Observations

[larryJ]

I have been really irritable lately.  Things that don't normally upset me seem to be getting to me.  What's irritating?

Last year the local cable company negotiated a contract with the LA Dodgers for exclusive broadcasting rights.  So if you wanted to watch the game you had to subscribe to the cable company.  There were/are occasions when the game is shown on ESPN or the MLB Network. 

That said.......I like baseball and I can sit and watch it all day no matter who is playing.  I have always been a Dodger fan and my son is even more so.  (reference to an earlier post where I mentioned that he tossed bags of peanuts to the crowd while walking down the aisle at his wedding.)  I was not happy with the deal that the cable company made with the Dodgers but the Dodgers have the right to sell the broadcasting to anyone they choose.  Back in May it was announced that a local channel would carry the games courtesy of the cable company.  Great!  But wait..........This was an effort by the cable company to entice you to subscribe so that you could see all the games.  During this "promotional" period there was a great deal of advertising for the cable company by the cable company.  This lasted just during the month of May. Then no more games.  Now in September it has been announced that all the Dodger games played on the remaining Tuesdays will be broadcast on the local channel.  Great!  But wait......What is the deal here?  There is no baseball after the playoffs so why is the cable company doing us this favor?  I haven't got that far yet.  But I will tell you that I watched the game last night on the local channel courtesy of the cable company who..........(I'm chuckling here) managed to screw up it's broadcast and had to rely on the opposing teams broadcast while they fixed their broadcast problems. 

Which brings me around to the other thing that irritates me.  I don't do much other than watch TV or work on the computer.  Over the years we have had different providers for TV from cable to satellite to cable to satellite, etc.  Currently we have Direct TV.  Great stuff!   Hundreds of channels..........most of them infomercials.  My wife likes to record things in her room in case she wants to watch something while something else she likes is on.  This is fine except with Direct TV, at least with my current service, if she is recording two shows at the same time I can't watch what I want to watch in the living room.  This is usually acceptable because I can binge on Netflix, etc.  Except during baseball season. Or I can choose which one I think I can stop recording without causing a war.  I have managed to get away with this in this manner.  When she complains to me that a show she was recording didn't finish recording I point out to her that she is recording so many shows that the receiver doesn't know which one to record so it just skips around.  Works for me.  I don't feel bad about cancelling her recordings because she doesn't go back and watch what she had recorded very often. 

Whew!  I feel better now.   

Larryj

[readyaimduck]

Put one cup of today's coffee in a mug...write down the size of cup and how many ounces.
Then place into a microwave with the handle facing you.
Punch or hit 1 minute and watch how many times it circles untill the bing.bing.bing/beeeeeep goes off and notice where the handle is pointing.

Drink coffee and do the same for various sizes of cups.

(If you have an 'elder' microwave that doesn't spin, then disregard the above)
(I have yet to find the ratio of ounces/sizes of cup and assorted variables that would reproduce the full 360 turnaround of a perfectly hot cup of coffee in 1 minute.

Please advise the secret!
Otherwise, who cares about TV...get a life!   lol
See above!

ready....for bed, not coffee...it's late and I am old.

[larryJ]

Sorry, I am not "ready" to sit and measure cups.  That would be minutes I would never get back.

On to more exciting news..........I am becoming very well acquainted with my plumber.  When I have a plumbing problem I call the plumbing company and they act like a contractor and send out any plumber who is available for your area.  Thursday the garbage disposer froze up.  Back in the day I could probably either fix it or put in a new one.  Can't do that anymore so I called for a plumber. 

Now....dealing with them in the past has been really expensive and my wife and I had decided since the last incident we might get a second opinion on any problems we had with plumbing.  So yesterday I called and the guy came out within a few hours.  His name is Christian.  He told me that to free it up would cost a mere $29.95.  Great...........except he couldn't free it up..........figures.

Moving on with this, he said he could put in a new one for $575 after talking with his boss.  Earlier my wife and I had decided that $300 was our limit and any quote over that was not acceptable.  So we told him that being seniors and on a limited income we just couldn't afford that much.  So he called his boss and said he could do the job for $375.  My wife got him down to $350 and he will return today to put in a new one.

Which begs the question.................................

