The end of the week has finally arrived. It's been a busy one, but a good one. It'll be nice to rest up tomorrow.
DeAnne seems to be responding to the medicine that she started taking after all the doctor's visits on Wednesday. She had a headache yesterday afternoon, but it eventually passed and she said she felt better. Hopefully by the time we go back to her back doctor in a couple of weeks, she'll be back to her normal self.
The xbox finally left Texas yesterday. It had been sitting on "Billing Information Received" for almost two days. It's scheduled for delivery on Monday. It made it to Jackson, MS last night, so I'm guessing that it'll get to Evergreen this afternoon and then go out for delivery on Monday. I can't wait to get it back. DeAnne's dying to play Fable 2 some more, the new Grand Theft Auto downloadable add-on came out right after the xbox died, so I want to get that and there's the demo for Halo Wars that I want to try out co-op with Edwin, plus there's more stuff that I want to do in Fable also. I forsee a struggle coming over who gets the controller. At least there will be an xbox to control.
Have a good weekend.
--Paul
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Apologies
I didn't think about it on Tuesday, but I forgot to warn you all that there wouldn't be a blog yesterday. So I apologize for that.
We had to be in Montgomery at 7:30 yesterday morning to see DeAnne's back doctor. Basically, you call and set up a day to be there and you can either come at 7:30 or 1:00 and then they take who shows up on a first come, first serve basis. So the earlier you're there, the better off you are. We got up at 5:00 and we were on the road before 5:30. I think we got to the doctor's office around a quarter to 7:00. We were second in line. They got us back into a room pretty quick, but we had a pretty good wait once we were back there. They took x-rays and the doctor said that they looked fine. He gave her some prescriptions and told her to come back in three weeks and that if her back wasn't better by then, he'd do an MRI. It's pretty much what I was expecting. Hopefully, the meds will help and we can avoid any futher testing or anything like that.
We made it back to town pretty early, but I decided I would just go on to her next appointment also. She was set to see her general doctor at 2:30 to see about getting rid of her sickness she's had for a month now. After waiting for forever, he gave her some antibiotics and sent us on our way.
So that was pretty much our day yesterday. Drive, wait, doctor, drive, wait, doctor, church. Now, let's get this week wrapped up and get on to the weekend.
Have a good Thursday.
--Paul
We had to be in Montgomery at 7:30 yesterday morning to see DeAnne's back doctor. Basically, you call and set up a day to be there and you can either come at 7:30 or 1:00 and then they take who shows up on a first come, first serve basis. So the earlier you're there, the better off you are. We got up at 5:00 and we were on the road before 5:30. I think we got to the doctor's office around a quarter to 7:00. We were second in line. They got us back into a room pretty quick, but we had a pretty good wait once we were back there. They took x-rays and the doctor said that they looked fine. He gave her some prescriptions and told her to come back in three weeks and that if her back wasn't better by then, he'd do an MRI. It's pretty much what I was expecting. Hopefully, the meds will help and we can avoid any futher testing or anything like that.
We made it back to town pretty early, but I decided I would just go on to her next appointment also. She was set to see her general doctor at 2:30 to see about getting rid of her sickness she's had for a month now. After waiting for forever, he gave her some antibiotics and sent us on our way.
So that was pretty much our day yesterday. Drive, wait, doctor, drive, wait, doctor, church. Now, let's get this week wrapped up and get on to the weekend.
Have a good Thursday.
--Paul
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Post #300
That's right, this is post #300 for this blog. It's hard to believe, I know, but here we are.
It's also hard to believe, but 24 just keeps getting better and better. I was really bummed when they skipped the show in 2007, but if this is the kind of stuff they can do when they've got nearly two years to write and plan, then maybe they need to skip a year between every season.
This is one crazy week. Along with meetings today, tomorrow and Thursday, we've got the trip to Montgomery on Wednesday (which may keep me out of the meeting that day) and now things are starting to line up for the evenings. My Dad called and said that his computer is doing one of the strangest things I've ever heard of. He said when it boots, it goes directly to the screen saver. So I'm going this afternoon to see about that. Wednesday night, of course, is church and then on Thursday afternoon, I've got some other computer related stuff to see to. By the time all of this is done, it'll be the weekend.
