After four years of living without a TV, my partner and I bought our very first one a few weeks ago.
Before, we had no background noise when entertaining, no 7de Laan omnibus for the aunties to watch when they visited on Sundays and no escapism on lazy days.
When family visited, we were forced to talk about our lives and theirs in great detail. And kids and adults were part on the same conversations.
Friends would come over and we’d braai, listen to music, play board games, chat, laugh, and everything else that didn’t involve being glued to a screen.
See, when we moved in together, a TV was last on our financial priority list and we’d kind of gotten used to it.
Although, we did on a number of occasions, leave the backdoor open on big rugby days to listen to neighbour’s cheers and we sometimes got lucky when the drunk one at their party loudly announced who scored and how.
In the week, I’d arrive home and Jason would stop whatever he was doing to ask about my day. I’d give him a rundown of the day’s events – joys, irritations and the latest skinner. He’d listen and not because he’s a great BF but because for that while I was his TV and it was entertaining for both of us. We’d have dinner at the dinner table and talk about future plans, read aloud from magazines, joke about and sometimes just chew away in comfortable silence.
Then a few weeks ago, we sat down and much like having a discussion about starting a family, we sat down and decided it was time to buy a TV.
We were sick of the ridicule when people asked us whether we’d seen the latest Nando’s ad and we hadn’t and as a journalist, I was seriously lagging behind on all the juicy gossip and TV series offered by TV – things I just have to know. Plus, the World Cup is on the horizon.
So in came the gorgeous 42 inch flat screen LCD TV, DSTV (premium package, nogal) and a PS3.
The day the installation was done I came home, expecting the usual welcome and got a sideways glance and an unusually high pitched “Hi” as in “Oh hi, it’s you, please don’t launch into a long discussion, please don’t launch into a long discussion!”
How could I compete with all the channels and the wonders they offer?
I didn’t. I kicked off my shoes and joined in the fun and have been ever since.
In the first few days we channel surfed enough to give a headache as we soaked up what most of you take for granted. I even found myself a fave Kardashian sister within two days.
Takeaways came and went, crumbs gathered on the carpet in front of the TV and a few missed calls from friends went unreturned.
Now, a few weeks later and after too many days of living past each other, we realise we may need some house rules – no TV until after supper and instead of channel surfing, we decide ahead of time what we’re going to watch. In between, the machine stays off while we focus on real life.