I love my TiVo®...I hate my TiVo®

I have had TiVo® for over two years now and am hooked. I rarely watch anything in "real time" unless I am on the computer in the office (no TiVo®there). I love watching a 60 minute show in 40 minutes. I love pausing a show when I need to do something, or I get a phone call. I love having a backlog of shows to watch when I want to watch them. But most of all, I love not worrying about missing my favorite shows, thanks to the Season Pass feature.

In addition, mine is connected to DirecTV and I can record two different shows at a time...and while I can't watch a third station, I can watch a previously recorded show while it records the other two.

That said, there are a couple of flaws with TiVo®. The first flaw was discovered when a football game pushed my Sunday night shows off by almost an hour. Imagine my dismay when I went to watch my TiVo®'d show only to discover the end of a game. Managed to catch 10 minutes of my show....grrrrrr.

Okay, fixed that by changing my recording option to record for two hours for Sunday nights during football season. Phew!

Next flaw is a variation of the above. I'm merrily watching a TiVo®'d show, getting to the last couple of minutes, fast forward through the last commercial break....to hit the end of the recording! What the...? It may be caused by a show running late but I have found that some shows don't seem to be quite on the same time schedule as others and a show may actually go 1-3 minutes past the hour.

Humph! Fixed that....set all my shows to record an extra 5 minutes.

Then one day a favorite show wasn't recorded.....trying to figure out why, I discovered that adding that 5 minutes sometimes created a conflict with a third show which was scheduled to start on the hour, thus it was skipped completely! So here I am back at square one, all my shows set to record normally with no variations.

I love my TiVo®. I hate my TiVo®.

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna

Gratitude...

A note for all those special people in my life....

Thank you to old friends for understanding when I was less than communicative. You will always be dear to me and I promise to try harder to stay in touch.

Thank you to new friends who have added much to my life. Some of you are local to me, some of you are far away, but you all mean something special to me.

Thank you to my family for letting me do what I need to without censure or scolding. I do love you all more than I think to tell you.

Thank you to my Rumble Sisters who are always there, whether I need them or not. You always understand.

Thank you to all the RVing friends who stood by and advised me when I thought that was going to be my new lifestyle. Your patience and generous sharing was greatly appreciated.

Thank you to the employers/business owners who decided to give me a chance at employment. Not only are my bills getting paid, but I'm feeling useful again.

Thank you to the weathermen for trying to keep me updated as to when it will be good to ride. Didn't do near as much as I would have liked, but what I did was great.

Thank you to my local McDonald's - staff and regular customers. You brighten my day with your smiles, good wishes and queries about my motorcycle and riding.

Thank you to my new hairdresser for REALLY understanding what I want AND need in a haircut!

And finally, thank you to everyone who had a presence in my life in 2006. It's been quite a year and I suspect 2007 will be even better.

Gratitude - The Master Key

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna

It was a two demon day.....

Yesterday I described slaying one of my personal demons....but what I didn't say was that it was a two demon slaying day. Not ready to head home after my triumph, I continued riding. Headed from the neighboring town to the east, onward through my town and further west.

Bikes were everywhere....tourers, cruisers, sport bikes and scooters. The biker salutes passed in waves - everyone fully enjoying a day that was 20 degrees warmer than normal. I was on a natural high resulting from the act of riding combined with the knowledge that I had conquered one demon.

For the most part there isn't a lot of traffic so I choose my pace, usually about five over the speed limit. I'm one with the bike. The miles roll by rapidly and I soak up the countryside, smelling all those wonderful outdoor odors that you miss when traveling by car. Sun warms the wind chaffing my face and I try hard to not lick the last vestiges of ChapStick® off my lips.

Suddenly I see a group of bikes in the distance. Since I'm gaining on them, I know they are doing the speed limit or less. As I get closer I count nine bikes....one car between us. The car eventually turns off and I nudge closer, but don't join the group. I notice the patch on the back of the last rider....it's the Southern Cruisers.

This is where the demon raises his head....so I must explain. When I learned to ride, for the most part I rode with my husband, trusted friends and family or solo. During the first two years I did ride with some organized groups but they were typically event type rides, not social ones.

After my husband died, I spent the following year planning and then doing a 42 state ride (over several trips)....all solo. In the ensuing year, I have ridden in a group once...the inaugural ride of my Southern Cruisers chapter. I've been an Officer in my local H.O.G. chapter for two years and never ridden with them. My demon was group riding.....I could find any excuse in the world to NOT ride with others. No rational explanation....just the irrational fear.

Back to Sunday, this was my Southern Cruisers chapter, out for a chapter ride. I had seen the posting and received the email....both of which I ignored. But now I was face to face with the group and my demon. What to do....I could just tag along at the back, I could veer off and change my route or I could slay this demon as well.

I expected them to turn right onto the highway north...the light turned red and no flashing blinkers. A quick look behind me, no cars, I pulled out and quickly came up beside the leader. He looked over, recognized me and shouted a hearty HEY and JOIN US. The light changed and the first two bikes pulled out. I started forward, still not sure what I was going to do. I looked into my mirror and noticed the other bikes were lagging back. My decision was made unconsciously....I pulled to the right and joined the group. It felt right....

We stopped for gas and a smoke break and I chatted with old friends and met some new. From there we continued on for another 30 or so miles, stopping for lunch. I rode back, different positioning in the group, and eventually they turned north and I continued east....back home.

Yes, it was a two demon day....both slain, even if unintentionally.

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna