Although, I am still feeling really wiped out from that head cold, and my sinuses and chest do still feel a touch congested. All normal, I suppose. For that I guess I could insert Jackson Browne's Running on Empty. But for those of you who would like to not revisit two very über-80s songs, I'll stop there.
I'm just really excited about my move this weekend; I finally caved and upgraded my cable box, too. I got the digital box last year when I got my TV given my VCR no longer worked well as a feed to my TV. The only reason I kept my VCR was that I do sometimes tape something to watch later, but the picture from the VCR to my HD TV is really awful; despite the fact I bought a new tape to use, the image looks like I'm using a 20-year-old cassette for recording, as a VCR cannot feed an HD picture to my television. Plus, over about a 6-week period, my VCR loses time. I have to adjust it by about 3 minutes every month and a half, despite the fact it has a digital clock. Go figure.
Since Comcast is coming on Tuesday to get things hooked up for me anyway, I decided to go ahead and get an HD channel box as wel. Andrew's been after me to do so for the last few years at least. Verizon also offers HD television channels over the FiOS line, but for about 4 times as much in price as I'd be paying. Since my apartment complex offers expanded basic for free, all I have to pay is the difference between the package I want and the price of expanded basic. So instead of $49.95 for the package Verizon offers, I only have to pay $15.95.
Yes, Andrew -- I know. Comcast is stretching its bandwith by cramming so manny HD channels into it. But for $15.95 per month, I can't complain; I did check the package Verizon offers, and it's actually fewer channels that I'd be getting overall; about the same in HD, but I'm also upgrading to a package that includes channels I don't have now -- like BBC America, Bravo, the Science Channel, VH1 Classic, Turner Movie Classics and a bunch of others.
So, yeah, you get what you pay for sometimes, but I think $15.95 is pretty fair for what I'm getting. Oh, sure. I could stay with my $1 a month digital package, but I'd still be stuck using my gimpy VCR. Overall, it's a savings of $53.40. Not bad.
And sweet -- I can fast forward live programs. No more ads! Woo hoo! I can also rewind a live program, so if I miss a line or something, I can act like it's already recorded. Pretty damn cool. A new toy!
Tuesday should be kind of amusing; Verizon will be there around the same time to hook up my FiOS internet connection (which way surpasses anything Comcast can offer in speed and connectivity), it'll be interesting to see if they start duking it out. Nothing like having two competitors coralled into a small area.
I guess I'm slowly dragging myself into the digital age; I had my answering machine still out for a long time, despite having my calls forwarded to my cell phone and its voicemail; with the new and cheaper (but better) phone service package I recently signed up for, I decided to forgo the answering machine and set up the voicemail feature -- mostly because I have less counter space in my new place, and I got tired of dusting the rarely-used answering machine.
I've been slowly dragging my friend Walt into doing more stuff online (such as paying bills that way, rather than using checks), so perhaps I should put my money where my mouth is, too. (But don't expect me to get rid of my turntable and records!)
If Andrew could have his way, I'd be fully iPoded, iPhoned, 320Gb-ed for my computer's hard drive, a monitor much like my HD TV, enough RAM so that my keystrokes would echo, and using a processor with a speed that would sheer off the atmosphere of Jupiter.
Perhaps someday...but given I'm limited now to just a laptop and an external hard drive box so I can still access my old tower's information, I think I'll wait. I can say that the laptop Andrew put together for me -- while nothing close to being able to sheer off the atmosphere of Jupiter -- is still better than the geriatric, limping system of my tower. I haven't upgraded that thing in a long time.
So, Mom, sure; if every once in a while you see something you want me to record for you to watch on a channel you don't have, I'd be glad to do so if it isn't conflicting with something I'm already recording. I get the Digital Classic Package as well as most HD channels they offer (a few are premium). I can't do what Dad and Andrew can with their digital recorders and do more than one channel at once, but that's okay.
But even with the upgrade and the additional channels, it's still going to be what Bruce Springsteen said in his song: 57 channels and nothing on....
I have been enjoying one thing already about my digital basic package, and that's the ability to hit the "Guide" button on my remote and be able to scan through what's playing; I haven't been able to do that for years as I haven't gotten the paper with the weekly guide since I lived with my mom. Kind of nice. I can also hit an "Info" button and get the summary of a show.
So the Big Move is this Saturday; I'm offering beer and pizza for lunch for those helping. Then I have three days to get fully unpacked. I'm going to try to do as much as I can in those days, and then my plan is to do two boxes each evening when I get home, and / or hang up pictures. Well, first I'll have to get the furniture settled. Most of it can just be put down where I want it when it comes in, though. It's the finessing of it that gets tedious.
And I have to remember to go in and change my address everywhere...oy.
Whether it's cross-country or the 600 feet of my move, it's just as much work!
-- H
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