In Search of Something Good – with Detours
After Fred’s post (below – don’t miss it), I thought we needed a lighter post, so here it is. It’s just a little rant about sorry telephone service coupled with a bit of a small hint of advise at the end.. Suffer through the bitch and try the suggestions.
I find that my sweetie and I are learning that the older we get, the less we eat out. In fact, we find we are eating less in general – although we insure a proper – fresh if possible – meal. I find I am enjoying cooking more too – surprise!
I also made our TV service (DTV) shrink except for the local channels that include PBS (My sweetie has a thing for Masterpiece Theater!).
Next I will drop the subscription to the Orlando Sentinel (our regional paper) because it is 95% worthless, leaving only our local rag to clutter the driveway in the mornings. Truly neither one is worth subscribing to as they are slowly turning into a “penny saver” publication with 20 times as many ad inches as “news”. (As a note: NONE of the news items linked in Fred’s article showed up on National News (at least that I saw and in neither of our “newspapers”!)
Our local paper is now filling up with syndicated articles about breaking ice dams on your roof, frost heaves and proper winter maintenance of your vehicles. All of these articles are spot on in relevance for us here in Central Florida.
Again, their efforts to “one fits all” falls flat on its’ ass.
Then I’ll investigate a nice bi-directional amplified TV antenna that will allow me to drop cable/satellite altogether.
I think we’re entering a “draw-down” stage of life (not socially – although our circle of friends is slowing dying off), and damn, I’m sick of saturated instant communication where one feels that everyone else is trying to get your attention 24 hours a day. (Or trying to force you to do it to them!). Annette uses Facebook because our offspring do. I don’t bother unless she filters my input for me. My “post rate” is as close to zero as measurable.
If I didn’t rely on landline for DSL access to the Net, I’d go to a flat rate family cell phone and block all incoming calls except from family. We get an average of 6-8 “no caller ID” auto-dialed crap calls a day and have taken to just ignoring them. That is in spite of signing up for both State and Federal “No Call” lists which are ignored completely by telemarketers anyhow. Besides the Federal “no call lists” seem only to apply to cell phones and anyone who knows your landline number thinks you’re fair game for whatever scam they are trying to pawn off.
The telephone company gives you a “*#77” option to reject unknown callers that we pay for that doesn’t work for shit – and when you use it, it turns itself off after 24 hours and you have to do it again the next day and the next day and the next day etc. ad nausea. When I enquire as to why it doesn’t work even though we’re paying for it, all I get is a grand attempt to baffle me with bullshit (I don’t baffle very well and the conversations usually end poorly!).
This includes a statement by the telephone Rep. that as soon as they try to block calls with “unknown caller” on it, the marketers just figure out a way to get around it. Horse-pucky. I ask again why I pay for a feature that doesn’t work and get, “It’s part of the package.”
Now to the nice part.
One thing I have noticed over the past number of years is that when shopping or out doing something, if you take the time to be pleasant – a smile – a “good morning”, waving a car across in front of you in a parking lot – or such, you’ll get such startling responses of waves and smiles and thumbs up that is quite remarkable – just like in the days gone by.
Taking the time to help someone of small stature in a store get something off the back of a top shelf will earn a “You made my day!” look. I’ve even taken to (carefully) complement ladies of a certain age when it’s obvious they’ve taken special care with clothes, makeup and hair. I’ve never been disappointed with the response! I even got a “Wait a minute!” from one sweet lady when she fetched her husband from the next aisle and made me repeat in from of him what I had told her!
No one ever takes offense at an honest complement or offer to help in some way. If they do, label them a grump (probably lonely) and try again with someone else. That’ll happen so seldom I can’t remember the last time it happened to me.
Life is an infinitely sized bucket, just full of smiles, jokes, grins, good mornings, great days, hat tips, complements, good stories, offers to help, affection, opportunities to do unto others little things that mean a lot, hauling your neighbor’s empty trash can up from the street – and pick up his/her paper on the way — I could on for an hour but one of the nice things one can do for others is not being a bore!
Listen much and talk little. You will widen your circle of friends quickly that way. People like to talk to someone who is interested in them – as opposed to talking about themselves and if you listen, they respond in remarkable ways when you are truly paying attention to them.
Try it… You’ll like it.
Ol’ Muck
Oh Muck,
What a smiling moment. So thanks.
“Life is an infinitely sized bucket, just full of smiles, jokes, grins, good mornings, great days, hat tips, complements, good stories, offers to help, affection, opportunities to do unto others little things that mean a lot, hauling your neighbor’s empty trash can up from the street – and pick up his/her paper on the way — I could on for an hour but one of the nice things one can do for others is not being a bore!”
It is true in my community. Nearly everyone throws up a hand or a few fingers from the steering wheel grip(unlike the middle finger in most cities) as we pass on the winding roads. I live in a small agrarian community just 18 miles from a small town and it is very friendly overall.
@Muck: “Next I will drop the subscription to the Orlando Sentinel ”
Software developer advice on how to get around newspaper ‘pay walls’.
This only works with newspapers where they allow you ‘X’ views per month, It does not work where you have to log in (like the WSJ).
How it’s done is that they use a cookie to count the articles you access…. However if you use ‘In Private Browsing’ or ‘Incognito Browsing’ your browser will create a temporary working folder – without the cookie. When you close the In Private session – the cookie goes away.
@Muck: Just checked out your newspaper. My advice will work for that paper.
Thanks Muck
The last bit, the stuff mentioned by Suzanna, is good advice.
Cheers
rt
@Dutchman: The content of the OS is nearly worthless, as is my local “newspauper”. Perhaps if they sell out to Gannett they will improve. The on-line content is no better, so why would I want to read that?
MA
I find people much more interesting if they are trying to convince themselves that they are right rather someone else that they are wrong.
Muck ,just don’t smile at big black women. I read where that is now a mico aggression against blacks. Don’t walk in their safe space either. You might get slapped up side your head.
I still prefer anonymous interactions, usually when people see me, they don’t see a guy who has gotten umpteen thumbs up on TBP in less than 4 years, what they see is a short illegal looking dude who probably stole their job.
Anyway, I can relate to being congenial and sharing a joke with folks, it’s that odd sourpuss that drives me nuts, I guess the old proverb that a smile is offensive to an angry man has some truth to it..
Alright, I made it up.
This is the place to start: http://tvfool.com/
Muck, i work the sunny side of the street every day. I’ve never known a person who wasn’t lifted by a simple compliment. And they cost me nothing. Great job (see?)