so, whatever. we have basic cable.

I have a love-hate relationship with cable. I didn't have any tv for about 5 years or so, and I kind of liked it, but Adam likes to watch a little something at the end of the day, a little electronic nightcap, if you will. So we just ended up renting a lot or movies, and the thing about that is then you end up sitting in front of the tv for 2.5 hrs. rather than 30 mins. Then the Tigers made it to the World Series and I caved and we got cable, and I was reunited with my first true love, and truly one of the miracles of modern civilization -- Law & Order and the phenomenon that is the never-ending run of L&O reruns on cable.

But now we are busy, it is summer, The Wire is over and I am pretty sure that I've seen all the back episodes of The Closer. So we canceled our cable. And ever since then we have been barraged by phone calls from some company that our cable company (Charter) must contract out to bring the lost sheep back to the flock.

And I don't know who these people are, or why they can't tell me anything about the account that i have now, but somehow they have the authority to wheel-n-deal me into a new contract. Since they can't actually access our actual account info, they ask me how much we are paying now, before they can reveal whatever luscious deals they have in their bag of tricks.

So I say I think it's like $68. But I don't really know, because we just canceled our old contract and haven't received a new bill.

But apparently that was a good answer because it means we are eligible for a deal where we get $5 off of our phone, and $5 off internet plus basic cable for $4.99.

So, I say, we'll be paying a total of $5 less?

To which they repeat that we get $5 off of our phone,
and $5 off internet but only if we pick up basic cable for $4.99.

And just to be perfectly clear, I say: And minus five, minus five, plus five, equals five dollars off of our current bill.

To which I received a long pause. I honestly think I blew that poor guy's mind a little bit.

So, anyway. We now have the basic cable channels, and I'm kicking myself that I didn't tell them that we pay $50/month, although I'm pretty sure that would have all been figured out back at the head office anyway, and I probably shouldn't look this crazy mangy gift horse in the mouth.