I haven't written down all the inane things that are going on in my life so I'll catch you up on what's going on:
L-girl: She's acting really strange lately -- even to me. She's been under a lot of pressure lately to conform to the strangest things in the office to which I cannot help. I try to come over and visit be she's been told very clearly that I am not to visit for any length of time. About a minute into any conversation she abruptly stops and tells me to leave "before we're caught". While I was on vacation last week I asked if she wanted to go out to lunch one day. She agreed, but when I called to confirm, she admitted that she wasn't taking a lunch that day. Apparently there was some drama but she didn't want to get into over the phone. Whatever...
DubDub: After our tryst on Saturday I was hopeful that DubDub and I were going to get together (as planned) on her day off. True to form -- no word. I have left messages at her home, on her cell phone, all the e-mail addresses I have for her. Nothing. Not a 'sorry' or 'I'll call you later'. Oh, I take that back. I called her Thursday morning to see where she was at. This was about 10:30am. She said she was getting her hair done (something she mentioned she needed to do). She said she'd call me later. Nothing. As of this writing, still have not hear hide-nor-hair from her. I guess this is the nature of our relationship. I'm confused.
Downloading: After my last rant about Bit Torrent I went searching for an alternative. I happened upon LimeWire. See?! That's all I was looking for. It was perfect. Nice, typical interface for downloading songs. You can do multiple searches where each search is in a separate tab. Only takes a couple of minutes for a song. I knew it was out there. I guess I'll run with this one until it gets run into the ground like the rest.
TV... uh, oh: I can't believe I'm about to say this -- I bought a TiVo. I did. I knew that it was able to wirelessly connect to my computer so went to, uh... well, I don't want to say -- let's just say the place rhymes with Pest Pie. I told them I was interested in this wireless connection for a TiVo -- they acted like I sprouted eight heads. It took me a few people to get to the right person but he helped me out and I was on my way.
Okay, so I get this 'complicated' piece of equipment home and hook the thing up. Part of the information it needs is my zipcode so it can give me my local programming schedule. Okay, fine. I put it in -- it takes 7 minutes to dial up (I haven't got the wireless connection working just yet) and tell me that there are no cable companies in my zipcode. What?
So I look up the zipcode of where the cable dish is sitting. Still no cable companies in that zipcode. Huh?
I look up Superman's zipcode. I know he has TiVo. I put in his zipcode. No dice. What the "F" is going on here?
"Be smarter than the device", I tell myself. Ah, ha... tell it you have a cable box (I don't). Wait, it now magically finds a cable company!!! It asks me all kinds of questions about my cable box -- that I don't have. Fine... yes... whatever... I get through the questioning.
I have a schedule and it appears to be the right channel line-up -- I must be in business. I start flipping channels and the channel doesn't change. It's like every channel is showing the same program. I see the different descriptions of the shows, but it never changes scenery.
Lesson learned: once you put certain information into TiVo, you can't go back. It's Friday night, around 1 in the morning and I'm tired and frustrated. I do the un-thinkable: I re-set the TiVo... as in the 'big' reset. It wipes out the entire thing to factory settings. I'll start again tomorrow.
Saturday morning comes and the TiVo is fresh as a daisy. I whiz through all the questions I now know the answers to. I put in my zip code and do my 7 minute prayer. Wonder-of-wonders! It has found my cable company. I continue with ease through the rest of my setup. I set up Saturday Night Live to tape that night, even though I can't get the wireless connection to work. That's fine... I'll live with the phone line for a while.
Sunday morning comes and I'm a bit perturbed about the wireless thing. I sit down to watch SNL and it's off and running great. Then, out of nowhere, the sound goes away. I'm thinking "Oh, great... the one show I've taped and the channel lost sound". I turn on my VCR and watch TV that way (which is what I did during the LONG gaps that the TiVo is doing its thing). Hmmm, there's sound.
I check all the wiring. I make sure it's not the recording -- it's not. I rewind the program; still no sound. Again with the "What the "F" is going on here?". I switch wires and re-route cables. I watch the rest of SNL with a wiring scheme that would make Einstein cross his eyes.
Most of the cables are the 'coax' type... which is what regular cable and high-speed cable internet comes across. I trek down to my local Shady O'Rack and buy some brand spankin' new cables. I unplug everything I've got and use only the new cables. Wonder-of-wonders it actually friggin' works -- AND I can hear sound out of it now.
Still no wireless connection. Sometimes in the computer world if you reboot the equipment it will discover new devices. I restart the thing (don't worry, I didn't reset it, if that's what you're thinking...please) and it comes up just fine. I look at the settings -- still not there -- OH! What's this?
It needs to run a firmware update and it may take a few hours to complete -- HOURS?!? You know what's coming next -- what the "F"!?
So I putter around the house and watch TV through the VCR again until it finishes. I check on it a little while later and it's done. It restarts.
Wonder-of-wonders it actually found my wireless network. I'm in business.
I have to tell you, there are a LOT of things they don't tell you in the instructions. The wait time is absolutely incredible. To just drop a bomb on you like 'it may take a few hours' is ridiculous. It did this more than once, though not as long. Usually 20-30 minutes -- still...
I can't say that I've put it through the 'acid test' yet but I'm going out of town on business next week and didn't want to miss any of my shows. My VCR can only program 3 shows, plus, you know... I just wanted one. So I programmed in the 'Season Pass' on my favorite shows -- which were not as many as I thought.
