My day started at a house. An old woman answered the door. Right away started to apologize for her cats which were running around behind her TV and unplugged something. I quickly found it and plugged it back in. She proceeded to complain about her cats and about how they like to climb up the Christmas tree. There was also a planet that they have terrorized. In the end she tried to pawn them off on me.
The next job was in a high rise apartment building. This place is mainly inhabited by immigrants. I have been to this apartment before. There was a Jamaican lady here who loves to watch westerns. She was having a problem with her box. She was complaining about missing Dancing With the Stars last night. I replaced it, but that wasn't the problem. It turned out to be a loose connector.
The next job was a house. A young guy answered the door. He works from home. He said him and a friend bought this place together. It was a nice place. They weren't getting the NFL network. I determined it to be a bad cable. Which I replaced.
Then I went to a job I was at yesterday. The woman who had one eye closed and the other squinting. She had somehow messed up the volume. I fixed it and canceled the job to avoid a repeat.
Being in the neighborhood I had lunch at home. Then I went to my first afternoon job. This was a nice new house. The woman here wanted me to re-arrange the audio so that it would come through both the TV and the surround sound and to program her remote to control her TV, Cable Box and Tuner. Which I did.
The next job was in the fancy shopping area. This were a series of town-homes. An old guy answered the door. They had a Christmas tree that was completely covered in ornaments. You couldn't even see the tree. His DVR was on the fritz so I replaced it. Then went to the next job.
This was only a couple blocks away. A woman answered the door. She turned on the TV and it was working fine. She explained what had happened and I tried to re-create it but couldn't so I canceled the job and left.
My last job was a small apartment building. The woman was having problems with her cable and Internet. It turned out to be a low signal. It took a little while but I had figured out how to improve it. The problem with her Internet was because of her work computer. It had been set up in some way where it wasn't going to be able to get on. So I helped her set up her new apple computer and got that on the Internet instead. Then I went home
Friday, November 30, 2007
Wednesday
This was the day of my weekly meeting. It had snowed last night and the roads were icy. On the way in I turned on a side street, but I hit it too fast and spun around about 270 degrees until I was finally stopped by the sidewalk. The whole time I just kept thinking I hope I don't roll over.
The first job was a home in the land of scrape offs. This was an old home. The woman living here must have lived here for a long time. She was on older lady. She had to put her dog up. She explained that is was abused and then left out in the country, the dog eventually ended up on her farm. But its not too friendly to strangers because of this. Her front screen wouldn't open for some reason so I had to go around back. I was just here to switch out a box for a DVR. The room I was putting it in had a litter box in the middle on a plastic sheet. In fact all her furniture throughout the house had plastic on it. This room had a couple of desks but no where to really sit, so I thought it was weird to put a DVR in this room.
The next job was a house. This guy had recently bought the place and was still moving in. I just needed to move the EMTA into another room. But there was no cable or phone in that room, so I had to run a new outlet. This took a bit of time. At least he helped me out, which is always nice. I replaced his DVR for him as well, while I was there.
Then I headed to a row of apartments. The door was answered by a round woman, who had one eye barely open while the other was completely closed. She said she had some extra money so she bought an HD TV. I was here to install an HD box. I was running very late, so I took off quick.
The next job was at an apartment building near where I live. There was a young woman here. The place was laid out differently. the is the first place I've heard that is cheaper than my own. Though she said she knew some one, that's why she has such a good deal. That and the fact that it's really a half-way house. The place was furnished with a really crappy little TV. The kind that have big knobs. She couldn't get most of the channels and the ones she did get were crappy. I also installed the Internet.
I went straight to the next job. This was a house not too far from where my girlfriend lives. A big rotund fellow answered the door. He had a long beard and moved very slow. The place was full of very interesting art work. It turned out that both his parents were artists. His dad did paintings while his mom worked with pottery. The place was full of their artwork. The kitchen was painted as well. He gave me a brochure for an exhibit of their artwork at a museum here in town. The install was very easy. As I was leaving he mentioned that before I showed up he wasn't getting a few channels. It sounded like a filter, so after I left I went up the pole and removed the filter.
The next job was in plastic land. I just had to downgrade somebody, which I did from the outside.
Then I headed to my last job. This was in the land of scrape offs. This was a very nice ranch home. It took up a loot of land. There was an older lady here, with 20 year old guy and a woman who was in her mid-twenties. She is an architect and the two others she enlisted to help her. She said she had gum surgery yesterday, so one of the others fixed her a drink. I was here to switch out an HD box with a DVR and fix one of her TVs which I did. We talked a bit and then I went home.
The first job was a home in the land of scrape offs. This was an old home. The woman living here must have lived here for a long time. She was on older lady. She had to put her dog up. She explained that is was abused and then left out in the country, the dog eventually ended up on her farm. But its not too friendly to strangers because of this. Her front screen wouldn't open for some reason so I had to go around back. I was just here to switch out a box for a DVR. The room I was putting it in had a litter box in the middle on a plastic sheet. In fact all her furniture throughout the house had plastic on it. This room had a couple of desks but no where to really sit, so I thought it was weird to put a DVR in this room.
The next job was a house. This guy had recently bought the place and was still moving in. I just needed to move the EMTA into another room. But there was no cable or phone in that room, so I had to run a new outlet. This took a bit of time. At least he helped me out, which is always nice. I replaced his DVR for him as well, while I was there.
Then I headed to a row of apartments. The door was answered by a round woman, who had one eye barely open while the other was completely closed. She said she had some extra money so she bought an HD TV. I was here to install an HD box. I was running very late, so I took off quick.
The next job was at an apartment building near where I live. There was a young woman here. The place was laid out differently. the is the first place I've heard that is cheaper than my own. Though she said she knew some one, that's why she has such a good deal. That and the fact that it's really a half-way house. The place was furnished with a really crappy little TV. The kind that have big knobs. She couldn't get most of the channels and the ones she did get were crappy. I also installed the Internet.
I went straight to the next job. This was a house not too far from where my girlfriend lives. A big rotund fellow answered the door. He had a long beard and moved very slow. The place was full of very interesting art work. It turned out that both his parents were artists. His dad did paintings while his mom worked with pottery. The place was full of their artwork. The kitchen was painted as well. He gave me a brochure for an exhibit of their artwork at a museum here in town. The install was very easy. As I was leaving he mentioned that before I showed up he wasn't getting a few channels. It sounded like a filter, so after I left I went up the pole and removed the filter.
The next job was in plastic land. I just had to downgrade somebody, which I did from the outside.
Then I headed to my last job. This was in the land of scrape offs. This was a very nice ranch home. It took up a loot of land. There was an older lady here, with 20 year old guy and a woman who was in her mid-twenties. She is an architect and the two others she enlisted to help her. She said she had gum surgery yesterday, so one of the others fixed her a drink. I was here to switch out an HD box with a DVR and fix one of her TVs which I did. We talked a bit and then I went home.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
My day started at an apartment not too far from where I live. There was a little woman here, who wasn't getting some of her channels. Her place was full of Garfield dolls. She was watching a Poirot movie. I replaced everything I could and when I was just about to give up I switched her to a different splitter in the box and that cleared it up. So I went to my next job.
The next job was a house. An older gentleman opened the door. His place had a lot of interesting art work. He was complaining about the sound being fucked up, which it was. At first I thought it was his fancy HD TV. But it turned out to be the box, which I switched out.
Next I headed to the land of scrape-offs. This place looked like a scrape-off but I was assured it was a remodel (not that there is much of a difference). There was one TV that wasn't working. It had a frame around it which pulled up a picture, when you are not watching TV. Basically it wasn't getting any signal. The line must have been cut during construction. It took a while to convince the woman here of this. We ran a new line from a different outlet. While waiting for the TV to work, she gave me a Pelegrino and a Clementine.
The next job was in the fancy shopping district. The door was answered by a woman who had a shit tone of make-up on. I thought it was still Halloween. She showed me a TV that was missing a couple channels. I asked to see the splitter. She called to her husband who was in the basement. He came up. Never in my life had I ever seen so much hair on a person's ear. It was thick too. Downstairs he showed me to where everything came together. It looked like a switchboard. It took us a long time just figure out how it worked. Let alone get anything fixed. Eventually I left and by this time I was starting to run late.
