Jeopardy, Root Canals and Relationships

An adorable seasonal display along West Shingle Mill Road. 

Thank you, Adam, Lenny and Steve, for getting the Love house back on an acceptable TV-viewing track. 

We, like so many viewers in the Northwest, lost a second popular channel a couple of weeks ago. 

Have I ever said that our ZAGS games help us through the winter?

Channel 6
Have I ever mentioned Russell Wilson and the Seahawks?

Channel 28


Just in case I haven't, those two teams are the focus of at least 100 hours of our TV viewing time over the fall, winter and early spring months.

Plus, we like "America's Got Talent" and "Jeopardy," "This Is Us" and a whole lotta other NBC prime time entertainment shows.

I'll spare all the frustration between the night Channel 6 disappeared and the night it returned (last night) with some "Jeopardy" viewing time.

I'll just say that my former student Lenny and his sidekicks Steve and Adam at Sandpoint's 7B TV fixed the problem yesterday.

All went smoothly until a dreaded moment, after Adam left from installing our DISH Network equipment.

Time to tell DirecTV that we are dissolving this 13-year relationship. 

I was dreading that moment as much as I dread going to the doctor.

It takes a LOT for me to show up in a doctor's office, often several trips around the block before I'll walk in the door.

In the DirecTV-LOVE divorce, of course, there was a minimum-wage shrink at the other end, trying to counsel me into reconsidering.

Halfway through our conversation, I stated that I had made my decision . . . please cancel.

Well, that's not how it works. The script at the other end must be followed because we must remember that these calls may be monitored.In one case, she  asked (the script required this) me if I could suggest someone I knew who would like to start a relationship with DirecTV. 

"No," I said, adding that I doubted that anyone in our area was faunching at the bit to sign up for DirecTV.  "It's not very popular right now." 

  This poor soul, whom I knew was simply trying to do her job, even very carefully asked if I would divulge "the other man" to whom I had begun an alliance.

"I'd rather not tell you," I said politely. 

Surprisingly, she accepted my answer and moved on with the details of how I should return all my possessions associated with DirecTV.

She gave me more information, some of which I wrote down and taped to the kitchen island for the "just in cases" that might arise before this relationship is officially ended.

Finally, she asked if I had any more questions.  By this time, in the 15-minute conversation I was so exhausted I could barely hold my head up.

I told her no, that I had no more questions but I did have a comment.

I told her I'd been a school teacher for 33 years and had dealt with people all my life and that I knew the importance of courtesy, empathy and respect. 

"You have done an excellent job at your end," I said. "This process is much like getting a root canal on both ends of this telephone call, and I want to compliment you for your courtesy and undestanding."

I do think she was blown away because of her delighted response.

"Thank you very much," she said. "That makes my day."

So, the dissolution of my relationship with DirecTV ended on a good note, I think.

And, the beginning of a new world with DISH Network seems to be going well. It was nice to see Alex last night, even though I read yesterday that he's back on chemo for his cancer. 

And, it was fun spending some time scrolling through the channels, which in this package even include "The Cowboy Channel." 

Often times, I found myself switching, for no reason, to Channel 6 and Fox 28, simply because I could. 

It was so nice to see actual programming rather than listening to annoying music and hearing about the "negotiations," which in one case have gone on for several months.

We have some new adventures in TV watching, along with the old standards, and because of that, the prospect of winter looks a lot less bleak than it did just two days ago.

Happy wet Wednesday. 

Thanks again to Lenny and the gang at 7B TV for your intervention into my TV relationship woes.    

While taking a back route home from the grocery store yesterday, I met up at our intersection with classmate Gary Finney who's taking care of his son's animals while he's off on a hunting trip.