Cutting the Cord

People who know me and my love of television and movies probably won't believe this, but I called to have my television cable disconnected.  Yes.  Disconnect.  Over, done with, gone.

Why did I do this, you ask?  Because I'm watching very little broadcast television these days.  Everyone is, of course, entitled to their own taste in television viewing, and I'll constantly defend your right to watch whatever you want to watch, I swear.  But as for myself, I don't like "reality" television.  I don't like dancing and vocal competitions.  I don't like shows about people who expose their children to beauty pageants and screaming dance instructors for the sake of "fame and fortune".  And I really, REALLY don't like shows that show the worst possible view of people who live in my beloved South.  (Does anyone actually think that Honey Boo-Boo and her family should be on television....honestly?)

So, a few weeks ago I kept a log of how much broadcast television I actually watched in a week.  It was very, very little.  Don't misunderstand....I watch television, but it's almost all streamed through the computer.  I subscribed to Netflix, but recently switched to Amazon Prime after I purchased a Kindle Fire.

The only thing I really watched on cable that I can't get online is local news.  So, I bought myself a $35 indoor antenna and hooked it up.  Guess what?  I get 13 channels OTA (over the air).  Included in the channels I receive are these networks: NBC, CW, CBS, ABC, FOX and TNN.  I also get a 24/7 weather channel and a couple of "retro" stations that will satisfy my need for the occasional episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

And what do these 13 channels cost me?  Nothing.  Nada.  Zilch.

I only have two regrets:

1. I'll need to learn to sit through commercials again since I can't really justify the cost of the TiVo subscription.  Oh well.  Maybe I can find another way to "pause", too.
2. I don't get a PBS station.  But, I can watch the PBS shows I like on their website.

My internet service will cost me a small bit more each month since my cable and internet were "bundled", but my net savings after giving up cable and TiVo will be about $75 a month.  Sure, $900 a year isn't going to make a huge difference, but that's $900 I can use for something I'll actually USE.

I have a second indoor antenna ordered to put on the small television I keep in the bedroom; it should be delivered tomorrow.  I wonder if the reception on that one will be as good as the one in the living room.  I hope so, but actually as long as it will pick up my local NBC affiliate so I can watch the news while I'm getting ready for work I'll be happy.

A Busy Morning

I've been a slug all week. I'm still recovering from a vile sinus infection, so I've been really tired.  The stress level at the office was even higher than usual this week, so that added to the fatigue.  Last night I actually fell asleep in my recliner and woke just after 4:00 a.m. with a vile migraine and a fever blister.  Happy Saturday.  *bleah*

I had a lot of housework to do since I was too tired to do much of anything in the evenings after work this week, so I'd made myself a "To-Do" list for today.  It was so long it made me tired just to READ it. So, I decided to just take each task on the list one at a time and work in 20/10 increments (20 minutes working/10 minute break).  I'd just work until I ran out of steam and quit, no matter where I was on the list.

I did pretty well for about 3 hours, then just ran down. That's okay, though. I checked off several tasks, and maybe after lunch and a little nap I can check off a few more.

For now, though, a bit of knitting and Netflix sounds pretty good.  :-)

My Dad finally got a surgery scheduled to repair the compression fracture in his back.  He'll have surgery next Tuesday; we're very hopeful that it will help alleviate the pain he's been suffering for the past several months.  Keep a good thought!  The procedure is interesting, and minimally invasive, so his recovery time should be relatively short.  Mom asked the PA how long it would be before Daddy could get on a treadmill, and he said probably a week or so after surgery.  I asked Mom if she'd checked to see how long it would be before he could drive, but she'd forgotten that. I suspect Daddy'll be much more anxious to drive than to get on the treadmill.  *LOL*

International Bacon Day

Photo borrowed from cyclonebill at
 http://www.flickr.com/people/23178876@N03

You GOTTA love the internet.  If I didn't have Twitter, how else would I have known about International Bacon Day?  *LOL*  In celebration, I plan to spend my Saturday afternoon enjoying Kevin Bacon DVDs (Mystic River, Apollo 13, Murder in the First, Stir of Echoes) and knitting.  I would have celebrated further by enjoying a BLT for lunch, but middle-age has robbed me of the ability to enjoy most breakfast meats, including bacon and sausage.  *sigh*

Oh well, in the absence of a BLT I will treat myself to one of my favorite comfort food lunches: tomato soup and crackers.  I'm currently going through one of those "spells" in which I don't seem to be able to tolerate any kind of meat.  I had chili last night, which tasted wonderful, but was quite ill for awhile.  Maybe I'll make myself some meatless chili later using the leftovers from my tomato soup lunch.

