The PVR and Dedication

I have this 500 dollar gift certificate I won in a poker tournament and its for an electronic place here where I live. What to buy with it? I certainly don't need another TV or computer. I look at the GPS devices they have and briefly consider that but considering I live on an island how lost can I really get?? Then a salesman tries to sell me a super expensive remote. This thing looks like a blackberry and evidently does so many things. Yea well one look at the price tag (around 300 bucks) and I think I am okay with the multitude of remotes I have.

Then we come upon the PVR (Personal Video Recorder). My oldest son and his wife have one and loves his. The price tag is 499.00. I have youngest son with me and he thinks its a wonderful idea. Now I am not a huge TV watcher although I do love movies and watch just about any poker show that's on. Son comments that dad now you can record all those poker shows you miss. That seals the deal and we make the purchase.

I take the PVR home and proceed to dig out the directions on how to set it up. Of course they make absolutely no sense to me so I just take the 3 sets of plugs and cables attach them where I think they might work and presto the thing actually has power. I am a genius. Well not really. Then it says phone your cable company to get it activated. So I phone and the very friendly customer service person offers me a free month of the movie channels and a free month of the High Definition channels. Of course I accept. A couple minutes pass and he says its now ready to use. Sure enough it works. I am impressed.

I scan through the guide on how to record shows and quickly discover that even someone like me can figure this out. I set it up to record a couple poker shows that are on later (well actually 4) and sure enough it records them. You can even record 2 shows that are on at the same time? How have I lived so long without one of these??

I still remember the VCR where you had like blank tapes all over the house that you had no idea what was on them. The PVR shows you all your shows,how long they are and of course if there are commercials you can zip through them.

Now I just have to find the time to watch them all.

I watched a 2007 movie last night called Dedication which stars Billy Crudup and Mandy Moore. This is one of those movies that is so weird you can't help but keep watching it wondering how this is going to end. The premise behind the movie is that Crudrup is a off beat successful children's book writer who when his best and only friend and illustrator dies needs to find someone to replace him. Moore who is a very talented but struggling illustrator takes the job reluctantly as she views Crudrup as basically a nutcase. The interaction between the 2 of them makes the movie worth watching. Gena Rowlands also stars as Moore's quirky mother.