After a weekend of moving, that was super smooth compared to any other moves I/we've had, I've come to a crossroads. Do we get cable, or do we go with no TV and just have DVD's, Games, Etc? I had it all planned out, everything lined up and we were gonna get a sweet deal. I had a hookup for cable internet through Comcast and a cheap plan through Dish Network that would only be about $40/month - we were going to be set. The funny thing is, the thought had entered my mind several times, 'everything is set, we're good to go'. And that thought was followed immediately by, 'dude, don't think that, because if you do, it won't work out as planned.' And of course it didn't. I only come to find out that Comcast doesn't service our area so now we're at the mercy of a company I've barely heard of called Charter...and it'll be twice as much money than planned. Then the Dish guy shows up and says that he needs permission to drill into the roof. After some emails and calls, we find out that we definitely cannot.
So I'm back to calling Charter which routs you to India (nothing new there) and I try to finagle some deals. I tell the lady on the other end that her voice sounds lovely, and she should consider going into voice-acting, to which I get no response as she goes on reading fine print (but I could tell she was smiling faintly through her legal banter). After a few more compliments that fell well short, and the fact that I told her if I was in Bangalore I would take her out for a Shahi Jaam...and again...nothing.
So she patched me over to the installation people in Arizona where I began to weasel. I ordered up what I wanted in the TV package plus the internet, and the total came out to about $125. When they told me the cost, I gave a deliberate sigh and let the conversation hang in silence. Amy, the Charter rep on the other line, stuttered then said, "is that price not working for you?" As I breathed in through my teeth I confessed, "well with our kids and all the other bills we have, and rent, there's no WAY we can make that payment...is there anyway we could get it lower?" After a lot of back and forth, she told me that she can look at what deals are available in Capitola, and I told her that I would need to talk to my wife to confirm our budget. When she got back on the line she told me she could do the same package for $77...and I was stoked. But, that was without the DVR. That could probably work, but I told her I'd call back to confirm. Judging by how much they caved on cost, my plan was to call back in the afternoon and tell them I wouldn't do it unless they threw in DVR for free, because we all know that once you have DVR, you can't go back. Its like saving up to buy a truck for a couple years only to get a bogus DWI and realize that you're still biking it. That may have happened to me. But I'd give her the hard line, we'd get DVR for free, and the Robertson's live happily ever after.
When I call back an give my coy ultimatum, she said, "OK, well I'll just take the Cable TV off the plan then, no problem. Good luck." I was disappointed to say the least but I totally went with. "OK, sounds great," I muttered...[facepalm].
Now I'm facing the cold hard fact that I'll be "Cableless" for the first time...ever...and I'm kinda liking the idea. We'll see how long it lasts. I could be sitting here a week from now, with nervous ticks, scratching my skin profusely and repeating phrases like I got the Turrets. But for now I'm into it. I'll read more, focus on music, play more games, it'll be refreshing. And I am not going to be one of those hippies that need to wash their feet and tell people in a super snob accent with my nose sky high, "Uhhh, we don't get TV..." or "we don't believe TV." This process made me wonder...do most non-TV people who appear to look down on "TV" people really think they're better, or are they just covering the fact that they pushed their haggle a little too hard with the cable company and couldn't swallow their pride?...or are they embarrassed that they can't afford it?...I dunno...either way they're assholes. I'll just admit it flat out, "umm, I'm just too stubborn and proud to let the Cable company get me." No TV is gonna be weird though.
4 comments:
stick to your guns! no tv is better. waaaaay better.
and now im officially done commenting on your blog. pheeeeew. that was intense.
I like your blog, starting with the photo of you paddle-towing. I guess if I lived on the West Coast, the real question for me (I'm also thinking about ditching cable) would be pretty simple math: is the amount of money I spend at the bar while watching Warriors/Giants games greater, equal, or less than the cost of cable? I really do want to get rid of cable but I also remember how it was to come back from my junior year in Costa Rica after 365 days without US cable and popular culture. I had conflicting feelings of a.) elitism as I was sure the shows that seem to ALWAYS come up in conversation were shallow and dumb, and b.) feeling like an eternal stuck-up outsider who was too good to talk about Anna Nicole Smith and didn't know what a reality t.v. show was or why you would want to watch one. Talking to people without tv or cable is really weird sometimes, I mean, sometimes refreshing but also weird. It's not that a person more or less our age has to watch Lost or Arrested Development or any of these other shows, but it definitely changes the conversation when you realize they're not even aware of their existence, no frame of reference. It's hard to make small talk if you never engage in small, shallow things!
I don't have cable. its way too much money for what it is. its merely a way to waste time, and prolong going to bed. if it was only like 15 bucks i would do it. shit, a good giants game is worth that. but for the most part, it is just a lazy way to not do the things you always wish you did. like read that book, learn that song on guitar, get an extra 2 hours of sleep, or go on that full moon walk along west cliff. cable sucks. in the meantime, i am trying to live my own reality episode rather than someone else's. P.s. i did just get netflix. it is awesome. $14.99/month unlimited dvd's.
Jeremy - I hear you, but a lot of that stuff you can check on the internets or get on DVD. And as long as you work in a place where other people are staying in touch with pop culture...then its all good.
Craig - Word!
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