Tuning In

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The Black Friday fairy has decended upon the UD house, and she brings us an early Christmas present.

Scott and I decided a long time ago that the area above our mantel could fit a lot larger of a TV than the 32-incher that was currently resting there. Not that one should always go with the “if it can, it should” mentality, but in regards to the TV, it really wasn’t something I was willing to argue against.


In all honesty, we’ve got more than one reason for purchasing a new TV. For one, the scale of the 32″ versus the fireplace didn’t quite look right. The mantel is thick, the rocks are large, and the TV in contrast just seemed to show too much wall space behind it. Even though the TV is plenty big enough to fit most of our needs, it still seemed puny in the spot we placed it.

For another, our lives are consumed during the fall season with football, and one of the best ways to save some dough is by watching them at home rather than going to a local pub to see the game (when dating a guy who makes his living off beer, you learn to accept that bar tabs can get a little pricey). The 32″ TV is a great size (and we love it’s picture quality), but it doesn’t really cut it for the big games. Even though it’s a large purchase, we expect that the reduction in food and bar tab costs will eventually pay for part of our upgrading expense. Plus, it was Black Friday, so we’re confident we got the best possible value for the money.


And finally, the tipping point that led us to buying it now instead of next year:  the dinosaur that is residing in our primary bedroom.

It’s old, picture quality is not so great, and has had a few run-ins with Colby as a pup. Meaning, the cord has had a few traumatizing encounters with a dog that considers just about anything as a chew toy. He’s since learned what is and is not an acceptable toy, but the damage has been done. For the last couple of years, from one apartment to another, we’ve gotten a little creative with keeping the less-than-mint-condition electrical cord that connects power to the clunker – specifically, a little electrical tape and a lot of wiggling the connection just so.

Now, the new TV has its rightful spot downstairs, and the smaller flat screen has been moved up into the bedroom. Our plan is to mount the smaller one onto the wall, but the bigger one is probably going to remain on a stand for the time being. Our future “to do” list doesn’t exactly include figuring out whether or not we can affix a mount to a wall that has a fireplace behind it.


And since everyone loves a good before and after, here are the comparisons (taken at different times of day; it gets darker earlier now!):