this, that I will outright drop the cable.  I would miss Anderson Cooper, BBC America’s international news, White Collar, Game of Thrones, not to mention David Duchovny and Californication.  If only there was a way to just get the channels I watch — rather than pay for this extravagent multi-tiered package packed with fluff I don’t enjoy.

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Mother Hubbard’s cupboard is definitely not bare!

As you see, Mother Hubbard does not have a bare cupboard.

Which holds a lot more than you'd think

A tiny pantry can hold a lot of food!

Im one of those people who pops into Whole Foods or Target to grab milk or apples and sees something else, like a new type of sausage or a vegetable I’ve never tried, and thinks, “Hey, that looks good.  I don’t have anything at home for dinner, I’ll pick this up.”

The truth is, though, I do have things at home for dinner.  A lot of things.

I have a pantry closet which, at first, looks small.  But the shelves are deep and tall.   You can cram a lot in those shelves.  Same with my freezer.  I could survive for months on this food.  What I haven’t been doing is actually cooking anything!

I have beans (lima, cranberry, kidney, navy, red, turtle, soldier) and rice (arborio, black, red, wild, long-grain brown).  Grains (amaranth, quinoa, oatmeal).  Pasta (orzo, spaghetti, egg and rice noodles).  Chickpeas, dried peas, lentils (French blue, black and common red).   Flour (white, wheat, blue corn, polenta and red corn, rye).   Various vinegars, spices, and lots of olive and sesame oil.  Canned tuna, salmon, chicken and shrimp.  The freezer is packed with steaks, roasts, stewing and ground meats, whole chickens, a wide variety of fish and shellfish and frozen vegies and pierogies.   

Mother Hubbard would probably kill for my pantry. 

So I’m going to use this food.  Starting today, Ive made a vow to only buy 1) staples — milk, eggs, butter; and 2) something unusual ONLY if it’s on sale and ONLY if I use it that day. 

I have a massive collection of recipes, love to cook and can’t wait to start.

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A Week without the Cable — Days 2 and 3

I’m now on Day 3 of no cable, and it’s oddly relaxing.  I didn’t miss the BCS game Monday (from what I understand, it was such a boring game that most people turned it off mid-way through the second quarter).  I definitely didn’t miss the New Hampshire primary coverage — I got just as much info on it from NPR and online tweets without having to listen to the endless speculation of news anchors with airtime to fill. 

Tonight is Wednesday, and usually there’s nothing on that I watch, so the effect of the TV being on would have been for background noise.  And without that noise, I’ve discovered something interesting.  Well, two things.

1.  I get a lot more done.  So far I’ve inventoried my yarn stash, written 10,000 words for a book and braved the first of three boxes of old photos (no one in my family seems to have put actual names on photos; I’m trying to ID some of these people and places). 

2.  I have some noisy neighbors.  The doors keep slamming down the hall when one set of neighbors get into an argument (every hour).  And the — shrieking — that’s the only word I can use to describe it, coming from the unit underneath me is amazing.  Were these people raised in the wild?

Still, it’s both comfortable having the silence — and unnerving.  You can hear every creak of the ceiling (my building is old, old, old and I”m on the top floor).   Every car that passes outside. 

And every scritch as a squirrel runs across the ceiling in the crawl space.