Gee, Ray: i get about 1/2 that faster than speed internet, which is fine for us, the telly phoney, AND I get 200+ channels for the same price you pay!
Jimmy:I DO hope you are happy with the Direct TV,as anyone here who has had it went back to cable as soon as possible! Oh, and if you are in the snow belt, be SURE to have them mount your dish where you can easily get to it to clean snow off, OR you won't get ANY channels!
Me: well, I have a routine appt. @ the Cardiologist today. make sure my ticker is still ticking!
Better get my "goin' out clothes" on!
Later!
-G .
Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.
HO and N Scale.
After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.
Coffee in an Undecorated mug, please.
Lost my car keys somewhere out on the farm. Have spent hours looking to no avail. If they fell out of my pocked and off the tractor while brush-cutting the pastures, finding them is going to be hopeless. Perhaps it is time to call a locksmith and have the car rekeyed. OUCH!
Don't know when I will get back in the train room. Need to find a new hired hand to finish building fences. It is more than I can do on top of everything else.
Healing thoughts to those in need.
Cheers! Rob
Mornin' everyone!
Zoe, just a cup of Dark roast and a couple sour cream glazed doughnuts please...
I got rid of the TV part of cable several years ago. I can get my fill of SpongeBob Funny Pants, America's Worst Disgusting Home Videos, and Ducky Cry Nasty whenever I go over to my son's house. Usually makes me feel very good about not having TV at my house... Still I have a faster than basic Speed on the Modem and my Telly Fone with Time Warner Crooks so I still pay over $100 a month for it.
I hope to finish mowing the lawn, get some ink, print the flyers for the Cub Pack, plant strawberries, and get to a BS District Committee meeting tonight... Not nessesarily in that order.
Best get moving if I want to get everything done!
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
I did some searching on my own. Currently there is a deal for Direct here, 60 dollars a month for two years for the same deal I have now-tv wise. I need to find a price for the triple play offer they have. At this point, comcast is increasing fees for decreasing quality. On my channel list I get, two sets of every channel, a movie channel or two (cinemax,anda similar one), foreign channels (like Russian TV, Aljazeria tv,etc) and a whole bunch of others I do not watch. At this point on my Channel list, I really only watch The weather channel, the music radio channels, AMC, The local channels,FX,Fox Sports one, BBCAmerica, TNT, etc. So I really do not need a ton of channels. It's like that old Springsteen song "there's 57 channels and nothing on"
(My Model Railroad, My Rules)
These are the opinions of an under 35 , from the east end of, and modeling, the same section of the Wheeling and Lake Erie railway. As well as a freelanced road (Austinville and Dynamite City railroad).
Took a 2 hour nap and feel a little better.
As I hadn´t run my 4-4-0 yet, I just got my test track out and wired it to the power pack. I was in for a surprise! The 4-4-0 is an excellent performer - quiet, smooth and not a hitch or a lurch. The headlight (or backlight) comes on at about 3V, a fraction of a second after the loco starts. The performance is much better than the Forney´s - I think I will take out the decoder there as well.
I can hardly wait to see them both performing on my layout!
More rain. The lawn thanks the sky. Sounds very philosophical, until you realize it has to be mowed. Then it just becomes a chore.
I'm getting fed up with our cable bill, too. I think the real trick is to switch cable companies when the original contract runs out, and then switch back again when that contract runs out. That way, you always get the introductory rate and all the free stuff.
If Comcast drops BBC, AMC and the History Channel, I'll drop Comcast. The only shows I watch are on those 3 channels. My wife has notified all her friends that she's switching her email address to GMail, and I think I'll do the same. That will finally disconnect us from the provider and let us shop around. We'll be doing that after retirement anyway.
Speaking of that, I requested the retirement package at work yesterday. I'm not committed to anything, but it's the first step of the process. Still hoping for a voluntary layoff, but I don't think that's going to happen. The latest management fad is "open office space" with no cube walls, and I don't want to be around for that one.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Good Afternoon!
I am battling heart issues since yesterday. Not much power left, so no MRRing today, maybe for the rest of the we(e)ak. Might have to go for surgery again, but I hope not.