The next job wasn't too far away. The door at this place was answered by a tall thin woman. She showed me the TV. I asked where the splitter was and she showed me to the basement then she went to get her husband. The basement was his work area there were empty bullet shells in zip-lock bags. He said he was a corrections office in a town about 45 minutes to the south. He showed me where some other things were, then he proceeded to give me a tour of the place and point out a bunch of things that were completely irrelevant. In fact the whole time I was there he would bring up things that had nothing to do with the problem even when I had already explained to him that it wasn't problem. Eventually I had to figure out a way to bypass the outlet in question. I spent way too much time there and now I was even later.
The next job was in an apartment complex. They were not getting a few channels. I knew exactly where to look, so I moved quickly to gain time. There was a Hispanic family here. They had statues of bald eagles carrying the U.S. flag next to their flat screen TV. They also had some toy trucks around as well. I then headed to the next job.
The next job was up north. It was a series of town-homes. I walked in and a woman told me nothing was working, but she turned the TV on and it was working. I saw that the splitter was hooked up backwards. So I fixed it and went on my way.
As I was heading to my next job it got canceled, so I was ready to go home, but got stuck with one more job. This was a faulty router. The family was eating dinner as I was working. I could tell one of the sons was applying for college. He had an impressive list he was going out for. AT one point the dog came in, tossed one of the pillows off the chair in the room, then tossed the other one around until it was right for him to lay on. As I was leaving the wife offered me some food to take with me. I declined and headed home.
The next job was a house. An older gentleman opened the door. His place had a lot of interesting art work. He was complaining about the sound being fucked up, which it was. At first I thought it was his fancy HD TV. But it turned out to be the box, which I switched out.
Next I headed to the land of scrape-offs. This place looked like a scrape-off but I was assured it was a remodel (not that there is much of a difference). There was one TV that wasn't working. It had a frame around it which pulled up a picture, when you are not watching TV. Basically it wasn't getting any signal. The line must have been cut during construction. It took a while to convince the woman here of this. We ran a new line from a different outlet. While waiting for the TV to work, she gave me a Pelegrino and a Clementine.
The next job was in the fancy shopping district. The door was answered by a woman who had a shit tone of make-up on. I thought it was still Halloween. She showed me a TV that was missing a couple channels. I asked to see the splitter. She called to her husband who was in the basement. He came up. Never in my life had I ever seen so much hair on a person's ear. It was thick too. Downstairs he showed me to where everything came together. It looked like a switchboard. It took us a long time just figure out how it worked. Let alone get anything fixed. Eventually I left and by this time I was starting to run late.
The next job wasn't too far away. The door at this place was answered by a tall thin woman. She showed me the TV. I asked where the splitter was and she showed me to the basement then she went to get her husband. The basement was his work area there were empty bullet shells in zip-lock bags. He said he was a corrections office in a town about 45 minutes to the south. He showed me where some other things were, then he proceeded to give me a tour of the place and point out a bunch of things that were completely irrelevant. In fact the whole time I was there he would bring up things that had nothing to do with the problem even when I had already explained to him that it wasn't problem. Eventually I had to figure out a way to bypass the outlet in question. I spent way too much time there and now I was even later.
The next job was in an apartment complex. They were not getting a few channels. I knew exactly where to look, so I moved quickly to gain time. There was a Hispanic family here. They had statues of bald eagles carrying the U.S. flag next to their flat screen TV. They also had some toy trucks around as well. I then headed to the next job.
The next job was up north. It was a series of town-homes. I walked in and a woman told me nothing was working, but she turned the TV on and it was working. I saw that the splitter was hooked up backwards. So I fixed it and went on my way.
As I was heading to my next job it got canceled, so I was ready to go home, but got stuck with one more job. This was a faulty router. The family was eating dinner as I was working. I could tell one of the sons was applying for college. He had an impressive list he was going out for. AT one point the dog came in, tossed one of the pillows off the chair in the room, then tossed the other one around until it was right for him to lay on. As I was leaving the wife offered me some food to take with me. I declined and headed home.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Monday
My day started at an apartment complex. I was doing installs today, and the woman here already had everything set up for me. Which made it all very easy. She had just moved from a town up north. She's a Presbyterian minister and just moved to a church that was only a couple blocks away. I was jealous about the fact that she can walk to work. She said she would still have to drive back to that town once a month to do pre-marital counseling.
The next job was in resort town. There was a young couple here, still moving in. Once again they had everything already set up for me, so the install was super easy.
I was called to pick up another job in the retirement community. I was greeted at the door by an old man. He told me that the woman I was here for is both deaf and dumb, so she is waiting for me in her room. I asked him what was wrong and he didn't know. At her place he asked me to press a doorbell. I could see that it caused a light to flash. At this point I heard a squawk. I thought it was a parrot, I see lots of parakeets in this neighborhood. I came in and there was no bird. It was in fact her that made the squawk. In a way she reminded me of one of the singing sisters in the Triplets of Bellville. She motioned towards the TV and shrugged her shoulders. I turned it on and saw that it was on the wrong channel. I changed it and she was immediately grateful. She blew me a kiss to show her gratitude.
After lunch I went to a house way up north in a poorer neighborhood. A young guy answered the door. The place was a mess because they were still moving in. He showed me where everything was. Out back i could tell that everything was old, but a previous tech out here had tried to cover it up and make it look new. So I ended up having to replace the line to the house. Which took a while, but after words, the install was easy.
My last job was only a couple doors away from a friend of mine. I had to call her and she showed up. Her place was empty. She had moved from Tamp Bay. She used to live here and missed it, so she has moved back. Currently she's waiting for her stuff to arrive. The place was depressing. She said she's been staying with her friend down the street. I almost wonder if it's the same person I knew. She looked like they may know each other. But for some reason I didn't ask. It wasn't a difficult install.
The next job was in resort town. There was a young couple here, still moving in. Once again they had everything already set up for me, so the install was super easy.
I was called to pick up another job in the retirement community. I was greeted at the door by an old man. He told me that the woman I was here for is both deaf and dumb, so she is waiting for me in her room. I asked him what was wrong and he didn't know. At her place he asked me to press a doorbell. I could see that it caused a light to flash. At this point I heard a squawk. I thought it was a parrot, I see lots of parakeets in this neighborhood. I came in and there was no bird. It was in fact her that made the squawk. In a way she reminded me of one of the singing sisters in the Triplets of Bellville. She motioned towards the TV and shrugged her shoulders. I turned it on and saw that it was on the wrong channel. I changed it and she was immediately grateful. She blew me a kiss to show her gratitude.
After lunch I went to a house way up north in a poorer neighborhood. A young guy answered the door. The place was a mess because they were still moving in. He showed me where everything was. Out back i could tell that everything was old, but a previous tech out here had tried to cover it up and make it look new. So I ended up having to replace the line to the house. Which took a while, but after words, the install was easy.
My last job was only a couple doors away from a friend of mine. I had to call her and she showed up. Her place was empty. She had moved from Tamp Bay. She used to live here and missed it, so she has moved back. Currently she's waiting for her stuff to arrive. The place was depressing. She said she's been staying with her friend down the street. I almost wonder if it's the same person I knew. She looked like they may know each other. But for some reason I didn't ask. It wasn't a difficult install.
sunday
My day started at an apartment building, that looks like one of those large Victorian buildings that has been converted into apartments, but it was actually a scrape off. A woman answered the door and mentioned that her boyfriend was slow to getting up. So she acted as a diversion until he was dressed and out of the room. She was having problems with her Internet. Her signal was a little low, which I fixed but the real problem was her router. I showed it to her and went to my next job.
This was another apartment building. A guy meet me at the door. He apologized for the mess. He said his girlfriend was out of town, which meant he got to live as a bachelor for a while. So there was clothes all over the place. I had to jump over some clothes to get up the stairs to where the modem. It turned out to be the modem, so I replaced it.
The next job was a house. The door was answered by a nice gentleman. He showed me to where the modem was upstairs. It was the modem so I replaced it and went to the next job.