The xbox reached Microsoft yesterday, so hopefully now it's just a matter or a week or two before we get it back. We also got our tax refund from the feds yesterday. It only took 9 days. I couldn't believe it.
Have a good Tuesday.
--Paul
It's also hard to believe, but 24 just keeps getting better and better. I was really bummed when they skipped the show in 2007, but if this is the kind of stuff they can do when they've got nearly two years to write and plan, then maybe they need to skip a year between every season.
This is one crazy week. Along with meetings today, tomorrow and Thursday, we've got the trip to Montgomery on Wednesday (which may keep me out of the meeting that day) and now things are starting to line up for the evenings. My Dad called and said that his computer is doing one of the strangest things I've ever heard of. He said when it boots, it goes directly to the screen saver. So I'm going this afternoon to see about that. Wednesday night, of course, is church and then on Thursday afternoon, I've got some other computer related stuff to see to. By the time all of this is done, it'll be the weekend.
The xbox reached Microsoft yesterday, so hopefully now it's just a matter or a week or two before we get it back. We also got our tax refund from the feds yesterday. It only took 9 days. I couldn't believe it.
Have a good Tuesday.
--Paul
Monday, February 23, 2009
The Weekend Roundup
Another good weekend is in the books. My Grandmother was in town, so Friday night we ate with her and my Dad and Sherry and Josh and Kelly. Then Saturday, we went to Dothan with Dad and Sherry and Me-Maw. Dad just wanted to go to Sam's and then eat, so we hit up Sam's again and got a few more things that we decided were pretty good deals and then went and had dinner. Of course, with that many memebers of the DuBose family in one vehicle, you can't expect them to pass by a Krispy Kreme and not stop, so we swung in there on the way home.
Mom also stopped by on Saturday afternoon before we left for Dothan, so it was just a family-filled weekend.
I also had a small first on Sunday. I tought Sunday School for the first time. I think it went pretty well. DeAnne (being a teacher) didn't say I did anything wrong, so that makes me feel a little better. I was pretty nervous, but it really wasn't as bad as I was afraid it was going to be. I've never thought that teaching was my calling and yesterday just reinforced that, but I think I can swing filling in when someone needs me to.
We also did something a little different last night. We had Bryan, Adrienne, Josh and Lyndsay over for dinner last night. I don't know why we never try and have anyone over, but it was nice to have everyone come to our house and eat. Maybe we can get a rotation going or something.
So that was the weekend. We've got a busy week ahead of us. DeAnne's working all week except for Wednesday when we're going to Montgomery to see about her back. Please continue to pray about that. She's not been in as much pain the past couple of days, but she's still having problems with it. Have a good Monday.
--Paul
Mom also stopped by on Saturday afternoon before we left for Dothan, so it was just a family-filled weekend.
I also had a small first on Sunday. I tought Sunday School for the first time. I think it went pretty well. DeAnne (being a teacher) didn't say I did anything wrong, so that makes me feel a little better. I was pretty nervous, but it really wasn't as bad as I was afraid it was going to be. I've never thought that teaching was my calling and yesterday just reinforced that, but I think I can swing filling in when someone needs me to.
We also did something a little different last night. We had Bryan, Adrienne, Josh and Lyndsay over for dinner last night. I don't know why we never try and have anyone over, but it was nice to have everyone come to our house and eat. Maybe we can get a rotation going or something.
So that was the weekend. We've got a busy week ahead of us. DeAnne's working all week except for Wednesday when we're going to Montgomery to see about her back. Please continue to pray about that. She's not been in as much pain the past couple of days, but she's still having problems with it. Have a good Monday.
--Paul
Friday, February 20, 2009
Weekend, Here We Come
There's not a lot going on this weekend, but I'm glad it's almost here. It's been a long week at work and I'm looking forward to a good weekend. My Grandmother is down from Atlanta, so we're going to spend some time with her, but that's about all that's going on.