I SHOULD be doing some more cleaning in my bedroom.  I chased a few dustbunnies in there this morning, but there's still much to do.  Perhaps I should rethink my planned afternoon of knitting.  My conscience will be easier to live with if I move the Bacon DVD Marathon to the DVD player in the bedroom and actually do some more cleaning while I'm enjoying the always delectable Kevin Bacon.  ;-)

Oh, I wanted to mention that a friend brought to my attention a wonderfully dark, brooding television series that's currently running on Netflix, Durham County.  She knew that I enjoyed "The Killing" on AMC and suspected I'd like this one as well.  I've watched two episodes so far, and she was right.....I'm liking it a lot!

So, off I go to open a can of tomato soup.....my version of gourmet cooking.  *LOL*

Happy Labor Day Weekend, everyone!

Netflix and a Migraine

What's worse than a migraine, you ask? A migraine on a Friday afternoon. *ICK* I began the day with a dull headache that worsened gradually as the day wore on. By the time I got home, I felt decidedly unwell and hit the recliner with my netbook for a brief check of e-mail and a super-quick blog entry. As soon as I've entered this I'm going to take a couple of Excedrin PM and go to bed. No exaggeration.

I did want to enter a brief rant before hitting the hay. Netflix. I'm sure you've read about the upcoming rate changes on the web, but just in case you haven't, here's what's scheduled to happen on September 1. I currently subscribe to the one-DVD-at-a-time-plus-streaming plan for $9.99 a month. I don't usually get more than 3 or 4 DVD's a month, but thought this was a reasonable price to pay since I watch some of the streaming content when there's nothing on broadcast TV worth my time. My streaming is mostly old television series (Family Ties, Doctor Who, etc.), but it's been pretty neat to have it available.

Then I read on MSNBC that beginning September 1, Netflix is splitting their DVD-by-mail service from their streaming service. And here's the kicker. Each service is going to cost $7.98. EACH. With no discount if you subscribe to both. Puh-leeze. A SIXTY PERCENT INCREASE???

Keep in mind that their current streaming catalog has a very limited scope. In fact, less than it did when they first began streaming. It's mostly very old movies, very bad movies, and old television shows. It's not a bad selection if you're paying a couple of bucks a month for it, but it's certainly not worth $7.98. Not to me, at least.

As for paying $7.98 for the 3 or 4 DVD's I rent each month, I can pick those up at Redbox for $1 a night. Half what I'd be paying at the upcoming Netflix rates.

And now I will climb off my soapbox, take meds, and go try to sleep off a migraine. Hope the weekend is beginning on a happier note for all of you than it is for me!!

So, I'll wait until mid-August to see if they come to their senses and offer a better deal. If not, I'm pulling the plug. One of the reports I read online regarding the anger of current Netflix subscribers quoted a Netflix spokesman saying that the increase is only "a latte or two". Maybe so, but the $9.99 I'm currently spending for Netflix ($119.88 per year) will soon be spent for some other indulgence. But not a latte or two. I like my coffee plain and black and made at home, thank you very much.

Heat and Humidity Make Me Tired

Two weeks since my last blog entry....where is this summer GOING??? It's hot and humid in my little corner of the world. A bit miserable, to tell the truth. I've worked in air conditioned offices for so much of my life that I've lost any ability I ever had to withstand temperatures in the 90's. With heat indexes over 100. "I'm melting, I'm melting!"

So, since the last time I checked in with you, what have I been up to? The usual workweek, of course. Frustrating, but necessary because I've become accustomed to regular meals and a roof over my head. But after work is MY time. I've been spending some of my time knitting a retirement gift for a friend (see my knitting blog for more about that...the link is on the right side of this page). My latest Netflix disk was "Black Swan", which I really liked. It was definitely different!

