We signed up for AT&T Uverse service including voice telephone, internet and television service and scheduled an appointment for installation on July 6, 2012 at 9:00 a.m. At that time a technician who identified himself as Pete came to our home. Pete was there for 8 hours during which he disconnected our Comcast service and installed telephone, internet and television service. When he left at about 5:00 the television and internet was working well. He told us that he had done everything he could from our end to install the new telephone service and that AT&T was working on their end to connect our service. Pete's instructions were to install telephone service and he did everything he could at our house and contacted AT&T to complete activation of the service. He said he expected AT&T to finish connecting our telephone service in an hour or two. Our Comcast telephone service was disconnected.
When we had no telephone service on the morning of July 7, I called AT&T technical support. I was referred a couple of times and ended up talking with Heather for about 50 minutes. Heather told me that the order form said we had not ordered telephone service. The "notes" said we had ordered telephone service, but the order form was different.
We definitely ordered AT&T telephone service as part of the Uverse package. If we had not ordered AT&T telephone it would have been a major mistake for the technician to disconnect our Comcast service leaving us with no phone service at all.
Heather said that the order would be corrected and that she could have telephone service installed on July 12. This would mean that we would have no phone service for a week. I said that this was not acceptable and asked if they could reinstall the Comcast service which they disconnected on July 6. She that could not be done.
It is entirely unacceptable that AT&T came to my home on July 6 and disconnected my phone service and will provide no service for any period of time.
I spent four hours on 7/7/2012 either on hold for AT&T or talking with representatives. The bottom line is that they screwed up the order and are unable to give us phone service until (allegedly) 7/12. We will be without phone service for a week.
Based on this experience I would recommend that everyone avoid signing up for AT&T Uverse. The service we received in this connection would have to improve dramatically to qualify as incompetent.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Scottish Precepts
Attitudes and behaviors I identify as being from a scottish background. I don't necessarily agree with these precepts, but was exposed to them.
Gi' Awwwwn Wi' it!
My father and his brothers used to make fun of their father by repeating his most characteristic quote: "Gi' Awwwwn Wi' it!" I used to think this was funny because the impatience and irritability which the line represented described all of them as well. Now, I see the same impatience and irritability in myself.
Don't dither. Make a start. If the jobs worth doing, its worth getting it done. Nobody ever goes about things quickly or directly enough. Get on with it.
Do for yourself.
Having a servant is evidence of bad character. Being dependant on a servant is evidence of defective intellect.
A responsible person has the ability to take care of his or her own needs. This applies in domestic situations. A source of contempt and derision was the poor man who has lost his wife and finds that he can not feed or clothe himself or keep house. Notions that certain tasks are women's work is from some other culture. A real man has the ability to do for himself.
The Irish cousins are fine celtic folk, but the Irishman goes from being taken care of by his mother to being taken care of by his wife, and dies a little boy.
Don't be a ninnie -fear.
I'm not sure what a ninnie is, but I know a ninnie does. Among the things that a ninnie does is permit himself to be ruled by fear. Fear serves no useful purpose and deserves no respect. When I heard the phrase, "Feel the fear and do it anyway," it didn't seem a matter worth comment. What else are you going to do?
Don't be a ninnie - obstacles.
Another thing a ninnie does is stay home when it rains. If you have something to do, do it. The person who looks for reasons something can't be done always finds them. If you look at the rocks, you'll ever make a start.
It's always something. We live in a world of adverse weather, bad roads, steep hills, floods, heavy stuff, traffic, bad intentioned people and innumerable hazards and obstacles. We still need to get stuff done and we just need to make a start and to cross the river when we get there.
Secret of Getting Things Done
Start. Don't stop.
Gi' Awwwwn Wi' it!
My father and his brothers used to make fun of their father by repeating his most characteristic quote: "Gi' Awwwwn Wi' it!" I used to think this was funny because the impatience and irritability which the line represented described all of them as well. Now, I see the same impatience and irritability in myself.
Don't dither. Make a start. If the jobs worth doing, its worth getting it done. Nobody ever goes about things quickly or directly enough. Get on with it.
Do for yourself.
Having a servant is evidence of bad character. Being dependant on a servant is evidence of defective intellect.
