December 10, 2004
Oh, I know what you're thinking; you're imagining me lounging on my couch watching Biography and TLC and HGTV and movies, right? Okay, well, I have watched three or four episodes of Clean Sweep. And I saw two of Trading Spaces. I haven't ventured into HGTV yet. Hubby watched a show about fixing up cars.
But really my life has been about Christmas, and just two days ago I was out checking on a few items. I walked into Barnes and Noble to look for a book for my dad, and so I was on the phone with my mom. While I was asking her about an author, I started toward the front to pay, then I started whispering into the phone, "Okay, Mom, I'm going to tell you something in a moment, but I have to walk this way before I can say it, out of earshot, okay, guess what--I'm looking at David Letterman's Mom!" My mom was impressed. "What should I do?" I asked. "Nothing!" she laughed.
I ended up in line directly behind her while she discussed with the cashier an item she had on hold. I leaned over and whispered to the person next to me, "That's David Letterman's mom." "NO!" she said more at the volume of a stage whisper." "It is," I assured her. After all, I'd just seen the Thanksgiving show, where David guessed his mom's pies; I had a recent memory of her.
We caught her profile, and the neighbor in line grinned and nodded. "Yep, that's her. I should get her autograph, because that's the closest to David I'll ever get!" I found that to be kind of funny, I guess, though I didn't let on, because I have found David Letterman's mom's willingness to go along with his silly, goofy ideas one of the most charming things about the David Letterman show. I adored her when she reported on the Olympics. That was many years ago, now, but it was the winter Olympics and he would get her to ask the silliest questions, and she'd just do it in that sweet, low voice of hers. As for me, I'd want David Letterman's Mom's autograph as much as I'd want David's.
I phoned to tell my husband about it. "How do you know it wasn't just some other older woman who looks like her?"
"It was her." It was. I knew the voice, and she was talking as she turned away, about the item that wasn't what she had expected. I wanted to say something about the pies, but because of my track record with relatively famous people, I decided not to. I've embarrassed myself too many times. I let her continue Christmas shopping in peace.
December 4, 2004
I didn't want to complain about my online experience. It still seems somewhat miraculous that I can have so many resources at my fingertips. Still, staying content with dial-up was getting harder and harder to do, especially with the research I was working on. During the long wait, as websites slowly loaded, I'd either take a short break and mop the kitchen floor or sit in my desk chair and mutter, "I need more power, Scottie!" At times, as my eyes glazed over while watching the blue bar fill up, I'd dream of warp speed. But the cheapskate in me that resisted an upgrade would simply shout back, "I'm givin' ya all she's got, Cap'n! If ya push her any harder, she'll break up!"
But we caved in. The cable man came by this week, and we're on high speed Internet access, baby! I've got Google wrapped around my little finger.
Trouble is, the cheapest deal--this is not a joke--the cheapest hookup deal included a month of basic cable. It was actually cheaper, because of free installation, to get basic cable along with the cable modem, than to simply get the computer stuff and forget the TV.
So we have cable...for a month.
It's funny; I thought there would be all these amazing stations offering shows I only dreamed about. It wasn't so great. I watched "Trading Spaces" for the first time. And "Clean Sweep." They were fun, I guess. I'm ready to go to the basement and pitch some junk, so that's good. Perhaps our next garage sale will pay for this month's cable bill? I hope I don't get hooked on something goofy, however, and never make it down there.
I still prefer "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," which I got with regular old network television. I think we'll just keep it for the one month. You can hold me accountable--ask me in late January what I'm watching on TV. If I say, "Oh my goodness, I just love this Discovery show!" then tease me mercilessly.
Shhhh....the kids don't know we've got cable. We only access the stations on our bedroom TV. The basement appears to only have network television. That way when we cancel, they won't even feel the difference.
