I am so technically challenged that I scare myself sometimes thinking I’ll never fit in the new world that is all about high tech. Even most of the  appliances scare the heck out of me and as far as I’m concerned most are not user friendly. I guess I got left behind long ago, I don’t even know the difference between HD and SD (high definition and standard definition for those of you that are also challenged.)

Of course I know basically the pixel count is higher so the picture should be sharper and better, but it still looks the same to me when I see them in the store. I see a sharper image on our television sets since switching to Direct TV from Comcast and our sets are standard. I thought the set in the living room was HD capable and Bill knows about as much as I do about this stuff, so when I asked him when I was ordering the package he said yes, guess what?….it’s not!

So now we are going to buy a flat screen HDTV and we saw some fairly cheap 32 inch ones that were on sale. Seems such a waste of this perfectly good TV set. Of course had we known we could have gotten a much cheaper rate on the bundle, of course I realize stupidity can cost ya. We have standard hookups on the other TV’s and they all look great to me and as little as we watch television it seems like a big waste, oh well, live and learn, I hope.

I read so many horror stories about the installers and all the problems that the customers faced that I was very apprehensive. Installers not showing up and cutting all their coaxial cables and rewiring everything so I was quite disappointed that our installer showed up a few minutes after 8, the time window was between 8 and 12. He used the cable wires we already had installed, of course he had to wire and ground the satellite dish.

He probably had more problems than we did because the house is pretty old with bad wiring. When he first got here he was disgusted with us for not knowing our television wasn’t HD or even capable, so we said no big deal will get one that is , just do the fricking wiring for HD and then he got all nice and said we could call him when we got it and he would walk us through plugging it up, he did plug the wire up and told us we just needed to plug it in the new TV.

Next he couldn’t put the satellite on the front roof because of asbestos and couldn’t put it on the back cause that was a rubber roof, he finally found a spot that he approved of then he couldn’t find where Comcast had hooked up their cable. He must have had a bad night cause his girlfriend called and complained he didn’t wake her up after their night out partying. He was huffing and puffing and talking to himself, cut the wrong cable, but fixed it quickly, he complained about everything, but did a good job.

Bill bought him breakfast from Hardee’s and he seemed really pushed for time because he had a 5 room and a 3 room to do after ours, but like I said he did a really good job, but I really didn’t need all his grumbling and bad energy. It took a little over 3 hours and he explained the remotes and was very pleasant at the end and told us if we had any problems at all to call him instead of Direct TV because he would lose a 60 dollar service call if they sent someone else. Bill gave him a 20 dollar tip.

Yesterday we took our 102 dollar Comcast bill with equipment back and cancelled our service, Bill had his checkbook out ready to pay our bill and the girl checked the computer for the final bill and told us we didn’t owe a thing, not even the 102 dollars so maybe Comcast isn’t so bad after all.

We’ve had Comcast cable television forever and last year the price went higher than we wanted to pay so we called and they were nice and lowered it, but it started creeping back up and it’s now at 102 dollars a month. We only have 1 premium channel, HBO and Bill sleeps through it anyhow when he’s watching anything so we decided to drop HBO and just keep basic which would go down to 67 or  something like that. He tried calling and it was busy every single time.

We have our DSL and phone service through Verizon so I suggested we call them and see what they could do. I had cable through them years ago, but apparently they don’t have the same thing they use to have so they suggested Direct TV which somehow they are bundling with their other services and FiOS isn’t available in my area. They made a deal that sounded too good to be true and from all the reviews I read online yesterday apparently that has been true for many.

My phone and DSL runs around 92 dollars a month and with all of the rebates they are giving for the first 6 months for Direct TV,  for all 3 we will be paying 114.99 plus taxes. After 6 months it will go up to 124.99 for the rest of the year and when I asked how much it would go up after the 1st year I was told 16 dollars. They are throwing in Showtime and Starz free for a year so I’ll have to remember to cancel those in a years time otherwise it will go up even more.

The best part is with this bundling they are upgrading my DSL to a higher speed and sending me a new and improved connector which will go into effect on the 3rd of Feb., but they said while they are doing the upgrade I will probably be off line for about 4 hours which I can handle. They are also upgrading our phone service and adding call waiting. I did receive a confusing automated call this morning about our service being changed and may not be with Verizon anymore so I need to call and straighten that out.

The contract is for 2 years and if we cancel we would have to pay a prorated amount for the remaining time. Most people claim not to have known about the 2 year contract and were very irate when they canceled and found they owed money. Some of the stories I was reading were very scary sounding, but I like to make up my own mind so we are going ahead with the installation on Sunday, Bill has been talking about changing for a long time anyhow.

Both his kids have it and they love it and all the guys that he works with seem to love theirs so that eases his mind until I start telling him about all the horror stories then he has doubts. I know I shouldn’t put those things in his head so then I tell him about all the people that have written glowing reviews about their service unless they have to call customer service and get a call center over seas. We are having 3 TV’s hooked up, but only one DVR for the main one, can’t wait to use that.

I’m anxious to get this done so I can check it for myself. I will certainly post about my experiences with this Verizon bundle, whether it’s good or bad further down the line, even with the 3 services if it goes up to 150 a month that’s still a savings of almost 50 dollars a month and that’s an extra 600 dollars a year we can pay on other bills since heat and everything else is going sky high. Need to go make a few phone calls, have a great weekend.

In a post I did a couple weeks ago I listed The Commandments For a Responsible Pet Owner which I had observed on many sites when I was looking for info about Westies with Author Unknown. Of course I should have done more checking. I like to give credit for other people’s work and I had even made a comment in the other post that I didn’t know who to give credit to, well now I do.

Today I received a comment from Stan Rawlinson/doglistener.co.uk, he informed me that he was the author of the 10 commandments for pet ownership, which is actually titled: The 10 Commandments From a Pet’s Point of View. He also asked that I post his original commandments because the ones I had posted had been modified over the years so you will find the final draft of his modified version below.

The 10 Commandments From a Pet’s Point of View

My life is likely to last 10-15 years, any separation from you will be painful for me. Remember that before you buy me.

Give me time to understand what you want from me, don’t be impatient, short-tempered, or irritable.

Place your trust in me and I will always trust you back. Respect is earned not given as an inalienable right.

Don’t be angry with me for long and don’t lock me up as punishment, I am not capable of understanding why? I only know I have been rejected, you have your work entertainment and friends I only have you.

Talk to me sometimes, even if I don’t understand your words I understand your voice and your tone, “you only have to look at my tail”.

Be aware that however you treat me I’ll never forget it, and if it’s cruel it may affect me forever.

Please don’t hit me I can’t hit back, but I can bite and scratch and I really don’t ever want to do that.

Before you scold me for being uncooperative, obstinate, or lazy, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I’m not getting the right foods or I’ve been out in the sun too long, or my heart is getting old and weak, I may be just dog tired.

Take care of me when I get old. You too will grow old and may also need love, care, comfort, and attention.

Go with me on difficult journeys, never say, “I can’t bear to watch” or “Let it happen in my absence”. Everything is easier for me if you are there. Remember, irrespective of what you do I will always love you.

© Stan Rawlinson 1993
Dog Behaviorist and Obedience Trainer
www.doglistener.co.uk
0208 979 2019 I changed this slightly from my initial 1993 poem
this is the final draft version 1998

Those commandments are great and more people should adhere to them. Just this past week they found a female Westie in the trash that had been severly beaten and a 12 inch stick had been rammed down her throat. Someone had left the little thing to die. The little girl who found her is going to be able to adopt her. I don’t understand how people can be so cold blooded and heartless and so damn cruel and sadistic.