This company will see a profit of some kind from this job at $350.  Original quote was $575.  I think this company charges large fees for the work they do padding the profit margin.  They were willing to come down on the quote $200 without any argument right away and there didn't seem to be much argument with my wife bargained them down to $350. 

Time to think about a different plumber.  I will only call these guys if something they did in the past fails and is under warranty.

Larryj

[larryJ]

Well, that's it.  It's over.  The relationship has ended.  We just don't see eye to eye anymore. 

No I am not talking about my marriage.

I am talking about my plumber.  He initially came here Friday afternoon as mentioned.  He said he would return on Saturday at 11.  He didn't show.  A call to the dispatcher revealed that he couldn't get a new one from the warehouse that day and he would come on Sunday at noon.  He didn't show.  A call to the dispatcher revealed that the warehouse is closed on Sundays therefore he couldn't get a new one that day either and could he come on Monday at 11........Okay.  He didn't show.  A call to the dispatcher who told me that he was sorry and would come on Tuesday at noon as he was under someone's house fixing a pipe and it would take a while.  He didn't show.  A call to the dispatcher revealed that he would get to me as soon as possible most likely Wednesday..........say 11 ish. 

I hate breaking up with someone but this lack of attention had gotten to me and so I told the dispatcher to cancel the service call and that they had lost a loyal customer.  In the meantime my wife called my son-in-law who said he would stop by the local Home Depot (a half mile from my house) and pick up a new one and when he came to pick up the girls on Wednesday he would put it in.  I have never really asked him to do much for me relying on my handyman for things that need attention.  I am not confident enough in the handyman to do this job as he isn't quite that proficient.  My son-in-law assured me that he has put in garbage disposers before.  He seemed confident enough.  We will see.  The price we had agreed on with the plumber was $350.  The garbage disposer cost is about $100 plus or minus.  So I will give the balance to my son-in-law, probably around $200 or so, for doing this for me.  So that is it for the plumber.  I can no longer stay in this relationship.

In the meantime, yesterday being Tuesday, the Dodger game was on TV courtesy of the cable company.  They were playing in San Francisco.  I texted my son to remind him that the game was starting on Ch. 5.  He texted back with a picture of the ball field and the caption, "I am watching it live." 

WHAT??

Me:  "You're there?"  Son. Another picture of he and his wife sitting in the stands.  He had to go for business reasons and hooked up with a buddy of his who is a Dodgers fan and they managed to get tickets to the game sitting six rows behind the Dodger dugout.  So now every time a left-handed batter comes up we look to see if we can see him.  Before the pitch is delivered the camera angle shows the front of the left-hander getting ready to bat and you can see the fans in the background behind the Dodger dugout.  It took until the ninth inning before we finally saw him which prompted a phone call from my wife to him about what color shirt he was wearing so he would know we saw him.  Exciting!  After the game we are getting ready to go to bed and the question comes up.................How come we didn't know our son was in San Francisco?

Now for my second cup of coffee.

Larryj

[larryJ]

The plumbing saga comes to a conclusion......

My son-in-law did stop and get a new one and when he came to pick up the girls yesterday he installed it bringing his own tools.  (keep this "tool" part in mind.)

Garbage Disposals, for those who don't know, are manufactured with a pipe like appendage on the side to accommodate those with dishwashers.  A hose from the dishwasher attaches to the disposal.  Now, when they make these things they put a plug inside that pipe.  This is so if there is no dishwasher water won't leak out the pipe.  From long experience with disposals I know that before installing it you have to knock out that plug with a hammer and a screwdriver.  I wasn't sure he would know that and I wanted to make sure he did.  The dilemma.......how do I tell him without making him look stupid?  So I related a true story of a time when a friend had one installed by someone who didn't remove the plug and every time he ran the dishwasher water would go all over the place.  As it turned out the plug was removed and no more problem.  My son-in-law thought that was a funny story, but in my mind I knew I had reminded him to remove that plug in a nice and genteel way without making him look stupid.  He had his oldest daughter come in the kitchen to help him and a few minutes later she came and asked for a hammer..............
(see above about he brought his own tools except a hammer.)

So I guess he didn't know about the plug.

