It is a good thing that I am moving back out on my own. I made the conscious decision to live alone for a number of reasons, some of those being certain lifestyle changes I have grown a bit too comfortable with.
By no means have I ever been a bona fide health nut, but I was never a big junk food eater when I lived alone. I never purchased potato chips and very infrequently would buy soda. Even then, it was a two liter bottle that was flat within 2 days. Since I have lived with this very kind and generous person I have “discovered” the Doritos on a number of occasions and had a chomp fest. Soda, still not a dietary staple in my refrigerator, has crept around for me to have more often than normal. I am surrounded by Peanut M&M’s and other chocolate baubles that I really don’t even enjoy that much. I would rather spend a little more on my favorite imported chocolate treat (Hanuta cookies from Germany are my favorite) and savor every scrumptious bite than pig out on handful after handful of M&M’s, or enjoy a glass of wine over a can of Diet Dew. One night my brain clicked into desperate snack mode, I don’t know if it was stress or hormones but I ate almost an entire bag of crunchy Cheetos while staring at the television. I washed the orange mark of shame from my right hand and felt disgustingly ill the next day.
As for the junk food, it is something I will easily get over. It won’t be in my cupboards, it won’t be in my stomach. It is funny because, almost instinctively, I don’t go down that aisle in the grocery store. The one change I question the most is cable TV. I believe that only once in my adult life have I had cable TV in an apartment and it was only because it was included. I was sublimely oblivious to TV that it felt good to not be in the “Dancing with the Stars” conversation in the office. I knew to turn the TV on in time for Antiques Roadshow and Grey’s Anatomy. It was only this past year I discovered the joy of DVR and OnDemand. And I know that this will sound terribly cliché, but the stations I favored most was A&E, Discovery, and History. Even if I wasn’t watching, it filled the quiet loneliness of the house. I will miss the next season of The Tudors and Big Love! I will not be able to watch reruns of Beverly Hills 90210 when I am bundled under blankets, sick on the couch!! When I want to be mad about something, I can’t turn on MTV for 5 seconds anymore for instant disgust and anger!!! I will never again have a TV date with Guy Fieri from “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” again!!!! Whatever shall I do!!!!
Mostly I can’t justify the expense of cable or satellite television. You could heat a home for a month for what they charge. I am going to pick warmth over Mythbusters, even though I enjoy Mythbusters , I am a crabby pants when I am cold. Instead I will enjoy movies directly from my friends at Netflix where there is a dazzling array of documentaries, dramas, classics, foreign, indie, and chick flicks to enjoy while rekindling the joy of my peaceful, self-reflecting hobby of cross stitch. Oh, and a book with hot cocoa! This will be a fantastic winter without Cheetos and a huge Charter bill!
Cheryl Mathis
4:55 am on September 30th
I’m writing this comment from my mother’s house. She has extended cable. It’s one of the many reasons I come up here so often. Isn’t that terrible? We made the decision years ago to only subscribe to basic. We get less than 12 channels now, and it feels like more than enough, but I still love having vacations with HGTV and Discovery. — You cross stitch? Me too!! Or at least I did before children. Now it’s considered bad form to have scissors and needles lying around the house. But I was an avid cross stitcher. That was me. Listening to countless audiobooks in my living room, cross stitching my masterpieces.
Grinning Soul
5:24 am on September 30th
I would say that I have been a fledgling cross stitcher of 10 years. Thanks for reminding me of audiobooks. I will be visiting the library soon.
Dino Corvino
1:07 pm on September 30th
People…loud rock and roll is the answer. Massive amounts of Dinosaur Jr driven feedback.
Grinning Soul
4:16 pm on September 30th
Only have one Dinosaur Jr. album in my library. It is damn good though and reminds me of being 15.
5 bite diet
11:53 am on December 7th
A couple of years ago, I walked uptown to Central Park on one of those perfect November days. The air had a bite to it while the sun shone bright. It was the day of the New York Marathon and I thought it might be fun to watch the