What The..?

Goodness Gracious, People! Is this the kind of dough you folks shell out every month for high speed internet access?!?!?!?

This is the pricing structure for hughesnet. Probably because you'd have to be Howard Hughes to afford it!

Three Hundred bucks (after a $100 mail-in rebate) for equipment and standard installation with "only" $60 a month thereafter?

Again I say, "No dig!"

Should I Join The Dark Side?

I've kvetched about my s-l-o-w dial up internet connection in many previous posts.

And in private e mails.

And at the water cooler.

And to random strangers at the mall who do not speak English.

The question is, if (if, mind you!) I decided to get some sort of high speed internet service what are my options?

It seems like I have to have some sort of "total service package" wherein I simply add the high speed option to my my $125 monthly digital cable-long distance-security system-satellite radio-50 rock a day crack bill.

No dig!

"Oh, there's some telephone company in another state that has been court-ordered to supply high speed internet access for $4.95 a month," you might say.

"Well, I don't live in that state!" I might answer.

I just can't fathom it.

"Why don't you just use your iPhone?" you might reasonably inquire.

"Don't make me have to kill you," would come my most rational response.

It seems like there should be some sort of gimmick-free, high speed service available for less than $20 a month.

Listen up, Obama!

Listen up, Johnny M!

Give me free high speed and you have my vote.

(Well, that and the war thing. And the health care thing. And the gas thing. And...)

Top Secret

During my recent vacation I did something with some unspecified people.

I may or may not have had fun.

With any luck I may or may not be able to do it again on my next visit to wherever it was I went.

I can say no more...

Vacation OVER!!!

Oh, how wonderful it was to come back to work Tuesday.



That's all I'm sayin'...

Vacation: Mission Accomplished

Last week's vacation was fun, productive and exhausting. Here are some bullet points...

• We picked up the KIA Sedona van my Dad gave us. (The check engine light came on as we crossed the NY/PA border on the way home. It was one of those "gas cap not closed properly" errors!) That was the only glitch. Everything has been working fine, otherwise. THANKS, DAD!
• I went to an Artie Shaw tribute concert with my Dad and sister Kim at Artpark in Lewiston, NY. Great show & good company; who could ask for more?
• We had four chicken barbecues during the five days we were in Buffalo: Tuesday = At my sister, Amy's house, Wednesday = My Brother-In-Law's house, Thursday = My friend, Bill's house (these were grilled chicken-kabobs) and Friday = My Father-In-Law's neighbor's house. There were so much left-over from this last one that we ate chicken for two more days on the road and after we got home. Cluck, Cluck, Cluck!
• I did an unspecified activity with people I am not at liberty to mention. It's been years since we've done this sort of thing and it was fun! (I can say no more.)
• We were a party of 13 various Uncles, Aunts, Grand Parents and cousins on Wednesday when we went to the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, NY. This is a whole museum dedicated to the concept of play. There were plenty of stimulating, interactive exhibits for the kiddies. Mariel especially liked the "Clifford the big red dog" room.

Rest and Relaxation were not on the agenda, though. I suppose you could consider "exhaustion" as being a variant of "relaxation" but it is a stretch...