Usually when we are watching the local stations, we won't turn on the satellite box on, using the antenna instead. Our set of rabbit ears has incurred at least one hard fall, so doesn't work as well as it used to, and I've never seen another set like it at Radio Shack. So on Sunday the news report was fading in and out, replaced often with "weak signal strength" messages.

What was odd about this was that several times, when the message came up, the television turned itself off and then on again. Odd.

Last night when the 10 p.m. news was over, I turned off the satellite box and then the television, which had worked flawlessly since Sunday. The screen went black, followed by a barrage of quick "clicks" that after about 30 seconds, degenerated into a "click"-"click"-"click"...just like a television set trying to turn itself off and on.

We finally had to pull out the plug to get it to quit, waited a few minutes, then plugged it in again. "Click"-"click"-"click"...well, you get the picture. Unplugged again, went to bed.

This morning I plugged it in again, only to be greeted with a chorus of clicks. I knew we had bought an extended warranty for the beast, despite Clark Howard's insistence that they are not worth it, but wasn't sure how long it lasted, so I went digging into the secretary next to Schuyler's cage for the paperwork.

Gloriosky, it was for three years, ending next March.

I pressed a complicated series of buttons to reach an Spanish-accented gentleman who took down all my info, then told me he couldn't put in the call for service right away because his computer was being updated. In the middle of the work day? Brilliant. He said he would put the order in manually and someone would call me back; I still called back early in the afternoon to talk to a young woman who made an appointment for Friday.

So a very disappointed Schuyler had to do without her "teevee" and settled for listening to my "This Week in Tech" and "Tech Guy" podcasts as I dug my way through a pile of thirty-eight purchase orders that needed new quotes, or new justifications, or special forms, or advertisement, a task I still hadn't finished when five o'clock rolled around.

Plus I've got something else going on; having a tussle with myself...but I have to resolve it before I can talk about it.

Anyway, looks like our new neighbors have moved in; they have three dogs, so we've heard. We watched the news on the computer—I love live streaming video—and then I put on Episode 2 of the newest season of History Detectives (since neither of the Georgia PBS stations seem to be showing it). Fascinating ep which included an authentic Civil War relic, and a Theremin made by its creator, who turned out to be a spy for Soviet Russia!

Following that I put on the Masterpiece special with David Suchet traveling on the Orient Express. How lovely! What glamour and luxury; puts today's "luxe" to shame. Plus some stunning scenery, especially in Austria and then again in Venice.

Labels: electronics, television, work

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. . . . . noted and logged by Linda at 9:57:00 PM

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