TV BLOWS!!

I noticed last night as I cranked along on my recently-purchased treadmill that there is NOTHING decent on TV!! Holy crap it blows. Has it hit an all-time low? I don't know, but for those of us that couldn't give a rat's ass about anything "reality" or the lives of some future super-stars of pop music or the past stars rating them we're really left with nothing but the latest "Caught Composing Haiku On Tape" and "When Good Magicians Go Bad".

Dammit all! How long until baseball season?

Dilemma

As a follow-up to my earlier post the TV doc called --

Now I'm in a dilemma, a conundrum, between a rock and a hard place, a bit of a pickle, in deep water (ha ha! shut up, not funny), a predicament, a quagmire, a bind (ok, enough synonyms).

The cost to repair the TV will be a bit over $500. Plus, I'm already into the repair company for almost $100 for the pickup. Hmmmmm.....it cost about $1300 new, but now would cost about $800. I told the repairman to hold off. It will be as long at 3 weeks to get it fixed too and I'm already having withdrawals.

Is it worth it to fix it? Or spend the cash (perhaps $1200) on some new technology and get a new one? I really don't have the money at this point since the whole flood thing looks to kick my ass unless the insurance company can come through. What to do, what to do ---

Noah and the Big Screen

I imagine they loaded up in pairs. The arc necessarily less than a cubit long. (I'm not sure how long a cubit even is, but since this is my tale it was shorter than a cubit - is it about a yard?)

Anyway, all the miniature versions of earth's animals with their tiny little suitcases paired up accordingly. Little giraffes and lions and dogs and hippopotamuseseseses (that's the correct plural, right?) and bees (eeek!) and mosquitoes (we need those?) and the amoebas (how the hell do you pair those?) and the penguins (not sure how transcontinental pairings occur, but there you go) and the panda bears, etc, etc. Each no doubt packed appropriately for a 40 days plus journey. Each agreeing to not eat each other, lest we're left with two big-ass lions and nothing else. Of course, the hull of the ship is loaded with a plethora of flora and fauna for food and ...... wait! Animals for food? Crap! He must need more than just pairs then, huh? Better grab a few extra mosquitoes for the bats to eat.

In any regard, preparations were completed and the mini passengers anxiously awaited their mini journey. I'm not sure how 40 days and 40 nights of rain is possible since matter isn't created nor destroyed. Perhaps we've gained significant amounts of water from the polar ice caps. Well, who knows where it came from? I sure don't but I've suspended my disbelief.

The journey, as Noah was no doubt instructed is across my finished basement atop a rippling 8 to 10 inches of water!

I got flooded!

Oh boy did I ever!

We've had a few sleet storms. When sleet melts a bit and refreezes it is hard as, well, ice! My entire yard was a less than flat ice skating rink. That in and of itself creates very little excitement. For excitement one needs, oh......3 inches of rain in 3 hours? Sure! Apparently, all that water sat on top of the ice and flowed over my foundation. I've never a water problem before and I've been in my house for nearly 6 years.

Until Friday. Problem. Big f-ing problem!

As I walked in the front door of my front-to-back split level I could smell electricity and hear my fuse box growling downstairs. It sounded like an alarm. Looking down the open six steps that lead to my basement I couldn't believe my eyes as I was looking at deep, deep water almost to the top of the first step. Without thinking to remove my dress shoes, socks or pants I dashed in to see if it went the length of the entire house. In my heart I knew it did, I just had to see it for myself. While I wouldn't qualify it anywhere near devastating, I almost cried. I understand its just "stuff" but on first view it was quite overwhelming. I can only imagine how the Katrina victims (the ones that didn't screw the government out of millions that is) must have felt with 6, 8, 10 feet plus of water.

Witness recently cleaned laundry baskets of clothes and DVDs floating about. Some dirty clothes from the laundry room floor floating by my back door. A tissue box, twice its normal size, bobbed about in the pantry. A surge protector for the computer under water (I killed the power to it once I got down there, of course). No longer able to show the red light that says, "All is well. Don't worry." All was certainly not well. My electric guitar sat defiantly on its stand even as water enveloped the lower eight inches of its body. A steamer trunk full of blankets was now full of water and wetter than wet blankets (I know you can't be wetter than wet...but these were really, really wet, trust me). The guitar amplifier and surround sound woofer sopping up the liquid. My washing machine which so bravely worked through Saturday and most of Sunday....rewashing recently washed clothes could go no further and quit. And.....my TV....*sniff* *sniff*

Fifty-five inches of high definition companionship. My friend during many insomniatic (is that a word? well, it is now!) nights. She warms me on cold days with high definition football. She accompanies me as my family sleeps with re-runs of Cheers at 3 a.m. She flickers cheerfully when I am tired, grumpy or sick. But alas, now she is sick. Very sick. The doctor will be coming tonight at 5:30. I'll know her fate at that point. I'm told all is not necessarily lost. We'll soon see. But if I have to put her down....if its the right thing....so as to alieve her suffering any further, then I'll do it. But it will be with a heavy heart.

