my tv's busted. no sound. snow on the screen. non-functional. can't use the vcr or dvd player connected. just snow. and no sound. can't use the cable. only snow. no sound.

tv went out on tuesday night. my cable had been performing oddly, so i chalked it up to that. i was particularly comfortable blaming the cable because the customer service lines were busy all night; clearly, it was a problem of many people with many outages.

so i got on the phone with customer service wednesday night, and set up a service appointment. but i also experimented. i ran the cable from my bedroom (where a small tv and my modem are split on the same line, and both working) into the living room, where the big tv is. plugged it into the back of the tv...same thing, and i was nervous.

cable guy came this afternoon. he did about five minutes of tests, then said, "it's your tv dude." couldn't find the tv's instruction manual. i do have the tv's box, unfolded, in the back of my closet. there's an 800 number on the tv box, so i call that number. after lost connections and time on hold and more lost connections and more time on hold, i finally get to talk to a guy. and, alas, "your tv's warranty was one year [it was a gift christmas 02], so there's nothing i can do to help you."

frustrated, i made one call to a place listed under television service and repair in the yellow pages. they didn't pick up, so i'll try somebody else tomorrow. sigh.

the tv's a 27-incher, so it'll be a trial to get it downstairs, into the car, and to the shop. but we'll give it a try if we get the chance.

other news: i got a great early birthday gift from the sister (who, it should be noted, is leaving the country in ten days, so won't be around for the real day) this afternoon. she's a fine slc gryphon, a bastion of leftist thought and rampant homosexuality and, i'm sure, a fine learning environment. last month, david berman, well-reviewed poet and the force behind the silver jews rock band, had a poetry reading there. last month, my sister got him to sign a show flyer: "hi drew - i love you - david berman." the writing is pretty much illegible, but it's a great gift. and she tossed in a dvd of the reading as well. woof.

i discovered the joy of the broiler in the oven tonight. first time i've sued it, and i used it for some mesquite marinated pork chops. delicious, although i don't know if it was because of the preparation style (five minutes one side, seven minutes the other), or the marinade (bathing in it for well over two hours). but it was outstanding.