Monday, July 14, 2008

New Poll

So, I was talking to New Guy, and we got on the subject of televisions in the bedroom. I've long been a proponent of no television in the bedroom. I've never had a television in my bedroom, I more than likely never will (unless someone moves into my bedroom and gives a compelling argument as to why I should have one).

On a side note: did you know that couples who keep a television in their room have sex half as often as couples who don't? Yeah, I imagine it's hard to get in the mood after watching Beavis and Butthead.

New Guy has a t.v. in his room. A big-assed plasma one. Indy has one. Mom and Mr. Recommendation have one. Brother doesn't...yet. It's only a matter of time before he does.

On the cruise I took Mom on, I discovered that she likes to have the t.v. on when she sleeps. I prefer pitch black with just a little white noise (like a fan). For seven straight nights, I went batshit crazy listening to B-rated movies well into the night.

Almost everyone I know has a television in their room. When did we come to such a pass? Is it really that hard to go to the living room to watch a show? That's what I do, then I take my happy ass to bed to sleep.

My room is an oasis...designed for rest, relaxation, and intimacy (in the event the opportunity presents itself). My bedroom is my haven. Calm colors. Aromatherapy. Nice, soothing and sensual environment. Not a place to watch South Park.

So, I decided to broaden my poll. Do you have a television in your room? Why? Have you thought about moving it out?? Try it, for a month. And let me know what you think.

23 comments:

Xavier Onassis said...

I do have a TV in my bedroom. I also have my home office and my coffee maker in my bedroom. It's like a hotel room.

I have to have everything turned off, blacked out and white noised to go to sleep. But I turn on the TV right after the alarm goes off to help keep me awake and focused.

Plus, the TV defaults to morning news. If WWIII broke out over night, no fucking way I'm going into work.

I'm going to die while fucking something. I mean, someone. Yeah, definitely someone.

kcmeesha said...

I have a TV in mine. My kid usurped my living room TV. I don't need any noise when I sleep and no light. Sometimes I turn TV off myself or set it to time out in 30 min. I worked with a guy who had two TV's in the bedroom so there were no fights over remote control with his wife.

"The D" said...

I agree with you, no tv in the bed room. But I do have one in my guest room just so I have some place to put it.

bobbie said...

NO TV in the bedroom!!! No how, no way!! Some incense, a bit of white noise or ocean sounds, and I'm good.

Suzy said...

I need pitch black and sleep with a sound machine on white noise. Plus an eye mask and ear plugs. I have issues.

I have a tv in the bedroom but as one boyfriend called it, "It's useless; it's the size of a postage stamp." I only watch it when I can't wake up fast enough in the morning.

Rachel said...

We have a TV in our bedroom, but it's due to my television preferences being MUCH different than my husbands. He has to have something to watch while I watch 4 hours of NASCAR. I have to have something to watch while he watches 4 hours of the history channel. It's never on when we go to bed...only during the day.

Dan said...

I have one, but very rarely turn it on. My wife uses it on Sunday mornings to sit in bed, read the NY Times, and watch George Stephanopolous. You don't have an appropriate category in your poll for that answer.

As for your challenge to take it out for a month, umm, yeah, let me think about changing my ways to satisfy your curiosity. You do what you want in your bedroom, and I'll do what my wife wants in mine . . . ;-)

Beckle the Freckle said...

OH, I have a TV in my room. I wouldn't if my 5 year old didn't sleep in a room directly oppsite the living room where every single noise prompts her to get out of bed and see what we're up to because she might miss something.

If I got rid of that TV I'd never get to watch anything I like. There's only so much Disney channel I can handle...and she probably shouldn't be watching Law & Order just yet.

Donna. W said...

I, like your mom, need the TV going to fall asleep. I turn it on when I go to bed, set the timer for an hour, and am usually asleep in ten minutes.

I got in the habit of this from all the years my husband has worked second shift. I go to bed by ten o'clock; he gets home at 1 A.M. and falls immediately to sleep. I guess the TV feels like company for me, since Cliff isn't home.

Faith said...

No t.v. in the bedroom. I like to read a bit when I go to bed, but ever since they stopped showing Friends re-runs after the 10 p.m. news, I haven't had a reason to have a t.v. in the bedroom. (It used to cheer me up to watch it before bed. What?)

Especially since bedtime is more like 9:30 or 10 p.m. these days, the t.v. would just be a nuisance, really.

Faith said...

Pardon the whole bit about reading before bed, and then me lamenting the fact that Friends re-runs aren't shown any more late at night. My brain isn't making much sense to anyone today, I don't think...

Nuke said...

Do I have a TV in the bedroom? You bet! It's a holdover from when I had roomies. I needed a place to watch porn.

Now tho, I do admit to turning on the morning news while I dress. I get up to date on weather and traffic quicker than listening to Johnny Dare, and more accurately than the weather plug in on my phone.

Nightmare said...

Porn, news in the morning, porn, and did I mention porn? Also since we are large land mammals we tend to be more comfortable laying flat, so we may not be sleepy, but we are more comfy and we spin out the evening watching the news (Daily Show) and then 20 mins of channel flipping until the Wife gets all bitchy and punches me....oh and We are married now so sex has been cut in half already.

Ashley. Unscripted... said...

We have one in our bedroom, but the Husband and Wee One are the only ones who really watch it. I'm either reading, on my laptop, or doing something nerdy like a crossword or sudoku. If we moved it out, it wouldn't make a difference to me.

Unknown said...

I have a TV, don't watch it much, but it is nice for when you have insomnia... I can sleep through and earthquake... and I have, literally.

Melinda said...

Damn Heather, ask a question and look at the responses pour in!

No TV in my bedroom. Wiley had one in his but I never liked the idea. Sex. Sex and sleep. And the occasional pillow fight. That's how the room is to be used.

6502Programmer said...

As we've got kids, the TV in the bedroom is almost exclusively devoted to porn now.

Nightmare said...

Did you hear me say PORN?!!!

big russ said...

seems like porn is a winner!!!

i have a tv in my bedroom. don't watch it hardly ever. maybe for 20 minutes tops just to start prepping for bed. just some noise. sometimes when i have issues sleeping i turn on the dvd player and my tv and watch porn and what do you know.... i fall fast asleep.

"The D" said...

WOW!! I had no idea there were so many PORN watchers that I knew.

I'm never touching any of you.

RCH said...

We have a TV in the bedroom. As Mrs. McM mentioned, it's nice to have a place where we can watch things other than the Disney Channel without scarring the children for life.

As for the having sex less statistic.... Well, yeah. But when you've already got three lovely reminders of what can result from lots of sex it's difficult to find the time / energy for it anyway. Might as well watch CSI instead. Gotta have something to do, right? :-P

I am one of those weirdos who prefers to fall asleep to the sound of the TV, but DH is definitely not. I can go either way, since living with him, but when he's not around I leave it on (though I set the SLEEP mode to ~60 minutes so it won't stay on all night).

Joe said...

I have the same issues Suzy has, white noise, ear plugs and sleepy mask.
As for TV, its only this wife (#3 for those of you with a scorecard) who had a tv in the bedroom before she met me. Every bedroom in the house has a tv and its not bad to have. I watch it on my days off in the evening while relaxing.
And the half as much sex, well, work shift work while your wife works days and see how much sugar you get.

m.toast said...

To clarify, "special movies" = cartoons.