Media Blackout

Had a good Christmas. It was “just” me and my parents, but that was plenty. Which sounds like a snarky put-down; it’s not. A weekend with my parents is joy. I love every opportunity I have to spend time with them. I wish I had more time to spend with them…though on the other hand, I have to balance that desire with an understand that I have to live my own life.

In any event, nothing of major import has occured lately; the major news of the moment is this: My one-week vacation from all media has begun.

What does that mean? No TV. No movies. No DVDs. No newspapers. No magazines. No radio. No books. No web. None of it, at all, until the weekend.

Have I been completely, totally faithful? Well, no. I watched quite a few episodes of Good Eats today. But it’s the principle of the thing, and it’s made me really think about the amount of media that I let into my life. Without it, I have all sorts of time. And I have to ask myself: Is it all worth the time I put into it? What do I get out of the local paper? What do I get out of the latest blockbuster movie?

Which is not a rhetorical question. I do learn and benefit from those things. But at what cost?