“The older I grow, the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom.”
My TV is stuck on a booting screen. It has been that way since ten this morning. I tried everything first then called Comcast. Since then, I have been having a lovely conversation with a technician from the Philippines. While my TV was booting a few times, we discussed the typhoon which hit Luzon, local languages and travel, but after all that time, nothing worked even though he tried everything. He said a technician would be here on Tuesday. Tuesday? I said angrily as I went ballistic. He apologized profusely but that did little to assuage my anger. Even worse was the confirmation e-mail which said, “KATHLEEN, your service appointment is right around the corner.” I am now in the dark ages, the pre-TV dark ages.
Today is a perfectly lovely day. It is sunny and hot, summer hot, but a breeze from the north is keeping the day bearable. It is a deck day. I’m in the middle of a couple of books, and reading is a perfect activity to complement the day.
When I was a kid, we never had homework on the weekends. The big night was Thursday when I had to learn to spell the twenty words on that week’s list. I was a good speller and even got a spelling ribbon when I was in the second grade. I also got a couple of other ribbons: religion was one but I forget the other. It was the only year of ribbons so I was glad for mine.
I have to go out a bit later and have decided to wear my old purple Converse high tops. I am at an age when eccentricity is accepted. I might even mix my plaids.
I used to wonder how it felt to be old. Now I know it feels no different than when I was twenty. The external changes, but the internal stays the same. I do have memory lapses when I can’t find just the right word. When I’m doing crossword puzzles, I doodle on the side of the page until the answer comes to me. Sometimes the doodles get intricate.
I did all my errands yesterday and even added a few stops. I got an ice coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts and treated myself to a Boston cream donut. I deserved the treat.
Explore posts in the same categories: Musings
September 15, 2018 at 3:05 pm
OMG no TV, what a revolting development. Until the cable man comes you obviously have internet. If you have Netflix or Hulu you can watch them on your TV or your iPad. Unfortunately, I have AT&T and they prevent my TV’s WiFi from connecting to the Internet and Netflix or anything else except their pay for view. I haven’t tried first disconnecting the TV from the cable box. A cheap pair of rabbit ears will pick up your local stations. However, reading is even better, or listening to radio or podcasts. Do you still have a radio? I’m not sure I own one except in my car. 🙁
In my mind I’m still 30 except my body doesn’t agree. 🙂 Things that used to come to my mind instantly now take awhile. Thank goodness for Siri and Google to help find that fact that is now buried somewhere in my gray matter. 🙂
I wasn’t and I’m not a good speller. My savior has been spell check. I bought my first computer in 1986, a Macintosh 512, and shortly bought a spell check program for MacWrite which was the default word processor. This was way before Siri and Google were even a glimmer in some programmer’s eye. I still have that computer in my closet and it will still boot up and work but I can’t get anything out of it because floppy discs and Mac printers no longer exist. I’m now waiting for the singularity. That’s when computer technology will meld the human brain directly to the Internet. Now my iPhone and iPad are the interface.
Today is sunny with a slight chance of rain and the temperature climbing into the lower 90s.
September 15, 2018 at 3:13 pm
Bob,
Being impatient, I went to the cable office and got a new box. I plugged it in and the message was the same. I almost threw it out the window then the message changed, Finally it said to call to have the box activated. That didn’t happen them all of a sudden it did. I changed the channel and got an error message. I screamed.The screen then changed. Voila! miracle of miracles I have cable.
I’m with you in my joy to have help from Alexa and Siri. I also call one of my sisters who often call me.
The automatic spell check on my Mac guesses the word I want, and it is often wrong.
The day is still lovely even after the Comcast fiasco.
September 15, 2018 at 3:59 pm
Glad you got that fixed. I have noticed that the spell check can’t always find the word I’m looking for, but with my spelling talent even a wrong guess by the spell check is better than my guess. 🙂
I’m considering hooking up an antenna to the TV to receive the local channels over the air and just pay for Internet for Netflix and Hulu. My condo is in a bit of a low lying area and the signal might not work, but I’m on the second floor which should help. As long as I’m working I can keep the cable TV.
September 15, 2018 at 7:06 pm
I am also quite glad to have TV so I can check on the Sox game.
I’d think being retired is reason enough to keep cable. I got to watch That night once I retired. Before that it was early to bed.
Down here on the cape, cable is a necessity. An antenna will get maybe 2 or 3 stations out of Boston.
September 15, 2018 at 4:05 pm
No TV is complete disaster. Generally Comcast have done better but generally I am moving away so they deliver the news and sports and the Bachelor
Amazon Prime, Netflix and NBC Sports Gold now dominate our viewing and a VPN opens a large amount of choices from around the world.
Of course I am watching the SEC which sort of negates my switcharama
I was generally encouraging im6 to listen to the new Spiritualized album “And Nothing Hurt” and I was generally rebuffed. We talk music but don’t have many overlaps
The painters are here to do the outside of our home and I used it as an excuse to put the patio furniture back in the basement where it will lollygag until May.
I could not spell, full stop the end, thank goodness the kind Debbie Wilson sat behind me and generously helped to a 12/50 or something equally impressive
September 15, 2018 at 7:10 pm
My Dear Hedley,
I totally agree about no TV which is the reason I got dressed and went to South Yarmouth for the new box. No way I was waiting until Tuesday.