This place was a house. But there were several people living here. The atmosphere was that of college. I was showed upstairs to a room where the modem was. It was getting a low signal. I looked outside and saw that the line needed to be replaced. In fact I saw things wrong all over the place. In the end I spent almost three hours there replacing everything. All the while a couple of guys just sat there and watched Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back and some football.
Afterwards I went to an apartment building near where I live. There was an older couple living here. There were having serious Internet issues. Their signal was low. I did what I could to raise it but, the issue was both the signal to the building and the line to their apartment. But considering that I was running behind at this point I decided to let things remain the way they are and hope it doesn't come back to haunt me.
The next job was just a few blocks away at another apartment building. This guy was having Internet issues as well. It turned out that the connector wasn't hooked up right at the splitter. It as a very quick job.
I was then given another job. But no one was home. So I went to another apartment building. There was a woman here. She was having TV issues. It was due to a low signal. So I fixed the signal and left.
As I was leaving I was given yet another job. This was in the country club area. This guy looked and sounded a lot like Robert Culp. He was having a problem with one of his TVs. But it never happened while I was there. We actually just sat there and watched the football game. Every so often we would remember why I was there and make some comment about how it hasn't happened yet. Eventually I just left.
This was another apartment building. A guy meet me at the door. He apologized for the mess. He said his girlfriend was out of town, which meant he got to live as a bachelor for a while. So there was clothes all over the place. I had to jump over some clothes to get up the stairs to where the modem. It turned out to be the modem, so I replaced it.
The next job was a house. The door was answered by a nice gentleman. He showed me to where the modem was upstairs. It was the modem so I replaced it and went to the next job.
This place was a house. But there were several people living here. The atmosphere was that of college. I was showed upstairs to a room where the modem was. It was getting a low signal. I looked outside and saw that the line needed to be replaced. In fact I saw things wrong all over the place. In the end I spent almost three hours there replacing everything. All the while a couple of guys just sat there and watched Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back and some football.
Afterwards I went to an apartment building near where I live. There was an older couple living here. There were having serious Internet issues. Their signal was low. I did what I could to raise it but, the issue was both the signal to the building and the line to their apartment. But considering that I was running behind at this point I decided to let things remain the way they are and hope it doesn't come back to haunt me.
The next job was just a few blocks away at another apartment building. This guy was having Internet issues as well. It turned out that the connector wasn't hooked up right at the splitter. It as a very quick job.
I was then given another job. But no one was home. So I went to another apartment building. There was a woman here. She was having TV issues. It was due to a low signal. So I fixed the signal and left.
As I was leaving I was given yet another job. This was in the country club area. This guy looked and sounded a lot like Robert Culp. He was having a problem with one of his TVs. But it never happened while I was there. We actually just sat there and watched the football game. Every so often we would remember why I was there and make some comment about how it hasn't happened yet. Eventually I just left.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
This day started out in the fancy shopping district. I was actually at this place about a year ago to replace the DVRs. This time I was here to program her remote to her new TV. It was a simple in and out job.
The next job was further north. The door was answered by an old black woman. She went to go wake up her son. He showed me a TV int he basement that wasn't getting too many channels. The son was in town for Thanksgiving, from Austin. It turned out that the line to the house needed to be replaced. It was old and squirrels had been chewing on it. But that wasn't the problem, it was the box itself.
Next I headed to a house near the hospitals. This was a nice looking brick house, that had been divided into two units. A woman answered the door. There was a kid there as well and they were cooking. I thought it was her daughter but it became apparent that was her niece, because the kid started talking about her parents. She wasn't getting a bunch of channels. I replaced a couple connectors and a bad looking cable and that did it.
The next job was a house in the land of scrape-offs. This was actually the house of the Norwegian guy who's condo I worked at last week (the one with marble floors and Andy Warhol Marylin's). When he setup his account for that they disconnected him here, but he wasn't moving he wanted to keep both places active. So I just had to go up the pole and re-connect them.
The first job after lunch was an apartment building about 2 blocks away from me. The door was answered by a guy who had a strange way of talking. Like a stereotypical nerd. He had posters on his wall of Laurel & Hardy, the Marx Brothers, and Charlie Chaplin. He was having some issues with one of his channels. It turned out to be a connector that was not properly tightened.
The next job was an apartment building about two blocks from where I live in the other direction. A old woman answered the door. She walked very slowly. There was a couple bongs around. She apologized and assured me she only smokes for the pain. She asked me to move the cable box to a new TV, because she was getting surgery done soon. I did so and left the other TV hooked up with regular cable. Then she asked for me to replace her remote. Which I did. Then she asked me to give her a new remote for the TV without a box. I tried to tell her that we only give remotes for TVs with boxes. She tried to tell me that she always got a remote, then asked to speak to a supervisor. I went to get her a remote because I didn't want the hassle. When I got back with a new remote she was a complete bitch to me. She started acting like I had lied to her about the remote then she asked to sign the paperwork and slammed the door behind me.
The next job was at resort town. There was a young couple here, who had just gotten an HD box. It wasn't working quite right. She had it on the wrong input. So I went to the next job.
The next job was near the land of scrape-offs. There was an old man here. He moved slowly. He was having some random issues with the boxes, but everything looked fine. I suggested we replace the boxes but he wasn't too receptive. In the mean time he kept talking to me about his life. From the fact that he is a widower, to the fact that his family not only had the first TV in the neighborhood, but the first color TV in the neighborhood. He also gave me a Arizona Ice Tea.
Next I was given a job in the land of scrape-offs. These people were still moving in. Their Internet and phone weren't working correctly. It turned out his EMTA was in stand-by. That's why his Internet wasn't working. His phone wasn't working because of something in our system. It only took a phone call to fix.
My last job was at a house way down south. A previous tech left the job unfinished. One outlet wasn't working. It was because it wasn't even hooked up. I also had to fix a splice in the line, then I was finally able to go home.
The next job was further north. The door was answered by an old black woman. She went to go wake up her son. He showed me a TV int he basement that wasn't getting too many channels. The son was in town for Thanksgiving, from Austin. It turned out that the line to the house needed to be replaced. It was old and squirrels had been chewing on it. But that wasn't the problem, it was the box itself.
Next I headed to a house near the hospitals. This was a nice looking brick house, that had been divided into two units. A woman answered the door. There was a kid there as well and they were cooking. I thought it was her daughter but it became apparent that was her niece, because the kid started talking about her parents. She wasn't getting a bunch of channels. I replaced a couple connectors and a bad looking cable and that did it.
The next job was a house in the land of scrape-offs. This was actually the house of the Norwegian guy who's condo I worked at last week (the one with marble floors and Andy Warhol Marylin's). When he setup his account for that they disconnected him here, but he wasn't moving he wanted to keep both places active. So I just had to go up the pole and re-connect them.
The first job after lunch was an apartment building about 2 blocks away from me. The door was answered by a guy who had a strange way of talking. Like a stereotypical nerd. He had posters on his wall of Laurel & Hardy, the Marx Brothers, and Charlie Chaplin. He was having some issues with one of his channels. It turned out to be a connector that was not properly tightened.
The next job was an apartment building about two blocks from where I live in the other direction. A old woman answered the door. She walked very slowly. There was a couple bongs around. She apologized and assured me she only smokes for the pain. She asked me to move the cable box to a new TV, because she was getting surgery done soon. I did so and left the other TV hooked up with regular cable. Then she asked for me to replace her remote. Which I did. Then she asked me to give her a new remote for the TV without a box. I tried to tell her that we only give remotes for TVs with boxes. She tried to tell me that she always got a remote, then asked to speak to a supervisor. I went to get her a remote because I didn't want the hassle. When I got back with a new remote she was a complete bitch to me. She started acting like I had lied to her about the remote then she asked to sign the paperwork and slammed the door behind me.
The next job was at resort town. There was a young couple here, who had just gotten an HD box. It wasn't working quite right. She had it on the wrong input. So I went to the next job.
The next job was near the land of scrape-offs. There was an old man here. He moved slowly. He was having some random issues with the boxes, but everything looked fine. I suggested we replace the boxes but he wasn't too receptive. In the mean time he kept talking to me about his life. From the fact that he is a widower, to the fact that his family not only had the first TV in the neighborhood, but the first color TV in the neighborhood. He also gave me a Arizona Ice Tea.