I do have a favor to ask. I would appreciate it if you would pray for DeAnne. Earlier this week her back began giving her trouble again and as time has gone on, it hasn't improved. I'm going to call this morning and set up an appointment for her with the guy that did her back surgery a couple of years ago. Please pray that God would watch over her and take away some of the pain. Also pray that it's nothing serious, especially to the extent that it would require surgery.
She's probably going to be ill with me that I've posted this, but I just feel led to ask. The people who read this blog have done so much for us, so many times, and it's always been through prayer. All I can say is: Thank you.
Have a good Friday and a good weekend.
--Paul
I do have a favor to ask. I would appreciate it if you would pray for DeAnne. Earlier this week her back began giving her trouble again and as time has gone on, it hasn't improved. I'm going to call this morning and set up an appointment for her with the guy that did her back surgery a couple of years ago. Please pray that God would watch over her and take away some of the pain. Also pray that it's nothing serious, especially to the extent that it would require surgery.
She's probably going to be ill with me that I've posted this, but I just feel led to ask. The people who read this blog have done so much for us, so many times, and it's always been through prayer. All I can say is: Thank you.
Have a good Friday and a good weekend.
--Paul
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Falling Behind
We've finally reached a point where we've started falling behind on our TV watching. Up until this week, we had been staying pretty current with everything, but for whatever reason, shows are starting to pile up in the DVR.
I'm really enjoying Heroes so far. They're three episodes into the new story arc and I think that so far, it's much better than the previous two. I think one thing that helps is that there hasn't been any time traveling this time around. Hopefully, they'll keep it that way.
American Idol had its first live show this week and the results last night went about the way I thought they should. Mine and DeAnne's top three picks made it through and unless she comes back as a wildcard, we finally (finally) said goodbye to Tatiana.
We didn't get to watch Lost last night, but if it was anything like the rest of the seasons been so far, it was awesome. It's incredible how good Lost has gotten over the past year or so. It seems like about the time they decided when the show was going to end and that they only had "X" number of episodes left, they found the direction they needed and haven't looked back since. I can't remember the last episode that wasn't good.
24. Best. Season. Ever.
So there's your TV wrap-up for the week. Have a good Thursday.
--Paul
I'm really enjoying Heroes so far. They're three episodes into the new story arc and I think that so far, it's much better than the previous two. I think one thing that helps is that there hasn't been any time traveling this time around. Hopefully, they'll keep it that way.
American Idol had its first live show this week and the results last night went about the way I thought they should. Mine and DeAnne's top three picks made it through and unless she comes back as a wildcard, we finally (finally) said goodbye to Tatiana.
We didn't get to watch Lost last night, but if it was anything like the rest of the seasons been so far, it was awesome. It's incredible how good Lost has gotten over the past year or so. It seems like about the time they decided when the show was going to end and that they only had "X" number of episodes left, they found the direction they needed and haven't looked back since. I can't remember the last episode that wasn't good.
24. Best. Season. Ever.
So there's your TV wrap-up for the week. Have a good Thursday.
--Paul
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Done Dragging
I'm moving a little better today. I don't know what was going on yesterday, but I just could not get going. It was like that pretty much the whole day.
We watched a couple of movies lately that I haven't talked about. First, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford". Longest title ever, but a really good movie. There wasn't a lot of action but the acting was good and the story was well done. I was reading about it on the internet after we watched it and I saw somewhere where James' descendants had called it the most historically accurate portrayal yet produced. Either way, it was a pretty good movie.
The other movie was "Ghost Town". It was about a dentist who is fairly off-putting with people. He goes in to have a procedure done and dies for a few minutes during the procedure. After they bring him back, he can see ghosts, kind of like the kid in "Sixth Sense". The movie actually falls into the romantic comedy genre and was actually pretty funny. Overall, it was pretty good.
So there's your movie reviews for the week. It's Wednesday! Have a good one.
--Paul
We watched a couple of movies lately that I haven't talked about. First, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford". Longest title ever, but a really good movie. There wasn't a lot of action but the acting was good and the story was well done. I was reading about it on the internet after we watched it and I saw somewhere where James' descendants had called it the most historically accurate portrayal yet produced. Either way, it was a pretty good movie.