I am really surprized to see, how much internet and cable tv costs on your side of the Big Pond. There would be no way I could afford to pay those amounts. Internet and phone (nationwide flat rate) is about $ 50 a month, and if I had cable TV with 150+ channels, it´d cost $ 30 a month. Of course, you can have add-ons, bringing the total amount close to what you folks have to pay. I don´t think it´s worth it. Other than my favorite railroad show, I hardly watch any TV. Guess I have seen it all.
Going for a snooze now!
Have a good one!
Jimmy_Braum Yeah, I have on demand but that is not mentioned on the bill (Free on demand except for pay shows and no one in the house has rented anything on demand or anything like that), I have my own wireless router (Bought it at walmart for 40 bucks), and no pay channels. Oh, I live in a small town where it is pretty much them and Directv, So I guess they are trying to play monoply with their "city rate" I got a deal once, person paying the bill at the time threatened to cancel our service, and they dropped our bill-maybe it's worth trying again, but yeah...Comcast is jacking up their prices and expected to start dropping channels (BBCAmerica,History Channel, AMC,etc). I saw Directv has a few good offers right now, a DVR included in installation, up to 4 rooms of DVR, A 1 year lock in at 60 dollars a month,etc. I cannot really afford to pay 200 dollars for maybe 25-30 channels a week and when the other 500 are nothing but junk. Maybe they have a promo or offer going on right now.
Yeah, I have on demand but that is not mentioned on the bill (Free on demand except for pay shows and no one in the house has rented anything on demand or anything like that), I have my own wireless router (Bought it at walmart for 40 bucks), and no pay channels. Oh, I live in a small town where it is pretty much them and Directv, So I guess they are trying to play monoply with their "city rate" I got a deal once, person paying the bill at the time threatened to cancel our service, and they dropped our bill-maybe it's worth trying again, but yeah...Comcast is jacking up their prices and expected to start dropping channels (BBCAmerica,History Channel, AMC,etc). I saw Directv has a few good offers right now, a DVR included in installation, up to 4 rooms of DVR, A 1 year lock in at 60 dollars a month,etc. I cannot really afford to pay 200 dollars for maybe 25-30 channels a week and when the other 500 are nothing but junk. Maybe they have a promo or offer going on right now.
Jimmy: No one, except maybe Drs. and Lawyers and congressmen can afford $200/ m!!!
Time Warner and teh satellite are the only games in our town, too.
Everyone who has had Direct TV or other satellite service has gone back to Time Warner Cable as soon as their contract was up! It also does NOT {usually} give local channels for local news.
The fees abound and you cannot get away from them!
The reason I mentioned "city" if you were, say in New York City for example, that might just explain the higher costs. we don't live in but a small city {pop. about 65K}, but pay like it was NYC.
When Comcast comes along, we may seek "alternatives" to TV...The Rabbit, Hulu zulu, Amazon, TV Plus {or whatever its called}, The other computer-based TV stuff, the HD Antenna {only gives us 4 local channels here, but better'n nutin'} So TWC si NOt really the only way to get TV.
With all the alternatives, you'd think the cable companies would LOWER their rates, bt NO! to pay fat CEO salaries, they jack them up! And to protect the bottom line as people Flock AWAY form them, they make everybody pay more who stays with them!
After our one year at the reate we have, we may drop everything but internet!
We generally watch channels 2-180, and at least 3 sets of those are duplicate channels! WHy ohWHY should we pay for triplicated channels????
I have 11 months to find the alternatives!
Good Luck with yours!
over!
morning...
My grandma Rose Angela Hemans, Is disposed to delirium tremens. She contracted the habit Of eating Welsh Rarebit At midnight, and then she'd see demons
Quotable Quotes:
Nothing is so firmly believed as what is least known. -Michel de Montaigne, essayist (1533-1592)
V8VegaMy Verizon bill is hard, actualy about impossible to compute and I only get phone and internet. There are all kinds of added on charges and then removed charges, so it makes it difficult to comprehend and my bill is only $45. Still I almost never use the phone so that seems expensive.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
Evenin' Folks!
Janie, just a decaf for me. Thank you Ma'am.