A responsible person has the ability to take care of his or her own needs. This applies in domestic situations. A source of contempt and derision was the poor man who has lost his wife and finds that he can not feed or clothe himself or keep house. Notions that certain tasks are women's work is from some other culture. A real man has the ability to do for himself.
The Irish cousins are fine celtic folk, but the Irishman goes from being taken care of by his mother to being taken care of by his wife, and dies a little boy.
Don't be a ninnie -fear.
I'm not sure what a ninnie is, but I know a ninnie does. Among the things that a ninnie does is permit himself to be ruled by fear. Fear serves no useful purpose and deserves no respect. When I heard the phrase, "Feel the fear and do it anyway," it didn't seem a matter worth comment. What else are you going to do?
Don't be a ninnie - obstacles.
Another thing a ninnie does is stay home when it rains. If you have something to do, do it. The person who looks for reasons something can't be done always finds them. If you look at the rocks, you'll ever make a start.
It's always something. We live in a world of adverse weather, bad roads, steep hills, floods, heavy stuff, traffic, bad intentioned people and innumerable hazards and obstacles. We still need to get stuff done and we just need to make a start and to cross the river when we get there.
Secret of Getting Things Done
Start. Don't stop.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Obituaries
The last thing I read in the newspaper is the obituaries. The rest of the paper seems to consist of an unrelieved chronicle of violence, avarice, deceit and aggressive stupidity. The obituaries are a series of stories about decent people leading ordinary lives well. They never commit crimes, steal, lie, hate whole classes of people who are slightly different from themselves or act dishonorably. The only sad thing is that all the people in the newspaper who are good are dead.
So, I have started my own:
H--, Walter K. "Walter"
Walter H-- died recently after cravenly surrendering to some damn thing that killed him. He was known to his family and few friends as "Walter" because that was his name. Walter was born Nov. 15, 1944 in Flint, Michigan. Because he was a Former Flint Youth expectations for him were low enough that he could attain them without much hard work.
Walter survived his parents, Miles and Helen H--, who would have been very old by now if they were still alive. He was also preceded in death by his sister, Kay, and billions of other people. He is survived by his wife, Nancy, who put up with him for a very, very long time and two children, Deirdre of Washington, D.C. and Mark of San Francisco, CA, in whom he was very well pleased.
Completing first grade at Dort Elementary School in Flint in 1950, Walter developed a lifelong love of learning and hatred of authority. He was well known for his world class sales resistance and passion for sarcasm. He loved mankind but didn't much like people. He wanted to live long enough to see the Detroit Lions win the Super Bowl, but was deterred by the anticipated ravages of extreme old age. He harbored a lifelong belief that he could have done well on Jeopardy.
Some kind of memorial service will be held if there are enough people interested. In lieu of flowers or candy or whatever please make donations to one of the many worthy charities he was too cheap to donate to during his lifetime.
So, I have started my own:
H--, Walter K. "Walter"
Walter H-- died recently after cravenly surrendering to some damn thing that killed him. He was known to his family and few friends as "Walter" because that was his name. Walter was born Nov. 15, 1944 in Flint, Michigan. Because he was a Former Flint Youth expectations for him were low enough that he could attain them without much hard work.
Walter survived his parents, Miles and Helen H--, who would have been very old by now if they were still alive. He was also preceded in death by his sister, Kay, and billions of other people. He is survived by his wife, Nancy, who put up with him for a very, very long time and two children, Deirdre of Washington, D.C. and Mark of San Francisco, CA, in whom he was very well pleased.
Completing first grade at Dort Elementary School in Flint in 1950, Walter developed a lifelong love of learning and hatred of authority. He was well known for his world class sales resistance and passion for sarcasm. He loved mankind but didn't much like people. He wanted to live long enough to see the Detroit Lions win the Super Bowl, but was deterred by the anticipated ravages of extreme old age. He harbored a lifelong belief that he could have done well on Jeopardy.
