Less is More

For the past two weeks, I’ve been living without any furniture (except for my bed) and no television.  I sold my furniture to my family in preparation for my move to Missoula.  I don’t want to have to rent a trailer or moving truck for the move.  I just want to be able to fit everything in my Jeep Grand Cherokee.  So the furniture and my 26" widescreen TV had to go.  (So does my bed, but I haven’t gotten that far yet.) Originally, I was planning on buying a USB TV controller that would allow me to watch television on my laptop.  However, the night before my television departed, I decided I would just go without for a while and see what it’s like.

I’ll admit the first couple of days were a little rough.  I kept looking for the remote so I could see what was on.  Gradually, I found other things to occupy my time and I started thinking about television less and less.  Watching a few DVD’s once in a while on my laptop helped a bit too, especially during that first weekend.  As I approach the end of the second week (tomorrow) without television, I can definitely say I won’t be buying that USB TV card.  I don’t miss television anymore and I’m pretty sure I’ll be way too busy this summer to sit around and watch it anyway.

As for the furniture, I don’t miss that either.  I’ve been using a couple of folding camp chairs with some throw pillows added for extra comfort.  They’re no where near Lazy Boy’s, but they work well.  I really don’t notice any discomfort while I sit and work.  One of them is even a recliner and works great when I decide to throw in a DVD.  It’s surprisingly comfortable.  For end tables and a desk, I’ve been using folding TV trays.  I replaced my lamps with a couple of cheap clip-on desk lamps and one of my umbrella/flash stands.  When I need the stand for photography, I just unclip and go.  It doesn’t look pretty, but the whole set-up is pretty functional.  Now I just need to get rid of my bed and all the big items will be gone.

Bring on summer!