Tuesday, August 17, 2004

I Might Decide to get Pissed Off at You Too, Just For the Hell of It You know what set me off last week. Today, its the cable company--though for less earth-shaking reasons than hate-mongering racist speech. When I was growing up, the Olympics were always a huge even. My dad, mom and I watched nearly every hour that was broadcast. We watched the games with the same intensity that we went to church. The games are still huge for me--even moreso this year since they are in Athens. I was overjoyed that NBC was going to devote more hours than ever to showing events--including ones like fencing, archery and rowing that I have never seen outside of a highlights reel. I have a TiVo, so I expected to be plowing through hours of Judo, Female Weightlifting and skeet shooting. I just figured out today that my cable company decided not to carry the Olympic coverage on Bravo or CNBC. No live fencing, or soccer or even boxing. No shot put in the ancient site of Olympia, or archery in the Panathanaic Stadium in Athens. I get to pay $60 a month to not watch TV. They just decided that they could do that. I pay $60 bucks a month, and htye just don't carry the Olympics! Why, in a digital world of options and competition, would a cable company just go way out of its way to piss of customers--and customers who are desirable demographically to boot? Why would they suddenly think that they can decide what I get to watch? Do they want me to go and buy a Dish? 'Cause that's what's going to happen first thing after work tomorrow. The same company owns the paper and my internet provider too. So at least I have the satisfaction of leaving them three times--It I can't trust them to deliver Bravo on basic cable, I sure as hell don't trust them with my news or internet service. There is bad customer service, and the there is shoot-yourself-in-the-head bad customer customer service. 8:22:09 PM    comment []trackback []

Now That's a Sign I don't normally think that God talks to me "through my computer or the television, but I would hate to fully rule it out. Yesterday, I caught the first few minutes the Canadian news program __The National__, where the reporter in Athens told the anchor in Canada that, given the lack of the expected crowds, he could easily fly to Greece, find a hotel room and buy tickets for events. I casually dropped this anecdote at the dinner table. "If you can find plane tickets for less than $800, you can go." __Yes!__ Cheapest ticket from Detroit to Athens? __$2100__. Hard to imagine why there are all of those empty seats when apparently every single breathing human being in SW Michigan has decided to fly to Greece. __Damn!__ On the other hand, I'm still able to go the Athens in the Spring to check out the changes in the city without the heat and the security. And there is always Turino in 2006. 6:51:23 AM    comment []trackback []