Last Saturday I had lunch with a friend from high school days...such fun! We'd reconnected on Facebook and hadn't seen each other since our 20th high school reunion, which was TWENTY YEARS AGO. I still can't believe it's been 40 years since I graduated from high school. We had a lovely time, catching up on what's been going on in our lives over all those years. She was a bright, vivacious girl in high school, always fun to be around. I'm happy to say that she hasn't changed at all. We promised each other that we wouldn't wait another 20 years to get together again.

After our lunch, I stopped by Hobby Lobby to check out their supply of yarn. I already have plenty of yarn, mind you, but there's no such thing as too much yarn. I was terribly disappointed to find that their yarn stock was down to about half of what it was the last time I was there. I guess not everyone is quite as obsessed as I am about sticks and string! Their depleted stock didn't keep me from spending some money, though. I managed to find some sock yarn and a bit of baby yarn I needed for a toy I wanted to knit for my great-niece, Emmie.

On the way home I stopped by the hospital to visit my 100-year-old great aunt. Happily, she'd just been notified that she was being released to go home. She'd been hospitalized for a couple of days for diverticulitis. Like most of us, she doesn't particularly enjoy hospital stays and was really looking forward to getting home! She's an amazing lady, and I'm always glad to get to spend a little time with her.

And that just about catches you up on the goings on in my little world. Have a great week, everyone!

Another Thrilling Week

First of all, last weekend's Netflix disk wasn't "Black Swan", it was "Winter's Bone". Good movie, great performances, but nearly painful to watch. Such strength in a young woman, such a terrible thing that such strength was needed!

This week has thus far proven to be another very trying one at the office. And this is only Tuesday. *ick* So much to do, so little time! I'm writing this during my lunch break, and as soon as I finish here I'm going to escape to the world of knitting for a few rows.

Thank goodness for sticks and string!

Life Is Good

Friday....oh, how I adore Friday evening! The work week is finished, and it's TWO WHOLE DAYS before I have to think about work again! *happy dance*

Tired? Oh yeah. But I'm kicked back in the recliner, netbook in my lap, knitting nearby, and an unopened Netflix envelope on top of the entertainment center. "Black Swan", I think. I've kind of forgotten what was next in my queue! *LOL*

Have I mentioned lately how much I appreciate what knitting does for me? For awhile I was so exhausted from the horrific workload at the office that I was too tired to knit when I got home. I missed it so much. I've found that knitting centers me. Since I've been able to spend a little time with my needles and wool, I find that I sleep better and am much more rested in the morning. Busy hands, calmer mind.

Of course, Mom says it wouldn't have that effect on her....*LOL* She's never been interested in crochet or knitting. She can sew, but only does it when necessary. It's not something she's ever really enjoyed. She has other interests, but needlework just isn't on her list.

As for me, I think I'll wrap up this blog entry, pop in the Netflix disk, and knit until I'm sleepy. Have a great Friday night, everyone!

Bliss

Folks who read my blog pretty regularly know a couple of things about me: 1) I've been working a lot of hours at the office lately, and 2) I love rainy Sunday afternoons. So here's what makes those two facts relevant to this blog entry....I'm actually NOT WORKING today, and it's been a lovely, rainy, quiet, restful afternoon.

So what have I done with this blissful day off? Happily, not much. I've watched some things I'd TiVo'd during the week and have been knitting a bit while watching. I have a Netflix DVD, "The King's Speech", which I finally got to watch this afternoon. Wonderful movie. Have I mentioned that I adore Colin Firth?

Another movie I've watched since I blogged last is "Hereafter". I liked it, too. It's not what I expected, but that happens to me often with Clint Eastwood's movies. Unexpected, but good.

Now, what shall I do with the rest of this lovely, restful Sunday? I have the first two episodes of a PBS Masterpiece Classic series, "South Riding" TiVo'd that I've not watched yet. I think I'll watch that, knit a bit more, and go to bed early.

Sometimes life is just good.

A Good Day

I am very thankful that through much hard work during the past work week, we managed to get ourselves in position to actually take a TWO DAY WEEKEND this week! *happy dance* It's been awhile since we were able to take both Saturday and Sunday off, and this feels a little like a vacation!

I didn't sleep very well last night, and woke up much too early....4:00 am! I stubbornly refused to get out of bed at that hour. So, I reached for my Kindle and finished reading "The Thorn Birds". Not a bad way to start my "long" weekend. :-)

I did a few household tasks....nothing very strenuous. Then I decided to knit a bit on a pair of socks I'd started earlier. This afternoon I went to visit Mom and Dad for awhile, then came back home and called Kris (my daughter, for those of you who might not know).

