Sunday, April 01, 2007

We're getting TV tomorrow!

Well, we’ve been in the new home since mid December and since mid October, we’ve been waiting for the telephone company to get their act together and upgrade their system to deliver TV as well as telephone and DSL service. This enterprise is as new to them as it will be to us. We knew when we started building the Aerie that the phone company would be our source of TV entertainment. There is no cable available along our road and I wanted no satellite dish on the house or a phone pole nearby even if I could get a signal from over the trees and mountain.

In the middle of January, when I hadn’t heard from them and we were looking at the start of 24, I called and was told they would be setting up appointments for installation within two weeks—just as soon as they got a few bugs worked out. The same message was repeated every two weeks after that. First it was at the substations, then the modems were delayed, then it was something else.

Finally, on Thursday, I called to ask if there was a problem with the DSL server on their end because I couldn’t get online. There was and it took nearly all day to get it straightened out. But before I hung up, I again asked about the television service and almost fell over when the phone rep on the other end asked, “Will Monday be okay?” Hell, yeah!

Friday morning an installer came by to see how much had to be done. Well, we’ve already got the wires run. We’ve got it set up for four wires with just three in use at a time. (The fourth is in case we redecorate.) All it’s going to take is a few caps on the end of the CAT-5 wire so it can be plugged into the modem and the TV top channel selector: about 30 minutes work and we’ll be in business. He left smiling so I think he was pleased with how little work this job will take. Said he would get the modem programmed in their office (so it could be tested easily) and he’d be back on Monday morning.

I’ve missed the RU bowl game. I’ve now missed March Madness as the RU women (# 19 nationally going into the tournament) move into the title game. And I’ve missed opening night of the baseball season with the Mets (after a very lackluster spring season) taking down the Cardinals. (Final score is 6-1 with Tommy Glavine the winner.) I didn’t miss much of 24 because every Monday night we’ve been going to our friends’ house for dinner and some TV. Got to see Prison Break too. But Don and Deb went on a cruise that set sail on Saturday and won’t be home for a week. I have a key, but I hope I won’t need it, cause at 10 AM Monday, after nearly three and a half months of waiting, we’re gonna have TV!

(Thank God for the internet and DSL!)

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