Opelika Fiber Optic

After a few missteps, like cutting my cable service line for the second time (when installing a customer across the street and then installing myself),  the new fiber optic line to my house is preforming brilliantly. One might well ask why it would be important not to willy nilly cut the old Charter cable to my house to install new fiber optic. The answer is of course that you should not do this anyway, but especially when you are just digging the trench for a line you don't intend to install until a week later. Really, you cannot blame the City of Opelika for this because it is just their vendor that made the mistakes, and Opelika Power responded with the utmost responsibility. These are good folks who want to provide a superior service... and, boy do they. Internet is perfect, video on demand is great, HD television is the best to ever to appear on my TV except for blu-ray, and after an adjustment Opelika Power had to make the next day, my Netflix is no longer having the problems it had under Charter Communications of Auburn.

I am happy, Opelika Power. To do great things, one might always risk a misstep or two. Now, can we talk about your pricing? Because I think your business model there can always be improved. :)  Thank you again, Opelika Power Service, Opelika, Alabama. My home is better.

It's...

Up and off to work. Better, much better now. Sleeping fine. Clocks at work show a permanent melted position... but....

"The problem with psychiatric meds is that they decrease the alertness level necessary to recognize when it is time to don your CIA mind control beam resistant tin foil hat." - me

Lacking Only a Mustache on Fire

Today turned from the unreal to the surreal. From the completely make-believe to a phantasmagorical land of melting clocks, all with the correct time. I am tired, missing sleep, and have no appetite. I will make it through. Strains of the song "I Will Survive" will be playing until that last gasp of breath where I say... "Well, crap, I was wrong."

Update

Weekend went well after finally getting work stuff out of my head. At home I have been so productive. It feels good. I have been productive at work as well, but I have Wanda to love me at home. :)

Kicking a Few Capitalists Out of my Domicile.. :)

I have decided to eject two private companies from my house. I am going with the City of Opelika to provide my television, internet and phone. This kicks out Dish. It was just a constant bother. If I were not one of the warring parties trying to get my bill down with this offer or that, signing contracts, getting them to provide C-Span or some other channel... then Dish was in some skirmish or other with networks by taking them off and blackmailing the companies for lower fees. I am weary of war. We did not have a CBS affiliate for months during the premier of the Fall Season as we were just collateral damage.

The other combatant I am tossing is Charter Cable. Cable companies have always been in their own separate league for warmongering capitalists. They have, in one form or another, always belligerently screwed around with me. I would prefer not to go down the long and winding road of their historic militancy again... I get flashbacks. Suffice it to say they have had awful customer service. So, when Charter became part of the group of cable companies and ISPs trying to derail Net Neutrality, I said that enough was enough. I will no longer give my money to the wrong cause. My Netflix has been acting up and like it or not, you, Charter, are to blame for this by just being in the camp trying to blackmail Netflix to pay you money for bandwidth and wreck Net Neutrality through moneyed lobbying.

So, today I begin to follow the path of peace and band with my fellow citizens to choose a socially responsible system over crony capitalistic warfare. We are lucky enough, for whatever political reason, to have fiber-optic cables recently wired through our neighborhoods by the city, the polis, the people!

Vive la révolution!

MacroLunacy, Micro level content

Plutocracy (or a form of oligarchy in which the few in power are the wealthy and are as well terrible at managing things for the common good) has been on my mind lately. It actually frees one from the micro politics one might affect because there is so much money in the macro system that it is hard to imagine that anyone in a position of power is influenced by anything else. This no doubt includes both political parties. It no doubt includes people who actually don't take money but must live with and make deals with those who do. It probably involves people taking money for one thing and influencing people who take money for some other thing. Money has a multiplier effect in politics as much as it does in the economy.

It means good people will likely do some bad things.

Despite the apparent hopelessness of the situation, there is all the reason for me to do good things, things that improve the world. I would say it is like being in a personal depression... something that rarely bothers me now because of the easy prescription one must take. One will never extricate oneself by just being depressed about the depression one is in. Just step forward in a positive way. You have your beginning, your path, your purpose.

I only learned the wisdom of this over a long life. "A journey begins with one step" may seem hopelessly contrite but it is true. Further wisdom gained is that the journey never has to have an ending; there are fun things to see along the way; and being content should be as much a part of your consciousness as your attempt to travel.

One of the best journeys I can remember was a walk down a hospital corridor. I had my wife by my side and I ended up back in my hospital room. That was it.

The fight between the many and the rich has gone on through pretty much all of the time we have had governments in history. We just need to walk down the corridor. Eventually, we will be stronger.