Domestic Geek

Have you, dear readers, been noticing the changes occurring in the way we can get our televised entertainment? With so many networks offering their programs up for viewing online and the reasonable prices to buy programs on iTunes, not to mention that you can get movies online, through the mail or at rental kiosks, I strongly suspect that cable and satellite services as we now know them will soon be a thing of the past.

A few months ago, I wrote how Marcus and I downgraded our Dish Network package. The other day we went down to only the most basic package available. For one thing, we rarely watch live television anymore. The programs we do watch are all on local stations except for just a couple (like Mythbusters or the stuff on USA-Monk, The 4400, etc). I've been watching most of my programming online since the networks keep moving stuff around. I watch 24 on DVD from Netflix. We watch The Office through iTunes. Why would one continue to pay a satellite company for multiple useless channels of crap? I don't need a dozen shopping channels and I shouldn't have to have Spanish-language stations that I can't watch. Even stations I used to watch religiously like HGTV or SciFi run the same old tired programs. MTV and VH1 can't even really be considered music television anymore.

Then there are scenarios where the companies shoot themselves in the foot. Take for instance what happened to my father. In an effort to get him to upgrade to a more expensive digital package, they took away his on-screen program guide. Seriously, is this any way to keep your customers happy?

If they're smart, they'll change their practices and offer a more a la cart service. Otherwise, they'll get left in the dust.

Once I'm over my oral surgery, I am getting serious about getting fit. One major problem I have is that I've never been big into calorie counting, so I really have no idea how many calories I'm consuming when I eat. Today I joined a totally free site called MyFitnessPal.com that I am hoping will help educate me as to the caloric and nutritional content of the foods I'm eating and ultimately allow me to make better choices.

In addition to the free calorie counter, the site offers an online food journal, an exercise log, a way to monitor your progress and a forum. There is also a way to look up how many calories a particular activity burns. That was really cool.

Once I start using the calorie counter and all the other tools available through the site, I'll be one step closer to realizing my goal of a healthy, trim body.

This is a sponsored post.

This test was posted in a forum to which I belong and wanted to share the result here. I just love Katherine Hepburn and I can only hope to be as classy as she.

Link: The Classic Dames Test written by gidgetgoes on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Because for the most part, they're freaking crooks. I had my consultation today. I knew things were going to go downhill when they said they needed an x-ray. Um, hello? I just had x-rays done last week by the dentist that referred me to you. Noooooo, you need your very own x-rays. Then, the dentist doesn't even look at my mouth and asks me the same dumb questions that were on the freaking form he had me fill out. You can't be bothered to take a second to look over the form? He also asked if the other dentist had prescribed something for the pain. I told him Vicodin and that it wasn't working. Would he prescribe something else? No, I guess not.

I was actually in his presence all of 5 minutes maybe and they had the gall to charge me $88. Then they can't fit me in until Friday afternoon and proceed to tell me that this little surgery is going to cost me $500 with my insurance. Holy shit, they had to be kidding me! When I heard the one chick at the reception desk giving numbers to the other, I thought they were procedure codes, not prices. I think I paid about that to have my wisdom teeth out without insurance.

I was so angry I cried the whole way home. I feel violated in a way. This isn't the first time I've been jacked over by a dentist and why I have such a huge mistrust of them in the first place. I can't go anyplace else because I have to go to the surgeon my dentist referred me to in order for any of it to be covered by insurance. I'm this close to learning to live with the pain rather than line some crook's pockets. Not rational, I know. I'm just so freaking pissed.

So, not sure how I'm going to come up with that much money in just a few short days. Marcus said he'd help, but I'm sure he wasn't counting on it being that much. Geez, this sucks.

Today is consultation day at the oral surgeon. I'm one step close to getting my bad teeth out and being out of constant pain.

I know I'm in for a yucky stretch when these come out until I can get the money together for dentures, but maybe at least I can start living again. I've been so lethargic and I haven't been doing any exercise or anything. My weight crept back up to where it was before.

I hope I have good news later about when these teeth are coming out.