Service of Self

Have you ever noticed how much easier it is to sign yourself up for a given service than it is to get rid of that service?

Having entered into an unholy cabal with Time Warner Cable several months ago (primarly because I "need" high speed internet, and Time Warner seems to have a monopoly on such service here in Manhattan) I decided I would do away with my cable box altogether. It seems reasonable to think that I will survive without one more source of mind-numbing entertainment. And hopefully save a few dollars in the process.

But every step of the way, it seems, Time Warner Cable did not want to let me out of their grasp. The first attempt to end service was "mistakenly" noted as an inquiry, not an actual change in service. A second phone call was neccesary to amend that mistake. And both requests were met by offers for lower cable rates coupled with the assurance of higher billing for just the internet connection - a shitty deal I took, given that I have no choice in the matter.

So, then came the good part. To get cable - all you have to do is pick up your phone, and they come right to you. But to cancel that service, well, that's a whole different matter. The cable box must be dropped off in person, and that requires visiting one of their Customer Service Centers. Which, by the way, bears more than a passing resemblence to some sort of purgatory; one that looks like the DMV - with faux marble and flat screen televisions blaring.

And the people - well, let's just say that while I was waiting for number, 522, to be called over the PA, my resolve was strengthened to never watch television again. How people can spend their hard earned money - and their precious time - willingly making themselves dumber, and less active, is beyond me. Life, I have recently been reminded, is fleeting. What does the television truly offer but the palest imitation of life? How many of your happiest memories involve a Toshiba flatscreen?

Better to read a book, call a friend, have a beer, make love, go for a walk, pet your cat, ride a bike, write a letter. Or just about anything, really.