Some kind of memorial service will be held if there are enough people interested. In lieu of flowers or candy or whatever please make donations to one of the many worthy charities he was too cheap to donate to during his lifetime.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Flash Crash
I was just reading about what they call mini-flash-crashes in the stock market. Some random action triggers an unexpected response from a stock trading algorithm. Thousands of stock trading computers operating at the speed of light simultaneously execute huge orders to sell the stock of some big corporation at any price. The company's market capitalization disappears in seconds. For a couple of minutes, before the circuit breakers kick in, a fifth grader could buy the whole company with his allowance. Now, there's an idea for a movie.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Relationships
Relationships.
1. Be yourself.
2. Be honest.
3. If (s)he doesn't love you the way you are (s)he doesn't love you.
4. Nobody changes.
5. Keep showing up.
6. Support your partner's self esteem
Comments:
1. Be yourself.
This is very common advise and very obvious. It is also incredibly important and rarely followed. I don't suppose that anyone gets into a relationship with the intention of projecting a false image as a basic part of the arrangement. I think that people procrastinate. They start off putting their best foot forward and just keep putting off dropping the mask. Maximum disclosure of one's own true self very early in the relationship is critical. It is much more difficult to let the other person in when things have been going on for a while. It is also important to be ruthless about never ever yielding to the temptation to paper over a personal problem or conceal a defect of character.
One good reason to be very open, disclosing and honest with the other is the effect it has on oneself. Two of the most important reasons for being in intimate relationships are acceptance and affirmation. If I am hiding from my loved one I can not enjoy being accepted and affirmed for myself because I am not sharing myself. The message I am giving to myself is that I can not be loved as and for myself. This undermines my self esteem and makes it all the more difficult to be disclosing tomorrow. Actually, there is something to love and like in everyone and someone who will find anyone lovable. I don't need to put on an act.
Another good reason to be oneself in relationships is to get rid of people who really can not accept me. If a person does not like me that says more about them than about me. I need to know as soon as possible and certainly before I have gotten myself in over my head. It hurts more to be abandoned after a long relationship than after a short one. It hurts even more to cling to a relationship by hiding one's true self.
The best reason to be oneself in a relationship is that it is a prerequisite to intimacy and intimacy is what it is all about. The best part is coming to know the loved one and being known oneself. That is what all the fuss is about.
Being oneself is not easy. It is easy to slide into protecting oneself and trying to manage impressions even in a long term relationship. The key is to be absolutely ruthless about it.
2. Be honest.
I mean this to be a little different than being oneself. Basically I mean to avoid deception, secrets and trying to control the other through information management. It is also tricky since literal, constant reporting of everything and totally factual responses to every question can be foolish and unkind. If I happen to notice that her nose is too big, no purpose is served by my blurting that out. With some people and in perfectly wonderful relationships, questions about one's sexual history might not call for totally accurate recall. I like to use language from the A.A. ninth step, "except when to do so would be harmful to them or others." On the other hand a long term deception on a major issue is lethal. Why stay in a relationship with someone you need to lie to? When in doubt it is usually a good idea to tell the plain, unvarnished truth.
3. If (s)he doesn't love you the way you are (s)he doesn't love you.
Everyone is lovable to someone. From mother's love of a newborn to someone's passion for a serial killer on death row there is someone out there who can and will love you just as you are. For all the pain and nuisance which exists in the fact that we have to relate to other human beings one saving grace is that the supply is virtually unlimited. As much as it may be difficult to believe sometimes, potential lovers are not in short supply and we do not have to settle for someone who doesn't really like us. People do it all the time.
No matter who we are or what we are like there are some people who will find us lovable and some who will not (and a bunch more who can't love anybody). Being loved has nothing to do with some abstract quality of being lovable in the absolute. Somebody loved Henry Lee Lucas, a stupid, vicious, unsanitary, serial killer. Some people can't stand Mother Theresa. Love isn't something you deserve, earn or achieve. It is a quality of a relationship which has to do with the needs and personalities of the participants. One's potential lovers are as human, fallible and irrational as oneself and as stubborn, self- destructive and confused. All of which leads to the conclusion that we can not "get" someone to love us no matter how hard we try.
It is a total waste of time and effort to twist ourselves into pretzels trying to become "good enough" or bad enough or whatever someone seems to want us to be. It won't help and it hurts us. The worst thing that can happen is that we deceive a potential lover into believing we are something other than we in fact are. What good is that? We want to be loved, but have nothing if all we have achieved it to get someone to love a false facade. It probably isn't possible anyway.
