Goodnight Cable, Goodnight Wrong Love, Goodnight Moon

Wednesday night.  New Year's Eve.  Somewhere, folks are out having a good time. Were it summer (subconsciously, I'm yearning for summer), folks would be out in the streets screaming and being rowdy, and so on.  Across the street, I see a few apartments full of tame-rowdiness (it is early still).  Looks like Hors D'Oeuvres in 704, and lonely men on a Wii in 602. I once spent a tame night in 801 (which we'll never speak of again), and I remember looking across to my apartment and thinking, "Wow, you really *can* see right in..."

I cancelled my cable today - and my local phone.  In the end, it will save me $100 a month (about) and I'm thrilled.  I mean, the extra money is great - and the extra time is even more great.  Karen is right (from yesterday), a whole new world is on my doorstep and I'm just inching to go exploring.  The folks at RCN were nice and courteous (had they already read my blog?) - although I *did* listen to advertisements for 10 minutes on the phone "before my call was answered in turn" (maybe they were hoping I'd hang up and hang on). Just after cancelling, I signed back on to NetFlix and go a few movies I'd been wanting to see.  When I cancelled in October, I realized that I had had "The Fountain" and "The Fabulous Life of Ethan Green" (or whatever it is called) on my coffee table for nearly a year and I had not watched either.  I was ready to toss the extra charge and forget about it, but then today, realized that getting a DVD every week (or whenever) would be almost as good as actually having TV --- and when I dug deep into their online offerings, I realized I was in pretty good shape (I just watched an episode of "The Office") - and realized I was in even better shape when I saw on ITunes I can download the things I want to watch (and pay) and be done with it.  It's a win-win-win-win situation.  No more days spent uselessly surfing the channels (now they'll be filled with uselessly seeing if I can watch "Jumanji" on the NetFlix site).

It's NYE - I should write something culminatory for you all.  And, lucky for you, I will. I actually had wanted to put a post up about "sleep" tonight, but instead, you'll get something better (stay tuned for my post about sleep - it's got pictures, I promise. For now, you'll need to settle for the hyperlink I put below).

As you may well know, I love Astrology.  For years, I read the Washington Post horoscopes and wondered why they didn't make sense and why I never seemed to actually know anyone with the letters "F", "Q", and "Y" in their names (you know - like in a birthday horoscope).  Then, one day I stumbled across Rob Brezny and Free Will Astrology (yup, that's your hyperlink, kids. No more emails that my posts are all text.). Rob is great - he sends a weekly horoscope which is full of nuance and good thinking --- I don't think I've ever read 'This week, you will meet a tall stranger'... his posts are more like, 'In Ang Lee's 'Sense and Sensibility', Colonel Brandon appears as a tall dark stranger with a hidden past and a silent love for young Mary Ann.' - and will go on to say something about how you think, why you think, and/or what shifts in thinking will come that are somehow related to a tall dark stranger that Jane Austen writes into one of her seminal chef-d'oeuvres.  I think he's wonderful - when I'm stressed, Rob gives me a lot to think about. I get shivers sometimes when I read them (and some lightbulb goes off in my head and is replaced by a solar panel of wonderful deep and new thinking).  Go - check out his site, read your horoscope - and think. I'll wait.

So, one of the best things about Rob and his horoscopes, is he does yearly projections for each sign.  You have to pay (no divine wisdom is free) - but it is worth it.  I myself bought "a token" as they're called and listened to the first installment last night. In my mind, it was worth every penny and I urge you to check one out for yourself (if you buy into this whole thing, or 'introspection' is a word in your vocabulary).  Now, I'd like to tell you what he told me in this first installment, but I recognize that doing so would be like me photocopying a Nancy Bush Estonian Lace pattern (WHICH, I should say are amazing - if you have not yet gotten a complimentary copy from Interweave OR have not yet checked out the bookstore for the title, do it - it's great - and full of "nupps" [rhymes with "poops" - did anyone ever see "Last Holiday"?]) --- which I'd never do because Nancy kind of lives off book sales - just as Rob lives off (or really deserves to live off) these projections. BUT, the projection was interesting and good - Rob tells me this year will bring good and powerful shifts and that I need to begin by dropping deadweights such as things which no longer serve me, and to move on from 'the wrong kind of love.' So far, I'm doing a good job already dropping the things that might hold me back - like excessive time wasting and/or things that kind of make me crazy like TV, too much sugar, or what have you.  I'm an overachiever - I like to get an early start. On the last, I confess, it's somewhat less easy.

Now, there are folks reading who have only ever done the deed with 6 people (who I will not name because I like them and don't want to single them out) who may not know what 'the wrong kind of love' is... but I deeply hope that the rest of you at least are familiar with the phrase, or can imagine what happened the one and only night I spent in apartment 801 across the street recognizing what one could see in my own apartment (let's keep it PG in the comments, harlots).

So far, my best tactic to advance on this goal has to talk openly and friendly with a very cute massage therapist in Milwaukee who I think is very cute about things that are real and good and don't involve a long weekend in the Poconos.  So far so good - if this one were closer (or will be closer, which I do hope), he'd be a keeper.  He is a keeper. I'd really like to occupy my year with good things - make room for awesomeness and so on and so forth.  And tonight (and if only for tonight), I'm honoring that. Ask me again in 2 weeks when I'm begging RCN to let me pay $200 a month for full cable.

Hope you're all out and about, having good times, and driving safely and without issue. I'm going to do me a little more work, then pull out the Russian Prime and pop in "Pride and Prejudice".  Yes, TrickyTricot, I do think Mr. Darcy would have loved you.

Comments

[QueerJoe]

Michael...wanted to stop in and wish you all the best that 2009 can offer...you deserve it.

[Sean]

Happy New Year, Michael! (And even at six, I know what the wrong kind of love is...)

[Jody]

Of course Mr Darcy would have loved you :)

Hope you enjoy your TV free days - who knows - maybe you will be inspired to try new things while knitting - books on tape are just the beginning. Maybe next you will be yodeling :)

[Spirals]

Happy New Year!
I *heart* astrology, I like Astrology Zone and Jonathon Cainer, too.

[anne marie in philly]

you're back! YAYZ!

congrats on getting rid of cable (57 channels and nothing on - thank you bruce!). I haven't watched tv in years; rots the mind.

happy new year to you!

[TricotChico]

all you've managed to do is make me ineffably curious about what happened in Apt 801. "One Night in Apartment 801" or "Behind the Door of Apartment 801" are likely titles for the short story that brain just began spinning of its own volition. Congratulations. I might send you a copy of said story. Maaaaybe.

;o)

[Kelly Klem (Klymyshyn)]

Oh golly! You have true writing talent. I can't help but read on (and I only "read on" when I can't NOT)- there is a mysterious foreboding quality that would be impossible to duplicate. Please write a novel.