Penny 4 Your Thoughts

OK, I’m venting. I’m not looking for sympathy, advice or even just active listening…I am just venting.

I’ll admit it, I’m a man, and that y chromosome just begs for a big TV. So, Dec 31, I bought a 42 in LCD HDTV. That is just the beginning. I had to buy an upscaling DVD player, and it had to play DivX (don’t ask why.) That’s OK, it only costs 45$. Buty wait, there’s more.

Now I have to upgrade my cable to HD. Ooops, I have Oxford Networks…they don’t offer HD. Hmm, I have to chage providers…for the cable, AND phone, AND high-speed internet. Damn, I liked Oxford Networks, too. So I call Time/Warner Cable. I get the good package deal that looks cheap for 6 months, and then you realize you’re paying 20$ a month more for that HD. BUT….I can fet a 50$ reebate on the phone, and 50$ rebate on the high-speed internet. 100$…cool. More on this later.

I set up the appointment, Jan 28…wow, am I psyched! The day comes and I wait, and wait, and wait som more. No one comes. I call and talk to a guy that says, “Too bad, we have that listed for a business - are you a business?”

“No,” I say. And I find out that it is SNAFU and FUBAR. (Google it - No offense, folks.) And I set up another service call for Feb 8. OK, if you have a calendar handy, and you are male, you can see that this is after SuperBowl Sunday. Hmmmm, why did I get an HDTV Dec 31, and have HD cable service set up for Jan 28? Maybe to watch SuperBowl with friends? Yeah..that’s the ticket. So I lose on that account, but have it set up on Feb 8. Oops, I had to call the service guy back…phone can dial out but not receive calls. OK, he fixed it, but I lost my fax connection. Oh, well.

Well, then I have to get the TV to ft my living room. Oh, wrong priority - I have to get the living room to fit the TV. Call the contractor…rebuild the bookcase around the TV. Did I tell you I bought a Blu-ray player, and a 7.1 surround sound amplifier with 2 HDMI imputs, and one HDMI out? Well, who’s going to wacth HDTV without good sound, right? And Blu-ray is the HD format that survived.

And we have to have a comfy couch with recliners, and the wlls have to be replaced, and the floors have to be redone. This started March 24, and we are not done. My wife and i watch Dancing with the Stars streaming video on a laptop now, waiting for the remodeling to get finished…did I mentuon that we are having all new windows put in all the house? And I broke two casters on our coffee table…looking for a new one, maybe end tables.

Oh, we have to buy a new computer desk, and a rug, and new drapes. Did I mention that we have an big tax that we owe and that these costs are a little dear?

Oh, I forgot to mention that my wife and I have different opinions on decorating. She decorates; I look for long, white, clean walls. I’d love to have a loft. This leads to some interesting discussions.

So, now it is April 15, and we still live out of our kitchen. I need to get that recliner sofa in place.

Ther is more to the story, but i am tired and the frustration swells again, but then fades away.