After a certain period of cautious self disclosure the dye is cast. He or she either loves us or does not and there is nothing we can do about it. If (s)he does love us we have the difficult task of being in a love relationship. If not we need to cut our losses and become available for another effort. On no account do we abandon ourselves in an effort to be what we are not.
4. Nobody changes.
This is the other side of the last rule and a guide for behavior, not a fact. People do change, sometimes profoundly. They do not change to meet the specifications of a lover and pressure to change is usually counter-productive. One of the most common and most self destructive mistakes that one can make in a relationship is to "keep wishing and hoping he'll change." Clear evidence of such a relationship is the presence of "fonlys" and "I wishes." The worst are the fonlys as in "Fonly, he'd stop drinking." Relating to someone based on that someone being different than he or she is now is a sure prescription for misery and futility. Always assume that the other will never change. Chose someone whom you can accept now, completely and exactly as is.
5. Keep showing up.
"90% of success is showing up." This wisdom was, perhaps, first articulated by Woody Allen and the depth and significance of it is beyond measure. In any situation it is very difficult to predict what is going to happen but one thing is certain, if you don't show up you won't be there when it happens. In relationships this is about courage, respect and persistence. We are often asked to do frightening things and things we have never done before and things we have done before with painful results. Most of the time we need to do them and the biggest part of doing them is making oneself physically present. In a relationship almost everything is forgivable except failing to show up. In the endless daily conflicts between the desire to avoid the difficult and scary and the need to participate in life we need a guidepost and a tool. For me it is the simple motto that 90% of everything is showing up. It is the difference between avoiding life and embracing life.
Practical examples of showing up:
Meeting someone's parents
Inviting a conversation when she is in a bad mood
Keeping a social engagement when tired
Apologizing after a fight
Explaining why I won't apologize
Listening to something I don't want to hear
Medical or dental treatment
Balancing a checkbook
It is impossible to predict or imagine the circumstances when showing up will be necessary and important. When in doubt or indecision think of the solution as "showing up" and there is a good chance you will know what that will be. If you really want to be a success and a hero show up on time.
6. Support your partner's self esteem.
We want to support our partners self esteem not because they will like it but because we will like being in a relationship with a person with healthy self esteem. An intimate relationship is an aspect of life in which our self esteem can be supported and improved or steadily ground down. An amazing number of people seem to feel that a steady diet of criticism and negativity will improve their partner. This probably becomes a habit when all we are doing is trying to help the other become a better person. Trust me on this; if you want to help your loved one become a better person the tools to use are positive reinforcement and support.
This is hard and this is rare. The rewards are enormous, especially for the relationship. The temptation to criticize, to respond to negativity with negativity and to try to cut our partner down to size is almost impossible to resist. To the extent we are able to resist this temptation we are the winner. Every nasty crack and critical gesture drains the relationship; every supportive comment and appreciative response strengthens it. We want and need the relationship to be a place our partner comes for support, never a place to avoid for fear of feeling diminished.
People who feel good about themselves are a joy to spend time with. Beaten down, defeated people are a burden to be around. People who feel loved, appreciated and approved have a much easier time giving of themselves and making themselves available to others. People who feel inferior tend to conceal themselves and behave defensively.
We often underestimate our power in our relationships. On a day to day basis we can set a tone of criticism and negativity almost unconsciously and this wears away at our partner in ways we very much do not want to happen. If we make the effort to be positive and supportive, that too can become a habit and we will reap the rewards. In many ways this is the harder way. But it is worth it.
1. Be yourself.
2. Be honest.
3. If (s)he doesn't love you the way you are (s)he doesn't love you.
4. Nobody changes.
5. Keep showing up.
6. Support your partner's self esteem
Comments:
1. Be yourself.
This is very common advise and very obvious. It is also incredibly important and rarely followed. I don't suppose that anyone gets into a relationship with the intention of projecting a false image as a basic part of the arrangement. I think that people procrastinate. They start off putting their best foot forward and just keep putting off dropping the mask. Maximum disclosure of one's own true self very early in the relationship is critical. It is much more difficult to let the other person in when things have been going on for a while. It is also important to be ruthless about never ever yielding to the temptation to paper over a personal problem or conceal a defect of character.
