In fact, it's TONIGHT that brings us a new season of The Cleaner. Sometimes paying attention to commercials is a Good Thing.

The DVR may be FUBAR, but I have a good old-fashioned VCR, a tape that's blank enough, and I know how to set the durn thing. I may be somewhat challenged as far as newfangled stuff like iPods and text messaging, but I am NOT a 12:00 flasher!*

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* "12:00 flasher" refers to a classic routine called "Internet Help Desk" by Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie---it doubled me up laughing every time I heard it, since I've been in customer service enough to really appreciate it. I wish I knew what happened to my copy!

During last night's wee shower, we had a power surge of some kind---the lights didn't go out, but the cable did. No net, no phone, no TV. This morning, I was relieved to find the cable modem up and at 'em, the phone has a dial tone---but the DVR box is kerflumpt. I've scheduled a service call for tomorrow morning---because I'm going to want to make sure I can set it to record things while I'm away.

I know SPN is a rerun, not too concerned about that, but there's Royal Pains, Harper's Island* and starting next Tuesday, we get season 2 of The Cleaner. I have my priorities!

I clearly have a "commuter tan"---my left shoulder is two shades darker than my right.

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* Which I'm still watching, even though they killed ( somebody I was rooting for ) last week. R.I.P.!

And in related news, I'm perturbed to discover that our local library doesn't have Life's That Way anywhere in the county system. I may end up buying it after all.

Back now, after a certain amount of phone diva on my part...the little baby-faced cable guy tried making excuses as to why fixing the problem was practically impossible. Baby-face was trying to say that getting to the pole couldn't be done through my yard because of the tree. That it couldn't be done through the neighbor's yard because their fence was chained and they weren't answering the door. And that it couldn't possibly be done by going through the yard on the other side of the fence because it was too far to drive.

Another service call? At some point in the future, and me with no net meanwhile? Oh, no, I don't think so! Amazingly, he found a way to get it fixed after I called customer support and growled. The CSR was cool, put me on hold, made magic happen---Baby-face got backup, someone who hopped the fence, climbed the pole---whatever they did, there was a tentative ding from my phone, the lights on my modem lit up, and wahoo, I can haz interwebs!

Now to see what I missed....

Got home last night, answered a couple of emails, and suddenly, POOF! I had no internet. Or phone, which leads me to suspect the modem, since my cable box was fine, my computer is fine, it's just the phone and the 'net. I'm not surprised; we had a major thunderstorm Monday afternoon. Repair is scheduled for this afternoon between 3 and 5, so hopefully this evening, life will be back to normal.

Monday afternoon was productive, though. I had the computer unplugged and lived dangerously---I did a massive sinkful of dishes standing in front of the window. There was cool, moist air coming in, and it was the most comfortable I've been, A/C not included, for the last month or so.

Posh Brits...as usual, they showed up, passed around the merchandise and talked. Nothing extra. However, between the end of class and the beginning of my schedule, I returned a non-working clock to Goodwill, which got me lunch money. Didn't have anybody too dreadful, and DID get one compliment to go on record from a woman who was trying to return some Geezer Britches.

Got home and probably would've stayed up later than I did, except for the whole "no internet" thing.

Later! (I hope.)