The other movie was "Ghost Town". It was about a dentist who is fairly off-putting with people. He goes in to have a procedure done and dies for a few minutes during the procedure. After they bring him back, he can see ghosts, kind of like the kid in "Sixth Sense". The movie actually falls into the romantic comedy genre and was actually pretty funny. Overall, it was pretty good.
So there's your movie reviews for the week. It's Wednesday! Have a good one.
--Paul
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Slow Motion
I don't know what it is, but I feel like everything's moving in slow motion this morning. We went to bed early last night, so I wouldn't think I would be dragging like this, but I just can't get going this morning.
The church held it's annual Valentine's Day banquet last night. The church youth always host it as a fund raiser. The food was probably the best it's ever been and they did valet parking this year which was pretty nice. We had a good time and it was a nice change from the usual Monday night routine, although I did go over and watch 24 with Bryan and Adrienne afterward.
I just can't shake this dragging feeling. Maybe if I go ahead and get moving, I work it out of me. Have a good Tuesday.
--Paul
The church held it's annual Valentine's Day banquet last night. The church youth always host it as a fund raiser. The food was probably the best it's ever been and they did valet parking this year which was pretty nice. We had a good time and it was a nice change from the usual Monday night routine, although I did go over and watch 24 with Bryan and Adrienne afterward.
I just can't shake this dragging feeling. Maybe if I go ahead and get moving, I work it out of me. Have a good Tuesday.
--Paul
Monday, February 16, 2009
Here We Are, Back Again
We had a pretty good weekend. We didn't do anything Friday, but Saturday, we had Michael and Shae Page over to eat with us. DeAnne and I had bought some card games and stuff to do and we ended up talking so much, that we never got around to doing anything other than just sitting and talking. It was a good time and it was nice to have someone over and eat. We really don't have people over very much, so it's always fun when we do.
Of course, Saturday was also Valentine's day. I bought DeAnne a new car adapter for her iPod and the Duggars book, "20 and Counting!" I didn't ask for anything, so DeAnne was smart enough to buy me one of my favorite things in general: Peanut Butter M&M's.
We were also finally feeling better enough to go to church services this week. It felt like we hadn't been in ages and it was definitely nice to get back into the swing of things.
That was about it. Have a good Monday.
--Paul
Of course, Saturday was also Valentine's day. I bought DeAnne a new car adapter for her iPod and the Duggars book, "20 and Counting!" I didn't ask for anything, so DeAnne was smart enough to buy me one of my favorite things in general: Peanut Butter M&M's.
We were also finally feeling better enough to go to church services this week. It felt like we hadn't been in ages and it was definitely nice to get back into the swing of things.
That was about it. Have a good Monday.
--Paul
Friday, February 13, 2009
TGIF
It's Friday and it couldn't have come any sooner. It's been a long week and I'll be glad when today is over and done with.
Nothing exciting happened yesterday like it did on Wednesday. Things are incredibly busy at work right now but that's all stuff that I don't want to bore you with. Suffice it to say that government interference in how we do things has made my job much more frustrating and difficult. It's amazing how politicians believe their doing so much good sometimes when really, they're just making life more difficult for a group of people. If the government would have stuck to the things the Constitution gave them power over, then America wouldn't be in near the mess we're in right now.
Sorry for the tangent there. It's a frustrating time to be a conservative.
I think I'm just going to keep it short today. Have a good Friday and a good weekend. Oh yeah, and happy Valentine's Day to you all and especially my beautiful wife, DeAnne. I love you, sweetie.
--Paul
Nothing exciting happened yesterday like it did on Wednesday. Things are incredibly busy at work right now but that's all stuff that I don't want to bore you with. Suffice it to say that government interference in how we do things has made my job much more frustrating and difficult. It's amazing how politicians believe their doing so much good sometimes when really, they're just making life more difficult for a group of people. If the government would have stuck to the things the Constitution gave them power over, then America wouldn't be in near the mess we're in right now.
Sorry for the tangent there. It's a frustrating time to be a conservative.
I think I'm just going to keep it short today. Have a good Friday and a good weekend. Oh yeah, and happy Valentine's Day to you all and especially my beautiful wife, DeAnne. I love you, sweetie.