One good reason to be very open, disclosing and honest with the other is the effect it has on oneself. Two of the most important reasons for being in intimate relationships are acceptance and affirmation. If I am hiding from my loved one I can not enjoy being accepted and affirmed for myself because I am not sharing myself. The message I am giving to myself is that I can not be loved as and for myself. This undermines my self esteem and makes it all the more difficult to be disclosing tomorrow. Actually, there is something to love and like in everyone and someone who will find anyone lovable. I don't need to put on an act.
Another good reason to be oneself in relationships is to get rid of people who really can not accept me. If a person does not like me that says more about them than about me. I need to know as soon as possible and certainly before I have gotten myself in over my head. It hurts more to be abandoned after a long relationship than after a short one. It hurts even more to cling to a relationship by hiding one's true self.
The best reason to be oneself in a relationship is that it is a prerequisite to intimacy and intimacy is what it is all about. The best part is coming to know the loved one and being known oneself. That is what all the fuss is about.
Being oneself is not easy. It is easy to slide into protecting oneself and trying to manage impressions even in a long term relationship. The key is to be absolutely ruthless about it.
2. Be honest.
I mean this to be a little different than being oneself. Basically I mean to avoid deception, secrets and trying to control the other through information management. It is also tricky since literal, constant reporting of everything and totally factual responses to every question can be foolish and unkind. If I happen to notice that her nose is too big, no purpose is served by my blurting that out. With some people and in perfectly wonderful relationships, questions about one's sexual history might not call for totally accurate recall. I like to use language from the A.A. ninth step, "except when to do so would be harmful to them or others." On the other hand a long term deception on a major issue is lethal. Why stay in a relationship with someone you need to lie to? When in doubt it is usually a good idea to tell the plain, unvarnished truth.
3. If (s)he doesn't love you the way you are (s)he doesn't love you.
Everyone is lovable to someone. From mother's love of a newborn to someone's passion for a serial killer on death row there is someone out there who can and will love you just as you are. For all the pain and nuisance which exists in the fact that we have to relate to other human beings one saving grace is that the supply is virtually unlimited. As much as it may be difficult to believe sometimes, potential lovers are not in short supply and we do not have to settle for someone who doesn't really like us. People do it all the time.
No matter who we are or what we are like there are some people who will find us lovable and some who will not (and a bunch more who can't love anybody). Being loved has nothing to do with some abstract quality of being lovable in the absolute. Somebody loved Henry Lee Lucas, a stupid, vicious, unsanitary, serial killer. Some people can't stand Mother Theresa. Love isn't something you deserve, earn or achieve. It is a quality of a relationship which has to do with the needs and personalities of the participants. One's potential lovers are as human, fallible and irrational as oneself and as stubborn, self- destructive and confused. All of which leads to the conclusion that we can not "get" someone to love us no matter how hard we try.
It is a total waste of time and effort to twist ourselves into pretzels trying to become "good enough" or bad enough or whatever someone seems to want us to be. It won't help and it hurts us. The worst thing that can happen is that we deceive a potential lover into believing we are something other than we in fact are. What good is that? We want to be loved, but have nothing if all we have achieved it to get someone to love a false facade. It probably isn't possible anyway.
After a certain period of cautious self disclosure the dye is cast. He or she either loves us or does not and there is nothing we can do about it. If (s)he does love us we have the difficult task of being in a love relationship. If not we need to cut our losses and become available for another effort. On no account do we abandon ourselves in an effort to be what we are not.
4. Nobody changes.
This is the other side of the last rule and a guide for behavior, not a fact. People do change, sometimes profoundly. They do not change to meet the specifications of a lover and pressure to change is usually counter-productive. One of the most common and most self destructive mistakes that one can make in a relationship is to "keep wishing and hoping he'll change." Clear evidence of such a relationship is the presence of "fonlys" and "I wishes." The worst are the fonlys as in "Fonly, he'd stop drinking." Relating to someone based on that someone being different than he or she is now is a sure prescription for misery and futility. Always assume that the other will never change. Chose someone whom you can accept now, completely and exactly as is.