The little one feared for her toys and our fish (THEY were in the least danger I should think). Her toys fared well. They were in a big plastic bucket that rose above the water line. The fish are elevated plenty high enough. If only my TV was.

I immediately went out and bought a pump. No ordinary pump for me. A kick-ass pump! While shopping, I didn't compare by price but by gallons per hour. This one pumps something like 4380 per hour. Tim the Toolman Taylor would have been proud. I don't dick around. As a result, I got the water down to 1 inch in about 20 minutes. Then I had to go play a poker tournament (4th of 30 tyvm!). Mrs. Blogger stayed behind and swept water towards the pump. She's cool like that.

Of course when I got back from poker at about 1 am I couldn't sleep. I fretted about costs and loss of electronics, etc. First thing Saturday morning I was at Home Depot to rent a jack hammer. I had to get the pump below grade. Plus, the plan was to install the pump after the mess was cleaned up to avoid this problem in the future. Hopefully.

Well, that jack hammer kicked ass too! With me semi-ably at the helm it went through the concrete slab in my utility room in short order and I was back to pumping and sweeping the water in no time. Then I followed up with the wet vac and finally a fully bleached out mop. By around 4 pm I had pretty much everything back in order. Mrs. Blogger was a HUGE help and even The Little One sat with the vac sucking up water.

Yesterday, I finalized installation of the sump pump and now we just await repair and/or replacement of our electronics that were affected. Luckily, my couch and chairs sat above the water line and the sheetrock didn't bulge or pucker much. Hopefully, with all the bleach and a dehumidifier on overtime we can mitigate any mold problems.

We notified insurance and are supposed to hear back today, but I think they'll deny the claim. I understand if the water is from "outside" and you don't have flood insurance, you won't be covered. I'll try anyway. Probably fight a bit with them.

Oh, Noah and the animals? They're safe and sound but really bored without a TV. I should have that problem resolved in no time.

24

I went and did it again! I started fresh with yet another season of 24. Of course, its serial television requiring one's undivided attention for a minimum one hour per week. Very difficult for me. In the past it was a little easier because Fox would re-show it over the weekend. They don't that anymore. Shame I enjoy it so much because my history shows I have NEVER finished a season. Oh in January or February, I'm all pumped up. I live Jack Bauer's life as the world becomes perilously close to doom, as he heals from knife wounds and other assorted injuries in a matter of hours (the show takes place over one day, of course) but I never get to share his ultimate victory.

Funny how terrorists and Jack are all on the same 24 hour schedule, lol. If the bad stuff starts at say, 6 a.m., it will be sure to be resolved about that time the next day. And, while he is terrific at saving our country or the world, he doesn't have particular good skills at saving wives, presidents, colleagues, innocent by-standers or, or course, assorted bad guys. Very fun though. No one is immune to loss of life or loss of loved ones. To my knowledge there are no characters left from season one, except for Keifer Sutherland's Jack Bauer.

We started with the two hour premiere on Sunday night and then another two hours of dedication last night. I'm in deep now. Can't just fore go my four-hour investment now, can I? Last night even ended with a nuclear bomb going off near L.A.

I must reschedule workouts. I must keep the Little One occupied and entertained. To wit --

"I'm watching a daddy show right now so stay upstairs with the Strawberry Shortcake video, ok honey"

"Ok daddy. [pause] Because there are bad guys on TV daddy?"

[Guy gets shot in neck]

"Yes. Shhhh....I can't hear"

But to what end? Can I make it through another season? Come May 10, when its nice and sunny, will I be motivated or remember to tape its because I have a softball game? I doubt it. If I miss a week will I be able to research that lost episode on the Internet and watch the "previously on 24" part and find satisfaction? I usually lose it about then. When a show becomes an "effort". But I don't have a "show". Know what I mean? Nothing to call my own or look forward to or talk about at work. I'm not all that into American Idol once the sucky singers are weeded out (feel like I'm the only one). There's no sitcom I look for on a particular night, although I did see 30 Rock the other night and laughed my ass off. [Note to self: find out when and where 30 Rock is on]

So, 24 is it! I can make it! I can do it! Stay strong! Jack Bauer may need me.

Shit.....Red Sox will be on TV in early April.....I'm doomed!

I Was On TV

I forgot to mention that when I went golfing yesterday with my brother, the local news was there doing a "Winter Sports" thing. Obviously, not skiing, skating, etc. They were interviewing the head pro at my club and other members about the unusually warm weather (we are usually done golfing until late March by Thanksgiving). Anyway, they filmed my brother and I teeing off. Later last night I remembered and turned on the news just in time to catch the video of him striking the ball and the two of us walking down the first fairway together. I'm a star!!!!