My toe is feeling pretty good today. Got half the lawn mowed. Did that much in two sessions in order to give the foot a rest and not have to limp too bad... Ran the rototiller along the fence. Started to loosen the pile of topsoil left from last year in the garden so I could add it to the now compacted raised gardens. Imediately it started to rain big heavy drops. So I shut it off and went in the house to have lunch. Imediately the rain stopped... Drove over to the Rock, Stone, Mulch, Gravel, Paving Block, Topsoil, and place that sells Moo Poo to get 5 bags for the gardens... Sure glad I put the plywood sections and an old tarp down in the back of the PiP. The bags were sitting outside and of course had a few holes in them, meaning they were all wet.... Came back home and planted all the hostas my Sister gave me. Had just enough to put a clump by each of the fence posts. Tomorrow I will go to a Menonite Gardening place and buy some annuals to plant between the Hostas.
Decided to do the laundry tonight and so got a bit more done on a small overpass bridge for the layout. Dryer is still running as I type. Got an email from the District Executive looking for someone to print flyers for the new pack I am helping to get back onlune here in town. I told him no problem. Since he lives a block over from me, he and his wife and dog walked over with a stack of half printed flyers (they are standard Cub Scout Flyer that can be customized for a unit). I told him I will deliver them to him at the District Meeting tomorrow night. Of course after doing one side of about 75 of them (we need 250) I ran out of one of the two Black Ink cartridges in the printer I am using. Guess which cartridge I don't have any more of in stock... The first two don't count. So now I will be driving over to Staples to buy the expensive package of the ink for the printer I am using for this project....
Time for me to call it a night! Prayers going out to all of you!
Sounds like we have more nasty weather coming in from Texas. Time for me to get out of here anyway. See y'all tomorrow.
Weather wise it's been pretty ugly here. We're under a flash flood watch until tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow is looking like another 100% chance of showers and thunderstorms then slacking off to 60% by Friday. I didn't see any water leaking in around the window in my bedroom so maybe I filled it in with the flexible rubber leak sealer. Played a game of Starfleet1 a little while ago. I did pretty good. Completed the mission in half the time allotted. Twenty-five Krellan ships and five cloaked Zaldron ships. Those suckers can be hard to find. Other than that I've been in the back watching some movies.
Been one of those sun for a while then rain for a while and then it does it all over again. Tends to be that way around these parts this time of the year. My lawn looks like a hay field but it never drys out enough between rain storms to let me cut it. It's a half hour job at best but the longer it gets the wetter it stays. Maybe a goat would be the answer.
Opened up a DPM power plant model today but after looking at it, decided to build a simpler kit as I haven't built a kit for years and need something easy to start on. The dpm will come later after I referbish my kit building skills a lot.
Other than watching the grass grow today, didn't do a heck of a lot today. It's all good.
Cheers
Dennis
CDN Dennis
Modeling the HO scale something or other RR in the shadow of the Canadian Rockies Alberta, Canada
Yeah, I have on demand but that is not mentioned on the bill (Free on demand except for pay shows and no one in the house has rented anything on demand or anything like that), I have my own wireless router (Bought it at walmart for 40 bucks), and no pay channels. Oh, I live in a small town where it is pretty much them and Directv, So I guess they are trying to play monoply with their "city rate" I got a deal once, person paying the bill at the time threatened to cancel our service, and they dropped our bill-maybe it's worth trying again, but yeah...Comcast is jacking up their prices and expected to start dropping channels (BBCAmerica,History Channel, AMC,etc). I saw Directv has a few good offers right now, a DVR included in installation, up to 4 rooms of DVR, A 1 year lock in at 60 dollars a month,etc. I cannot really afford to pay 200 dollars for maybe 25-30 channels a week and when the other 500 are nothing but junk. Maybe they have a promo or offer going on right now. But anyway, it poured down rain here, and boy, I love thunderstorms.
cudaken Timme to BBQ my self. Chef
Evening Dinners
Flo Beer Pleases.
Been a busy day! Just got back from the Park and Vet visit with Sparkie The Rocket Dog! Sparkie did enjoy the park, saw some Fish, Swans and got to meet some kids at play ground. What he like the best? Guy that was BBQ at the park!
Spent a lot of money today, but only over ran my budget by $10.00. That I can live with. Plus I did buy Sue and my self some steaks and some pork steaks so that where the budget got blowen.