5. Keep showing up.
"90% of success is showing up." This wisdom was, perhaps, first articulated by Woody Allen and the depth and significance of it is beyond measure. In any situation it is very difficult to predict what is going to happen but one thing is certain, if you don't show up you won't be there when it happens. In relationships this is about courage, respect and persistence. We are often asked to do frightening things and things we have never done before and things we have done before with painful results. Most of the time we need to do them and the biggest part of doing them is making oneself physically present. In a relationship almost everything is forgivable except failing to show up. In the endless daily conflicts between the desire to avoid the difficult and scary and the need to participate in life we need a guidepost and a tool. For me it is the simple motto that 90% of everything is showing up. It is the difference between avoiding life and embracing life.
Practical examples of showing up:
Meeting someone's parents
Inviting a conversation when she is in a bad mood
Keeping a social engagement when tired
Apologizing after a fight
Explaining why I won't apologize
Listening to something I don't want to hear
Medical or dental treatment
Balancing a checkbook
It is impossible to predict or imagine the circumstances when showing up will be necessary and important. When in doubt or indecision think of the solution as "showing up" and there is a good chance you will know what that will be. If you really want to be a success and a hero show up on time.
6. Support your partner's self esteem.
We want to support our partners self esteem not because they will like it but because we will like being in a relationship with a person with healthy self esteem. An intimate relationship is an aspect of life in which our self esteem can be supported and improved or steadily ground down. An amazing number of people seem to feel that a steady diet of criticism and negativity will improve their partner. This probably becomes a habit when all we are doing is trying to help the other become a better person. Trust me on this; if you want to help your loved one become a better person the tools to use are positive reinforcement and support.
This is hard and this is rare. The rewards are enormous, especially for the relationship. The temptation to criticize, to respond to negativity with negativity and to try to cut our partner down to size is almost impossible to resist. To the extent we are able to resist this temptation we are the winner. Every nasty crack and critical gesture drains the relationship; every supportive comment and appreciative response strengthens it. We want and need the relationship to be a place our partner comes for support, never a place to avoid for fear of feeling diminished.
People who feel good about themselves are a joy to spend time with. Beaten down, defeated people are a burden to be around. People who feel loved, appreciated and approved have a much easier time giving of themselves and making themselves available to others. People who feel inferior tend to conceal themselves and behave defensively.
We often underestimate our power in our relationships. On a day to day basis we can set a tone of criticism and negativity almost unconsciously and this wears away at our partner in ways we very much do not want to happen. If we make the effort to be positive and supportive, that too can become a habit and we will reap the rewards. In many ways this is the harder way. But it is worth it.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
TV Review - The Glades
It's time for Walter's kiss of death television review. Year after year I find a TV series which I really like and it disappears as if weighted with concrete and thrown into the ocean. My taste clearly runs counter to the vast TV audience which, come to think of it, is the story of my life. Past doomed favs include Hack, The Others, Moonlight and about one series per year which no one will remember.
This years "winner" is The Glades. As far as I am concerned A&E has captured lightening in a bottle. It is, I guess, a police procedural set in south Florida. But, all comparisons to CSI Miami or any other cop shows set in beautiful places end there. First, the cast in excellent and perfect for the tone and flavor of the show. Matt Passmore is a natural as a laid back displaced detective with hidden depths. Kiele Sanchez is his love interest and both the woman and the complex relationship are perfect. Passmore and Sanchez are two of the most attractive people in acting playing two of the most attractive characters to surface in a long time. By attractive I don't mean pretty in a movie or TV sense, I mean people you like, would like to know and can't help but care about.
The scripts are consistently intelligent and funny. The humor is not "jokes" or "sitcom situations." The humor grows naturally out of the characters and the action. The location is wonderful. It is not a beautiful vacation spot inhabited by privileged people. It is a regular place inhabited by real seeming people; more blue collar than classy. Still, you can accept and believe that Jim and Callie can find a spanish treasure buried in a mangrove swamp. And the best thing about the treasure is not the riches or beauty, but Callie's epiphany about her relationship with Jim.
The characters seem like real people showing up for real jobs. But if your loved one was murdered you'd want Jim Longworth on the case and if your loved one was only injured you'd want nurse Callie Cargill taking care of her. Even the kid is real and someone you'd like to know.
