Why is it that cable companies are incapable of providing decent service?

For the past week I have watched as my expensive cable television service offered by RCN/Starpower has degraded to the point where I can no longer watch my local channels. Numerous requests for service have failed to fix the problem. A technician was dispatched on Saturday, forcing me to wait home all day for him to show up, but apparently he didn’t think it was necessary to come up to the apartment and check to see if his efforts actually fixed my cable.

This is an insane amount of time to waste on fixing a television reception problem.

I’m not what you would consider a “couch potato,” or a TV junkie. All I want is my local channels and the 24-hour news networks. I watch a total of five television shows on a regular basis -- Buffy, Angel, Miracles, 24 and Alias -- plus news, a lot of news. If I was able to get these shows with an antenna, then I would dispense with this cable business altogether.

Being infinitely tougher than I am, Pantaliamon called to complain yesterday, getting us a credit for each day we’ve gone without service. If only she was tough enough to get them to fix the problem, but I fear no one is capable of that.

Ah, well. It’s not like it’s really that big of a deal, but it’s irritating.


After a series of marathon Photoshop sessions last week at work, my hands have begun doing peculiar things. Fingers going numb, wrists popping painfully with every motion. I’m terrified of what will happen if I have a repetitive stress injury -- my whole livelihood is dependent on my ability to type. Maybe that’s why I obsess over my cable television reception, ignoring the real problems. It’s impossible to conceive of what I’d do for a living if I didn’t have the use of my hands.

I wouldn’t even be able to write. Now there’s a scary thought.