Okay, TV Programmers -- out with the stellar television programs. Now!
L-girl: She's acting really strange lately -- even to me. She's been under a lot of pressure lately to conform to the strangest things in the office to which I cannot help. I try to come over and visit be she's been told very clearly that I am not to visit for any length of time. About a minute into any conversation she abruptly stops and tells me to leave "before we're caught". While I was on vacation last week I asked if she wanted to go out to lunch one day. She agreed, but when I called to confirm, she admitted that she wasn't taking a lunch that day. Apparently there was some drama but she didn't want to get into over the phone. Whatever...
DubDub: After our tryst on Saturday I was hopeful that DubDub and I were going to get together (as planned) on her day off. True to form -- no word. I have left messages at her home, on her cell phone, all the e-mail addresses I have for her. Nothing. Not a 'sorry' or 'I'll call you later'. Oh, I take that back. I called her Thursday morning to see where she was at. This was about 10:30am. She said she was getting her hair done (something she mentioned she needed to do). She said she'd call me later. Nothing. As of this writing, still have not hear hide-nor-hair from her. I guess this is the nature of our relationship. I'm confused.
Downloading: After my last rant about Bit Torrent I went searching for an alternative. I happened upon LimeWire. See?! That's all I was looking for. It was perfect. Nice, typical interface for downloading songs. You can do multiple searches where each search is in a separate tab. Only takes a couple of minutes for a song. I knew it was out there. I guess I'll run with this one until it gets run into the ground like the rest.
TV... uh, oh: I can't believe I'm about to say this -- I bought a TiVo. I did. I knew that it was able to wirelessly connect to my computer so went to, uh... well, I don't want to say -- let's just say the place rhymes with Pest Pie. I told them I was interested in this wireless connection for a TiVo -- they acted like I sprouted eight heads. It took me a few people to get to the right person but he helped me out and I was on my way.
Okay, so I get this 'complicated' piece of equipment home and hook the thing up. Part of the information it needs is my zipcode so it can give me my local programming schedule. Okay, fine. I put it in -- it takes 7 minutes to dial up (I haven't got the wireless connection working just yet) and tell me that there are no cable companies in my zipcode. What?
So I look up the zipcode of where the cable dish is sitting. Still no cable companies in that zipcode. Huh?
I look up Superman's zipcode. I know he has TiVo. I put in his zipcode. No dice. What the "F" is going on here?
"Be smarter than the device", I tell myself. Ah, ha... tell it you have a cable box (I don't). Wait, it now magically finds a cable company!!! It asks me all kinds of questions about my cable box -- that I don't have. Fine... yes... whatever... I get through the questioning.
I have a schedule and it appears to be the right channel line-up -- I must be in business. I start flipping channels and the channel doesn't change. It's like every channel is showing the same program. I see the different descriptions of the shows, but it never changes scenery.
Lesson learned: once you put certain information into TiVo, you can't go back. It's Friday night, around 1 in the morning and I'm tired and frustrated. I do the un-thinkable: I re-set the TiVo... as in the 'big' reset. It wipes out the entire thing to factory settings. I'll start again tomorrow.
Saturday morning comes and the TiVo is fresh as a daisy. I whiz through all the questions I now know the answers to. I put in my zip code and do my 7 minute prayer. Wonder-of-wonders! It has found my cable company. I continue with ease through the rest of my setup. I set up Saturday Night Live to tape that night, even though I can't get the wireless connection to work. That's fine... I'll live with the phone line for a while.
Sunday morning comes and I'm a bit perturbed about the wireless thing. I sit down to watch SNL and it's off and running great. Then, out of nowhere, the sound goes away. I'm thinking "Oh, great... the one show I've taped and the channel lost sound". I turn on my VCR and watch TV that way (which is what I did during the LONG gaps that the TiVo is doing its thing). Hmmm, there's sound.
I check all the wiring. I make sure it's not the recording -- it's not. I rewind the program; still no sound. Again with the "What the "F" is going on here?". I switch wires and re-route cables. I watch the rest of SNL with a wiring scheme that would make Einstein cross his eyes.
Most of the cables are the 'coax' type... which is what regular cable and high-speed cable internet comes across. I trek down to my local Shady O'Rack and buy some brand spankin' new cables. I unplug everything I've got and use only the new cables. Wonder-of-wonders it actually friggin' works -- AND I can hear sound out of it now.
Still no wireless connection. Sometimes in the computer world if you reboot the equipment it will discover new devices. I restart the thing (don't worry, I didn't reset it, if that's what you're thinking...please) and it comes up just fine. I look at the settings -- still not there -- OH! What's this?
It needs to run a firmware update and it may take a few hours to complete -- HOURS?!? You know what's coming next -- what the "F"!?
So I putter around the house and watch TV through the VCR again until it finishes. I check on it a little while later and it's done. It restarts.
Wonder-of-wonders it actually found my wireless network. I'm in business.
I have to tell you, there are a LOT of things they don't tell you in the instructions. The wait time is absolutely incredible. To just drop a bomb on you like 'it may take a few hours' is ridiculous. It did this more than once, though not as long. Usually 20-30 minutes -- still...
I can't say that I've put it through the 'acid test' yet but I'm going out of town on business next week and didn't want to miss any of my shows. My VCR can only program 3 shows, plus, you know... I just wanted one. So I programmed in the 'Season Pass' on my favorite shows -- which were not as many as I thought.
Okay, TV Programmers -- out with the stellar television programs. Now!