Whatever.

Funny things happened to me all day, but I'll have to recount those later. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I procrastinate. I'll also get into (later) why I was at www.thesmokinggun.com, but while I was here, I ran into these numbskulls:

Midgets?
Buzzed??
Read the story on this guy.

In other news, our Dishnetwork is not working. It's happened before, but not too often, so I let it slide. This time my experience was.....well, interesting from a consumer standpoint.

Turn on TV.
Message: Satellite Acuiring signal.
This is common, only takes about 20 seconds. 10 Minutes later, it's time to call Customer Service.
Speak with Derrick. Derrick runs through the usual checks, decides there's something wrong with the dish getting the signal from the satellite, and determines that somebody needs to come out and fix the mofo. So far, my attitude is "okay, cool." I've only spent about 15 minutes at this point. So he puts me on hold to transfer me to Advanced Tech..............dial tone. Attitude shifts with the breeze and is now heading north of "okay, cool."

Call back, run through the autmoated menu and get Andy. Briefly explain to Andy what just happened and that Derrick had determined that someone should come out. Andy says that he sees that in the notes, but of course Andy is one hell of a buckaroo and he's gotta give it his College try. I'm sort of like Andy in that I don't want to trust the guy before me, so I humor him and let him walk me through the exact same steps that Derrick and I just lovingly walked through (arm in arm of course). When he can't fix it, I figure he's going to finally just send out a technician. Ha ha!! Silly human. Andy wants me to unplug my receiver and trade it out with the receiver in the other room that is working fine, so "we can see if the problem follows the receiver, or if it's local to the wiring or dish." Sounds logical, but now I'm in for about 40 minutes and I ask Andy why I have to do their work for them, when it is I that pays them every month? Andy is not sure. Fine, I'll do this, even though I've done it before and it never fixed the problem and a technician came out in the end, and then I'll call you back.

Do all the b.s., nothing happens, call back. Forget who I'm talking to now, but there's a little more pressing of buttons, and checking settings.......and, nothing. So 3rd rep starts in with insurance and warranty and I can hear it coming like a long, low train whistle. They're gonna try and charge me to have someone come out, aren't they!!?? You bet. $49. But I'm being offered the discount rate, b/c it's normally $99! Sweet, I feel better already. They just saved me $50!!!!

I innocently, calmly, and politely ask 3rd rep why I would do that when I can just cancel my service and get cable or DirectTV and they will gladly set me up for free? He thought I had a good point, but asked me to call DishNetwork first if I decided to cancel and give them the opportunity to fix the problem to my satisfaction. That's funny, I could have sworn that I was talking to DishNetwork!?

3rd rep seemed to miss the sublety of what I was saying here. So I more bluntly, yet still as friendly as a peanut butter cookie, told him that I was talking to DishNetwork right now and that if they had nothing to say more than a $49 service call, I'd almost guarantee it that my next call would be to cancel. He thought that sounded rational, and one more time just asked me to call Customer Service first, to give them another chance. I had to love 3rd rep at this point.

So anyway, probably getting rid of DishNetwork in the morning.