Solitary

A very quiet evening -- the daughteroid and mother are off to a color guard event; they won't be home until about 11 or 11:30. I've been downstairs. Part of the time, I took a bath in that soaking bathtub, and part of it, I watched television and thought about HD big screen entertainment.

The tub: I don't think it was a good idea to get it. I'd wanted to go with a walk-in sit-down shower stall, but my mother really wanted the tub, so that's what we did. Now, having used it, I think: not as good as it could be. Part of it is that filling the tub essentially drains our hot water tank; at the end, there, when I'd have liked more hot water, it was running lukewarm, at best. It came up to about my navel, so it's not as if you're submerged, as in a full-length stretchout tub. Takes about 10 minutes to fill; about five minutes to drain. I brought a book, but once your hands are wet -- well. So, if there's no alternative, it'd work. But if I were to do it again -- walk-in shower.

The TV: I am not used to spending a lot of money all at once, and I'm not used to discarding something that works. We're spending a chunk of money for the Tivo (we're buying the DVR with their Lifetime deal) and for the replacement TV. We don't need Tivo, and the current TV works just fine. Okay, the color is sometimes a little off, but it works. Now we're getting the Tivo unit, and the HD service with about 5 times as many channels as we have now, and, almost certainly, the TV itself, bigger than what we have by about 150 percent. I know we'll like it. I just don't like spending the money. Here's the wierd part: except for the cost of the television, this is going to actually be cheaper than we have now.

comcast tv, internet.........106................verizon tv, internet.....133
verizon local phone............45...............verizon local phone......50
att long distance.................20...............verizon long distance.....0
..............................................................FIOS discount.............-53
...............................................................subtotal.......................130
...................................................... Tivo svc+dvr/36 months.....20
total/month.......................171...................................................150

Twenty bucks a month less for a much better deal, and still, I'm apprehensive. Will it work, right out of the box -- Tivo this week with Comcast and the current TV and current router, probably; Verizon and the new TV, new router, and Tivo next week -- ah, not sure. Man. And to think I used to gleefully participate in major system upgrades without a qualm......course, then, it wasn't my money. Which is what it comes down to, for me. Are we spending our money wisely? Part of me says yes, you'll like it, it's worth it. Part of me says there's no such thing as it's time, you've earned it, or any of that, and wants to yell STOP!

Funny what you think about when you're all alone.