So now I'm fed, kicked back in the recliner with my netbook in my lap and my knitting nearby. I have a Netflix movie I've not watched yet ("Hereafter" with Matt Damon), so I foresee a restful evening. Thank goodness.

Happy Easter, everyone!

Eastern Standard Time

We switched from Daylight Savings Time to Standard Time last weekend, and I'm having an unusually difficult time adjusting to it. Normally, the switch from DST to standard is easier because "spring ahead, fall back" actually gives us an extra hour's sleep that first Sunday morning. But I'm having trouble staying awake until bed time, which means I'm waking up about 4:00 am, which is causing me to want to go to bed by 8:00 pm. *ICK*

Oh well, I'll adjust eventually. I always do. :-) Since I gave up on Dancing With The Stars I've had more time to watch more interesting things, like documentaries I'm finding on Netflix. I started a good one last night about Stonehenge. I thought I was really interested in it, but woke up at 4:00 this morning in the recliner, so I must not have been quite as spellbound as I thought. *LOL*

I had a touch of a virus over the weekend, so I got in some "knitting in the recliner while watching movies" time. I'd received a Netflix disk last week and finally got around to watching it. It had been in my queue for some time: "The Best of Carson". I'm not sure who decided what the "best" of Carson was, but I didn't agree. :-( There are several disks in the series, and I deleted the rest of them from my queue. There was only one good clip on it, and I'd already seen it about a thousand times or so. Live and learn, right?

I mentioned earlier that I'd given up on Dancing With The Stars. I am actually still recording it on TiVo and watching it the next day just to see the parts I want to see (basically Derek Hough). On Tuesday morning before I went to work, I watched Monday night's 2-hour show in just under 30 minutes. HONEST! Then yesterday morning I watched Tuesday night's 1-hour show in less than 15 minutes. I knew there was a lot of "filler" on that show, but WOW!

Unless I change my mind, I'm not going to bother at all next season. If they want to change the voting procedure to make it more of a TALENT competition I'll reconsider. Enough griping.

The weather here has been absolutely GLORIOUS the past few days. Sure makes it hard to go to work and sit in my little windowless dungeon all day. Especially since it's almost DARK by the time I get home from work now. *pout*

Okay, I've fussed enough for one day. Hope the day is as glorious in your neck of the woods as it is here!

Zipping Through October

Where did October go?? Sheesh, seems like just yesterday was September! It's been a busy, busy month in my little corner of the world. Seems like things at the office just get busier all the time.

Last week, though, I was on my final full week of annual leave for 2010. Since it's a little chilly (especially at night), I didn't go camping. I figured that if it's so cool that I have to sit in the tent with a heater, I might as well just stay home! And so I spent a very quiet, relaxing week.

Unfortunately, I battled an allergy headache all week long. *phooey* In fact, on the last day of my vacation, the headache morphed into a migraine and I spent the entire day in the recliner. I did NOTHING but knit and watch Doctor Who! (See, Kris, you've turned me into a true addict. *LOL*)

The first Sunday of my time off was really good, though. Mom and Dad took Aunt Orpha out for the day, and I tagged along. We had a really great time! We enjoyed a leisurely drive over to Scott County. Our first stop was at Mann Farm's produce stand in Ft. Blackmore where I bought some beautiful yellow tomatoes and delicious ginger gold apples. I also bought two pints of corn relish and a quart of sourwood honey.

After that, we stopped to visit briefly with one of Daddy's cousins, John, who lives in the area. I had to actually write it out to figure out how they're related....they're second cousins. *LOL*
We then went up on High Knob, which was quite beautiful. The weather was clear and crisp...a perfect fall day! After driving past the site of the old Sweeney homeplace, we made our way to Norton. There we all enjoyed a delicious late lunch at Fish Tales. Since I have a seafood allergy, I had their pork barbeque which was very good. If you're ever there, I recommend it!

It was a very lovely day, and we all enjoyed it very much. The next morning, my allergies had kicked into high gear. (I suspect the dust and leaf litter up on the Knob probably didn't help me any!) So, for the next couple of days I really didn't do a lot. Just a bit of housework, some knitting, and some movies via Netflix.