Timme to BBQ my self.
See you all later. Ken
http://s83.photobucket.com/user/cudaken/media/WPFun/Sunrise1.jpg.html]
I hate Rust
Jimmy_BraumWell, I may have to put off the wheeling project until I get this tv bill sorted out...Comcast wants 200 dollars a month for their internet/phone/tv...when last month it was 176 total bill. They didn't even mention any rate hike or anything... It's starting to honestly look like I am going to be ditching comcast asap for something else. Then again, perhaps they had a mistake on my bill. Regardless, IF it stays at 200 dollars a month...hello somethign else.
Galaxy, that sounds familiar. My own parents are long gone, but my in-laws are in their 90s. My wife goes and visits them in Florida a couple of times a year. They drive her nuts. (Actually, my MIL drives her nuts. My FIL, who is 97, is pretty reasonable. I also hear that my MIL drives my FIL nuts, too.) I don't get to go because the MIL is too "sensitive" and easily irritated. Fine with me. They have a small condo in Florida and won't leave, certainly not for the Frozen North, and we're not moving there, so at least those discusions don't happen.
Depending on the size of the estate, a will might suffice. Trusts have advantages for tax purposes, though. After our daughter came along, we set up a few trusts, purely to reduce tax exposure. I suspect, also, that trusts are a bit harder to contest if, for example, there was a neer-do-well son or a gold-digging sugar plum your FIL wanted to cut out completely.
At one time, they had a significant amount of money, but they've been around so long that they must be dipping into their assets pretty heavily by now. We are fortunate enough that we can still be comfortable with no inheritance, but my two brothers-in-law are counting on it, and doing very little to prepare for the eventuality if the financial windfall fall short of their needs for retirement. At one time, the parents were so upset with their sons that they made their will totally generation-skipping, cutting out their children and leaving it all to the grandchildren. I don't know what the will looks like now, and I'm not likely to find out.
Jimmy: If you read back a bit to the beginning of the month, I just fought with Time Warner Cable over TV/net/phone bill and the end of a 2 year contract we had. Now, mind you, this applies as if it is approved, Comcast and TWC will "merge". Yeah right. And our servcie will cost more and we will get less.
We now have a new "deal" for the next year for the same pacakage we had "at just a slight increase" of a "mere $18/month". I would NOT be surprised that your bill went up by the $25. WHat I don't get is we are NOW paying half what you have to pay, and unless you have pay channels, use ON DEMAND services {did You??? OR someone in your home??} OR WIFI or lots of units on your cabel connection, why are you paying so much??? Or are you "City-fied"?? whereby your rates are "city rates"?
Anyway.
I was going out to do some shed stuff, but then, just then, downpour happened! SO I went off to paln #2 and did the bedding. I didn't do it SUnday or monday as MOH was home we just "hung out together", something we rarely get to domuch, when either one of us is not running somewhere, or MOH isn't worn out tired nad sleeping!
Warning: FIL coming up!:
Well, The FIL is being a ROYAL pain. Again. Can't say the real thing as I'd get banned! See, 1st of all, he wants a call EVERY morning to "be sure he is alright". If he goes out, he leaves answering machine on. If he answers he's obviously OK. If the phone is busy It COULD be he has it off the hook, which the last time I drove over there after 2.5 hours of calling a busy phone, and found him OK with the phone off the hook, MOH read him the riot act and said we'd not come anymore if the phone was busy as w'ed assume he was on the phone. Even all day and all night long.
Well, now he DOES get slightly upset when it is ME calling all the time, but fails to understand that his desire for a phone call "between 8:30 AM and 10:00 AM" is when MOH is off to work or AT work already! SO I have to call then. I have told MOH "he wants to hear from his darling, not me"! So this morning FIL got snippy when I called , so MOH went over to see him and "clear the air". Well, MOH called and said I am not to call as FIL wants his little darling to call, and now "wants a call several times a Day!" NOT!
FIL is also on this kick about going to sell his big old 5 level home and get a smaller home with the idea WE WILL MOVE IN WITH HIM!!! OH, NO WE WON'T!!! MOH says SO! I REPEAT that sentiment! See, he says he "saw a show about elderly "alone people" and now I am scared" at 86 that is. Now, SINCE HE BOUGHT MOH the car, He NOW has the idea MOH {and me as a tag-a-long,but not really desired} that MOH should DO MORE for him and wait on him hand and foot!!!!