More about him.......he is a deputy officer at the local court meaning he enforces the law in the building.  He is armed while there.  He normally works at the entrance screening those who enter the building.  Now for those who aren't familiar with our courts, all entrances are guarded by officers and a scanning machine similar to airport scanners.  When he came in yesterday to fix my problem he related this story.  Apparently, a middle aged man came in and put his pocket contents in a tray and put his briefcase in the scanner.  Chris (son-in-law) scanned him with a wand.  Meanwhile one of the other officers was watching the screen on the scanner and thought he saw a gun in the briefcase and so put the briefcase back on the belt and ran it through again.  There it was plain as day a gun in the briefcase.  The law is that you can't have a gun in the courthouse unless you are a law officer.  This guy wasn't.  Actually turned out to be a Doctor who was there to testify in a case as an expert witness.  Chris calmly handcuffed the guy and pulled him over to the side while the other officer calmly called in the supervisor and more officers.  Chris said he got a pat on the back for handling the situation in a professional manner.

What's on tap for today?  My wife has a cleaning lady who comes on Thursdays when necessary.  Last week she came while my wife was getting her hair done.  My wife's cousin was talking to her.  I couldn't hear the conversation or just wasn't listening.  After about an hour the cleaning lady left without cleaning and the cousin came in the room and said she sent her home because she was on the verge of having a nervous breakdown with her domestic situation.  I guess while they were talking she was very fidgety and crying so Pat sent her home.  So we will see what happens today. 

Life is so exciting when you have these little things to look forward to. 

Okay I can get my second cup now.

Larryj

[larryJ]

Getting ready for my second cup of coffee........

Well, the cleaning lady didn't show Thursday.  I don't know if she said she couldn't come or if my wife told her not to.  I am usually the last to know what is going on around here. 

The garbage disposal works great.......well, at least there hasn't been any water on the kitchen floor.

Now for the sad news......my daughter, who is now 43, moved out when she was 23.  She got an apartment with her best friend and she adopted a cat.  She was a big country/western music fan in those days and a big fan of Tim McGraw so she named the cat McGraw.   In the last few weeks the now 20 year old cat has grown feeble physically.  His mind is still there but he walks a few steps and then stops to rest.  If he is laying in front of you he won't move out of the way anymore.  It was time for him to rest.  Yesterday my daughter took the day off and took McGraw to the vet and they put him to sleep.  She came over to our house afterwards and we sat and talked for well over three hours.  This is actually kind of unusual.  We are very close to her but we don't just sit and talk for long periods of time except at family gatherings.  She didn't seem to be too upset about McGraw until my wife said something that made her think of him and then she cried.  It was like she was holding it in as well as she could but being in the presence of a family who loves her unconditionally she was able to express her emotions.  Tough day for her.

Now for my second cup........

Larryj

[larryJ]

This is a warning to any relatives of mine.  We have a cousin in San Antonio, Texas, and was on the fringe of Hurricane Harvey.  He is okay.  We have a cousin who lives in Lakeland, Florida, which was in the direct path of Hurricane Irma.  He is okay.  We have a cousin who lives in Santa Rosa, California, where wild fires are burning in town.  The last I heard she is okay.  I live in Southern California where there is a wild fire burning some 40 miles away from me.  Who's next?

In reference to the above post on baseball.........fortunately the post season games are on channels I can watch and the Dodgers are doing well.  A drawback here though..........

When our kids were growing up they played little league baseball and softball.  We were as a family big baseball fans.  This included my wife. The kids grew up and moved out and started their own families.  My wife lost interest in baseball over time.  The drawback........

Recently she had been coming into the living room and watching baseball with me.  This is great!  Where is the drawback, you ask? 

She has forgotten the game.  I have to explain almost every play to her.  I have to explain what those numbers on the graph in the corner of the screen mean.  Two innings later I have to explain it all over again.  Fortunately she loses interest and falls asleep on the couch or goes back to her room to watch something else.  But then there are times when she stays for the whole game and sometimes quietly.

Okay second cup here I come.

Larryj

[larryJ]

Speaking of TV.......We have/had a 48" flat screen mounted on the wall above the fireplace for many years.  Sometime back it began acting up.  By this I mean when you turned it on one half of the screen didn't come on fully.  This lasted about an hour and then it would clear up and everything was good.  Sometimes a light tap on the right corner of the TV would clear it up.  Then tapping didn't work.  So I got in the habit of turning it on when I got up and by the time I was done playing on the computer the TV was ready to watch.  As long as the TV stayed on there was no problem.....until last week. 

