The ups and downs of a Saturday afternoon

[auntiemeesh]

I've had a moderately productive day so far, which is not exactly the norm for a Saturday, for me. I tidied up the living room (the apartment needs considerably more than 'tidying up' but every little step helps), sent that package off to dreamflower02 that I meant to get in the mail over a week ago, saw a movie (Get Smart, more on that later, if I feel chatty), got my hair cut (and yes, my previous haircut was every bit as bad as I thought it was - the woman today remarked on it several times and indeed, was unable to really fix it all the way, I'm going to have to let it grow for another two months or so before the very ugly ledge along the side of the bangs grows out enough to be fixed), and bought a few groceries. Now I'm relaxing and waiting on Doctor Who.

I got my monthly bill from Comcast today, and they've raised my bill by just over thirty dollars a month. This is not an acceptable increase. And it seems really random, too. It isn't the end of a 6 or 12 month introductory rate or anything like that. And it's a shame, too, because I really like the service I get from Comcast. They respond very promptly and politely to any trouble I have, and I have very little technical trouble. I've got my cable (just basic), internet and phone all bundled together, which has, up till now, saved me a lot of money.

However, I've been feeling less than satisfied with having my phone service through the cable, because whenever there's a service disruption for any reason, my phone also goes out, and I don't have a cell phone, so I'm left completely cut off from the world. Not my idea of a good thing. So I'm thinking about ditching that part of the service and getting a cell phone. Probably something like a Cricket, that doesn't require a contract. And of course, this is a whole new world of confusing for me, since I've never had a mobile phone and don't really completely understand how things like roaming charges work (other than in the broad sense of getting extra charges if your outside your calling area).

But then, if I disrupt the bundle that I've got now, I would want to make sure that the amount of money I end up paying for phone + internet + cable doesn't actually go up. And that's the other thing. Along with charging more, Comcast is once again moving more channels up into the digital range.

Sadly, there aren't many other options for high speed internet. I don't like dsl - I've never had any luck with it and I don't want to try again for a third or fourth time. That just seems counterproductive and frustrating. But that pretty much just leaves me with Comcast. And no matter how I work it, it doesn't seem to be possible to get any sort of cable service, high speed internet and phone (whether through the cable or a mobile) for anything less and probably more than the new amount I'm being charged now. And so, I repeat, GRR! I probably won't make any changes immediately, but I'm definitely looking at other options. It would be easier if I could just find a job. I'll almost certainly have to move when that happens, which would be the ideal time to change service. I don't really want to do anything right now that requires a contract or anything, since I don't know how long I'll be here or where I'll end up when I go.

I'm trying really hard to stay away from that leaked SGA episode. It's killing me, though, because people keep posting about it, and writing tags for it, and creating icons from it. I'm sure I've seen at least one person using a Search and Rescue icon, which really pissed me off. If you're going to view the episode a full month before it airs, at least have the courtesy to not use the icons you make until after the episode airs. It's only common decency. And it makes me want to watch the damn episode already. But I'm really determined to hold out.

Comments

[rhapsody11.livejournal.com]

Roaming charges have to do that mobile operators have to communicate with the other, sometimes your mobile operator doesn't have coverage in an area and have to makes use of a different provider in order to provide a service to you. So basically you pay for 'visiting' another network when you leave your local network (or cell) or that of your provider. Some providers work together and charge not so high roaming charges. Does this make sense?

I have seen the SGA ep, but since I do not like to be spoiled myself, I have kept my mouth zipped about it :)

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

The roaming explanation makes sense. What I really need to find out, if I want to pursue that option, is what areas are covered and where I'd be charged roaming charges.

And I greatly appreciate you and others who are careful to avoid driving the rest of us crazy with little hints and nudges. :)

[slightlytookish]

Our cable bill went up a lot too - we have Optimum over here. It's so frustrating! It's as if they wait around and decide to raise the prices of everything at once :P

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it seems everything is going up all at once. Even a simple trip to the grocery store costs a good thirty or forty percent more than it used to. I really do need to find a better paying job if I want to be able to continue having an online presence. :(

[dreamflower]

If you get one of the pre-paid phones, like VoiceTrak, you just buy however many minutes you need and think you will use. It's been a while, but I don't think remember incurring roaming charges with those.

Package? *squee!* I'd almost forgotten! Yay!

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

One of my sisters had a Trak Phone and I used it when I first moved back to Pgh, but I found that I blew through minutes really fast and they were expensive. I think they're fine if all you want is an emergency backup phone, but for it to be my main phone, I think I'd need something with unlimited minutes. Especially since all my family is long distance, and I'm applying for jobs all over the country.

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I'm sorry it took so long to get the book into the mail. I hope you enjoy it. :)

[apple-pi.livejournal.com]

Oh my god, I'm resisting the leaked ep as well and it's making me craaaaaaazy. I want to watch! But... not yet. *jumps up and down with thwarted SGAwant*

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

We can do it. It's only two more weeks. That's practically right around the corner. Thank goodness they're not making us wait until September this year.

*joins you in the up and down jumping*

[apple-pi.livejournal.com]

If it was September I would SO CAVE. *g*

[ani-no-mouse.livejournal.com]

YOu probably did better than me in the movie department. I went to see "You don't mess with the Zohan" on the basis of a surprisingly positive review I heard on NPR a couple of weeks ago. It was definitely a movie intended for a 7th grade boy audience. Most of it was so stupid it was to imagine what was supposed to be funny, a few bits were genuinely funny however.

I hope "Get Smart" was better. I remember the TV show as having been funny, but not much else about it.

[wishkey.livejournal.com]

if I disrupt the bundle that I've got now

Nothing to add. Just wanted to say how much the word combination, "disrupt the bundle" tickled my fancy. Hee!