Second Hand Woes!

The Shaw Direct (Starchoice) latest and greatest HDPVR 630 is $450 after taxes. I found one on the local Craigs List for $260 (no taxes). It had only been used for four months. It was too good a deal to pass up so I bought it. I ran the extra cable to the rooftop dish that the recording function needs and wired it to the bedroom TV. So far so good. I then called Shaw to have the receiver authorized. All went well and I was watching TV. After a half hour the receiver quit responding to the remote (yes, it has new batteries). I did a hard reset and it started working again.... For a half hour. I repeated  the fix... and again... until the receiver locked up completely and refused to reset. I called Shaw and got a woman who treated me as if I were stupid. "Did you install the cable yourself or have an installer do it"?  What does that matter? "Did you check the breaker"? I told you, the display is partly on, it has power. She told me to unplug the receiver for two minutes and as I put the phone down to do that, she hung up. I guess the problem was over her head.

I called back and got someone who sounded brighter. He talked me through a complete reset and everything worked until Norma tried to change the channel a couple of hours later and the screen froze. I did another reset like he had talked me through and it worked again. She switched to watch a DVD movie so I don't know if it is still working or not. I hope the serial resets fixed it but if not, it should be covered by warranty or my mandatory "multi receiver insurance policy" that I am paying $6 a month for. It will still turn out to be a good deal (I hope)!

EDIT: Well, still no luck! Norma watched the same channel late last night for a couple of hours but could not change the channel at the end.The guide worked and the cursor on the guide worked but it would not allow a channel change and the clock was frozen on the front display. I unplugged it for the night and did another hard reset this morning. A commenter suggested it might need a software (firmware) update and indeed it does, The CS rep told me to leave the unit turned off but plugged in overnight and it would update but I cannot get it unfrozen long enough to do that. More phone calls today!

Test Post

Things seem to be back to normal with the Windows 7, Firefox 5, Blogger combination. I hate it when this stuff happens! The fear or rather the expectation of problems makes me want to carry two computers all the time.

I will take the advice that Bob gave me in a comment on the previous post and download and install the very latest FF version. I actually did not intend to update to FF 5 until all the bugs were worked out but for some reason FF moved version 5 from the recommended update list into their automatic update list. Like it or not, I updated before I wanted to.

I am posting from that Windows 7 machine..... Here goes!

Firefox Acting Up

Firefox is refusing to play nicely with Blogger again! I cannot post, edit or even comment on other’s Blogs. This just started tonight. My friend Donna posted a fix for this problem back in May but it seems the add-on she suggested now says it is not compatible with my version of FF 5.0. I am posting this from Windows Live Writer. Lets see if it works!

For my reference as much as anything, here is Donna’s post on this issue: http://2takinga5th.blogspot.com/2011/05/firefox-and-blogger-commenting.html

EDIT: It is only my Windows 7 machine having problems. I can post and edit from my XP desktop! 

A Pitch

I have an interest in a tiny Mexican village in the State of Veracruz called Xico, although I have never been there. It is the home of my Blogging friend, John Calypso, and I seriously intend to make a detour there one day to meet him. He is a very interesting character.

John and Anita own a couple of houses in Xico and rent one of them to Leah, an American ex-pat and her Mexican husband, Saul. (NOTE: John has corrected this statement in the Comments. Sorry.) Leah and Saul recently met a neighborhood family and heard the story of the six young children in their house. The kids are distant relatives of the Mexican couple and were abandoned by their parents and left to fend for themselves. When they picked them up the kids were living in a cardboard shelter in an empty dirt lot. Their ages range from 4 - 14, three boys and three girls. The girls (11, 8 & 6) have all been sexually abused.

This couple are desperately poor themselves but are going to legally adopt these kids. Leah has taken it upon herself to help this family out. Read the story *here* and I am sure that, like me, you will be unable to resist pushing the "Donate" button on Leah's Blog. This is Mexico so your donation does not have to be large. A little goes a very long way. A Starbucks coffee for two costs six or seven dollars and the reward you will get from letting Leah work with even that amount will make it easy to make your own cup of coffee today. This family will make it but the kids have some immediate needs that must be addressed.

Here is Leah's Blog entry after she and Saul made some blankets for them and bought a few basic hygiene supplies. The "Donate" button is on the right hand side. Thanks! I do not and will not do this sort of thing very often but there is a genuine need here and we can all help, regardless of the amount. Thanks again!

