The Real Reason Help Was Late For Hurricane Katrina Victims....

Cablevision Customer Service....

A little over a month ago, my wife and I had cable tv installed for my grandmother in Brooklyn. She would always complain about the reception she got (or didn't get) and after replacing all the connections to the roof-top antenna without getting better reception, she caved in to the pressure and agreed to have Cablevision come in and install cable tv. All she wanted was to get the channels that were readily available (although very grainy and snowy) via a set-top antenna, but to save roughly 30 bucks on the installation charge we opted to go with their promotional package they offered at the time. The catch was that I had to wait 1 full month before downgrading to the "broadcast basic" package otherwise I would have been charged the full amount for the installation. Today I called Cablevision to downgrade to the "broadcas package". (Note: From my previous phone call to Cablevision inquiring about service in the area, I learned that in Brooklyn the cable signal is scrambled and you need a box for each tv)

after being transferred around....
Customer Service Rep: "Thank you for calling Cablevision, this is XXXXXX. How may I help you?"
Me: "Hi. I want to downgrade my programming package."
Rep: "OK. Can I have the home telephone number including the area code?"
Me: "718-XXX-XXXX."
Rep: "OK. How can I help?"
Me: "I'd like to downgrade to 'Broadcast Basic'."
Rep: "OK. Do you want to keep the cable boxes or turn them in?"
Me: "Don't you need those to receive a picture?"
Rep: "Oh yeah."
Me: "Then I guess I'll keep the boxes."

Trip To The Bronx Zoo....

So as not to bore those of you who read this and don't want to see pictures, I put all of the pictures from our trip to the zoo here. If you're interested, click the link.

Create Your Own Lego Set....

For those of you who used to (or maybe still do) love to play with Legos as a kid, Lego has now come up with Lego Factory. With the free downloadable design tool, you can create a 3D model of anything you can think of using the available standard Lego bricks. Then you can buy the pieces necessary and have it shipped to your house for you to build. Some examples:














If only I had the time, patience, and imagination necessary to think of a model to create....

Why Drinking Too Much Alcohol In College Is Bad For You....

Click here to see more.

Why Are People So Dumb?....

It has gotten to the point now where the police and national guard can use physical force to remove someone from their home in New Orleans. 80% of the city is under water, and that water is infested with toxic chemicals, dead bodies, and disease. Yet there are still folks who are still in their houses and have not left. Some are too sick or elderly to trudge through the water to safer grounds, and others have stayed behind to help those too weak to make the journey. But what about those who are physically capable, but choose not to? Like Austin O'Dwyer.
(From cnn.com)

....there could be problems if they try to remove Austin O'Dwyer, who says he will not leave his home. He's been holed-up for 10 days without help, doesn't want any and isn't scared of lethal germs.
"Why do they think that I am more susceptible to disease than the soldiers that are coming to evict us?" he asked.
"If they come to my property and they attempt to evict me from my independent state ... there will be gunfire," O'Dwyer said. "There will be gunfire, so let them be warned."

I know being in a situation must take a toll mentally. I can't imagine the horrors or being in such a decrepit situation for 10 days straight, but if the cops are coming with a boat to take me to safety, I'm the first one hopping in the boat.

Weekend @ Lake George - At Ellie's House....

Some various pictures from around the house and a couple from in the village of Lake George....

Weekend @ Lake George - At The Magic Forest Amusement Park....

And My Favorite Sports Columnist Is....

Bill Simmons at espn.com.

I've been reading his column for a while now and really enjoy it. Today he put into words exactly how I feel about the WNBA.

...women playing basketball at the highest possible level -- a level that
could roughly be compared to "a good intramural game at a Division 2 college,
only if nobody could jump or dunk"

The WNBA just doesn't do it for me. Never has. If I had a choice, I'd rather go down to the Teaneck Jewish Center and watch a league game, than go into NYC to catch a Liberty game.