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| Welcome to the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. Every day in April (except Sundays), I’ll be sharing a short bookish memory with you. |
Did your parents ever tell you that your brain
would rot if you watched too much TV? My parents did. The threat of brain-rot
must not have deterred me because I watched more Kenan & Kel than any normal child should.
Since we’re near the end of this blogging
challenge, and I’ve run out of memories, we’re going to talk about TV, movies,
and squirrelyness. (That last thing is totally a word, despite what Microsoft
Word claims.)
I love to read. I can happily lie in bed and
read for several hours without getting bored. But, I have a really hard time
watching TV or movies. My mind starts wandering; I get anxious; my legs get
restless; I suddenly crave nachos. My brain is thinking about everything except
the show/movie. The only time I can watch TV is when I’m multitasking. Right
now, I’m watching Chopped and writing
this blog post. Earlier today, I watched My
600-Pound Life while running on the treadmill. I have no problem watching
TV while doing something else, but I’m incapable of sitting still and watching
a show.
I’m hopeless with movies. Films usually have
fairly complex plots, so if I multitask while watching a movie, I lose track of the plot. Then there’s no point in watching the movie. It’s rare that I
can sit through a whole film without feeling squirrely.
None of this makes sense to me. What’s the
difference between a book, a movie, and a TV show? Why can I sit still for a
book but not a movie?
Did I somehow internalize my parents’ warning
that TV rots brains?
Maybe I prefer books because they require more
concentration? I know a lot about books. When I read, I’m not just enjoying the
story. I’m analyzing every choice the author makes. I can’t do that with TV and
movies because I’m clueless. I don’t know anything about acting or
cinematography. (I didn’t even know how to spell cinematography until right
now.) Maybe I’d have more appreciation for TV and movies if I knew what I was
looking at?
I have slightly better luck with movies and
shows that are based on books. I like Game
of Thrones and the Harry Potter
films. Still, I prefer reading to watching.
So,
Internet doctors, am I normal? Does anyone else love to read but lack the
patience to sit through a movie? What are your favorite movies and TV shows?
I was always a big fan of films and TV shows and watched lots of stuff but now I find it harder to concentrate on them. I still watch reality things like Deadliest Catch, Masterchef, Gold Rush, Steve Austin's Broken Skull Challenge with no problem but other than binge watching GoT last year I struggle to get motivated to watch tv drama or films. It's weird. I've got so many tbrs that I feel I should be reading instead! I have no problem just reading for hours though. Film wise I like horror, sci-fi, action, monsters best. I like a range of TV stuff-political drama (ie West Wing and Scandal) sci-fi (Stargate Atlantis) horror (Walking Dead) everything from Buffy to Supernatural, Miami Vice to NCIS, Dallas to Prisoner Cell Block H!
ReplyDeleteI feel like I should be reading whenever I watch TV. Maybe my TV problems are my TBR’s fault.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I took a break from TV when we cancelled our cable many years ago. Then one night I watched an episode of The Walking Dead on Netflix. I guess watching zombies infected my brain. Now I watch TV every night after the kids go to bed and stay up too late. It's a bad habit. Be glad you are still reading. I read as well during the day, but I've got to have my brainless TV time at night.
ReplyDeleteY is for the Yellowstone Conspiracy
Books are always more interesting than TV for me. It’s been a long time since I watched a show that really hooked me.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I have a hard time sitting down to watch a movie, too. It feels like a waste of time because there's always something else I *could* be doing. However, I have tried to think of it as taking time for myself, which helps (sometimes). I can watch half-hour shows, but I rarely have the patience for hour-long shows, so. All of this is fairly new for me. I used to be an avid TV watcher--strictly dramas at that. I don't know what's changed exactly.
ReplyDeleteYes! I have the same problem. Whenever I watch TV, I always start thinking about the other things I could be doing.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I'm the same unless it's a really, really good show. these days no one watches shows on an actual tv, at least, it seems like that to me and I suppose why we mutli-task because we can bring our shows anywhere and watch it anywhere. I think the connivence of technology really sort of rot our brain, we rely so much on them that sometimes we forget we can do other things.
ReplyDeletehave a lovely day.
