It's HOT!

Yes, it's hot in Alabama. It's hot everywhere. At least in Alabama we're not in a flood zone. We've watched with concerned amazement at what's been going on along the might Mighty Mississippi. What tragedy.

We talked to our cousin Charlie in Mobile. He had a health adventure recently. Spent 6 days in the hospital. All because, apparently, he was taking his meds without food which led to big trouble. It sounds like he's doing OK now.

Stay cool folks. Stay focused on what you need to be doing. Stay in touch with the Hudsons.

Indians and Telephones

In class last night, the instructor gave us the following statistic, which I think comes from Thomas L. Friedman's book The World is Flat: 245,000 Indians living in India have jobs either answering telephone calls or calling people to solicit.

Just thought that was worth pointing out.

Down and Gout

Saturday morning in Pelham starts with light rain. It seems we are always in drought or else we have constant rain.

Like everyone else, we were stunned by the death of Tim Russert. Of all the TV political commentators, he was the best. He was always hard-hitting but fair to both sides of the aisle. What Tim had to say always mattered. I would always stop and listen to his comments. He will be irreplaceable.

I developed a pain in my right foot Wednesday night around the big toes. Is it a sprain or something else? It got worse Thursday so I went the family doctor yesterday. Most likely it's gout, which is, in effect, an accute form of arthritis. The doctor drew blood. We are awaiting the results. The tipoff is elevated uric acid. I'm not sure what the prognosis is. If it is gout, I hope it doesn't spread because it is very painful. I've been getting around on one leg, and that's no fun.

At least it's cooler today so far with the rain and clouds out there. City Fest is going on in downtown Birmingham. I can't go on one leg! You'd be surprised how hard it is to try and drive on one leg. Not fun at all.

Summer

It seems that summer is here. The temp is now consistently in the 90's. Such is life in the sultry South.

Freddy is now living in Tuscaloosa pursuing a degree in Library Information Science. Our neice Tiffany Herring graduated high school May 30. Our understanding is that she will start her post-HS education at Muscle Shoals CC.

Fred and Moyna are in Pelham living the Good Life.

We roll on.

Pay TV

The Hudsons recently switched from cable to Direct TV. We got tired of our cable bill going up a little bit almost every month. I came to the conclusion that the cable companies have figured out just how much to raise your bill almost monthly---a little bit at a time---so that you will not complain and switch to another provider. They’ve got consumers psyched out.

And another thing. Can you explain your cable bill? All of the many line items? The fees, the taxes? Well, neither can I. They do it deliberately so you can’t figure out how much they’re bilking you.

So we switched to Direct TV, working from an ad in our Sunday paper. We watch only a handful of stations---no movies or exotica---so all we need is a basic package. The ad said $29.99 a month for 12 months.

What we discovered is that that rate is dependent on a redemption that takes roughly two months to consumate. Therefore, when you start you have to pay the regular rate for two months and THEN you get the $29.99 for twelve months. This proviso is buried in the small print and unless you question the sales person carefully, you will not understand this.

So we were shocked when got our first bill and it was not $29.99.

I called and complained. The person knew I wasn’t going to go away. I was transferred to the second level of customer service. It took threats and the considered raising of my voice before they gave us $29.99 from the start.

These people will see how much they can get away with. If you don’t complain, they take advantage of false or misleading advertising. You have to push them inch by inch to get what you were promised.

The question I wish to ask is this: why do these companies do business this way? Why can’t they be straight-forward in their pricing? Why the gimmicks and the pricing games? Is this what is necessary in a very competitive war between cable and satellite?

They must think they HAVE to do it this way. If so, it’s a sorry business and I’m glad I’m not in it.

Today

I went to the orientation for SLIS. It was very informative and helpful.

Some of the highlights:

1) When I arrived, I saw a girl I knew who I worked with for over two years at the English Center. She is in the program, having completed her second semester. It was quite a trip to see her again!

2) There is a list serv I joined in which various announcements, job postings, articles, and other things are posted, including students wishing to sell things (like couches). This is a great idea that I think will be useful.

3) They provided a pizza lunch.

4) Everyone is extremely helpful and nice. My impression is that SLIS folks are a tight knit fun group.

5) A lot of the students are interested in medical libraries.

6) A lot of the students commute, especially from Birmingham. One commutes from Huntsville.

7) A lot of the students are/were teachers.

8) One student just finished an internship at the State Department.

Later in the day, I met with the staff of the Bruno Library to establish a work schedule.

A Song

Sometimes something reminds you of things you would not normally think about. While in the fitness room this morning, Kevin Hamm sang "Victory in Jesus." That was my favorite hymn as a lad. It made me smile to hear it again!