I watch a lot of Netflix and some Amazon Prime. I like to check MSNBC in the morning to see what trash talk Trump has spit out.
It is still too early for closing the deck. My friend and I were out there today from 4 to nearly 7 having a few drinks and appies. It was wonderful, and the weather cooperated. Tomorrow should be the same.
My spelling skills are deteriorating as I age.
September 15, 2018 at 7:34 pm
Oh boy, here we are talking Comcast and Im6 and it seems all heck is breaking loose down your way
Barnstable County Commissioner Ron Beaty said he had warned something like this could happen.
“It is my personal belief that the responsibility for this horrible shark attack rests squarely upon the shoulders of the aforementioned officials for their utter lack of attention and inaction regarding the growing shark problem on Cape Cod of the last few years,” he said.
September 15, 2018 at 7:49 pm
MDH,
The sharks are tourist magnets. The tourists stay near shore and take pictures. They ride in boats and hope a shark will follow them or circle their boats.
The sharks have become plentiful attracted by the large number of seals. According to a natural resources manager, “We are witnessing sharks feeding aggressively in shockingly shallow water on an almost daily basis over this past August.”
It was the first shark related death in 80 years.
September 16, 2018 at 12:12 am
I listened to some more of the Spiritualized, thinking maybe I’d been hasty in my dismissal. No, it only confirmed my initial impression — some poor chap recording songs in his bedroom, hoping to create something approximating Pink Floyd (unsuccessfully).
At least I have cable and internet. Nice to have something to be thankful for, especially since my car got sideswiped on the street in front of my apartment yesterday afternoon. Fortunately, the sleepy driver (“I dozed off”) stopped and had insurance, so hopefully all will be well soon (a lot of damage since it crumpled portions of the entire driver’s side of the car). The guy should be glad the police didn’t have to get involved since it happened IN a school zone during school zone hours. Doubt the “I dozed off” excuse would go over well considering kids getting out of school at the time. Luckily no one was hurt.
As Roseanne Rosadanna used to say, “It’s always something.”
“Something” today (and yesterday and tomorrow) is rain. More rain. More and more rain. I’m readying the ark.
September 16, 2018 at 12:25 pm
im6,
I wasn’t interested anyway so I’llm accept your impression as further proof I made a good decision.
I’m thinking like you that “I dozed off” is a problem in itself whether or not he hit another car. In a built up area dozing off is fraught with horrific possibilities, and I won’t even talk about the kids being in danger from him.
We are in the middle of perfect weather. The rain will be here midweek, left over from the hurricane. I hope it doesn’t get to ark building time.
September 15, 2018 at 5:57 pm
The outside real world can be nice too, especially when it’s a “perfect lovely day” 🙂
Any progress in Henry and the hated dog leash?
September 15, 2018 at 7:12 pm
Birgit,
The day was wonderful with appies and drinks on the deck.
Henry is getting better in other ways. He was out on the deck with us for the longest time yet. He even went over and sniffed my friend, a huge step for Mr. Henry. No leash yet, but it’s coming.
September 15, 2018 at 7:26 pm
Hi Kat,
Conversations with Comcast tech people can be amusing. The last one I had was horrified at how they had screwed up my account for the last 30 years. I was laughing because by that point it was pretty much all that was left. I had called about a rejected autopay for my cell phone. Turned out it was rejected because someone at Xfinity decided that since the account was in my brother’s name, that name on the credit card must be incorrect so they changed it to my brother’s name. Boing! Then the horrified tech person managed to fix it so the account is now in my name but there are still ongoing issues. He was so astonished that I was laughing about it, he thanked me for a wonderful call.
But no TV would be an entirely different story.
Today looked as though it was going to be grim and dreary but ended up sunny and not bad. I had a magical mystery tour through parts of Newton as I tried to find my way to someone’s house. Then I had another one as I tried to get back home. Google maps led me there but as I was parked outside my house, the google lady told me I needed to turn right and then turn left. I don’t know where she wanted to take me. I shut her off.
Enjoy the evening.
September 15, 2018 at 8:01 pm
Hi Caryn,
That first technician wanted to chat. He was a delightful fellow who was so sorry that he couldn’t help. I was infuriated that there were no appointments until Tuesday. I apologized to him, and he said he understood and again said he was sorry. We did have a lovely chat about the Philippines.
The no TV was so scary I went to exchange boxes. The line was long then the woman at the counter said the new box might not work either. Luckily it did.
The deck was lovely. It was warm but a breeze kept it from feeling too hot. My friend and I caught up after the summer. It was a great afternoon.
Have a great Sunday!!
September 16, 2018 at 2:23 am
I’ve lived without tv several years a couple of times and I must say I did do a lot of other things instead and since no one now days talk about tv programs they’ve seen the day before I’m not missing any conversation either 🙂 To be honest, now days we really don’t need tv, I have mobile internet and can see everything I want via my computer and just connect it to the tv so I get a bigger screen.
Sunny and chilly morning here today but it ill soon change to cloudy with rain the predictions says and we all know how good they are in making them over here 🙂 🙂 🙂
Have a great day!
Christer.
September 16, 2018 at 12:30 pm
Christer,
I can watch some programs on the computer, but I’d miss baseball unless I pay for it. The only thing I can do is see an inning by inning recap.
Today is just the prettiest day. It is sunny and warm. It is a deck day.
Have a great day!!