Next I was given a job in the land of scrape-offs. These people were still moving in. Their Internet and phone weren't working correctly. It turned out his EMTA was in stand-by. That's why his Internet wasn't working. His phone wasn't working because of something in our system. It only took a phone call to fix.
My last job was at a house way down south. A previous tech left the job unfinished. One outlet wasn't working. It was because it wasn't even hooked up. I also had to fix a splice in the line, then I was finally able to go home.
My day started out in the retirement community. The lady here had several parrots about the place. As I approached the TV one of the parrots started to sound off like an alarm. Very loudly too. The lady picked the bird up and brought it into another room. She said it was her alarm bird. It sounds off when it sees a stranger. The problem turned out to be with the phones. It was a very simple fix.
Afterwards I went to and apartment complex near by. A black woman answered the door. She described that a picture had fallen and she hasn't had any TV or telephone since. I checked outside and it took me forever to get a key to the room. Apparently whoever the last tech was out there must have taken the key home. Anyways the problem was in the the unit itself. While I was fixing it she was on the phone with her friend. Saying that she can no longer handle being a single parent, and that she wanted to move in with her mom or someone who could help out.
The next job was in a building largely filled with retirees. I was met in the parking lot by a black lady who moved very slowly. We made our way to her place. Her telephones weren't working. I replaced a few things and eventually tracked it down to a bad splitter. She asked me to activate the phone jack in her bedroom as well. So I went ahead and did it. She was extremely grateful.
After lunch I went back to the retirement community. This was for an install. I showed up and the unit was being remodeled. A woman was there. She was getting the place remodeled for her parents who were going to move in shortly. It looked as though the place was wired, which had me thinking this was going to be an easy job. Somehow it actually took longer than usual. There was a lot of talking about what needed to happen, which always takes time. At one point she started talking about how she woke up one night and caught her father (who is deaf) watching porn.
The next job a large house. I was caught by surprise because this is easily the largest house in the area. It may have been the first. I was here to install an amplifier. The guy wanted some extra outlets activated. The problem was we couldn't figure out which outlet went to which line, so I hooked them all up. Which got everything working but one TV. He said he would have to figure that out later.
The last job was at a house near where I live. The door was answered by a slightly effeminate man. He showed to the broiler room in the basement where his router was. He explained what was going on and though I saw nothing wrong I replaced the modem anyways. Then I went home.
Afterwards I went to and apartment complex near by. A black woman answered the door. She described that a picture had fallen and she hasn't had any TV or telephone since. I checked outside and it took me forever to get a key to the room. Apparently whoever the last tech was out there must have taken the key home. Anyways the problem was in the the unit itself. While I was fixing it she was on the phone with her friend. Saying that she can no longer handle being a single parent, and that she wanted to move in with her mom or someone who could help out.
The next job was in a building largely filled with retirees. I was met in the parking lot by a black lady who moved very slowly. We made our way to her place. Her telephones weren't working. I replaced a few things and eventually tracked it down to a bad splitter. She asked me to activate the phone jack in her bedroom as well. So I went ahead and did it. She was extremely grateful.
After lunch I went back to the retirement community. This was for an install. I showed up and the unit was being remodeled. A woman was there. She was getting the place remodeled for her parents who were going to move in shortly. It looked as though the place was wired, which had me thinking this was going to be an easy job. Somehow it actually took longer than usual. There was a lot of talking about what needed to happen, which always takes time. At one point she started talking about how she woke up one night and caught her father (who is deaf) watching porn.
The next job a large house. I was caught by surprise because this is easily the largest house in the area. It may have been the first. I was here to install an amplifier. The guy wanted some extra outlets activated. The problem was we couldn't figure out which outlet went to which line, so I hooked them all up. Which got everything working but one TV. He said he would have to figure that out later.
The last job was at a house near where I live. The door was answered by a slightly effeminate man. He showed to the broiler room in the basement where his router was. He explained what was going on and though I saw nothing wrong I replaced the modem anyways. Then I went home.
Friday, November 16, 2007
My first job of the day was a condo in the fancy shopping district. A woman answered the door in her bathrobe. She apologized and said she just got out of the shower. The place was nice, she had a fire going. She showed me the TV which was connected to an outlet in another room. She wanted it to go from the outlet in this room. The problem is I couldn't figure out how to activate that jack. So I made her a longer chord so it would look better. I also replaced the box, because her roommate said it was making a weird noise. In the building a small frail old woman approached me and asked me to help her open her door, she couldn't get the key to work. I obliged.
Next I headed to a nice house near a park. I guy answered the door and led me to a TV. He said he wasn't getting one channel and that the audio wasn't matching up with the picture. We turned the TV on and everything was working fine so I canceled it.
The next job was on a different side of the same park. This was a high rise condo. I went to the 13th floor. A contractor meet me there. He showed me the TVs that weren't working. It was an issue with the cable cards. Honestly this is still a new technology, this is the first time I dealt with it. All it really took was to call dispatch and be on hold forever. The contractor told me the renovations on this place cost more than his house. There were three Andy Warhol Marylin Monroe's, marble tile floors. he said the guy owns an island off of Norway, a condo in San Diego, a 5 Million dollar home in Vail, CO. a 2 million dollar guest home in Vail and a couple other properties here in town. He said the guy bought this place at auction for 2.1 million. With the renovations the guy had spent 2.5 million on the place and the insurance listed it as over 4 million. It must be nice to have money. The contractor was nice. The view was amazing.
The next job was an apartment building. There was an older guy here. He was complaining about certain things not working, but everything was working fine. So I replaced the box to appease him.
The next job was on the same block. This was an old Hispanic woman. She said nothing was working but I turned it on and everything worked fine, so I canceled it.
At this point I was ahead of schedule so I took a lunch. Then I went to the retirement community. At this place I was met by a large black guy. Large as in Andre the giant large. He breathed for heavily, talked with slurred speech and moved very slowly. His mom was in a little motorized chair. The bottom half of her body looked twice as large as the top half. There was an obnoxious smell about the place, it didn't take long to get a head ache. The place was filthy as well. He wasn't getting a few channels. I just had to tighten up a few loose connections and replace a splitter. He asked me for a new remote which I gave and I hooked up his DVD player as well.
The next job was in the same area. But no one answered so I called it not at home and went to my next job. This was a house I have already been to twice already. In fact when I saw it I almost kept driving. I was anticipating something bad. But we joked around about it. It turned out she went out and got a couple more boxes and wasn't able to get them to work. I got them both to work but one of them turned out to be bad. I didn't have any of the smaller boxes and that was all that would fit there so she is going to have to go to one of our payment centers and swap it out herself. This was the first time I had been in her basement though and she has a large collection of black dolls down there.
My last job was an apartment complex, this one takes up a whole city block. The door was answered by a young guy. His Internet wasn't working. I unplugged it to check the levels and plugged it back in and everything started working again. Everything looked fine, so I canceled the job.
Next I headed to a nice house near a park. I guy answered the door and led me to a TV. He said he wasn't getting one channel and that the audio wasn't matching up with the picture. We turned the TV on and everything was working fine so I canceled it.
The next job was on a different side of the same park. This was a high rise condo. I went to the 13th floor. A contractor meet me there. He showed me the TVs that weren't working. It was an issue with the cable cards. Honestly this is still a new technology, this is the first time I dealt with it. All it really took was to call dispatch and be on hold forever. The contractor told me the renovations on this place cost more than his house. There were three Andy Warhol Marylin Monroe's, marble tile floors. he said the guy owns an island off of Norway, a condo in San Diego, a 5 Million dollar home in Vail, CO. a 2 million dollar guest home in Vail and a couple other properties here in town. He said the guy bought this place at auction for 2.1 million. With the renovations the guy had spent 2.5 million on the place and the insurance listed it as over 4 million. It must be nice to have money. The contractor was nice. The view was amazing.
The next job was an apartment building. There was an older guy here. He was complaining about certain things not working, but everything was working fine. So I replaced the box to appease him.