--Paul
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Fully Charged
Well, I went to leave work yesterday to find that it wasn't going to be as easy to leave as it usually is. My car wouldn't crank. It was showing classic signs of the battery being dead (or almost dead rather). The positive post was pretty corroded, so while I was getting Steve and Brian to give me a jump, we tried to clean it as best we could. Instead of just going ahead and getting a battery, I went home first and left the car running for a few minutes, then I got some baking soda and cleaned the post. When I tried to crank the car again, the battery was already dead again. So I jumped it off with DeAnne's car and went and got a new battery. Of course, by the time I got the new battery, it was time for church, so I headed straight out to church and made it just as Awana was getting started. It was a pretty stressful afternoon but I guess it could have been worse. It could have been the alternator.
So that was pretty much the event for the day yesterday. Other than that, we just watched American Idol when we got home from church and called it a night. Hopefully today will not be quite so crazy.
Have a good Thursday.
--Paul
So that was pretty much the event for the day yesterday. Other than that, we just watched American Idol when we got home from church and called it a night. Hopefully today will not be quite so crazy.
Have a good Thursday.
--Paul
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The Taxman
I started working on our taxes last night. In a bit of a change from the last two years, I've decided to use a software program to help prepare and e-file everything, including the state return. We've had someone do our taxes the last couple of years, but the cost was getting to be a little unreal for what little we actually had. It'll take me longer to do them but the software should keep me from making any outrageous mistakes.
On the recommendation of some of my coworkers, I went with TaxAct. They have both an online version and a download version. I went with the download so that the only communication with anything online would be when I actually sent the e-file. It's maybe not as nice as TurboTax, but I figured if I was trying to save money by not having an accountant prepare our taxes, I might as well go with the cheapest software package. It was $20 for both Federal and State. I was worried about the price, but like I said, several people at work recommended it and I've read some good reviews on the internet, so I feel pretty safe. I say that now so watch us get audited for some reason.
Have a good Wednesday.
--Paul
On the recommendation of some of my coworkers, I went with TaxAct. They have both an online version and a download version. I went with the download so that the only communication with anything online would be when I actually sent the e-file. It's maybe not as nice as TurboTax, but I figured if I was trying to save money by not having an accountant prepare our taxes, I might as well go with the cheapest software package. It was $20 for both Federal and State. I was worried about the price, but like I said, several people at work recommended it and I've read some good reviews on the internet, so I feel pretty safe. I say that now so watch us get audited for some reason.
Have a good Wednesday.
--Paul
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
24 Is Just Too Awesome
This is shaping up to be, possibly, the best season of 24 ever. Last night's episode was great. They seem to be moving the story a little faster this year. They've already stopped two threats and now the terrorists are on the run. I don't know what they have planned for the rest of the season, but as long as it doesn't go off the deep end, season 7 is going to be mind-blowing-ly good.
I don't know if I ever mentioned it or not, but I finally beat the main storyline in Fable 2. The game has so gripped DeAnne that she's now playing through it a second time. I've never seen her get into a game like she has this one. I don't know what did it either. There's a lot of different things to do in the game but overall, the story is pretty short. It may just be that she's sick and she hasn't worked much lately and it keeps her occupied. I don't know. Either way, she's really into it and I don't know if anything can pull her away now that the Sims 3 has been delay until June.
There's not much else going on. Have a good Tuesday.
--Paul
I don't know if I ever mentioned it or not, but I finally beat the main storyline in Fable 2. The game has so gripped DeAnne that she's now playing through it a second time. I've never seen her get into a game like she has this one. I don't know what did it either. There's a lot of different things to do in the game but overall, the story is pretty short. It may just be that she's sick and she hasn't worked much lately and it keeps her occupied. I don't know. Either way, she's really into it and I don't know if anything can pull her away now that the Sims 3 has been delay until June.
There's not much else going on. Have a good Tuesday.
--Paul
Monday, February 09, 2009
Feeling Better...Kind Of...
