Archive for September, 2009

Dexter – Just In Time

Sep 28 2009

Just about a year ago I posted about my Sopranos addiction replacement – Dexter. When Dexter Season 3 ended I terminated my subscription to The Movie Network. Without Dexter, the movie reruns were like chicken soup without the noodles.

dexter_season4_promoLast week I saw an ad that the noodle was coming back and the season 4 premiere was going to air at 11:00 pm Atlantic last night, Sunday September 27. I planned to call my satellite TV provider on Friday to add TMN back so I wouldn’t miss a minute of the show. Well, Friday was busy and I didn’t get to it. No problem, though, my satellite provider has a self-service page on their website that allows subscribers to upgrade their service with the click of a mouse. So, on Saturday I fired up the laptop and went online. Click click click. Double check…. my new channels weren’t showing up on my profile. Hmmm… well, the site does say that it may take anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours for the changes to register.

We were invited out to dinner so I figured I’d check when we got back.

We returned about 4 hours later and I ran to the TV. Nope… the channels weren’t there. No, problem. I’ll just phone the provider and update the service there. Ring ring ring. Shit… an automated attendant telling me that their hours are Monday to Friday 8 am to 10 pm, Saturday 8 am to 6 pm, and closed on Sunday. Current time: Saturday 10 pm. Damn, damn, damn. Wait… the nice automated attendant also says that I can use the phone for self service. Super! Press 1 for English, press 2 for technical support, listen to all the options, synchronize the programming. Presto! Done. All I have to do is wait 15 minutes to 2 hours for the changes to register.

Sunday morning. Run to the TV. Damn! No channel updates. Oh well. I’ll have to call on Monday and have the updates done then. I’ll miss the premiere, but maybe I’ll catch an encore presentation (that’s fancy talk for rerun) later in the week. Fast forward to Sunday evening 10:45 pm. If I had the channels, in 15 minutes I’d be watching my favourite show. Wait! WAIT! I have an idea! Maybe there’s an option on my satellite receiver to update channels. Click click click. This time on my remote control, not my mouse. Choose TMN. You currently do not subscribe to TMN. To add the channels select OK now. Woo HOO! I got it. All I have to do is select OK. Click click click. Thank you for choosing TMN. Your subscription update will take up to 24 hours to complete. What?!? Freakin’ WHAT?!? 10:54 pm. T minus 6 minutes to Dexter. And I missed it.

Dejected, I checked the channels anyway. It was there. It was really there! Dexter, dude, here we go. It’s gonna be a cool, blood-soaked winter.

Incidentally, the show was pretty good. However, it felt a little contrived. The time had shifted ahead several months and the plot of the premiere seemed focused on setting up all the new relationships and premises that will set up the rest of the season. Dexter has been married for several months, he has a new baby that won’t let him sleep, there are office romances going on that weren’t there before, there’s a new serial killer in town, and some old characters have resurfaced. I know, you are saying that’s what it is supposed to do, but it seemed a little forced. Hopefully next week gets us back into the Dexter groove.

 
2 Comments

Posted by Steve at 5:48 pm, Sep 28, 2009

 

Splish Splash I Was Taking A Bath

Sep 26 2009

Some of my posts recently have been sad story tear jerkers about how upsetting and sad it was to see our son off to school. But it wasn’t all doom and gloom. There was lots of fun and other normal vacation type of stuff too.

Check out the pictures of our recent family vacation in Newfoundland. In there are a bunch of pictures including the highlights from the Labour Day Christmas celebration in Witless Bay. I wrote about this before, but it is essentially a weekend of fun and games for kids and adults alike. In particular, members of the family who have not participated in the celebrations before are subject to a battery of initiation abuses, all of which involve ensuring the target stays wet for as long as possible. If you think you’d enjoy watching me be the target of the Witless Bay Bucket Brigade, then click on the photos and check out the whole pile.

 
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Posted by Steve at 12:23 am, Sep 26, 2009

 

Coming Soon To Google Street View

Sep 21 2009

Yours truly. Moi. Me. That’s right, I fully expect to be on Google Map’s Streetview soon.

Street View Car Catches Me On CameraOne morning during our vacation, I decided I was going to go to the store and so I wandered out to the driveway to get into the car. While I was out there, I casually walked to the back of the vehicle to fix up the junk we had thrown into the hatch. I heard a car drive down the lane behind me, turn around and pass by. It seemed to be moving rather slowly, so I turned around to look. The vehicle had this funny looking contraption strapped to the roof. I jumped in the car and drove up behind it. Sure enough… it was a Google Street View car recording the area!

I just checked and they don’t have it uploaded yet… but I will keep on checking and let you know once it’s there.

Incidentally, I read in the paper that Moncton is set to be recorded soon. Maybe I’ll make it on there too!

 
2 Comments

Posted by Steve at 8:46 pm, Sep 21, 2009

 

Emptying The Nest

Sep 19 2009

This year we pushed our vacation out by a month so we could coincide our trip to Newfoundland with the start of classes at Memorial University. Our son, Garrett, started his first year at university. We were soooo excited that he chose to go to post-secondary school, and we are particularly pleased that he decided to go the university route. He’s determined to make something of himself and we are supporting that with our time, patience, money, blood, sweat and tears.

MUN-at-nightIt was hectic getting him ready that first week, driving him around to buy supplies, snacks, bedding etc. and trying not to forget anything. His first couple of nights in the dorm were a little rough on him. He is a fairly quiet kid, not really getting into too much rowdiness growing up. The other kids in the dorm pretty much let loose that first week… all week… all hours. Between dealing with the noise, sleepless nights, broken heat in the rooms (it was on high and wouldn’t turn down), cafeteria food and a huge lifestyle change, our son was not having a great time. It was difficult to drop him off the night before we left Newfoundland. I got a lump in my throat and my heart was pounding, but I managed not to break down and cry. Later on while driving home, I DID hear a pretty sad song that managed to make me sob my eyes out. I mean why, WHY must that continue to achy break that poor man’s heart? Really sad song, but at least I didn’t wuss out while watching my son walk into adulthood.

Later that week, our son continued to struggle with the adjustment to dorm life. His buddy from down the street who traveled to Newfoundland to attend the same university and who happened to be my son’s dorm roommate decided that he wanted to quit and return to New Brunswick. Wow! I was so afraid this might give our son fuel for giving in to his misery and asking to do the same. However, I think it made him stronger. He pushed his friend to change his mind and put forth arguments that sounded a little like, well, me. Now, while he is still not really enjoying the whole dorm life thing, he has a stronger attitude about it. He is determined to make the most of it.

Am I missing him dearly? Yes. Am I worried about him? A little. Am I proud of him? Most certainly.

Good luck, Garrett my son. Good luck.

 
2 Comments

Posted by Steve at 8:06 am, Sep 19, 2009

 

Ok… I’m Back

Sep 18 2009

potato-bagBeen on vacation in Newfoundland. Got lots of stuff to catch you up on but for now I will leave you with a little exercise routine I learned recently.

  • Stand on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side.
  • With a 5-lb potato bag in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, and then relax.
  • Each day you’ll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer. After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb potato bags..
  • Then try a 50-lb potato bag in each hand and hold your arms out straight for more than a full minute. (I’m currently at this level).
  • After you feel confident at this level, put a potato in each bag.

Thanks Donna!

 
6 Comments

Posted by Steve at 5:53 pm, Sep 18, 2009