The next job was on the same block. This was an old Hispanic woman. She said nothing was working but I turned it on and everything worked fine, so I canceled it.
At this point I was ahead of schedule so I took a lunch. Then I went to the retirement community. At this place I was met by a large black guy. Large as in Andre the giant large. He breathed for heavily, talked with slurred speech and moved very slowly. His mom was in a little motorized chair. The bottom half of her body looked twice as large as the top half. There was an obnoxious smell about the place, it didn't take long to get a head ache. The place was filthy as well. He wasn't getting a few channels. I just had to tighten up a few loose connections and replace a splitter. He asked me for a new remote which I gave and I hooked up his DVD player as well.
The next job was in the same area. But no one answered so I called it not at home and went to my next job. This was a house I have already been to twice already. In fact when I saw it I almost kept driving. I was anticipating something bad. But we joked around about it. It turned out she went out and got a couple more boxes and wasn't able to get them to work. I got them both to work but one of them turned out to be bad. I didn't have any of the smaller boxes and that was all that would fit there so she is going to have to go to one of our payment centers and swap it out herself. This was the first time I had been in her basement though and she has a large collection of black dolls down there.
My last job was an apartment complex, this one takes up a whole city block. The door was answered by a young guy. His Internet wasn't working. I unplugged it to check the levels and plugged it back in and everything started working again. Everything looked fine, so I canceled the job.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
I have installs again today. The first one was a block away from where I live. It was a large house that has been turned into apartments. Which I never realized in all the times I passed this place. Each apartment has it's own door at a different part of the house. This particular apartment was resided by a young black woman. She had two very cute and precocious cats. One was a Siamese that looked exactly like my girlfriend's cat. I told her that. Not long afterwards she start to talk about her girlfriend. I thought she may have been lesbian, but it wasn't very obvious. To hook up her apartment I needed to be let into the basement by the landlord who lived in the building next door. I got the impression that he renovated the place himself. If so he did a good job. It was a nice place. The job was easy. A little time consuming. At one point she was talking to me about how her landlord had been caring for a straggly stray for 12 years. There was a lull in the conversation when I heard something about Kanye West's mom, I remarked about it, but she thought I must have been responding to the story involving the cat, because she proceeded to talk about it some more.
The next job was at some fancy condos near a small park. An older Hispanic woman let me in. I was here to install all our services. We talked some about how it was going to be set up. I could tell she didn't realize the full extent of what needed to happen. I wish whoever sold her the package would explain this stuff. The job was easy at first. I got the TV working and the Internet, but the phones took forever. I overlooked what the problem was and worked on a different part. Then when I finally fixed what the problem was and it still wasn't working. In messing with some other things I had created a whole new problem. Which took me a while to figure out and fix. When I finally finished I had to skip lunch and head to my next job.
My last job was a house. The place was trashed. A black woman answered the door. She made reference to the fact that the previous residents had been evicted because they trashed the place and weren't paying their bills. Everything here was there stuff which they are supposed to come back and pick up. The place was filthy. At least it didn't smell bad. The woman said the place belongs to a friend of the family who is willing to let her stay there for cheap if she clean the place up. This place is going to take a lot of work. The up side for me , is that everything was already wired. The previous residents even left their old cable boxes. I just had to plug in some new ones where the old ones were and I'm done. I did have to go into a neighbor's yard to get to the pole, which involved dodging dog shit. That's not an easy thing to do when your carrying a ladder. Anyways, I got things working and headed home.
The next job was at some fancy condos near a small park. An older Hispanic woman let me in. I was here to install all our services. We talked some about how it was going to be set up. I could tell she didn't realize the full extent of what needed to happen. I wish whoever sold her the package would explain this stuff. The job was easy at first. I got the TV working and the Internet, but the phones took forever. I overlooked what the problem was and worked on a different part. Then when I finally fixed what the problem was and it still wasn't working. In messing with some other things I had created a whole new problem. Which took me a while to figure out and fix. When I finally finished I had to skip lunch and head to my next job.
My last job was a house. The place was trashed. A black woman answered the door. She made reference to the fact that the previous residents had been evicted because they trashed the place and weren't paying their bills. Everything here was there stuff which they are supposed to come back and pick up. The place was filthy. At least it didn't smell bad. The woman said the place belongs to a friend of the family who is willing to let her stay there for cheap if she clean the place up. This place is going to take a lot of work. The up side for me , is that everything was already wired. The previous residents even left their old cable boxes. I just had to plug in some new ones where the old ones were and I'm done. I did have to go into a neighbor's yard to get to the pole, which involved dodging dog shit. That's not an easy thing to do when your carrying a ladder. Anyways, I got things working and headed home.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
My morning was spent in the poorer neighborhoods. The door at the first house was answered by a large black woman. The place was a mess, they were still moving in. Boxes everywhere. She apologized for this fact. They weren't getting a bunch of random channels. I traced it back to the cable to the box and a bad connector outside.
The next job was only a few blocks away. This was a duplex. A young black guy answered the door. He showed me a TV downstairs that wasn't getting a few channels. The basement and the stairs down tot the basement were covered with linoleum. The place smelled like cleaning products. At one point someone showed up holding a vacuum and a mop in a bucket. I took a peek outside and saw a couple things wrong. I fixed them and sure enough everything was working. We talked a bit about the local sports teams and I took off.
Next I headed to some row houses. The door was answered by a Hispanic woman who spoke little English. She had two cute little kids there that followed me around and watched everything I did. Another adult was there cooking and it smelled great. They weren't getting Telemundo or Univision. I replaced the splitter and the line to the box and that helped but didn't fix it completely. I spent a while trying to figure out what the problem was. It turned out to be the line to one of the other TVs.I took lunch and headed to my next job. The first job of the afternoon was a scrape off. There was a woman here who looked slightly pregnant and an older woman I assumed to be her mom. I as there because her box quit working in the middle of watching football. She unhooked it to keep watching TV. I hooked the box back up and it was working fine. So I canceled the job and went to the next job.
The next job was a house that has been recently remodeled. There was nice old couple here. I wasn't paying attention and one of there dogs jumped on me and landed both paws in my stomach. It almost knocked the wind out of me. That's what I get for not paying attention. Their EMTA wasn't working, because they had a new outlet working in the renovated part of the house, which disconnected that outlet. I just had to switch it around. They also wanted an HD box, so I set them up with one.
The next job was in plasticland. They had one of our really bad DVRs and I needed to swap it. There was a young guy here. He looked like he used to play sports. We didn't talk much, he just worked on his laptop.
My last job was in an apartment building. The guy wasn't there when I showed up, so I called and he said he just got off of work. He would be there in 20 minutes later. So I replaced everything I could on the outside while I waited. The guy finally showed up about 30 minutes later. The guy was an effeminate Hispanic guy. He showed me in and told me he was missing Telemundo and Univision. I found a splitter, but there was only one TV, so it was useless. As soon as I got rid of it, everything worked. So I then went home.
The next job was only a few blocks away. This was a duplex. A young black guy answered the door. He showed me a TV downstairs that wasn't getting a few channels. The basement and the stairs down tot the basement were covered with linoleum. The place smelled like cleaning products. At one point someone showed up holding a vacuum and a mop in a bucket. I took a peek outside and saw a couple things wrong. I fixed them and sure enough everything was working. We talked a bit about the local sports teams and I took off.
Next I headed to some row houses. The door was answered by a Hispanic woman who spoke little English. She had two cute little kids there that followed me around and watched everything I did. Another adult was there cooking and it smelled great. They weren't getting Telemundo or Univision. I replaced the splitter and the line to the box and that helped but didn't fix it completely. I spent a while trying to figure out what the problem was. It turned out to be the line to one of the other TVs.I took lunch and headed to my next job. The first job of the afternoon was a scrape off. There was a woman here who looked slightly pregnant and an older woman I assumed to be her mom. I as there because her box quit working in the middle of watching football. She unhooked it to keep watching TV. I hooked the box back up and it was working fine. So I canceled the job and went to the next job.
