The importance of DirecTV lies in its ability to pick up out of market sports. It is hard enough living out here completely alone and being 1000 miles away from all of my friends and family to also go without my favorite team, too. The ability to watch Kings and Raiders games at least gives me a little piece of home.
So Saturday, February 21st rolls around and I am now in an apartment that is facing south. DirecTV guy shows up to install the high-def dish. As it turns out, despite the fact that I am facing south, the direction it needs to point to pick up a signal is obstructed by the awning of the apartment's bay window. What?!?
That little corner there prevented me from getting high definition DirecTV. But the installer has good news! He believes that if he uses this apparatus to connect the dish to the railing of the patio, he can get a high-def signal. I say awesome, lets do it! He says no, I don't have said apparatus on me, and the warehouse is closed. We'll have to reschedule. Since I work Monday through Friday and don't really want people in my place when I'm not around, Saturday is the only day that will work... so I reschedule for Saturday the 28th. He says he'll be here 12 - 4pm.
And wouldn't you know it? After another full week without TV, the installer flat-out no-shows. I call and complain to DirecTV but they say they have no contact with their contracted workers so it isn't their fault. Wow. So the new appointment is set for March 7, this time with a manager's guarantee they'll be there.
To add insult to injury, Thursday night (March 5th), the Kings come back from a 3 - 0 deficit (scoring the tying goal with less then 10 seconds left in the game) to win in overtime against the Dallas Stars. My family and two of my best friends were at the game, coincidentally enough; and I would have been, too, if I weren't in Texas. And if I hadn't been no-showed, I would have at least been able to watch it on TV. Words can't really describe quite how upset I was this night.
Saturday rolls around and the guy arrives at 2PM. Hooks the dish up to the apparatus. And, of course, it doesn't pick up high-definition. So he tries another apparatus (instead of a pole, this one was an arm). That doesn't work either. Lastly, he tries a HUGE arm to clear the corner. This one picks up the signal; but it can't be stabilized to the railing and thus must be taken down.
The long and short of it? After 5.5 hours (yes, he stayed until 7:30pm), I was told that I would not be able to get high definition TV. As such, I had to settle for ordinary DirecTV, which puts out a 480i.
Hell of a way to utilize a brand new 40 inch Sony Bravia LCD 1080p TV, huh?
Extremely frustrating, I'm not going to lie. I absolutely love everything else about my new home, so am I really going to pack up everything, all of my stuff, all of the things I've hung on the wall, etc... go through the stress of another move just to upgrade the definition of my television? Of course not. But settling for an inferior product because of a stupid overhanging awning? Forgive me for not being thrilled.
The kicker? The place I was originally supposed to be in on the 3rd floor would have had a clear view of the sky and been unaffected by the awning. And the biggest slap in the face of all time?
That is right. Directly diagonal to me is another apartment owner triumphantly enjoying high definition TV. Notice how puny my dish is compared to his?
I guess when you get lucky enough to get an opportunity to work in the field you love, the universal order of things needs to balance the luck out one way or another.
In this instance, I say *fuck* the universal order.
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