Not Long Ago I Had To Kill Zombies On a 32", Non-HD Television

A couple of years ago I began floating the idea to my lovely wife of ditching the dish and getting in with the hip crowd, who use these fancy new gadgets called computers for their entertainment needs. I wanted to get rid of the dish, get cable internet service (which is the best I've been able to find in the area), and rely on Netflix, Hulu and network websites that allow you to watch their shows online.

Donna was hesitant at first, not because she didn't believe computers existed, but because she worried that she wouldn't be able to see all her shows. Pish posh, I explained.

One thing we could agree on however, was that our internet sucked. Our provider, Eye Thirty Minus One* was slow and unreliable. So we made the decision to get rid of our dish and sign up with Cable One, the only cable provider Fargo will ever need, which is a good thing because they are a monopoly. Their televison sucks, with a DVR user interface that hasn't been upgraded since, I don't know, 1954?

It can't do basic things like group multiple episodes of the same show together in a folder, or remember which user's guide was last accessed (meaning you have to repeatedly push the Guide button to get back to your menu every time you access it). There's no preloaded guide that is smart enough to know which channels you subscribe to. It's all very 51/4" floppy. That said, I'd rather have great internet and so-so TV than the other way around.

Especially when, as Christmas 2011 approached, we made the decision to join the 21st century and get a flat screen TV for the living room. A nice 46" Samsung LED SmartTV looks really great. You haven't fought to survive
the zombie apocalypse until you've done it on a giant HDTV.

I then I did some research and found a compact little PC that was all wired and ready to be an entertainment hub. Waiting until after Christmas was a smart idea, as I got it for less than $400 and it included free 2-day shipping.

So we now have a state-of-the-art television with a PC attached for watching movies and TV shows we can't get on cable, an XBox 360 for killing zombies in HD, and a Wii for, well, we have a Wii. We may never have to leave the house again.


*Names have been transparently changed to protect the crappy.

Breaking the Fourth Wall

So our first round of trying to sell the house didn't go so well. It was on the market for six months. It got looked at three times and there were no offers. Our first realtor had us put it on the market without addressing the leaky basement. We weren't being underhanded; we didn't throw carpet down there and try to make it look liveable and thus foist the problem off on the next owners. We were just up front about it being leaky and explained that this is why the house was inexpensive. No go.

Yeah, just as I thought. bowler hats, a
garter belt, some jacks... and a little mold

So now we are on to our second realtor, who advised us that, no, we really need to do something about the basement. So last night we had a contractor come out and appraise the situation. Basically, he told us that the drywall needs to be cut out along the west side of the house so that he can try and find what he believes is a crack in the wall. The outside seemed to be in good shape, so he believes we won't have to go the (more expensive) route of digging up the outside of the house. Whew.

Anyway, Donna and I are a bit apprehensive about what we're going to find on the other side. Hopefully it will be benign, like Al Capone's vault or Sarah Palin's emails. Otherwise, this could get very expensive. We'll find out tonight when the contractor comes back. With tools.

Bathroom Facelift

The previous owner of our house installed a jacuzzi tub in the upstairs bathroom. Unfortunately, the tub is a drop in, which didn't play nice in with the shower to which it was mated. Because it sat directly upon the floor, it tended to shift and rock while showering. This made it impossible to keep properly sealed. So, time for a new tub. We took the opportunity to repaint and redecorate a bit:

Before.

The old tub.

The old tub. Again.



New tub is in, waiting for the drywall guy.

Ooooh. Just like the bathroom at Windsor Palace where the Queen craps!