I'm not 100%, but I think I turned the corner last night. Around 8:00 or so, I noticed that I was sniffing as much. I still had some pressure but it wasn't as bad. With those two factors combined, I realized that for probably the first time in 2 or 3 days, I didn't have a headache. I'm still doing good this morning. No headache, a little sniffing when I first got up, but other than that, I'm feeling a lot better.
DeAnne, however, has not made any noticeable progress. She seemed to be doing a little better Friday, but then seemed to get worse again as the weekend went on. Hopefully she'll be doing better today.
I think Saturday was about the worst for both of us. We went over to DeAnne's Mom's around lunch and ate and then DeAnne, her Mom and myself all went to Dothan to make a Sam's run. We needed to make the trip, but I thought I was going to die before it was over with. I pretty much slept the whole way there and the whole way back and then did the best I could to stay on my feet while we were in the store. DeAnne did a lot better than I did, but it was still pretty tough on us both.
The only time we left the house yesterday was to get lunch. We went through the drive-thru at McDonald's. We didn't even go out for dinner. We called and had pizza delivered.
Hopefully we're about through with this mess. I don't get sick very often and when I do, I get frustrated that I'm sick. I'm also tired of seeing DeAnne be in such bad shape. She taking antibiotic, but she still doesn't seem to be making any progress. Maybe yesterday and today will be the turning point and we can get on the downhill side of this thing.
Have a good Monday.
--Paul
DeAnne, however, has not made any noticeable progress. She seemed to be doing a little better Friday, but then seemed to get worse again as the weekend went on. Hopefully she'll be doing better today.
I think Saturday was about the worst for both of us. We went over to DeAnne's Mom's around lunch and ate and then DeAnne, her Mom and myself all went to Dothan to make a Sam's run. We needed to make the trip, but I thought I was going to die before it was over with. I pretty much slept the whole way there and the whole way back and then did the best I could to stay on my feet while we were in the store. DeAnne did a lot better than I did, but it was still pretty tough on us both.
The only time we left the house yesterday was to get lunch. We went through the drive-thru at McDonald's. We didn't even go out for dinner. We called and had pizza delivered.
Hopefully we're about through with this mess. I don't get sick very often and when I do, I get frustrated that I'm sick. I'm also tired of seeing DeAnne be in such bad shape. She taking antibiotic, but she still doesn't seem to be making any progress. Maybe yesterday and today will be the turning point and we can get on the downhill side of this thing.
Have a good Monday.
--Paul
Friday, February 06, 2009
Down With The Sickness
It seems like everyone is sick and you can now add me to that group. It started full blast on Wednesday afternoon. I felt terrible. Yesterday morning I felt better but then by the end of the day I was back to feeling like I was going to die again. I feel better this morning than I did yesterday morning, so maybe I'm already starting to get over it. I hope so. I can't stand to be sick. I've always been blessed with a pretty strong immune system. Usually, I'll get sick once a year in the winter and it'll last a week or so and then that's about it. It's usually never bad enough for me to go to the doctor or need any kind of prescription.
At least it's Friday. It's looking like it's going to be a beautiful weekend so maybe I can just relax and enjoy it and recover. We don't have any plans and there's only a few things that really need doing around the house, so we should be in good shape for an easy, lazy weekend.
It's short, but I'm done. Have a good Friday and a good weekend.
--Paul
At least it's Friday. It's looking like it's going to be a beautiful weekend so maybe I can just relax and enjoy it and recover. We don't have any plans and there's only a few things that really need doing around the house, so we should be in good shape for an easy, lazy weekend.
It's short, but I'm done. Have a good Friday and a good weekend.
--Paul
Thursday, February 05, 2009
The Weekend Is In Sight
Thursday here we come.
After getting shot down by the House the first time, the digital TV delay bill made it through on the second go yesterday. All that's left now is for Obama to sign the bill, which he should do today, and then the official "drop dead" date for analog TV will be June 12. With only 12 days left to go before the original date, I can't imagine most stations not going ahead as planned. At this point I can't see any thing that would give a station the reason to wait outside of just not being ready. This bill is just a shinning example of how Congress can waste the time they have and the money they take from us.