The next job was a house that has been recently remodeled. There was nice old couple here. I wasn't paying attention and one of there dogs jumped on me and landed both paws in my stomach. It almost knocked the wind out of me. That's what I get for not paying attention. Their EMTA wasn't working, because they had a new outlet working in the renovated part of the house, which disconnected that outlet. I just had to switch it around. They also wanted an HD box, so I set them up with one.
The next job was in plasticland. They had one of our really bad DVRs and I needed to swap it. There was a young guy here. He looked like he used to play sports. We didn't talk much, he just worked on his laptop.
My last job was in an apartment building. The guy wasn't there when I showed up, so I called and he said he just got off of work. He would be there in 20 minutes later. So I replaced everything I could on the outside while I waited. The guy finally showed up about 30 minutes later. The guy was an effeminate Hispanic guy. He showed me in and told me he was missing Telemundo and Univision. I found a splitter, but there was only one TV, so it was useless. As soon as I got rid of it, everything worked. So I then went home.
Monday, November 12, 2007
I got installs today! That's how I like to start my week. The first job was in a apartment building near plastic land. A young guy let me in. He said he just woke up and apologized for how messy his place was. He was still moving in. When I first showed up I heard someone in the shower and assumed it was his girlfriend. He had a couple little parakeets in a cage. They spent most of the time quietly watching me. I had brought in my equipment and his girlfriend was sitting on the couch. I go the impression they both work in the airline industry. At one point I look down and see bird shit on the cable box. I have no clue how it got there. Those birds must be snipers or something. So I cleaned it up and continued with the job. The guy would check to make sure I was doing alright, but for the most part left to do my job. His computer did not have Ethernet, only USB. But it did not have the driver to make it work. This took some creativity as far as making it work, but eventually I solved the problem.
The next job was in the retirement community. A woman let me in. She didn't seem too old. She talked in a slow deliberate way which I wasn't sure if it was an accent or the result of a medical condition like a stroke. She was nice. I was here to set up a couple cable boxes. She had never had cable before, so I had to show her how to use it. I don't know if she got it all.
After lunch I went to a house. Both the husband and wife were here. The wife was smiling the whole time I was there. After a while it came off as creepy. They had TV and Internet, I just had to install the phones. Which was incredibly easy. They had many questions, all of which I answered.
The last job was in plastic land. I called ahead and the woman's mom was there. She had a accent like Zsa Zsa Gabor. When I first showed up she asked me to help bring in a TV. We aren't supposed to, but I was feeling generous. This woman had no clue what the hell she was talking about, but that didn't stop her from meddling. She would not stop asking me questions and bothering me. The worst part was as I was getting close to finishing she decided to switch things around and move the modem into the other room. At this point I was completely annoyed with her. I just finished the job was quickly as possible and go home.
The next job was in the retirement community. A woman let me in. She didn't seem too old. She talked in a slow deliberate way which I wasn't sure if it was an accent or the result of a medical condition like a stroke. She was nice. I was here to set up a couple cable boxes. She had never had cable before, so I had to show her how to use it. I don't know if she got it all.
After lunch I went to a house. Both the husband and wife were here. The wife was smiling the whole time I was there. After a while it came off as creepy. They had TV and Internet, I just had to install the phones. Which was incredibly easy. They had many questions, all of which I answered.
The last job was in plastic land. I called ahead and the woman's mom was there. She had a accent like Zsa Zsa Gabor. When I first showed up she asked me to help bring in a TV. We aren't supposed to, but I was feeling generous. This woman had no clue what the hell she was talking about, but that didn't stop her from meddling. She would not stop asking me questions and bothering me. The worst part was as I was getting close to finishing she decided to switch things around and move the modem into the other room. At this point I was completely annoyed with her. I just finished the job was quickly as possible and go home.
Friday, November 9, 2007
The day started with an install. The house still had some Halloween decorations out front. I had woken her up. She already had Internet, but I was here to install the TV. She had satellite but switching over, so the job should have been easy. I had it all done, but I was concerned about the signal to the Internet being to low. I should have kept my mouth shut, because I spent more time trying to fix this problem than I did on the actual install. I never did end up fixing the problem. At one point I saw part of a movie with conjoined twins playing guitar and singing in harmony which I thought was pretty cool.
The next job was at a town-home complex. The place was a mess. I couldn't quite tell if they were moving in or if it always looks like this. It was very filthy. The job itself went pretty quickly. She spent the whole time on the phone with one person or another. At one point she was fighting with her fiancee.
I then headed to my next job which turned out to be not at home, my last one canceled. So I picked up two more. The first was in the penthouse of a fancy apartment building near the fancy shopping district. The guy here was very nice. I saw autographed pictures of Ronald Reagan, and both President Bush's. He was having Internet issues. It turned out to be his router. He spent most of his time on the phone. Talking to his daughter about her new boyfriend. He told me he just got back from a trip to Hong Kong and was telling me about how China is the place to be as a business. He works in the restaurant industry and co-founded Chili's. After I got his computer working again he asked me to change the voice on his AOL, so I changed it to Madonna. After all of this the guy tipped me a crisp two dollar bill.
The last job was a little house near a park. A young woman wearing pajamas answered the door and said the TV in the basement wasn't working. It looks like several recent college grads live here. The problem with the TV was the line going to it which was a very easy fix. As I was there they were cleaning the place getting ready for a party. There was a keg in one corner and a bar as well.
The next job was at a town-home complex. The place was a mess. I couldn't quite tell if they were moving in or if it always looks like this. It was very filthy. The job itself went pretty quickly. She spent the whole time on the phone with one person or another. At one point she was fighting with her fiancee.
I then headed to my next job which turned out to be not at home, my last one canceled. So I picked up two more. The first was in the penthouse of a fancy apartment building near the fancy shopping district. The guy here was very nice. I saw autographed pictures of Ronald Reagan, and both President Bush's. He was having Internet issues. It turned out to be his router. He spent most of his time on the phone. Talking to his daughter about her new boyfriend. He told me he just got back from a trip to Hong Kong and was telling me about how China is the place to be as a business. He works in the restaurant industry and co-founded Chili's. After I got his computer working again he asked me to change the voice on his AOL, so I changed it to Madonna. After all of this the guy tipped me a crisp two dollar bill.
The last job was a little house near a park. A young woman wearing pajamas answered the door and said the TV in the basement wasn't working. It looks like several recent college grads live here. The problem with the TV was the line going to it which was a very easy fix. As I was there they were cleaning the place getting ready for a party. There was a keg in one corner and a bar as well.
My day started in a town-home complex where a friend of mine lives. The door was answered by a young man. I had just woken him up. I noticed a necklace of a hatchet man hanging on the wall. He had a giant flat screen TV and a few video game systems. His cable box wasn't working, but that was because the cable was plugged into the TV instead. I hooked it up correctly and left.
The next job was at a huge fancy house near a park. I had to get buzzed in through the gate just to get to the house itself. The place was filled with all sorts of artwork. Everything was locked, I had to keep asking the lady's permission to get doors opened. There was a team of guys here remodeling the place as well. She complained that one of her TVs kept breaking up and another has worked in a little while. The place was extremely confusing. There were splitters everywhere. I spent over two hours just trying to figure out exactly what went where. The painters who were there kept talking about bringing a radio and listening to books on tape. One suggested listening to religious texts, because they are too tedious to read. Later they were talking about possibly getting some Tolkien. In the end I spent almost three hours there and not all the TVs looked perfect.
I then rushed to my next job which I was now late to. The was another large house, this time in the country club area. The woman told we the local power company was going through the alleyway cleaning up old lines and they left her's hanging in a tree. She asked if they cut it, and they said no. But they did. So I replaced it.
I next headed to another large house in the same neighborhood. No one was here because I showed up late. There was a note saying they waited but left. I called it not at home and headed to my next job.
This was in resort town. A rotund Arabic man answered the door. He was playing Call of Duty on his X-Box. His wife was doing work on a laptop next to him. He complained that some of his channels would break up from time to time. Of course everything seemed fine now. I could find nothing wrong. He said the last time it happened he tightened up something and it hasn't happened since. I guess I didn't need to be here.
