West Side Stories
A Tosa resident for almost 20 years, Karen is a mom and freelance writer, addicted to playing tennis. When not on the tennis court, she spends the fall and winter in the stands at Green Bay Packer and Marquette basketball games.
Karen is the author of “Grab a Bite,” a dining out column and the former community columnist for the Wauwatosa NOW newspaper.
Time Warner is Making Me Fat
OK, truth be told, it’s not really their fault. If I could quit finding excuses to risk my life eating microwave popcorn, I’d probably spare a few pounds. But they’re not helping.
We are what could be called the poster family for Time Warner. We have it all, or as they call it: All the Best. TV-Phone-Internet. We are wired and wireless. And because our addiction to television could be termed chronic, we have HD and DVRs, thereby completing our cable alphabet soup.
We have lots of distractions to keep us immobile and entertained. Our DVRs are programmed to the hilt. We have so many season passes, there are not enough hours in the day to catch up on what has been recorded. We are expert time-shifters and we have multiple episodes of My Name is Earl to prove it. I have no clue whether we’ll ever get around to watching them, but it’s nice to know that they’re there and saved.
I’m writing this post via our Road Runner internet connection. We switched from AT&T DSL. In my opinion, there is virtually no difference. It is slightly faster, but likely bogged down by our computers that are laden with iTunes and family photos and old video games that haven’t been launched in years. Our desktop is starting to look like my kids’ high school lockers. Not pretty.
Recently, we added digital phone service. It was a money-saving move that we reluctantly made. The idea that one company had a monopoly on all of the “devices” in our household was a little unnerving. But, it was time. So we made the switch. Again, very little difference between Time Warner and AT&T, except for those random moments when I pick up the phone and there’s no dial tone. It doesn’t happen a lot and I hate talking on the phone, so I choose to ignore it.
And now, we have the ultimate lazy feature in our many-faceted digital home. When we watch TV and the telephone rings, the caller’s name appears on our TV screen. I found this feature to be a little odd. I’d say that most people that have digital cable are likely to have caller ID and cordless phones. But now, thanks to Time Warner, I can sit on my couch and have the luxury of not turning my head to look at the phone when my mother calls.
Who knows what’s next. It’s all about convenience. As someone who remembers television before the introduction of remote controls, I can’t help but wonder what this means for future generations. I’ll think about that later. I have two episodes of Desperate Housewives to catch up on. Oh and while you're up, can you pass me the popcorn?
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