Like, Love and Don't Like

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!

This week's installment is going to be lite on the "Like" and "Love" and heavy on the "Don't Like". BUCKLE UP.

This week, I like the prospect of warmer weather. I mentioned my disdain for cold weather in a recent post (and admitted that other parts of the USofA have it a lot worse). This week, the temps have started to climb. We've got our fingers crossed for a beautiful 64 degree day on March 13 when Clay "Bomber" Branch and I take on Ross Bridge.

This week, I love coming home to a good meal. Having nearly reached the 1-year mark in our marriage, I have come to take Julie's lip-smackin' cooking talents for granted. It seems that the days when the Arby's staff in Atmore (AL) not only knew my name but also my nightly order are long gone. But I want to take this opportunity to publicly express my appreciation for my loving wife. Even after battling Hwy 280 traffic each night, she always comes home in a pleasant mood and works her magic in the kitchen. I'm like Pavlov's dogs...sitting there watching her cook, letting the aroma waft into my nostrils. The stimulate in my case is when Julie looks into my eyes and softly says, "It's ready." When I hear those words, I know IT'S PEANUT BUTTER JELLY TIME!

This week, I don't like the Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300 HDC. This, my friends, is the name of the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) supplied to us as part of our HD cable package from Charter Communications. This device has a mind of its own, and not in a "this is NASA-level technology" kind of way. I'm so disappointed in this DVR for the following core reasons:

• The menu and guide function is 1992-level. Very primitive.


• The audio regularly fades out during TV viewing.


• Many programs schedule to record simply do not record.

That's right, the chief objective of a DVR is not met by our DVR! It didn't record LOST last night! Luckily, Julie was smart enough to set her early-version TiVo as a backup. The list of disappointments could go on so much longer. I miss the ease and capability of that little TiVo. There's loads of online message boards that feature endless complaints about this DVR. If you have any stories, please throw them my way. I really would like to hear them.