{MY father is SENSIBLE, and has already said he won't live with us and he didn't think living together he'd tolerate us! SMART MAN! I have told My fhater, I will do my best to keep him at home as long as possible, even if it menas coming over there several times a day to do things for him. He seems agreeable to that, but will only be 80 this year, FIL is 86 already and scared now??!!.}
Now, When MOH comes home form work, I will suggest we go out and get a new vehicle of OUR OWN and take the new car to FIL and sign title over to him! that gets MOH off the hook. Now to scrounge money for downpayment...
Meanwhile...FIL is concerned adn wnats to know HOW TO make sure everything transfers to MOH {only-not me, not as an "US"} upon his death....we have been telling him OVER AND OVER to set up a Trust! IT will do just that fine! He things a Will "is just fine".!!!
{ see I have never been "good enough" for his precious little only-child darling.}
MY father has a trust set up since 1995.
GRR. Double GRR. that is "Guh" with a Double "ERR"!!!
We Have no children to foist such things upon, but we'd not pull this on ours...I hope.
Over!
Grr
Well, I may have to put off the wheeling project until I get this tv bill sorted out...Comcast wants 200 dollars a month for their internet/phone/tv...when last month it was 176 total bill. They didn't even mention any rate hike or anything... It's starting to honestly look like I am going to be ditching comcast asap for something else. Then again, perhaps they had a mistake on my bill. Regardless, IF it stays at 200 dollars a month...hello somethign else.
Good Afternoon Dinners
Flo, may I have a BLT and a Diet Dew Pleases.
Well I am off today and the wife has been a Bottom Less To Do Pit today! So far I have gone on a thrash run, gone to Post Offices, got gas, and went to St Louis. Next I have to take Sue and Sparkie to the Libary, then the Park so Sparkie can have something fun to do? I wounder if Sparkie really cares if he goes to the park? I think he be just as happy to walk around the block my self. Next, take Sparkie to the Vet for his shoots. This week check has just about had it.
Ulrich, you rail spikes are on the way! I have no idea when you will get them, I sent them the cheapest way I could. Sure get some funny looks when they read what is in the package.
Well, Sue just told me Sparkie is ready to go By By.
Later, Ken
Good morning. It's 73° with 100% humidity and rain. The high will be 78° and there's a major chance of rain and thunderstorms, happening now in fact.Nothing much happening here except trying to stay dry. Weather outside is getting considerably ugly and is bound to get worse. It looks like it's going to continue for a couple of days.I wouldn't be at all surprised if the power goes out before it's said and done. Until then I'll pass the time watching some movies. Yesterday I dropped Cinemax and picked up Blockbuster@home. It's cheaper ($10 vs $14) and has more movie channels than Cinemax. So that gives me HBO, EPIX and Blockbuster@home. If I can't find something to watch in all of that something's seriously wrong or I'm being way too picky. If the satellite dish gets blacked out (likely to happen) I have a bunch of movies and such stored on the DVR. And I can keep myself busy servicing locos or working on some freight cars. In the event of a power failure I'll have some light from the emergency lights and the two LED headlights I have and I can do a bit of reading to keep my mind occupied.
Zoe, I'll have a bowl of Oatmeal Crunch Cereal and alots od Seneca Lake Blend Dark Roast Coffee please.
Sun is trying to shine outside at the moment. Currently 79°F on its way up to the low m80's later this afternoon. There may be a few thunderboomers this afternoon and this evening.
My big toe is feeling better this morning. Still swollen but not aching like it did yesterday. I hope to be able to get some of the plants I bought and the ones my sister gave me planted today... Time will tell.
Morning all, nothing for me I amnot hungry. Today consists of making my parts list for my Wheeling project, waiting for my model railroader mag to come in. and waiting on a call saying that the Erie heritage unit is heading my way. Hopefully it comes before it is supposed to rain. If it rains today, I may get around to doing puffball trees for the club layout instead. I hope everyone is well here.
