I hate my cable company

Well, I do.
I've been having internet troubles for a month now.

I was recently told last week that the signal of 12 on the street drops to a 6 at the subpole. So who knows what I'm actually getting once it reaches my modem.
When it's below freezing, I don't get my internet. When it goes above 32 degrees, it seems I have it. Hence my updating you right now. But the temps are dropping fast. We have another snow storm on the way too.

So, snow is coming, the temps will be dropping and that means I won't have this connection for long.

They told me they don't lay new wires until SPRING!!!!!
But, they will try to do it. However, the other way they can do it will take 7 - 10 business days, add in weather related delays and I'm looking at 2 weeks before, MAYBE THIS WILL FIX IT, before I get my dependable internet back.

The thing is, I no longer trust it, believe in it or feel like I can depend on it.
Is this what it feels like to have a cheating spouse? A double-timing boyfriend?
It ROTS!

So, worse case scnenario, I'm down until the Holidays.
So, Merry Christmas, Joyeoux Noel, Felice Navidad and Happy Holidays to the few wonderful and lovely bloggers who still visit and haven't given up on me.

Oh, and read some good books!
I'm starting to read the Vampire Kama Sutra. That's a title that grabs you!
LOL

The Grinches of Black Monday Shopping

Beware. I saw something yesterday on the TV news about thieves driving up to people's homes because they see packages sitting on porches and front stoops. They waltz up, grab the box(es) and drive away taking hard earned dreams and trust with them. They are stealing Christmas presents, wedding presents, anything that usually is shipped via UPS and left while you are at work. Why do I mention this now? I just chatted with my little sis. She ordered, like many across the country, online. The day they call Black Monday, the busiest online shopping day of the year, is the siren call for thieves, malcontents and inconsiderate neanderthals to take advantage and ruin hard working peoples' holidays. Remember The Grinch? Her packages were witnessed by a neighbor as being delivered. However a few hours later, when she got home from work, they were all GONE! So, Beware. Track your packages if you can and be aware when they might be delivered. Have a neighbor get them for you if you are able. Before the Grinches of the season steal your bought treasures. Unlike the Grinch, these slime of society do Not 'see the reason for the season' and will not ever give them back. I had to mention this.

Cable Wires and a Book Contest

Hey, Long time no update, yes?

Well, I had the cable tech come by again and Lo! after almost crying in frustration..almost..my eyes got misty but I stayed in the shadows of the stairwell...he exhausted his expertise, he called three other techs for input and I believe he has determined the culprit. The final determination?

THE PROBLEM IS NOT INSIDE MY HOUSE.

He donned his little white hardhat and slogged off into the rain to climb the pole.
Turns out that the readings on the main line are 12 but my house is only getting 6 when it gets to the outside box but when it gets to my modem, it's anyone's guess what I am actually getting.

He said that all the Wires/Cables from the Main pole, the sub-pole and from the subpole to my house need to be replaced but with a THICKER cable.

Wouldn't it be great if that truly fixed all my problems?

He said he was going to paint the other guy red cuz he too went up the pole the last time but never noticed the extreme drop in signal and he should have. Oooooh, the senior tech is going to razz the under tech. Tee Hee.

But seriously. Almost three weeks of having intermittant internet, this last one being 48 hours without is driving me nuts! Thank goodness they did credit my account today. I called and I saved $9.00. It's better than nothing.

By next week, I should have the full 12 signal. I hope, hope, hope that it fixes it!
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On an upbeat note...a good friend, a wonderful author and a very sweet and generous person is having a contest you really need to know about if you are a romance reader.

Her first romance book in print! You can Hold it! You can smell the ink on the pages! You can drool over the hunky guy on the cover!

Available from Samhain Publishing

"One Love For Liv" (available in eBook or in Print)

Olivia "Liv" Leigh, wealthy socialite and spa owner, suspects her fiancé of cheating on her, so she takes drastic steps to discover whether appearances are deceiving. And if those steps require a bit of stalking, a change of appearance, a hippo-sized dog named Spike, and sacrificing her manicure to clean house for a sexy but sloppy man whose neighbor is determined to break several of the strangest Guinness Book of World Records, why should that be a problem?

Mike, a happily single auto mechanic, is more than content sharing his bachelor pad with piles of laundry, dirty dishes, and a sneaky ferret. But when a half-crazed woman in a bad wig shows up on his doorstep, what's a nice guy to do? Why, invite her in, unknowingly help her in her search for the truth and, in the process, fall head over heels for a woman who's never been less his type.

Doesnt' this sound AWESOME????

Here is the link to the rest of the page.

ONE LOVE FOR LIV

Check it out or better yet join in on the contest so you could win her book. I've read her stories before and she's never let me down. If you want upbeat and happy, then Marianne Arkins delivers.

Internet Yo-Yo

It did it again.
I was down.
I give up.
The cable rots. Should Verizon get off it's butt and install those fiber optics in my country county, I'll be switching from cable internet to DSL so fast! At work, they have DSL and it has NEVER gone down in the 2 years I've been there.

Be that as it may, I have some pics to share from when we went to Santa's Land. It's probably for the last time as my youngest is giving hints that Santa is really us. They grow so fast!

Anyway...here are some interesting pet tricks: I think this is Claude. I learned AFTER I took the picture that when llama's ears are laid back...be prepared to be spit upon and they can spit up to 15 feet! I was REALLY lucky he never let loose!

This next photograph is one of the original figurines from it's grand opening back in the 1950's. It's the Purple Plum Man.
Not very originally named is it? LOL...he was missing last year. He finally did a 'humpy dumpty' and fell off his ... caldron? Anyway, his historical ambiance is important to the history of Santa's Land so they repaired him. He sort of gives me nightmares....

This next is me being my wierd and irreverant self. You never DO know what you are going to see or read about on my blog, do you? Ha. My question. What animal does THIS come from????



They have a 1500 pound dromedary who is a year 'round resident. Amazing to see an animal that I'm more accustomed to seeing in the desert. I bet you didn't know that camels get Air Mail, did you? **chortle**



I'm also sharing a short video of these really cute and fluffy chickens. I don't know the breed but they are so CUTE!


I guess that's the update for now.
Hope your weekend is going well.
I hope to update my blog a bit more regularly, internet willing.
Take care!

My computer is on the Fritz again

I know I'm not blogging like I used to. Lately, my internet is acting like a yo-yo.
I'm on and then without warning, it can't log on. I've had my tower checked for viruses..and I did need a new modem but that not solving it.

The tech's are getting frustrated and so am I.
So, I will pop in when I can.

I discovered a new song that I really like. This is a bit of hard rock but the video is first class. Man has found reasons and has been willing to go to war for thousands of years. This song illustrates that in a very vibrant way.

This is a brand new release...what do you think?

I tried to imbed the HTML code but it's not working... So check out the URL.
If you dare...

INDESTRUCTIBLE

Now that you've watched it, I ask:

So, what are they saying? That man won't ever stop waging war? It's unavoidable?
And now women are doing their share.
What is the world coming to?
At least the music is good.