Slow Recovery

Our recovery from whatever it was is slow! It has been five days for me and four for Norma and we are both acting like slugs around here. I had to drive down to Courtenay yesterday to pick up a Shaw Direct HDPVR 630 receiver that I bought off Craigs list. It was too good a deal to pass up, $260 for the latest version $400 receiver that had only been used for four months. I was gone only two hours but was exhausted when I got home. I am getting steadily better so I am happy with that. If it reverses, I will make a trip to my doctor.

I wanted to start installing the new receiver in the bedroom today but.... maybe later. I have to run an additional cable to the dish on the roof as the recording feature requires the second cable. It is not that big a deal but involves climbing into the attic and then onto the roof. I think I have a long enough cable in the motorhome.

Norma's deer found a new way to her flowers! They are staying away from the electric fence which seems to be doing it's job except in one place where they seem to be able to duck under it due to a depression in the ground. I will have to climb up there and move the wires down the post a little. We also watched one duck under the non-electrified gate across the driveway this morning. I never thought there was room there but there was. I slid the wire fencing material further down the posts and stapled it in place. We will have to watch it. They are determined to get at her flowers! It is an ongoing battle and they are by no means ready to surrender.

Wow! That Was No Fun!

Three days flat on my butt! I have not been sick for several years but this made up for it! At one point I thought I might have pneumonia when I had the feeling I was "drowning" and had to consciously make myself breath. I feared if I went to sleep I might stop breathing altogether. If I laid down, I would go into coughing fits so I spent most of my time in my Lazy-Boy watching TV and dozing. Today I am much better with the headaches almost gone and my breathing almost back to normal.

Norma caught the same thing about a day after me and is about a day behind me in recovering from it. She is convinced that it was the lack of sunshine this past winter that was responsible. We did not get our annual dose of Vitamin C! Whatever it was, it was pretty scary!

I actually made it out of the house last night to take the garbage down the 100 foot driveway to the street. It had to get out as we are now only allowed a half a can per week and all I needed was the Campbell River Garbage Nazis after me! They actually told us we had to either buy a smaller can or else draw a line a foot down the side of the old can and to keep the garbage below that line. It completely exhausted me to take the garbage and the recycling bin down there. I really can't remember the last time I felt like that.

Down For The Count!

My jet lag has turned into a bad cold! Our company left yesterday morning and as their Harley Davidson rumbled down the driveway, I could feel a storm starting in my sinuses!

I now have a headache, sore throat and stuffed sinuses! The Holly Trinity of sickness! I will survive but our trip to visit Brooks and LindaLee is on hold. I am staying in bed.

Lester Pearson Airport, Toronto

Well, my visit is over! We went out to St. Jacobs for a nice lunch with my niece who is about the same age as me, dropped my sister off at her house, visited with a great nephew who stopped off and then my niece drove me to the airport. It was a 1 1/2 hour drive in some fairly heavy traffic but we still got here about two hours before my flight. I am all checked in and waiting at the gate. I leave here at 8:15 Toronto time and arrive in Vancouver at 10:30 Vancouver time (1:30 Toronto time). I then get my bags and catch the shuttle to my hotel where I will sleep until check out time tomorrow.

My niece Robin from Alberta and George are in Campbell River for a few days so there goes my chance to recover from the inevitable jet lag :) :) I always have fun with Robin and George so it will be an easy transition!

OK, they have just announced a Gate change so I have to take a walk! That is the problem with traveling on the cheap!

Happy Father's Day!

To all the dads out there! Have a wonderful day.

Here is my dad in the late 50's

Quality Time

I have been spending some real quality time with my sister here in Kitchener, Ontario. Nothing to Blog about, just hours of talking and reminiscing over the past. Gloria is 18 years older than me and she married and moved to Ontario shortly after I was born. Travel was very expensive in those days so aside from the very odd Christmas visit, I never really new her until later on in my life.

We met her son and his wife at the cottage on Thursday, two of her daughters visited today and the other will be here tomorrow. The oldest daughter lives nearby and was here when I arrived and will be returning Tuesday after a weekend retreat with her friends. I will see everyone! They all have busy lives and some live far away and I really appreciate them making the trip here to visit!

We are a great family!