It's me again, Margaret.
Tonight, I'd like to address a relationship in my life that certainly seen its share of ups and downs recently. Hot one minute, cold the next. On again, off again.
No, I'm not talking about guys (although there are some we could ALL put in this category)...I'm talking about my tumultuous affair with my satellite radio.
I have leaped headlong into the whirlwind of technology with the equivalent of an umbrella in a hurricane as far as knowledge is concerned. See, I'm one of those people who views owner's manuals as something akin to a suggestion, to be used only after one has exhausted the full line of "I'm sure THIS is the way it's supposed to go" excuses. I have my new radio, which I love dearly, but since I skipped the step in the handbook on getting the best satellite signal, I am, with great regularity, adjusting the antenna to get better reception.
And before you say it, yes, I do know that correctly mounting the antenna would fix the problem. I'm not stupid, just stubborn.
It's like any relationship where there are problems - you have just enough of the good to gloss right on over the less-than-pleasant. (There the damn thing goes again. And I was really enjoying that Earth, Wind and Fire song...) And it's not like I'm not getting anything positive out of it - I love that I can hear any kind of music any time of the day, with minimal interruptions and no commercials. I LOVE THAT! I love the little features the radio has, and the fact that I can take it from home to car just by plugging it in another docking station.
I'm not alone, either. Just today, at lunch, I was talking to a friend who became a satellite radio convert over a year ago, and wouldn't think of going back. Heck, I like it so much, I've bought two more sets to give as holiday gifts. The things are coming standard in certain vehicles now. (Can you say 'I know what my next car will be'?)
But just as I'm grooving to Sting, or getting my Cash on, there's that deafening silence and the little box on the screen that tells me it's acquiring a signal. (Alas, I WAS enjoying Labelle's 'Lady Marmalade', until I lost it again. 'Vous le vous something something avec moi' is really French for 'How do you install this damn thing?', I swear...)
But for all its foibles, I do love it. Couldn't do without it. It's lure is the promise of nothing but the format I want to hear, without the garbage. Be it country, love songs, CNN, or All Slim Shady All the Time, I can have it anytime.
There it is again. All is forgiven. Siriusly.

(All rights reserved - Copyright 2004)