MisterBeasley I did get the bathroom faucets replaced. That was quite the chore. They were really corroded, and there was no way they were coming off the way they went on. Fortunately, my hacksaw made short work of them. I had the new ones all installed and they worked fine, but when I replaced the aerator, the final step, all of a sudden they leaked all over the place. I guess it was easy to get the aerator on wrong, and I suspect the gasket got twisted and blocked the opening. Once I got it right, it was fine. ... Hopefully, we won't get another brutally hot summer that keeps me inside. I don't deal well with heat.
I did get the bathroom faucets replaced. That was quite the chore. They were really corroded, and there was no way they were coming off the way they went on. Fortunately, my hacksaw made short work of them. I had the new ones all installed and they worked fine, but when I replaced the aerator, the final step, all of a sudden they leaked all over the place. I guess it was easy to get the aerator on wrong, and I suspect the gasket got twisted and blocked the opening. Once I got it right, it was fine.
... Hopefully, we won't get another brutally hot summer that keeps me inside. I don't deal well with heat.
Hence, the reason I have NOT replaced the kitchen pesky faucet! And it is all metal, has to be to run the dishwasher off it.
... I don't deal well with heat either, it affectrs my asthma, and so A/C is a NEED for me rather than a want.
Of course, COLD is just as bad, especially cold damp wet-air days!
Well, I don't know what trouble I will get into today?
It is garbage day so I SHOULD get out to the shed to clean it out some most of my old stuff can go CURBSIDE! I don't even know what is out there, really! Maybe later after a nap..i have now been up and going at shredding/clenaing up paper documentations not needed any more for teh recycle. I have been up since 3:30, so now is 5 hours after, so a nap is in order! especially since I haven't been sleeping well!
Good morning! It looks like another one of those "unsettled" days. But, it's a work day and a hockey night, so I won't be outside much. It's been almost 3 weeks since I put down grass seed, and I'm starting to see positive results. I know the rain and cool temperatures have been good for it.
I got in a bicycle ride Sunday. I'm trying to do more of that. My long, slow path to losing weight stalls out every summer, and I suspect that it's the lack of exercise. Hopefully, we won't get another brutally hot summer that keeps me inside. I don't deal well with heat.
A genious who once did aspire To invent an aereal flyer When asked does it go, He replied "I ddon't know" "I'm waiting for some dumb fool to try her".
To invent an aereal flyer
When asked does it go,
He replied "I ddon't know"
"I'm waiting for some dumb fool to try her".
I cannot stress often enough that what science is all about is not proving things to be true but proving them to be false. -Lawrence M. Krauss, theoretical physicist (b. 1954)
Evenin' folks!
Janie, just a decaf please...
Spent much of the afternoon and evening at my son's house. We had a picnic supper. Nice to sit outside and enjoy the mild temperature and some sun. Got home to find the lady next door had planted some hostas and other plants on their side of the fence, but had also planted some small plant right at the end of the fence where I have a large flowering plant with bell like flowers ready to be planted..... I'll have a chat with her tomorrow night and we will see what ends up being planted there. Technically the fence is over a foot onto my property, but I like to keep the neighbors happy.
Today and tonight, my foot is throbbing!!! Toe is swollen and very sore. I am forcing water which is one of the few things to stop and help Gout they say. I have a lot of outside stuff to do and I really have to be careful with the foot until the swelling goes down. Not much fun to be working in the garden with it.
Time to call it a night I think. Prayers to all of you for a safe and healing night!
Good evening. It's a pleasant 78° outside but it's clouding up. We have a small chance of rain tonight and it's looking like we may get soaked tomorrow.The Home Health nurse didn't show up til almost noon. She was one of the better ones and did a very good on the wound vac dressing. I only had to seal off one leak and that one wasn't her fault. It was mine.Been watching some old James Bond movies today. Never say never again, Moonraker, Live and let die, From Russia with love. I like the old ones better than the newer ones. Gonna watch some original Star Trek tonight.My friend came by and picked up the Apple IIc. I tested the unit for him so he could see it's working like it's supposed to then copied some diagnostic software and a DOS pack to run on it. I told him any time he wants to get rid of it he knows where I am. That's not likely to happen. It has a lot of sentimental value to him.