Telly Meanderings
Posted Wed, 10/07/15
Over the summer, I found myself in a verbal tug-of-war with Comcast (the cable TV provider at Mum's house). The bill suddenly shot up to $107 per month, so of course I immediately called them. They told me their records showed we had six cable boxes, which cost $9.99 each per month. We don't have six cable boxes (only three), so after much verbal wrangling and threats to take my business elsewhere (such as a dish provider), we arrived at a solution. They adjusted the billing to show only three cable boxes, and for my trouble they threw in several HBO channels for one year at $5 per month. This brought the bill to around $62, where it has remained ever since.
I've had bad experiences with Comcast in three different states (Idaho, Washington and Utah). My late husband Wilbert once used their internet service in Washington and it messed-up his computer almost beyond repair. I still don't understand how they justify such high prices for basic cable. The content is overrun with commercial advertisements rather than actual shows. Why do we have to pay so much to sit and watch TV ads, which I hate with a passion to begin with? At any rate, Mum is not keen to change things so we remain stuck with Comcast for now.
I've come to realize the addition of HBO was no great concession. I can count on one hand the movies and/or series' I've found worth watching. I loved The Theory of Everything (great film with amazing performances), but found American Sniper to be utterly boring (not the real-life subject of the film but rather the movie as a whole). I also enjoyed Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire, and have become a regular viewer of Real Time with Bill Maher. I've never seen Game of Thrones, so I'm looking forward to checking it out soon. HBO also shows oldies but goodies on occasion, such as A Star is Born.
However, my favorite programs don't reside on HBO but rather the local channels. I'm currently engrossed in the PBS/Masterpiece Theater drama Home Fires, and remain a weekly viewer of Law & Order SVU, Criminal Minds, The Blacklist and Mike & Molly.
Sometimes it's just more entertaining to pick up a book and have a good read . . .