starshadow_rivaulx | Recap - August 1, 2007 (additional details)

Reviewing the post I made on August 1, I think the bullet points cover the salient events of the day. I did promise details about certain things...

Between finishing lunch at Italianni's and getting the tire changed at Rapide, I dragged Ramon into the SM Appliance Center. You see, I had been growing quite dissatisfied with my video setup in the office space. I have a 21-inch color TV that fried itself for no reason that I could figure out - and apparently the service center couldn't figure it out either. They did replace certain pieces that were covered under warranty, and then charged me a minimal processing fee. Unfortunately, once I got the unit back to the house, it refused to work with my cable connection. ::growls:: So I had to dig up my old VHS machine, connect the cable TV to that, and run output cables from the VHS to the TV so that I could use the VHS as the TV tuner. ::rolls eyes:: Confusing, much?

Well, I finally decided I'd had enough when I saw the Coby portable DVD player/TV tuner on display, and realized that it was cable ready! OK, so some folks will think me crazy for moving down from a 21-inch screen to a 7-inch screen, but really, the unit really works for me. It sits comfortably on a corner of my desk where I can see it at a proper angle instead of craning my neck to look up at it. The thing plays discs (though not those with AVI files - maybe a future model?) and cable TV, what's not to love?

As a result, there will be a mass evacuation of unwanted electronic equipment from the house: the oldest of the DVD players, the VHS player (glory hallelujah), the clunker TV, the VHS tape rewinder, and the industrial-size electric fan that's broken down as many times as I've fixed it - and I decided to stop throwing good money after bad. Add to this the related instruction manuals, cables, and peripherals that will go with the equipment; plus the old books; PLUS old clothes...there will be such a sigh of relief coming from our rooms, that I'm sure the fabric of the universe will ripple, even a tiny bit.

Till then, though, I'll have to live with an inordinate amount of mess in the room for a day or two. But it's a small price to pay, considering what I'll get in return.