Is Christmas really a week from tomorrow?

How did that happen? This year has flown, and the time between October 1 and today is just a blur. Fortunately, I'm one of those odd types who gets energized and in the holiday spirit via last-minute shopping, so it's good. Yes, Sophie and I did watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas" last night, and she watched the whole thing and enjoyed it immensely. One would think Snoopy would be her favorite, but she appeared riveted by Lucy. Recognized a kindred spirit, I suppose.

The snow has melted and we are back in the 40s during the day, which feels positively balmy after a few days of freak arctic record-breaking stuff. The prospect of snow on Christmas, or at least on Christmas Eve, is out there in the extended forecast, but we'll see.

The buttons for Grandgirl's cardigan came, and were abjectly disappointing - too small and exceedingly cheap looking for the price paid. Scratch that online source from my list and back to the button search, which will be conveniently blended with the aforementioned undone Christmas shopping.

I also have to wait around for the cable guy late today. I've had an ongoing issue with my cable service - first the picture on the non-HD channels wasn't right - it didn't fill the screen properly. I spent a long time online with one of the tech support people, who instructed me to do this and that without success. I was then told that they'd send someone, but I'd be charged a $35 service fee if it wasn't an equipment problem, and that would be determined by the tech at the time of the visit. I pointed out that the problem had existed since the cable was installed and it was clearly something the tech should have spotted and fixed at the time, and the gal on the phone of course could not agree to that, because she doesn't make the policy. She just has to explain it to angry customers. (Oh, how I miss Bright House - I never got charged a dime for fixing anything that didn't work.) So anyway, I turned down that offer in a snit, and sat on the floor staring at the box (instead of resetting it through the remote as the tech had directed me to do) - and look, here's a button called "format"! Let's see what it does! Yeah, I fixed it that way.

THEN, I had an issue with "extended basic" channels disappearing - I'd change to a channel and get a message that "The channel will appear shortly," or words to that effect, but it never did. Extended basic is where some channels I am very fond of reside, like MSNBC. (I record Rachel Maddow so I can watch intelligent, well researched news in the morning - she's one of the very short list of people that don't make me all stabby.) I have not been able to successfully record her show for a month, and just figured out that it's because the channel is not always there.

Hello, Tech Support? This time we reset the entire box, unplugged it and plugged it back in, and MSNBC was back! Yay! It's fixed! Thank you, Tech Support Guy! So that was yesterday afternoon, and last night I turned to that channel to make sure it was on and recording properly, and...MSNBC was gone again. The channels on either side of it were there, but MSNBC was not. (Conspiracy theorists, have at it.)

Hello, Tech Support! This time, after hearing the story the gal conceded defeat right away and said they will send a tech today and I will not be charged for a service call. She then offered me a "discount" on a movie package as compensation for my trouble. Wait, their idea of compensation is to offer me a chance to pay for more stuff because the stuff I am paying for isn't working right? This is a definition of "compensation" with which I am not familiar, and I said so. I told her I'd rather get a discount on my cable bill for the channels I'm paying for and can't find when I try to watch them, and she of course could say nothing but soothing customer service platitudes in response, because that's not how Charter does things. Arrgh. This is why people hate cable companies.

Once upon a time I used to blog a bit about politics, but gave that up after the Brain Thang, because I am all about keeping myself in a calm, good place now. I do still follow politics, and follow a few bloggers whose perspective I've come to value, but lately I've found I've pulled back from nearly all of it.

I do still pay attention to politics, even if I don't take the time to blog about it, but lately I'm frustrated enough by the pissing and moaning among the progressive voices to put just about everybody in time out for a while. One of the few bloggers I can still read is one of my Internet Imaginary Boyfriends. He often says what I'm thinking, which of course is why he rose to the rank of Imaginary Boyfriend, and he's nailed it here. I'm so sick of the whining, it's making me crazy.

Another thing in time out - Ravelry. Same issue - there's a reason they call the Remnants forum "Remrants" and "Remnangst" - but lately the whining has expanded to just about every topic I read. I still have my Rav account and I still use it for a pattern resource, but the forums are in time out until I have the patience for them. I can only take so much self-righteous indignation and posturing on every freaking topic under the sun, and they've just worn me the hell out. I'm starting on one of my 2011 resolutions early - Avoid Gratuitous Pissing-Off Situations.