So, big cheers for The Glades. Sorry guys.
This years "winner" is The Glades. As far as I am concerned A&E has captured lightening in a bottle. It is, I guess, a police procedural set in south Florida. But, all comparisons to CSI Miami or any other cop shows set in beautiful places end there. First, the cast in excellent and perfect for the tone and flavor of the show. Matt Passmore is a natural as a laid back displaced detective with hidden depths. Kiele Sanchez is his love interest and both the woman and the complex relationship are perfect. Passmore and Sanchez are two of the most attractive people in acting playing two of the most attractive characters to surface in a long time. By attractive I don't mean pretty in a movie or TV sense, I mean people you like, would like to know and can't help but care about.
The scripts are consistently intelligent and funny. The humor is not "jokes" or "sitcom situations." The humor grows naturally out of the characters and the action. The location is wonderful. It is not a beautiful vacation spot inhabited by privileged people. It is a regular place inhabited by real seeming people; more blue collar than classy. Still, you can accept and believe that Jim and Callie can find a spanish treasure buried in a mangrove swamp. And the best thing about the treasure is not the riches or beauty, but Callie's epiphany about her relationship with Jim.
The characters seem like real people showing up for real jobs. But if your loved one was murdered you'd want Jim Longworth on the case and if your loved one was only injured you'd want nurse Callie Cargill taking care of her. Even the kid is real and someone you'd like to know.
So, big cheers for The Glades. Sorry guys.
Weather Inflation
Weather inflation has reached tornadoes. Not long ago a TORNADO WARNING meant that an actual tornado had been sighted, run for the basement. Now it only means that conditions are right for a tornado to develop, which is most of the time in the summer in the Great Lakes region. What this means is that everyone is going to learn that a Tornado Warning doesn't mean squat and will start ignoring them. I've been in two tornadoes in my life and they are about as serious as weather gets, they will kill you. This chicken little school of weather forecasting desensitizes people which is a real shame.
We also now have something called a WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY. The TV and radio will tell you that a WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect from 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday until... You would expect a WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY to remain in effect until Spring. But no... The WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY expires on Wednesday. Does this mean that we won't have winter weather any more after one day? I've taken to issuing my own advisories. WALTER'S WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY will go into effect on Noon of December 1 and remain in effect until Spring. Be advised. Listeners are advised to man up or move to a warmer climate.
I've been driving in winter for 50 years now and the same thing happens every year. All the people who got used to driving in snow and ice last year moved out and everyone out there during the first showfall every year is seeing snow for the first time. Come on folks, it happens every year (so far, at least). Scrape your windows and proceed to your destinations.
Why tornadoes are better than hurricanes
No evacuations (not enough notice and too unpredictable)
Damage is localized. Can usually walk out of the affected zone in ½ hour
No point in boarding up house
No such thing as a tornado preparedness kit
Covered by homeowner's insurance
Time from warning to it's over is so short it can usually be covered between commercials
You don't get really scared until you hear it and by then its too late.
Suggestions welcome.
We also now have something called a WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY. The TV and radio will tell you that a WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect from 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday until... You would expect a WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY to remain in effect until Spring. But no... The WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY expires on Wednesday. Does this mean that we won't have winter weather any more after one day? I've taken to issuing my own advisories. WALTER'S WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY will go into effect on Noon of December 1 and remain in effect until Spring. Be advised. Listeners are advised to man up or move to a warmer climate.
I've been driving in winter for 50 years now and the same thing happens every year. All the people who got used to driving in snow and ice last year moved out and everyone out there during the first showfall every year is seeing snow for the first time. Come on folks, it happens every year (so far, at least). Scrape your windows and proceed to your destinations.
Why tornadoes are better than hurricanes
No evacuations (not enough notice and too unpredictable)
Damage is localized. Can usually walk out of the affected zone in ½ hour
No point in boarding up house
No such thing as a tornado preparedness kit
Covered by homeowner's insurance
Time from warning to it's over is so short it can usually be covered between commercials
You don't get really scared until you hear it and by then its too late.
Suggestions welcome.
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