This Is What Hell Must Be Like

"No beer and no TV make Homer . . . something something." - Homer Simpson

My home is approximately fifty years old. As a result, the normal wear and tear of acid rain - Al Gore warned us! - has done a number on my brick chimney. I noticed recently that some of the bricks near the top have been crumbling and falling to earth, so we called a chimney repair company. They came for an estimate and said that they could start today. Unfortunately, my DirecTv satellite dish is attached to the chimney, and it would have to come down for the work to be done. No worries, they said, it would only be for a day or so.

My neighbor/resident handyman John came over with his 30-foot ladder and trudged up with his bag o' tools. He's a fireman, so heights are no big whoop for him. Me? Not so much. I climbed the ladder to hold the dish while he did most of the work. He tied the dish and the HD antenna securely to the roof, so the chimney guys could work unobstructed. I was without TV - and had to watch the NASCAR race on a 13" set - but it wouldn't last long.

Or so I thought. Today, the chimney guys called and said that because of the recent rain, their schedule got pushed back. They now cannot come out until Tuesday or Wednesday! I started screaming at the thought of no TV for almost four days. What will I do? What's worse is that although my TiVo still works for viewing saved programs, it will not tape any current ones. If the DirecTv is out until Wednesday, TiVo won't tape The Gospel of Judas (I was dying to see that one), Prison Break, and Thief.

Oh yeah, and it also won't tape 24, and I am scheduled to Liveblog the episode on Blogs4Bauer. That should make the event more interesting while I try and adjust the rabbit ears and squint to see what's happening. Damnit.