Columnists, EDITORIAL -- FEATURE SPOT, Editorials, J.R. Tidwell, Opinion
 By  J.R. Tidwell Published 
8:00 am Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Living with is better than living without

I recently moved into my first place. It’s only a one-bedroom apartment, but it serves my needs.
It’s a strange feeling being out on my own for the first time. I have yet to pay my inaugural rent and electric bill, but those little “milestones” are coming up soon.
The biggest problems I have faced so far are not knowing hardly anyone around these parts, and learning to live without Internet capabilities or television.
Living without TV wouldn’t be so bad — if I had Internet. I can watch plenty of shows online, so my daily television fix could be quenched without so much as a channel flip.
But living without online capabilities is ramping me up to a new level of boredom I didn’t know existed.
I can’t turn on ESPN 3 and stream games, I cannot watch “Bleach” on animeseason.com — yeah, I’m an anime nerd, what of it? — and I can’t update my Facebook wall or check my email at will.
Being out on my own and living without such luxuries has made me come to realize how much I depend on TV and Internet for entertainment.
The only people I personally know in Russellville so far are my landlady, a maintenance worker at my apartment complex — who just so happens to be my boss’s father — and several local high school principals and basketball coaches.
I graduated from UNA this summer, and I have only realized how much I enjoyed being around people my own age, because I cannot seem to find many around here so far.
I forgot to mention that my favorite part of my apartment right now is my “Charlie Brown” Christmas tree that my brother got me, which came complete with the one ornament that makes the “tree” sag.
As for the television and Internet, I should have that hooked up by 3 p.m. on the day this paper runs.
If no one hears from me for a few days, I have rediscovered TV and Internet, and I will return when my newfound attention grabber loses my focus.

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