The next job was at a nice apartment building next to a park. There was an old Hispanic woman here, possibly Cuban. She knew little English so she called her son, who is a police officer, to come by and help. When he entered the room I felt the need to stand out of respect. The problem was the box, so I switched it out. They weren't getting all their channels as well, so I replace the cable. What they really wanted was a Cuban TV station they had seen in Florida. But we don't get that station here. So the odds are they are going to cancel their service.
Next I went to an apartment building right near a hospital. I was here to program the guys remote to his TV. But I could not find the right code, so I canceled the job.
The next job was only a few blocks away in an apartment building on a very busy street. The door was answered by a black guy smoking a cigarette. He told me to wait and came back a couple minutes later. He said he was babysitting and asked me to come back. I was suspicious about the fact that he was smoking while babysitting but I rescheduled it anyways.
The last job was not at home so I went home.
The next job was at a huge fancy house near a park. I had to get buzzed in through the gate just to get to the house itself. The place was filled with all sorts of artwork. Everything was locked, I had to keep asking the lady's permission to get doors opened. There was a team of guys here remodeling the place as well. She complained that one of her TVs kept breaking up and another has worked in a little while. The place was extremely confusing. There were splitters everywhere. I spent over two hours just trying to figure out exactly what went where. The painters who were there kept talking about bringing a radio and listening to books on tape. One suggested listening to religious texts, because they are too tedious to read. Later they were talking about possibly getting some Tolkien. In the end I spent almost three hours there and not all the TVs looked perfect.
I then rushed to my next job which I was now late to. The was another large house, this time in the country club area. The woman told we the local power company was going through the alleyway cleaning up old lines and they left her's hanging in a tree. She asked if they cut it, and they said no. But they did. So I replaced it.
I next headed to another large house in the same neighborhood. No one was here because I showed up late. There was a note saying they waited but left. I called it not at home and headed to my next job.
This was in resort town. A rotund Arabic man answered the door. He was playing Call of Duty on his X-Box. His wife was doing work on a laptop next to him. He complained that some of his channels would break up from time to time. Of course everything seemed fine now. I could find nothing wrong. He said the last time it happened he tightened up something and it hasn't happened since. I guess I didn't need to be here.
The next job was at a nice apartment building next to a park. There was an old Hispanic woman here, possibly Cuban. She knew little English so she called her son, who is a police officer, to come by and help. When he entered the room I felt the need to stand out of respect. The problem was the box, so I switched it out. They weren't getting all their channels as well, so I replace the cable. What they really wanted was a Cuban TV station they had seen in Florida. But we don't get that station here. So the odds are they are going to cancel their service.
Next I went to an apartment building right near a hospital. I was here to program the guys remote to his TV. But I could not find the right code, so I canceled the job.
The next job was only a few blocks away in an apartment building on a very busy street. The door was answered by a black guy smoking a cigarette. He told me to wait and came back a couple minutes later. He said he was babysitting and asked me to come back. I was suspicious about the fact that he was smoking while babysitting but I rescheduled it anyways.
The last job was not at home so I went home.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
I was given a whole bunch of installs today. Most of which were just switching out boxes for DVRs. I started near the fancy shopping area. I was greeted by a big dog who kept barking at me. A gentleman came out and I joked about the fact that he doesn't need a doorbell. He was switching out his HD box for a DVR. It sounded as though he moved here recently from Baltimore, though maybe he lives in both places. Anyways it was a very quick job.
Then I headed to a house. I was greeted by a woman. She had a very rambunctious dog that at first would not quit bothering me, but then all of sudden decided it's own tail was more interesting and proceeded to chase it. I was here to add an HD box. It was another quick job.
Next I went to an apartment building, which was actually the first place I ever went when i started this job. I hadn't been back here since. This place is a dump. The guy wasn't here. I called him and he said he was at the hospital with his mom, he would be there shortly. He showed up about a half an hour later. He was an effeminate gay black man. He was there with a young woman. I was there to install the Internet. His TV was already set up. The place was empty. There wasn't even a bed, just a sheet and a pillow. But he has a TV and a computer. While I was there he got a phone call, from someone he didn't know, but he proceeded to try and figure out who the person was. At first I thought the person had called him for drugs, the way he was talking, but the call turned out be for a hook up. Although the whole thing was a prank from the beginning. At one point he was talking about missing school and it sounded like he was still in high school.
The next job was in plastic land. There was an old lady here with a young couple. I was here to swap her HD box with a DVR. She offered me some candy so I put a bunch in my pockets. She asked me all sorts of questions, all of which I was able to answer. The couple left, apparently they are her neighbors and they are moving to Seattle. She gave me a bunch more candy as I left.
I took a short break and headed to my first afternoon job. A woman answered the door to this house. She had several dogs and it seemed that every time I turned around I saw a new one. She had an old telephone switchboard, as well as several antique phones, and a lot of antique cameras. I was here to set her up with an HD box. Another quick and easy job.
After this I had to go to an apartment building. For this I just had to downgrade someone. This involved adding a trap outside. Then I headed to another house. I was met by a woman. She was very happy to see me. She had just been delivered a flat screen TV that morning. So I was there to get it working. She had a very old senile dog, that just followed me everywhere and smelled me the whole time. It would keep barking at me as though it just saw me for the first time. She had a kid there, he would follow me around and check out everything I was doing and try to talk to me.
The next job was another house. A pregnant Asian woman answered the door. She had gotten a new flat screen as well and wanted an HD box. There was a line coming through the floor but there was no signal. The woman said her husband had set up the line. She wanted me to install a new line. It's rare when someone actually wants you to drill a new hole in their wall and have cable draped on the outside of the house. Anyways it took a while , but I got it done and headed home.
Then I headed to a house. I was greeted by a woman. She had a very rambunctious dog that at first would not quit bothering me, but then all of sudden decided it's own tail was more interesting and proceeded to chase it. I was here to add an HD box. It was another quick job.
Next I went to an apartment building, which was actually the first place I ever went when i started this job. I hadn't been back here since. This place is a dump. The guy wasn't here. I called him and he said he was at the hospital with his mom, he would be there shortly. He showed up about a half an hour later. He was an effeminate gay black man. He was there with a young woman. I was there to install the Internet. His TV was already set up. The place was empty. There wasn't even a bed, just a sheet and a pillow. But he has a TV and a computer. While I was there he got a phone call, from someone he didn't know, but he proceeded to try and figure out who the person was. At first I thought the person had called him for drugs, the way he was talking, but the call turned out be for a hook up. Although the whole thing was a prank from the beginning. At one point he was talking about missing school and it sounded like he was still in high school.
The next job was in plastic land. There was an old lady here with a young couple. I was here to swap her HD box with a DVR. She offered me some candy so I put a bunch in my pockets. She asked me all sorts of questions, all of which I was able to answer. The couple left, apparently they are her neighbors and they are moving to Seattle. She gave me a bunch more candy as I left.
I took a short break and headed to my first afternoon job. A woman answered the door to this house. She had several dogs and it seemed that every time I turned around I saw a new one. She had an old telephone switchboard, as well as several antique phones, and a lot of antique cameras. I was here to set her up with an HD box. Another quick and easy job.
After this I had to go to an apartment building. For this I just had to downgrade someone. This involved adding a trap outside. Then I headed to another house. I was met by a woman. She was very happy to see me. She had just been delivered a flat screen TV that morning. So I was there to get it working. She had a very old senile dog, that just followed me everywhere and smelled me the whole time. It would keep barking at me as though it just saw me for the first time. She had a kid there, he would follow me around and check out everything I was doing and try to talk to me.
The next job was another house. A pregnant Asian woman answered the door. She had gotten a new flat screen as well and wanted an HD box. There was a line coming through the floor but there was no signal. The woman said her husband had set up the line. She wanted me to install a new line. It's rare when someone actually wants you to drill a new hole in their wall and have cable draped on the outside of the house. Anyways it took a while , but I got it done and headed home.
Monday, November 5, 2007
My day started at an apartment building near where I live. This was actually right off of prostitute row. I was there for their phones witch were not working. But there was no way I could get a hold of them to let me in without being able to call them. So I had to call the job not at home.
I was then given a job for the afternoon, but I was told they were home. So I went there and was met by a young man. He's works from home. There were degrees from Duke University for both him and his wife on the wall. He complained about his phones cutting in and out. I fold some old connectors outside and one too many splitters hooked up. I gave him my number and told him to call me if it keeps happening.
