Dilemmas and a Solution

Our television resides in the second floor family room bonus area of our home.   Yes, we are a one television family – freaks, I tell ya - Freaks!    


We’re not much for watching television anyway so it works out well that it’s stashed out of the main traffic areas of the home just fine.  In fact, other than a DVD or two for the grands, we’ve not even had the thing on since April.  As the long, dark winter evenings approach, we do like to watch a movie or two though.  We did the Netflix deal last winter, really enjoyed it and are planning on subscribing again this year.


Dilemma #1 – How to watch movies during those winter months.    Since the kids have moved out, we’ve been closing off the upstairs to save on heating cost.  Why heat it if we aren’t using it, right?  So to watch movies last winter we moved our old behemoth-non digital TV downstairs to the living room.  I just didn’t like it there.  No, let me rephrase that … I couldn’t stand it there!   Call me weird but I don’t like the television being the focal point and one of the first things you see when you walk in the house.


Dilemma #2 – We have one computer that DH & I share and now that DH has discovered music on YouTube and the History Channel online, that’s how he likes to relax at night.  However, there are many evenings I would also like to use the computer because we know I would never look at Facebook or blogs while I’m at work, right? [wink]  Regardless,  there are things I like to use the computer for when I get home at night too.   Not that we can’t share but we do kick each other out of the desk chair quite frequently or just stand behind the other one and sigh until they get sick of hearing it and hand it over.
I didn’t want to put out the money for a new smaller television and also didn’t especially care to buy another computer.   


Solution:  Out of the blue, all of my brain waves must have lined up and I remembered having an older PC(even with wireless internet capabilities) in a closet upstairs.  We still needed a monitor, keyboard, etc but it could work.  In conversation with my nephew, I found out he had a used small flat panel for sale so I snatched it up, purchased a wireless keyboard and mouse and wallah, a second computer with wireless internet and something we can play DVD’s on for less than $90.  Problem solved and it didn’t cost me a fortune either!  If we like the set-up we may eventually invest in a larger monitor but for now, it’s fine like this.


DH is giving it the maiden voyage tonight!
Our cat, Racer seems to be pretty interested in this new set up as well.  (Honestly, I think he was more interested in the ice cream DH was eating :) )