The was a bright spot in the TV news world yesterday though. DISH announced that they have planned to start carry the Montgomery locals in HD starting in March. Right after we switched from cable to DISH, the cable company started carrying the locals in HD. That and ESPN were (and still are) all that they had though. Once DISH lights up the locals, then I'll be pretty satisfied and not able to think of much more that I would want in HD. The only other channels I can really think of are Spike, FX and Comedy Central. Two of those, Spike and Comedy, are supposed to be coming sometime in the next couple of weeks and while there's not been any official work on FX, with them turing on Fox News and Fox Business HD this week, surely they've made a deal with Fox that would include FX. Now if March would just hurry up and get here.
Have a good Thursday.
--Paul
After getting shot down by the House the first time, the digital TV delay bill made it through on the second go yesterday. All that's left now is for Obama to sign the bill, which he should do today, and then the official "drop dead" date for analog TV will be June 12. With only 12 days left to go before the original date, I can't imagine most stations not going ahead as planned. At this point I can't see any thing that would give a station the reason to wait outside of just not being ready. This bill is just a shinning example of how Congress can waste the time they have and the money they take from us.
The was a bright spot in the TV news world yesterday though. DISH announced that they have planned to start carry the Montgomery locals in HD starting in March. Right after we switched from cable to DISH, the cable company started carrying the locals in HD. That and ESPN were (and still are) all that they had though. Once DISH lights up the locals, then I'll be pretty satisfied and not able to think of much more that I would want in HD. The only other channels I can really think of are Spike, FX and Comedy Central. Two of those, Spike and Comedy, are supposed to be coming sometime in the next couple of weeks and while there's not been any official work on FX, with them turing on Fox News and Fox Business HD this week, surely they've made a deal with Fox that would include FX. Now if March would just hurry up and get here.
Have a good Thursday.
--Paul
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Yup, Still Struggling With Titles
Our DVR just got a little bit cooler. We already loved the thing, but now DISH has taken some of the tech they got from buying Sling and used it to allow HD DVR users to program their DVR's over the internet. DirectTV has had this capability for a while now, but judging by the screenshots I've seen, DISH has got the better system. It doesn't sound like much, but I don't know how many time's I've read about a show on the internet and then forgotten to record it. A perfect example:
Butch Walker was on the Ellen show yesterday singing a song from his new album. He and Pink are pretty good friends, he's produced a couple of her records, and she sang backup vocals for him on the song he played. I probably would have forgot to record it if not for the online scheduling for the DVR. Pretty awesome.
All our favorite TV shows are back on now. Chuck and Heroes started back up this week. I just wish someone would move something to a night other than Monday. There are so many things we watch on Monday night that we can't record them all.
Keeping on the TV theme: DISH added Fox News HD yesterday along with Fox Business SD with the promise that the Fox Business HD channel was coming also. Finally, now if I want to watch some major news event in HD, I don't have to watch it on CNN.
Have a good Wednesday.
--Paul
Here's the video from Butch on Ellen yesterday:
Butch Walker was on the Ellen show yesterday singing a song from his new album. He and Pink are pretty good friends, he's produced a couple of her records, and she sang backup vocals for him on the song he played. I probably would have forgot to record it if not for the online scheduling for the DVR. Pretty awesome.
All our favorite TV shows are back on now. Chuck and Heroes started back up this week. I just wish someone would move something to a night other than Monday. There are so many things we watch on Monday night that we can't record them all.
Keeping on the TV theme: DISH added Fox News HD yesterday along with Fox Business SD with the promise that the Fox Business HD channel was coming also. Finally, now if I want to watch some major news event in HD, I don't have to watch it on CNN.
Have a good Wednesday.
--Paul
Here's the video from Butch on Ellen yesterday:
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Tuesday Comes Around Again
Alright, so it's Tuesday, what can we talk about today?
Late last week, the Senate voted for a second time to delay the digital TV transition. The House should vote on the bill today. As of today, we're two weeks out. At this point, I would imagine that most stations would go ahead with the switch as planned, the only thing the bill allows is for Congressmen to point the finger at the stations when their constituents loose their signals. Whatever.
Edwin and I beat Gears of War 2 last night on the "Insane" difficulty level. We've played the dog out of this game and enjoyed every minute of it. I don't think I've ever gotten this much fun from a game before.
