The Eichenblog

There is something I have noticed about this time of year.  For every mosquito I see, hundreds of their imaginary brethren tickle my skin.

I cautiously peer out of my window during breakfast in the morning.  Dangerous, beady eyed people pass before me, way too close to my property.

I’ll be fine, minding my own business, when I spot a dreaded mosquito on my arm.  I kill it, but suddenly I feel one on my neck, my leg, my ear.  They’re everywhere, especially just where I can’t see them.  Everywhere.

I get out of my truck, lock it.  I lock it again just to be sure. Later, before I go to bed, I lock it again.  Still later, I lie in bed wondering if I remembered to lock my truck.

A dozen times I swat that spot on my neck.  Eventually, I grow frustrated with my own paranoid delusions.  I start to ignore the urge to swat that spot again.  It itches so bad, but I resist.

I stand in the park, my lunch sitting on a table fifty feet away.  I glance at it, again and again.  With a sideways glance I suspiciously eye the two teenagers a mere forty feet from my food.  Would anyone actually try to steal Isaac’s peanut butter and jelly sandwich?  Best not to risk it.

Of course, eventually the phantom mosquitoes turn elsewhere, having glutted themselves upon my paranoia.  I forget the bug that I slew, I forget the imaginary ones that pestered me constantly.  Again, I am at peace.

Somebody stole my beloved Vespa a week ago today.  It was parked in front of my house, just as it has been since we bought it.  I don’t expect that it will be found.

Now I have only to wait.  I wait for the insurance check so I can buy a new scooter.  I wait for a time when I can replace my lost toy.  I wait for forgetfulness to restore my faith in humanity.

Until then, I’ll keep an eye on that guy and his dog who keep walking past my house.

For too long the satellite man has taken our money.

We got the bill down to $50 per month in January by extracting every last bit of value from the offering.  Gone was Food and Bravo.  The machine could only provide us the basic channels and a whole lot of garbage.

Those same basic channels we can get for free over the airwaves.

Of course, there was some equipment expense.  I had to spend $80 on a nice antenna.  I spent another $80 for a good tuner card for the computer.  In all, the cost will be recuperated within a few months, once we cancel the satellite.

The picture is beautiful.  I knew they were converting to a digital signal, but had no idea that the image would be such high quality.

Every show that we watch is available to us still.  Some are through Netflix, some through Hulu, others are over the air.

In all, the impact is little.

But I look forward to squandering $50 per month in a slightly less frivolous manner.