~ my Y post - yada yada~
I probably watch more YouTube than I should. I like that it’s portable, and I can watch it whenever I want.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Interesting. It sounds like the passivity to TV just doesn't engage your brain deeply enough. And there might be brain chemistry to blame, too, though most people with attention disorders have the opposite problem--they get engrossed in films & TV but can't sit still to read and do better with audio books while exercising or drawing.
ReplyDeleteThat’s why this is so weird. I have no problem reading, but TV? Nope. You’d think I’d struggle with both TV and books.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Did you run faster on the treadmill because of watching "600 Pound Life?" I normally listen to books while at the gym, but never when I am biking or paddling or just walking outside. There were shows my parents didn't let us kids watch, but frankly TV was never that much of a draw for me. I went from my mid-20s to my mid-30s without a TV.
ReplyDeletehttp://sagecoveredhills.blogspot.com/2017/04/y-is-for-yellow-dwarf.html
Haha! Yes! I always watch My 600-Pound Life on the treadmill. It’s excellent motivation.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I do things while watching TV too. But I also get distracted while reading. I think I get distracted doing anything!!
ReplyDeleteI tried to do a 24-hour readathon yesterday. I think I spent more time getting distracted than actually reading.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Reading for me can be as vivid as television. I remember reading a Stephen King novel and closing my eyes to shut out the scene. Oops, horror movie still going on in my head.
ReplyDeleteI have been trying to focus on single tasking but I do like to fold laundry while watching fluff tv.
Same here. A well-written book is just as vivid as TV for me.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I watch a lot of tv, but I'm usually multi-tasking while I do it. Either reading or working on a blanket for Project Linus or exercising. I feel weird *just* watching tv.
ReplyDeleteYes! *Just* watching TV doesn’t work for me. I usually have to do something else at the same time.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I multitask a lot while the tv is on. I often clean the house with the Harry Potter movies (because I've read and watch the movies a thousand times and can miss seeing big chunks and still know what is going on). I often blog while watching primetime tv, though there are a few shows or movies that will sufficiently draw my attention that I stop doing whatever I'm doing. Girl Who Reads
ReplyDeleteI’m re-watching the 4th Harry Potter movie right now! They’re my favorite things to have on TV while I’m doing other stuff.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Like you I have to do something else while I'm watching TV (right now I'm reading blog posts while watching 24). In my case it was because we didn't just 'watch TV' in our house. That was wasted time so I learned to do something else at the same time. Watching TV with a book or notebook in hand was fine because then you weren't just staring at the screen, you were 'doing something'.
ReplyDeleteNowadays I like to knit or colour in while I watch TV since it keeps me busy but I can still concentrate on what's happening on screen.
Cait @ Click's Clan
My parents never admonished TV watching. They are addicted to the tube. They keep it on when they go to sleep. I always read a lot as a kid, and we grew up in the city and were always playing in the street. We didn't have as many channels back then either. Saturday mornings were the time when you planted yourself in front of the set, otherwise, it was slim pickings for small children.
ReplyDeleteSam @ WLABB
I was raised without a TV. My parents got rid of theirs sometime in the mid 1960's, because my mom considered it such a waste of time. But as a result, I would get SUCKED IN when watching anything on a screen. My friends used to tease me because I'd watch ads with as much focus as the show, completely unable to tear my eyes away.
ReplyDeleteNow I can't watch "real" TV because ads are so annoying, but I can bingewatch the heck out of Netflix.
I used to watch too much TV but I don't really watch much anymore. I would rather spend my time reading. We do watch sports during which I multi-task like you. I have 2 shows that I do enjoy - The Walking Dead and Outlander. I can sit for an hour per week for TV - that is about it.
ReplyDeleteI totally do that as well. I'm blogging while watching Fixer Upper. LOL. ~Aleen
ReplyDeleteOh I am the same way! Only, my parents never really said it would rot my brain, I just... have trouble. TV I am better at- and actually, I have rewatched The 100 more times than I care to admit ;) But movies? Nope. Can't do it. Unless it is based on a book, I have ZERO interest. I can't be quiet and still that long, I think.
ReplyDeleteI used to watch tons of TV but when I started reading more, I found that I always preferred reading. So, like you say, I think that my TBR ruined TV for me. I still watch a little bit of TV (mostly while I'm doing the elliptical---or while my husband's watching and I'll be there on my computer while watching), but for the most part I just use that time to read or blog instead.
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction