As we discovered Christmas Day, for my dad this is all too true of the upcoming digital tv switchover.
Unlike analog signals, digital broadcasts either come in clear or not at all, meaning that those on the fringes of analog coverage areas will lose that reception entirely after the transition. Currently, they can still get fuzzy analog signals.
Some viewers may therefore need more powerful antennas — in addition to converter boxes — to continue receiving certain channels.
And some viewers, like my dad, who live on the far side of BFE won't be able to continue receiving ANY channels...except freaking PBS...even with multiple more powerful antennas. My dad, who is obsessive about watching the local weather forecast every time it's broadcast, was not happy. Neither was Mike, since he'd spent most of Christmas Day out in the cold trying to get the new antennas & required new cabling installed & working.
We did manage to get one more channel to come in just as it was getting dark so at least Dad would have a local news station, even if it wasn't the one he normally watched. I think at that point Mike was ready to rip down the antenna pole & wrap it around the big white oak tree in the corner of the yard. And the rest of us would've helped him. Very frustrating.
Dad's now planning to get satellite installed, which should be interesting. At 78, Dad's not too good at learning new technology. He has trouble operating a remote. I've a feeling he'll be someone's tech support hell.
Hopefully not ours.
We did, thanks...even though my son & I can't seem to shake the colds we've been battling for weeks now. I blame the manic weather we've had lately. Below zero wind chills one day, unseasonably warm the next. And today we're under a tornado watch.
Best gift was running boards for my truck so's I don't have to hike up my dress tail just to get in it. Second best was a Wii fit board, which we've already had lots of fun with. Apparently I should quit my day job & become a professional ski jumper. Ok probably not so much but it was fun to find one thing I could beat the guys at. The funniest thing so far has been determining everyone's Wii fit age. Mike's is 2 yrs. younger than his real age; I'm 2 yrs. older. My son's is the same as his real age, but my daughter is like 20 yrs older than her real age.
That's pretty hilarious considering she's the only one of us who exercises regularly and has a supposedly normal BMI.
Even more hilarious were the results of the Brain Age game we'd gotten her. Both she & her brother have the brains of a 50 yr. old. Mine: 34. It were the math what did them in. Not that I'm so great at math, but sometimes when I can't sleep I mentally recite multiplication tables. (It gives my brain something to do that's both very focused & yet so boring I rarely make it past the 8's) So I kicked both their butts. Ha.
So another great Christmas on the books for us. How about yours?
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I'd gotten WildChild a workbook to learn Spanish. He's interested in learning & I need to brush up on mine, so I thought it would be something fun for us to do together. He was excited about it, and we were flipping through it looking at the different sections. We'd gotten to the Song section, and he wanted me to try "Jingle Bells" in Spanish. My singing skills are nonexistent, but I gave it a shot. After a couple of lines, he said "Let's try something else."
I wasn't insulted at all, it was pretty bad. Actually I was excited that he's finally learning a social skill--tact. You never have to wonder what an ADHD kid is thinking. They pretty much blurt out the 1st thought that pops into their heads. lol
Some things I think they never outgrow. Yesterday, my son was helping Mike move the washer & dryer so they could install a new dryer vent...one with a flapper that would actually work. Now we had to set up things for the old crazy kitty in there, so I went in to move her water & food dishes. My son said that would be ok, he knew his foot was right next to her water dish. Rather scornfully in fact, as in "I know that MOTHER."
O-kay fine then. I went back into the kitchen, and a few minutes later my son comes through bitching & fussing on his way to change shoes. What's wrong? Well it seems he thought the cover on the litter box looked sturdy enough for him to stand on (he's 6'5" mind you) and guess whose size 14 foot went right through the cover?
Yeah that would be my son. Served him right.
After they finished, I went in to survey the damage and swore silently (b/c Wildchild & BabyGirl were here) under my breath. There wasn't much litter on the floor but I'll be a sonuvabitch if he didn't spill the water dish too. Can you imagine what clumping cat litter does when you put water on it? On a tile floor? Yeah. I was not very happy with him.
He came in to ask me something during the cleanup, and I turned & just glared at him...apparently with what my co-worker calls "Sicilian eyes". He sighed & looked guilty. Yes mom I spilled the water dish. Sorry. I'll clean it up.
What. Ever. And I went back to cleaning. He fled for the relative safety of outside in the 20 degree windchill, where he put my new running boards on my truck for me.
Which was much smarter that my daughter, who came to the doorway a few minutes later and made the mistake of saying Jeez Mom it smells really bad in here.
She got an earfull.
Since some spammer in Russia apparently thinks I'm the bomb, comments will be temporarily disabled.
Someone needs to invent a way to deliver a good old fashioned butt kicking by TCP/IP.
30 years ago today, I started the long journey towards becoming an ADHD expert. I think back over all those years sometimes and wonder how I kept from killing him. It takes a lot of patience to raise an ADHD child.
But I wouldn't trade him for anything. ADHD people are both the most fascinating and frustrating in the world. I've decided over the years they just think differently than the rest of us. And in the most interesting ways.
One of the favorite things about my job is talking to parents of ADHD kids. Sharing stories, tips & tricks, that kind of thing. One lady with whom I work was telling me about how her son was driving her crazy asking all kinds of personal questions about people they saw out in public. I told her my son went through a phase of doing that every time we were driving anywhere. Every car we'd meet he'd ask Who's that? What's his name? Where does he live? Where's he going? On and on and on. Over and over and over. 'Bout drove me crazy until it finally dawned on me he was just bored & was asking all those questions for something to do.
So I started making up stuff. Oh yeah, that's old Fred So-and-So. Don't you remember him? I think he lives over there in that blue house and he's probably going to the store to get groceries. He likes to eat a lot, ol' Fred does.
Problem solved. Amused me to do it and kept him occupied until we got to wherever we were going. My friend thought that was hilarious, and told me later it worked like a charm on her son too.
So anyway, happy birthday sunshine. You may've given me most of my grey hairs, but you've also given me most of my laugh line wrinkles too.
I'll take that trade-off any day.
The burning question of the morning is Will I have to work today? Sure hope not. Roads are sleet covered & icy. Current temp 16 with a wind chill of 1.
Beyond brrrr!
Not the kind of day you'd want to dress for court. Why someone doesn't invent Thinsulate lined women's dress slacks is beyond me.
Heck I'd buy like a million pairs.
Here while back I went & bought me one of these...taking advantage of those high, high gas prices to get it considerably below blue book. Now that gas is presently selling at $1.44, that seems to have been a great idea.
No more tying things on the top of Mike's little car. That is so cool.
It's a victimless crime.
Sure alcohol can lead to the same result, but I say why make a bad problem worse?
90.91% thank you very much. Mike said he knew that, that's why I won't run for Congress.
See how you do.