That was a cute little snow storm we had Wednesday. It did make the ground white again and covered the less than nice changes the old snow was going through. Melting began around noon and all the new stuff will probably be gone with the warmth heading our way to melt the rest of the new. The old is still way too deep in places to leave us quickly. But leave us it will. I'd say we had less than an inch of new snow from this last storm.
One of the problems of getting to the north side of the three quarters century mark is not liking change. Time Warner Cable has taken us through one which, naturally, the company tells us we asked for to make choosing channels easier. Like I suspect most subscribers who didn't exactly picket the company for the change, I don't like it. Except for the basic service channels, all the channels in the other packages have changed.
That means changing channels is no longer an easy thing. Perhaps it will be once we're used to the new line-up, but I don't like having to look at my channel guide each time I want to change. They have sort of grouped the offerings into subject matter. The entertainment channels, for example are all located in the 100 to 150 channel range. Not all are used, though. The news and information channels are lumped together as are the sports channels. There are several other categories, too, but, as I said, not all the channels are filled.
Naturally, since I have more than the basic package, I have many of the channels but I only actually use about 50 or fewer ones about half the time and probably not more than 20 the other half. But, to get some I do like, I have to have a package that includes all of them. What I would have demanded would have been having the ability to choose and pay for just those channels I watch. Can't do that, though, so I have it seems like 50 (a huge exaggeration) shopping channels which I never look at along with dozens of music, entertainment, lifestyle, inspiration, and other channels that have never appeared on my TV.
I suspect the "demand" for change is more of a precursor to the takeover of TWC by Comcast in the near future. I will probably get used to the new lineup and be able to go directly where I wish to park quickly in the not too distant future. Meanwhile I have my little channel guide with type I almost can't read to guide me.
I been threatening to give DirecTV or Dish a closer look and I am seeing more and more of their little receivers showing up for quite some time. I think I could save some money. When we first moved into this home 20 years ago, we did have satellite TV. Only then it was what was known as C-Band, a huge dish that we had to move from satellite to satellite for reception. Hmmmm. I guess I'll look up the telephone number for the modern dish networks.
A final complaint for today is also about changing times and what's happening to me as I grow older, but, it might appear, not necessarily wiser. Perhaps it's the adjustment thing. I was taught that the news is news and not private conversations among news people. I really don't have much of a leg on which to stand with this complaint because it pertains what is probably the most popular morning news show in Maine.
I tune in the news morning primarily for the weather forecast and that's probably a good thing. Morning newscasts have very little news in them. The station I watch does have a couple of new reporters that show a lot of promise to dig out and report actual news. But the veterans on the station spend way too much time with inside jokes and laughter that is irrelevant to most of us. If the main news readers, the anchors if you will, were just half as funny as they think they are, they'd win comedy awards.
There are four of them on the morning show I watch most of the time. Three are long time veterans. They should be giving us a superior look at real news. I guess the simple fact is they can only offer what they're given to offer by editors behind the scenes and that isn't much. In all fairness, however, I should point out that when just the old timers are doing the show, there's a whole lot more news and a lot less giggling. Says something about modern change, doesn't it?
It looks like the station I watch is taking its lead from the NBC Today Show. As I mentioned during the Olympics, that crew consists of giggle masters, too.
I'll conclude where I began with the weather. Friday could be very nice and we just might get into the 40s Saturday. Now that'll surely bring the good news out of the TV stations.
Dave
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