I also finished reading Brisingr last night. Thanks to Adrienne for letting me borrow it from her. It's the latest book in the "Inheritance" series of books. You may remember the terrible movie that was released a couple of years ago based on the first book, Eragon. Trust me, the books are better than that movie. I think Brisingr may have been the best one yet. I'm looking forward to the fourth book. Maybe it'll be out before too long.
That's about it for Tuesday. Have a good one.
--Paul
Late last week, the Senate voted for a second time to delay the digital TV transition. The House should vote on the bill today. As of today, we're two weeks out. At this point, I would imagine that most stations would go ahead with the switch as planned, the only thing the bill allows is for Congressmen to point the finger at the stations when their constituents loose their signals. Whatever.
Edwin and I beat Gears of War 2 last night on the "Insane" difficulty level. We've played the dog out of this game and enjoyed every minute of it. I don't think I've ever gotten this much fun from a game before.
I also finished reading Brisingr last night. Thanks to Adrienne for letting me borrow it from her. It's the latest book in the "Inheritance" series of books. You may remember the terrible movie that was released a couple of years ago based on the first book, Eragon. Trust me, the books are better than that movie. I think Brisingr may have been the best one yet. I'm looking forward to the fourth book. Maybe it'll be out before too long.
That's about it for Tuesday. Have a good one.
--Paul
Monday, February 02, 2009
10 Years Down The Road
So my class reunion was this past weekend. It went pretty well. It was very surreal at times but overall it was nice to see everyone again and get to catch up a little.
Things kicked off with the school assembly Friday morning. 10 or 12 of us from the class of 1999 were there. They had a video about all the classes from 1939 up to 1999 that was pretty cool. After the assembly, we were able to wander around the school for a while and see what all had changed and also what hadn't changed. I guess the passage of time skews perspective. Everything seemed to feel small than I remembered it. I haven't grown any since my senior year, so it can't be that I'm taller or anything. It was also amazing how much they had added on in 10 years. There's now a football field along with three two new wings and a driveway and parking that circles the back of the school.
Friday night we went to the varsity boy's basketball game and after the game, one of our classmates, Ryan, had everyone come over to his house for a while. So really, the reunion became an all weekend kind of thing.
Saturday night was the actual reunion. We had 24, I believe, out of 36 make it. I really wasn't expecting that many, but a good number still live close by. It was a good time. We watched a good bit of our senior video, had a good meal and Phillip McClung's band, Issues, played for us.
Courtney and Edwin stayed with us for the weekend and as usual, we had a blast with them. The only real downside to the weekend was that both Courtney and DeAnne were sick all weekend.
So that was about it. We took a group picture that I've inserted below. It was fun and interesting and kind of strange all at the same time, but I'm glad to have had the chance to do it.
Have a good Monday.
--Paul
Things kicked off with the school assembly Friday morning. 10 or 12 of us from the class of 1999 were there. They had a video about all the classes from 1939 up to 1999 that was pretty cool. After the assembly, we were able to wander around the school for a while and see what all had changed and also what hadn't changed. I guess the passage of time skews perspective. Everything seemed to feel small than I remembered it. I haven't grown any since my senior year, so it can't be that I'm taller or anything. It was also amazing how much they had added on in 10 years. There's now a football field along with three two new wings and a driveway and parking that circles the back of the school.
Friday night we went to the varsity boy's basketball game and after the game, one of our classmates, Ryan, had everyone come over to his house for a while. So really, the reunion became an all weekend kind of thing.
Saturday night was the actual reunion. We had 24, I believe, out of 36 make it. I really wasn't expecting that many, but a good number still live close by. It was a good time. We watched a good bit of our senior video, had a good meal and Phillip McClung's band, Issues, played for us.
Courtney and Edwin stayed with us for the weekend and as usual, we had a blast with them. The only real downside to the weekend was that both Courtney and DeAnne were sick all weekend.
So that was about it. We took a group picture that I've inserted below. It was fun and interesting and kind of strange all at the same time, but I'm glad to have had the chance to do it.
Have a good Monday.
--Paul
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