Just before a Dodger playoff game it decided to not show one half of the screen.  We have another smaller flat screen in the family room and I moved out there to watch the game for a few innings at which time my wife told me the other one started working. 

Yesterday the TV didn't want to clear up one half the screen all morning.  I called a repair guy to come and take a look at it.  He said he would be here in a couple of hours.  Thirty minutes later he was here.  He was a small Vietnamese man, very polite and seemed to know his stuff.  After looking at the TV he announced it could not be fixed.  He said he could get me one the same size for $275.  Being married as long as I have been I know making such a decision without including my wife would be wrong so I went down the hall and told her what was going on.  She declared that she wanted a bigger one than the one that was there.  She came out and he said he could get a 65" TV for $500.  She said fine and off he went.  Then he called and asked if there was anyone who could help him install it.  I couldn't nor could my wife or her cousin.  Then he called back later and said that his wife would him. 

What is all the fuss about?  The TV is mounted on the wall so two people are needed to mount it.  He comes back just before the World Series is about to start with his wife who is smaller than he is.  They proceed to take down the old TV and put up the new one.  I was a little leery that the wall mount could hold such a large TV but his wife assured me that the bigger one was actually lighter that the older little one.  It didn't take them long.  I paid him and they took the old TV and left before the third inning of the game.

Now........I don't know and don't really care if this TV is brand new or something he repaired.  The price was cheap and his work is guaranteed although I don't have anything to guarantee the TV itself.  It is a beautiful TV and has all the Smart TV bells and whistles.  Sitting about 15 feet across from it I feel like I am in a movie theater.  It will be fantastic to watch the rest of the World Series on it. 

Now I going for my second cup and turn on the TV!

Larryj

[W. Gray]

Our very first TV was a seven-inch Firestone table model, sometime in 1950. This set was second hand and caused many problems, but we loved it. We thought we were in hog heaven. It sat on a table in our living room and we squeezed together happily watching.

The seven-inch screen was surrounded by a real wood enclosure several times larger than the screen. The wood enclosure was probably 24 inches deep. The set was so heavy I could not lift it.

The station came on at 6:00 pm each night beginning with an old-time silent movie. A host announcer narrated and a real piano player provided background music. There were then 30 minutes of national news, local news, sports, and weather. At 7:00 pm, the network programs started and lasted until 10:30 pm. All these programs were broadcast live and we were about as far west as the New York networks could reach at the time. It would be another year until the networks could reach the west coast. At 10:30, the local station signed off playing the national anthem.

When an airplane flew overhead, the picture bounced around becoming violently wavy until the plane left the area. It had many vacuum tubes and we were constantly replacing those that went out. The set would produce a buzzing sound and when the buzzing became too loud we would hit the top of the wood enclosure hard with the flat of a hand and it would stop—at least for a while. We had to take in for repair and when it came back the buzzing had stopped, but it seemed to be a lemon of a TV.

Sometime in 1951, I came home from school and the old TV was gone. In its place was an Admiral 19-inch TV, another used set. Again, we thought we were in hog heaven. That TV lasted for many years even though overhead airplanes still caused a huge problem.

[larryJ]

Our first one was a 11 inch black and white GE in a metal case.  I was probably about nine or ten years old. We were one of the last to get a TV in the neighborhood.  We didn't have a lot of money in those days.  I remember one of my neighbors bragging about having a color TV so I went to see it.  I wasn't impressed with the "color TV" as it was the same old TV but with a plastic type screen fitted over the TV that had color bars on it.  Living in SE New Mexico at the time there were two stations, one in Roswell and one in Carlsbad.  I think ours came on around 4 PM showing cartoons and then the news and then the primetime shows and signing off around 11 PM.  Signing off was the playing of the National Anthem with the flag on the screen and then the old test pattern.  I don't recall many shows that were on in those days except maybe the Dinah Shore Show (See the USA in your Chevrolet) and maybe the Jackie Gleason show (to the moon Alice.)    How can anyone remember that stuff after 60 plus years?

Reminds me of the old joke....I can't remember what I had for lunch yesterday but I can tell you what happened sixty years ago today.

Larryj