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11:49 p.m. | 2003-07-10
Cable, Mariachi Bands And Yet Another New Friend. Lets talk about cable. Specifically, about how I suddenly don�t have cable anymore. Which, of course, means that I don�t have any TV at all. I�m not liking that too much. Anyway, I mentioned it to the HotelManager and she said that the Cable Company (CC) turned off the building cable because they can�t find any record of TheHotel ever having been a customer. See, CC used to be owned by C1, then it was bought by C2, however then C1 bought it back. And, TheHotel has been a customer the whole time. Well, until two days ago. Anyway, HotelManager told me that I could call CC, order cable as an individual and submit my bills to the Building Folks. Because, they provide everyone with basic cable. I don�t know how long it�s gonna take to get this resolved so I called CC to discuss my options. Long story short, the guy at CC (CG) was pretty much thinking that the Building Folks were just using a �bait and switch� kind of tactic to get me to move in, and once I was in, they purposely shut off my cable. I just couldn�t convince him that the Building Folks really DID want to pay for my cable, so I had to do something I hate doing. Basically, I had to do a form of �name dropping�. Here�s that. (CI:) Okay, look, this is kind of a high maintenance place that I live in. See VIPs (very important people) like THIS and THAT live here. The Building Folks really DO want to pay for our cable. And, you�ll probably be hearing from some of these VIPs who are now cableless. (CG:) Oh. Um� where do you work? (CI:) MyWorkPlace. (CG:) Okay. Look, I have an internal connection here so let me just see if I can get a quick status on that, if not, then we�ll set up a team to research the problem and get it resolved. Can you hold for just a minute? (CI:) Sure. (CG:) Sorry for making you wait. We�re going to need to get to the bottom of this problem but I probably won�t have an answer for you until Monday. Sorry about that. By the way, do you have HotelManager�s name and number? (CI:) Sure. Thanks. (CG:) Oh, and I need your phone numbers. I�ll call you just as soon as we know something. See, I hate having to do that kind of thing for two reasons. One, every customer should be treated properly, no matter who they are, and two, because I�M really not that important of a person. Of course, I mean that in the workwise sense, not the worthwhile sense. I might work with VIPs, well and now I live next door to some of them, but trust me, I�m not a VIP. I�m just a cog in the one of the wheels. Of the bus that go round. And round.
Since I didn�t have any specific plans after work, I asked Intern if he wanted to go out to dinner tonight. He tends to hang around Downtown after work to eat dinner by himself, and since I haven�t had a chance to show him around, I thought he might be game for a meal. Of course, I feel kind of bad because I told him I�d show him around but I really haven�t had a chance to do that because of the move. And, he�s leaving at the end of next week. Anyway, before we headed out, some of his friends called and said they were on their way to come visit him. They�re six hours or so away. (Road Trip!) So, Intern had some time to kill. Both Intern and I like to dine outside but all the places close to work are quite expensive, so I suggested that we go to a Mexican restaurant a couple of blocks away. He was sold on the idea once I added that VIPs go there. See, like a lot of youngsters, Intern likes to believe he�s really IMPORTANT. I just like the place; we lunch there often. However, Intern�s never been there before. So, they had a Mariachi band. And, I just LOVE live Latin music. LOVE IT. We got settled, ordered drinks and dinner and were chatting while the band played. Then his friends called. Here�s that. (Friends:) Where are you? (I:) At a Chinese restaurant. (Friends:) Is that Italian music in the background? (Note: the band was playing Labamba.) (I:) No. I�m at a CHINESE restaurant. (Friends:) Oh, Chinese. (Intern hangs up his phone.) (CI:) Wow, you�re friends are really smart. (I:) Hey, I told you that they weren�t that bright. Fun, but not so bright. We were chatting when the band came to our table. I think they thought we were on a date or something, so they played a very beautiful song and the young, female violinist sang to us. She was great. They were all great. We started talking again once they moved on. (CI:) You know, I don�t Spanish but I believe she just sang a song about us either falling in love or breaking up. It was definitely a �love� song of some sort. (I:) Oh, then it was definitely about us breaking up. (CI:) Yeah, that�s what I was thinking too. Really, it was a beautiful song but we were both kind of grossed out about the idea of being on a date together. I mean for god�s sake, he�s my �adopted� baby BROTHER. Then his friends called again. This is that. (Friends:) What�s that music in the background? It sounds like Mexican music. (I:) Dude, I told you, we�re at a CHINESE restaurant. Geesh. (Friends:) How much longer until we get to your place? (I:) You�re asking me how long until you get here? I don�t know; where are you? He also told them that the traffic (they were stuck in) was backed up because a 747 had landed on the freeway and suggested that they turn on the radio for a traffic report. (Of course, we had no idea why the traffic was back up hundreds of miles away from MyTown.) Anyway, we had a good time, we walked to TheHotel so he could see how things were coming along at my Dreamspace. (He wanted to see the faux wall thing I created. However, the thing that caught his attention the most was the T-Ball set I recently purchased for my 3-year-old nephew) Then I walked him out front, stopping to get my mail (TV Guide, of course). By the time we got to the front of the building, he had north and south turned around again, so I walked him through MyPark before he figured out where he was in relation to his car. I�m gonna miss him when he goes home.
But, don�t worry because I made ANOTHER new friend tonight. After I got home, I went outside to see if Carl and Alex were hanging on the street. Alex wasn�t there but Chuck was. Chuck will turn 70 this year. So, we all chatted for a while. Carl has lived in MyTown all his life so he�s chock full of local history. I believe Chuck moved here in the 1940�s or 1950�s, so I�ll be picking his brain too. And, I can tell that Carl�s always been the shy kind of guy who gets kicked around while Chuck�s more of the popular kind. Alex? Well she�s of the bohemian, beatnik and/or hippy variety. (Those are her words and their words.) Chuck is deaf in one ear and hard-of-hearing in the other. Carl hears just fine. However, I had to chuckle when I realized that I was standing on the street Downtown, at night practically yelling at two elderly men. I had dinner with a 22-year-old man and then went home to hang with my 70-something rebel homies. On the street. I�m hanging out on the streets now. See, THAT�S what happens when I don�t have TV.
your thoughts?
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