grrgoyl

Last entry of the year! (At the risk of building up undue excitement around it....) Don't worry, won't be one of those drab "What I accomplished/learned this year," just a plain old update, cuz that's how I roll.



You'll be happy to hear Tery took first place in the lighting contest handily, despite an eleventh hour freak-out when she noticed her latest addition, a strand of LED lights, was only half lit (chintzy environmentally friendly lights). Second went to, of all people, Tracey the Crankwhore, whose display amusingly included those electric deer that people scatter on their front lawns -- however, having only a tiny balcony, she positioned them instead with their heads jutting over the side in an unconscious (?) imitation of the way her dogs glower down, waiting for passing neighbors to bark at. At first we were pleased that she was participating and acting like she wanted to belong to the community, until we noticed she had taken it down again after a mere three nights of operation, seeming to suggest all she cared about was the prize money. This would have made it a very bitter pill to swallow had she beaten us.

~*~



In TV news, when the new Aquos arrived, the old 27" Sony had gone upstairs, a process so arduous and injurious (to the appliance as well as to yours truly) that it was clear it would only be going back downstairs feet first, so to speak; this TV weighs probably 100 pounds. Lacking a better option, I had it balanced precariously on a sturdy metal stool temporarily. Temporarily was becoming permanently until I hooked up an old DVD player to it, and then the new Playstation (for Guitar Heroics while Tery was watching football). Suddenly we had massive cable clutter and so a proper stand was in order.

I risked a retail environment on the day after Christmas. I agonized a good 30 minutes in the Target aisle between a $50 ugly silver one that might tolerate the weight, and a $70 black one that certainly would but was kind of enormous. I opted for the cheaper and prayed it wouldn't be instantly crushed. I got it home, got it built, then the moment of truth. I crouched over the set to make the transfer, shifted it just an inch in the wrong direction.....and the stool literally PUNCHED through the bottom of it. I staggered and set it on the floor on its side (in what was more a controlled fall than a deliberate action) which put a huge crack in the side of the casing.

God DAMMIT. The entire bottom of the set had crumbled away, exposing the motherboard inside. The front buttons had been shoved backward so they were no longer flush with the panel. I thought I had killed it for sure, after investing all this time and money in it. I plugged it in gingerly (sparks flew), and it took a good 5 minutes, but the damn thing powered on. Sony gets my ringing endorsement! But, I wasn't at all comfortable using a TV with so much exposed wiring that sparked every single time it was plugged in.

At first I turned to Craigslist, but after three hopeful inquiries went ignored, I asked myself why I wanted to be saddled with another heavy old relic and instead went to Amazon, where I found a lovely 19" Philips LCD instead (Christmas bonus money from the hospital -- we won a sweepstakes from the Home Again pet microchip company, awarded $250 each on Amazon). It'll look silly on this stand built to hold a 32", but I predict it will also look fantastic in our tiny loft.

~*~



The new TV-buying quest almost ended prematurely, however, when I received a Toll Violation Penalty Assessment. Back when we bought our Aquos, when we had left one Best Buy in disgust for another, the most direct route between them was via Colorado's E-470, an isolated toll road that I never, ever take because it goes around the outskirts of the city and so is normally not very useful. In this case it most definitely would help though, so we stopped at a gas station specifically to get change for the toll. I got on the highway, paid my $1.75 and we were on our merry way. We passed a toll plaza just a few miles short of our destination, way off down the side of a hill on an exit. "Do we need to stop there?" Tery asked as we flew past. "No, I paid the toll. Why would we have to stop again?"

Well. It turns out, whereas other sensible states stretch their toll plazas across the entire highway and require you to stop once to get a ticket stub, and once to pay it at the other end depending on your distance, backwoods Colorado has their plazas stuck way off to the side to leave the main road free for EXpressToll members with transponders to commute unfettered. Nowhere is there a sign telling you to stop (that we saw), and there are no less than 6 of these "mandatory" exits along the entire route. Not terribly convenient for the casual user.

Hence my penalty assessment, to the tune of $78. I considered my options. As loathe as I was to miss a day of work for a hearing, I also felt it was outrageous to pay such a high price for what was an honest mistake. Then I read the fine print, which stated that "not intending to miss the payment or go through the EXpressToll lane" wasn't considered a legal defense. So much for my metaphorical leg.

I called the next morning, determined to weep my way out of it. I got a very pleasant Mexican lady who asked for my information. Before I could muster my first tear, however, she announced, "What I can do for you is waive the fee, since it is your first time and you did not know." She went on to explain to me about the 6 stops and the correct process for using the road. I explained I was from New England where things are different. "I know!" she commiserated. "In Mexico, the booth goes across the WHOLE ROAD so you HAVE to stop." THANK YOU. Even Mexico, with all the problems plaguing it, knows how to set up toll booths.

I paid my $8.75 court fee gladly, thanked her profusely, even said "God bless you!" (what she doesn't know about my agnosticism won't hurt her). Tery and I agreed that she had the best job in the world, handing out "get out of jail free" cards all day to surprised, grateful people. Tery thought maybe she was only allowed to give out four a day, so I was lucky I called early. At any rate, my two points are these: A) If you're receiving so many appeals that the waiver is given out with so little fuss, maybe perhaps you need to change the system so people aren't fined in the first place, and B) if it's too much hassle rebuilding the booths, make the fine more reasonable, say $25. The offense isn't vehicular manslaughter, for heaven's sake. Fewer people would bother to contest it, you'd make more money, win-win.

That is all for this year. Happy New Year, every one!