The next job was only a couple blocks a away. The house was being remodeled. The woman wasn't there yet. She said she forgot about the appointment and asked me to hang out until she arrived. She showed up with her kid and let me in. She told me the problems she's been having and made a reference to squirrels. I asked her about splitters and she led me into the add on area still under construction. The she pointed out some squirrels who have taken up residence in this area. They were hanging out in the corner. She said she evicted them once but they came back. Then she pointed to where the squirrels had been chewing on the cable. So I had to replace that section of cable. At one point her dogs had got out and were running in the street and she had to chase them down. I hope I actually fixed the problem and there wasn't more to it than that.
The next job was in the retirement community. This particular until I had actually been in before. I installed the Internet in this place. Her TV wasn't showing all of it's channels. I first looked behind the wall-plate and replaced that connector to no avail. Which meant I had to replace the line to the unit, which was on the third floor. So that took a long time. She had a very cute little kitten that was very curious about everything I was doing.
That job ran through my lunch so I headed straight to my next job. This was a house. The door was answered by a very nice Asian woman. She explained the problems she was having. I replaced the splitter and the basement, which was pretty easy. It felt too easy in fact. I've run into so many bad drawn out jobs lately, that I've begun to question the easy ones.
A couple jobs previous I got called back by one of my morning jobs which was still experiencing problems. So I went back to replace the EMTA and headed to the next job.
This was the worst clean up job I've ever had to do. A black woman opened the door. Her two teenage daughters were sitting at a table, they were about to eat something. She showed me the TV in one room that wasn't working at all. It was hooked up completely wrong. Then she showed me the phone which wasn't hooked up at all. The place was a mess. I basically did the install.
My last job was in the land of scrape-offs. This was indeed a scrape-off, which was still a work in progress. I was here to check out her DVR. She said it hasn't been working since a power surge. I unplugged it and plugged it back in and it started to work fine, so I canceled it and went home
I was then given a job for the afternoon, but I was told they were home. So I went there and was met by a young man. He's works from home. There were degrees from Duke University for both him and his wife on the wall. He complained about his phones cutting in and out. I fold some old connectors outside and one too many splitters hooked up. I gave him my number and told him to call me if it keeps happening.
The next job was only a couple blocks a away. The house was being remodeled. The woman wasn't there yet. She said she forgot about the appointment and asked me to hang out until she arrived. She showed up with her kid and let me in. She told me the problems she's been having and made a reference to squirrels. I asked her about splitters and she led me into the add on area still under construction. The she pointed out some squirrels who have taken up residence in this area. They were hanging out in the corner. She said she evicted them once but they came back. Then she pointed to where the squirrels had been chewing on the cable. So I had to replace that section of cable. At one point her dogs had got out and were running in the street and she had to chase them down. I hope I actually fixed the problem and there wasn't more to it than that.
The next job was in the retirement community. This particular until I had actually been in before. I installed the Internet in this place. Her TV wasn't showing all of it's channels. I first looked behind the wall-plate and replaced that connector to no avail. Which meant I had to replace the line to the unit, which was on the third floor. So that took a long time. She had a very cute little kitten that was very curious about everything I was doing.
That job ran through my lunch so I headed straight to my next job. This was a house. The door was answered by a very nice Asian woman. She explained the problems she was having. I replaced the splitter and the basement, which was pretty easy. It felt too easy in fact. I've run into so many bad drawn out jobs lately, that I've begun to question the easy ones.
A couple jobs previous I got called back by one of my morning jobs which was still experiencing problems. So I went back to replace the EMTA and headed to the next job.
This was the worst clean up job I've ever had to do. A black woman opened the door. Her two teenage daughters were sitting at a table, they were about to eat something. She showed me the TV in one room that wasn't working at all. It was hooked up completely wrong. Then she showed me the phone which wasn't hooked up at all. The place was a mess. I basically did the install.
My last job was in the land of scrape-offs. This was indeed a scrape-off, which was still a work in progress. I was here to check out her DVR. She said it hasn't been working since a power surge. I unplugged it and plugged it back in and it started to work fine, so I canceled it and went home
Thursday, November 1, 2007
I started my day at a large house near one of the parks. The guy here was nice. He wanted Internet installed and a new outlet put in the adjacent room. He was nice enough to move his furniture out of my way. The job took a bit of time but wasn't difficult. The guy works from home. I set up a TV in his office and he asked me how common it was to have a TV in one's office. I said it was pretty common. He said he's been working on a book that was about having distractions in one's office. And how one only has so much attention span and has to partition that to cover everything going on. Which made sense as I was trying to set up his Internet, listen to him talk and all the while the TV is on to my right.
Then I headed to resort town, back to the job I was at yesterday. The woman and her daughter were both still there in their bathrobes. They were watching CNBC in their respective rooms and would yell at each other about the financial news. I replaced all the connectors and a splitter. I hope that did it.
Then I headed to an apartment complex near by. There was a couple here moving in. I think they were moving from out of state. I asked where the TV was going to be, the woman said one place then looked at the guy who said, "I don't know, you're the boss." The job was very easy, I had been in this complex before and knew where everything was.
After lunch I went to the next job. This apartment building I had been in before, but it's been bought out by some new company which has renovated it. I was met by a contractor outside. He was there to disconnect someone, but his ladder didn't quite reach, so he wanted to use mine. Which wasn't a problem since I was there to install someone. The woman here wanted TV in two rooms, but there was only one outlet. I told her the cable would have to go across a walkway, but she wasn't it. It was supposed to be her daughter's room. When her daughter showed up I could tell she was disappointed. This job was easy as well, largely due to a lack of furniture.
I then went to the next job which was in an apartment building about two blocks away. Unfortunately I was early and she was running late. I ended up waiting an hour, but I didn't take a lunch so I hung out and read a bit. Eventually she showed up. She was short. She looked half my size. Her place had these really amazing photos. One of a temple in Cambodia with these giant tree roots growing over it. It struck me as very powerful. I would love to see it in person some day. There was also a photo of a great white shark coming out of the water with it's mouth open wide and of a parrot eating a bowl of fruit loops. We talked a bit about traveling. She is a teacher, we talked a little bit about that. She seemed very dissatisfied with it though. Which is weird, because I know a lot of teachers and none of them are dissatisfied. Anyways I just wanted to finish a go home, so I rushed through the job.
Then I headed to resort town, back to the job I was at yesterday. The woman and her daughter were both still there in their bathrobes. They were watching CNBC in their respective rooms and would yell at each other about the financial news. I replaced all the connectors and a splitter. I hope that did it.
Then I headed to an apartment complex near by. There was a couple here moving in. I think they were moving from out of state. I asked where the TV was going to be, the woman said one place then looked at the guy who said, "I don't know, you're the boss." The job was very easy, I had been in this complex before and knew where everything was.
After lunch I went to the next job. This apartment building I had been in before, but it's been bought out by some new company which has renovated it. I was met by a contractor outside. He was there to disconnect someone, but his ladder didn't quite reach, so he wanted to use mine. Which wasn't a problem since I was there to install someone. The woman here wanted TV in two rooms, but there was only one outlet. I told her the cable would have to go across a walkway, but she wasn't it. It was supposed to be her daughter's room. When her daughter showed up I could tell she was disappointed. This job was easy as well, largely due to a lack of furniture.
I then went to the next job which was in an apartment building about two blocks away. Unfortunately I was early and she was running late. I ended up waiting an hour, but I didn't take a lunch so I hung out and read a bit. Eventually she showed up. She was short. She looked half my size. Her place had these really amazing photos. One of a temple in Cambodia with these giant tree roots growing over it. It struck me as very powerful. I would love to see it in person some day. There was also a photo of a great white shark coming out of the water with it's mouth open wide and of a parrot eating a bowl of fruit loops. We talked a bit about traveling. She is a teacher, we talked a little bit about that. She seemed very dissatisfied with it though. Which is weird, because I know a lot of teachers and none of them are dissatisfied. Anyways I just wanted to finish a go home, so I rushed through the job.
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