OT July Chit Chat

[Howie]

That sounds like a lot. I pay nothing for TV (antenna) and get 40 channels, but only watch a few. And the WIFI connection for the computer is 40 some. I pay $23 for the phone. With the little I get each month, you have to scale down, but can still have most things.

[Virginia]

Vicky, I am on a fixed income, so it gets kind of hard. I have TV, phone and internet. Right now I am paying $163.00 per month. I called and got them down from almost $200.00 per month. I plead poverty - which is what I mean about the devil I know vs. the devil I don't know.

Howie, a new rug!! My goodness you are so domesticated.

[Howie]

The cats domesticated me. It took them a while, but now I'm a real homebody. Why not make your home nice, even if it's for the cats!

[nuthatch]

Boy, does this thread move! Haven't kept up. Thank you for all the anniversary wishes. Still can't believe I've been married that long, I'm not even 45 years old yet . . . ha!

Son and his wife welcomed a beautiful baby boy into the world last night, after a long 22 hour labor. Unfortunately he is currently in NICU because he is having a slight breathing problem, so the doctors are being cautious, giving him antibiotics and testing for infections. Please keep him in your prayers for a speedy recovery. My son and his wife are so exhausted and concerned. We have all waited so long for this little guy.

Sorry to read that Gary lost his relative. Hope he soon feels ready to return here where we all care and support him. Cherie too. I don't do much on Facebook and prefer to keep up with the "MS family" here instead. Thank you all for being here.

Joan

[Catdancer]

Antennas are useless here in the country. An antenna will get you one regular station part of the time...maybe. We pay $145 for unlimited phone, internet, tv. Still too much but we'd miss any one of the three. I don't watch much tv but Tom Cat does. Our cell phones are used basically for emergencies. I'd be lost without internet.

[Frog42]

Antennas are useless for us too. The area where we live is low lying and it would be very hard to pick up a t.v. signal. I'm just grateful we can afford the overpriced cable.

[agate]

nuthatch (Joan), congratulations on the new grandson! I hope he'll be out of the NICU soon. This must be a stressful time for your family, to put it mildly.

TV/phone/Internet? I have phone and Internet currently amounting to about $82/month but by some mysterious arithmetic known only to CenturyLink, that bill keeps on rising--every few months it goes up a dollar or two. I can get PBS (two channels of it) with my TV even though I don't have cable or anything I pay for. I have a leaf antenna that helps with the reception but even then I often have to tinker with it just to get the picture or sound.

I gave up on TV after getting tired of commercials. If I hear about a series I'd like to watch, I get it later as a DVD from the library and watch it at my convenience.

Years ago "The Forsyte Saga" was on PBS but I never found time to watch it. It's about to be shown again on PBS, and I'm going to take a look at it. Every day I turn on the news.

[Howie]

I'm almost on the border between Virginia and N. Carolina. I keep the biggest outdoor antenna pointed South, and another East. Then on the TV itself is a omnidirectional antenna. I have two antennas I've never even hooked up.

My brother is in a valley between two mountains, and can't pick up anything with an antenna, so he has cable, maybe Satellite, I forget.

I just got back from the store. It was crowded which makes me have to park a longer way from the door. That's why I usually go early.

[Virginia]

Nuthatch, congratulations on your little guy. This is exciting and big news for all of your family. I just hope he is strong and everything begins to look up for him. I can imagine that Mom and Dad and Grandparents are worn out going through this. Will keep him and family in my thoughts and prayers.

Well, I wouldn't and couldn't hook up an antenna no matter what, so for me it is cable or nothing. I am not allowed to have a dish on my roof or around my town house. There is not a lot of good stuff on TV, but when I want it I want it, so I will either continue to cough up the money as much as it hurts or I will have nothing. I wish Comcast was not coming in after what Vicky and others have had to say.

[agate]

[removed a post that seemed unnecessary]

[stillstANNding]

Nuthatch - Congratulations on the new wee one! Prayers have been said.
Chocolate all around!

ANN

[Virginia]

I am very frustrated and angry. I have a lady that comes to my house every two weeks for two hours and does things that I cannot do. She was due last Tuesday. She called about two hours after she was to come and told me her little girl was not well and she would come Thursday. I nicely said fine. Thursday she called and said her car had a problem and she was going to get it worked on and she would be here Monday (today). She was due at 1:00P.M. It is now 2:00p.M. and she is a no show.

I like her, but there are things that I save for her to do and I will have to get an agency if she is not coming. Needless to say, I would have to get them for 4 hours. In addition, this lady is clean and trustworthy. This is so aggravating. I am just venting.

[Howie]

Vent away! I'm not very good at waiting for someone to do something. It's frustrating and stressful!

[agate]

I am very frustrated and angry. I have a lady that comes to my house every two weeks for two hours and does things that I cannot do. She was due last Tuesday. She called about two hours after she was to come and told me her little girl was not well and she would come Thursday. I nicely said fine. Thursday she called and said her car had a problem and she was going to get it worked on and she would be here Monday (today). She was due at 1:00P.M. It is now 2:00p.M. and she is a no show.

I like her, but there are things that I save for her to do and I will have to get an agency if she is not coming. Needless to say, I would have to get them for 4 hours. In addition, this lady is clean and trustworthy. This is so aggravating. I am just venting.

I can really understand your aggravation! I had some very bad spells with helpers who were unreliable--or who just happened so many problems in their own lives that they weren't able to do much for me.

There seems to be no answer for this situation. People who do service jobs are usually paid a fraction of what they should be paid--and often have to have other jobs just to pay their bills. They're often people who are struggling to get by--and getting paid such a low wage doesn't help them to solve their problems.

If their work were valued more highly, they'd be paid more. I think a good helper is worth his/her weight in gold but apparently the rest of the world doesn't see it that way.

--And we couldn't afford to pay them, probably!

[Virginia]

You are right Agate, affording a really GOOD and RESPONSIBLE person would be about out of my reach. I pay this lady $20.00 per hour. I do not tax it. Probably should, but since I was having her just for two hours every other week it did not seem worth giving a 1099. She is in the neighborhood working anyway and was coming by for that amount of time. If she doesn't want to do it then she should just tell me.

I have her do less hard things than the other two ladies do and I never criticize her, so don't know what is going on.