The New Television

            If any of you read my March 1 post, you know that I need a new TV. Last weekend I ordered one online from Best Buy and it arrived today. (The HDMI cable I need for the cable box is scheduled to arrive tomorrow.) I carefully opened the cardboard box, with gloves, then lifted out the television and its accessories: power cord, legs, screws to attach the legs, remote, and printed User Manual. I examined the Quick Setup page, examined the small screws, examined the legs. How the legs were supposed to attach was not immediately clear, but once I figured it out, it looked simple.

            But. The screws are only about half an inch long, and the space they will fit into is deeper than that, and the screw is meant to go all the way in. How can I do this? Ideally, I need someone holding a flashlight behind me so I can see (and if I’d taken a photo, it would be easier to show you than to describe it). I drop the screw into the hole on the leg, point the end of the screw into the hole on the TV, and start turning, and turning and turning and turning. But the screw never catches, and I can’t really see what’s happening or what’s going wrong. I try a few more times, and then give up. This can’t be that hard. There must be some trick. I’ll call the manufacturer.

            I call Samsung. I am on hold for almost an hour. (I’m reading a book, so the time is not wasted.) While still on hold, I decide to try again. This time, it works. After about five minutes, the legs are tightly attached. I set up the set on its table, attach the power cord, and plug it is. I’ll wait for the HDMI cable before I start trying to make it work for real.

SOL30: Missing Jack

            My husband died four years ago. He would not have liked this current pandemic. Even though he’d fallen on the ice two years before that and become partially disabled, he still went out to walk around the block every day with a cane or a walker. Neither one of those devices would have given him the agility to move aside if someone was walking toward him closer than the mandated six feet.

            Would he have continued to go out to walk? How irascible would he have been if he’d felt unable to go out to walk? (Before his fall he'd gone to the gym almost every day.) On the other hand, he would have insisted that we get a replacement TV as soon as the old one broke (see March 1 post). I finally ordered one from Best Buy today. The webpage says it will be delivered by Thursday. We’ll see how that works out.

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I’m participating in the 13th annual Slice of Life Challenge over at Two Writing Teachers. This is day 30 of the 31-day challenge.  It’s not too late to make space for daily writing in a community that is encouraging, enthusiastic, and eager to read what you have to slice about.  Join in!

SOL 1: Time to Get a 21st Century TV

Last night I turned on my television, and while there was audio, there was no video. This photo doesn’t really show what I see, which is gray and white stripes across the screen. (Why is it so hard to photograph a TV screen?) I’ve had this TV for more than 20 years, and it is the old-style, picture-tube type.

            Now I’ve been thinking for years about getting a flat-screen TV, but even a relatively small 32-inch would require a new table, which means I need to find someplace to put the cable box and DVD player, as well as the device that also plays VHS tapes, which I still have quite a few of. Not to mention all those vinyl records. So I’ve put it off and put it off and put it off.

            When I couldn’t get any video, I of course called my cable provider right away. (We’ve always had cable because our apartment building is in a poor reception area.) After rebooting the cable box, the agent I spoke with said I needed a tech to come look at my system—and I was able to get an appointment this afternoon.

            The tech actually arrived at the beginning of my appointment window (amazing!) and unplugged the cable from the TV. The screen remained the same—which told the tech that the problem is in my TV, which means it must be replaced. I can no longer put this action off. I have to get a new TV. Stay tuned...

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I’m participating in the 13th annual Slice of Life Challenge over at Two Writing Teachers. This is day 1 of the 31-day challenge.  It’s not too late to make space for daily writing in a community that is encouraging, enthusiastic, and eager to read what you have to slice about.  Join in!