On Wednesday I ran a few errands and went to visit Mom and Dad for a bit. I also went to cast my vote that day; we have early voting in my corner of the world. I love to vote early because the early voting location has much better parking that my regular voting location.

On Thursday I finally talked myself into dealing with my walk-in closet. I needed to deal with it because you couldn't walk into it anymore! *LOL* By Friday I had it in fairly presentable order with a stack of things to take to Goodwill. It's not perfect, mind you, but it's much better than it's been for awhile.

And that, friends, is the saga of my fall vacation. Thrilling, eh? *LOL* I still have some pictures on my camera that I took during the trip to High Knob. I'll try to get those downloaded to the computer soon so I can share them with you.

Hope you're all having a great week. If you're not, be of good cheer...the weekend's almost here!

Long Weekends....and Paying For Them

I'm working a flex schedule this summer and am off on Fridays. So, this past weekend (because of Independence Day) was a 4-day weekend for me. Pretty neat, right?

And it WAS neat. I always enjoy having time away from the office. On Friday morning Daddy went to meet some old friends of his (in town for the holiday) at Hardee's over in Duffield. They met on the Friday before the 4th last year, too, and he really enjoyed it. So, since he was going to be away for a bit, Mom asked if I'd like to go shopping that morning.

We try to do that once while I'm off on Fridays during the summer. We go visit a few stores, have a "girlie" lunch, then head home. We used to "shop 'til we drop", but we drop quicker than we used to, so usually one morning is plenty for both of us. *LOL*

We hit a few stores, and when lunchtime rolled around I asked where she'd like to go. We go to places Daddy wouldn't normally care for, tearooms and the like. This time she asked to go to McAlister's Deli in Kingsport. The only time I'd been in there was to get a cold drink during an earlier shopping expedition, so I was happy to try their food. For ages I'd been craving a muffaletta, but didn't know of any place locally that made them. I was really happy to see that their lunch menu included a 1/4 muffaletta with a side for a very reasonable price. It....was...WONDERFUL! Not only was it a generous portion, but simply delectable! I chose a fruit salad for my side item which served as a dessert. The fruit was fresh, sweet, and delicious. Mom had a reuben which she said was wonderful as well. All in all a wonderful shopping/lunch trip!

Saturday I did a bit of household drudgery and rested up a bit from Friday's excursion. I didn't get much sleep that night. Seems that even though it's not legal to shoot fireworks in the city limits, several people were shooting them anyway. I don't begrudge anyone their fun, but DANG. You could knock it off after midnight, couldn't you?? (I am, admittedly, getting old and crabby. *LOL*)

Sunday I was invited to Mom and Dad's for a cookout. Yummy food and good company, as always. :-) That night there were still plenty of fireworks in the neighborhood, which went on until quite late. I guess I was really tired from losing sleep the night before, because it didn't keep me up too long.

Yesterday I knitted a bit (see my knitting blog), did a little laundry, and mostly just rested up for the return to the office today. *drudge, drudge* While knitting I watched most of "Band of Brothers". I've already seen it, but it's such a great series I wanted to watch again. I have it on my computer and need to burn it to DVD. Definitely a keeper!

Movies, movies....what have I seen lately? Mel Gibson's "Edge of Darkness"...dark, but good. "Amelia"...worth the time to watch it, but not as good as I'd hoped it would be. "The Road"...wow! Bleak (which I expected, since the writer also wrote "No Country for Old Men"), but what performances! Now I want to read the book.

I've been watching some Netflix stuff through the Wii unit, too. I've been rewatching the first season of Saturday Night Live and wishing there was anything on television now to compare. I watched a campy little thing about the 50 worst movies ever made. Happily I'd only seen one of them. *LOL* I saw an interesting little documentary from 1975 called "Grey Gardens". I'd heard about this years ago, but never got around to seeing it. I found it intriguing and a little unnerving.

And so this morning, I returned to work. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that I have a good job, honestly. But boy oh boy did I have a rough day today. Our fiscal year ends on June 30, so there's all kinds of things that have to be done after July 1. That, mixed with the holiday, mixed with computer systems that apparently went bump in the night several times over the weekend, made for an interesting day.

I'm really glad to be home with a big ol' glass of iced tea. Hopefully it will be cool enough in a short while to sit out on the deck for awhile with my knitting.

Hope you all had a good weekend, too!