The long, slow death of the TV
Apparently when I was visiting cemeteries the other day, I should have picked out a plot for my TV.
My TV has long been kind of funky. It's a combo TV/VCR, a gift from my parents, something I've had for years--perhaps since college (the first time). For some time now, it has refused to work unless a tape was in the VCR. Okay, fine. On occasion it'll make an unhappy noise, spit the tape out, and turn off within 5-10 seconds of being turned on. Usually I can pop the tape back in and that fixes the problem. Less commonly, something else will happen, and it'll make an even more pathetic unhappy noise, and it'll simply refuse to work. No, it's not yellow, though it does remind me of someone in certain ways. Anyway. At that time I'll typically fiddle with it, it'll refuse to work, but then miraculously I'll come back hours later and it'll be back to its cantankerous self.
Last night, I'd set the sleep timer to turn off after an hour. As it did so, it woke me up with a loud unhappy noise, one that was more unusual than typical. Hmm. So I turned it back on to see what would happen. Unusual unhappy noise; off. Try again. Unusual unhappy noise; off. Sigh. I got up to manually check it out. The little door flap where the tape goes is stuck open. The tape is somehow stuck inside. I can get it to pop up, like it's about to be ejected, but I can't get it to come out. I can push it back down, as if it's going to play, but nothing else happens, and the door stays open. Strange.
Considering the calendar within the TV didn't make it past, like, 2007, it's clear this TV wasn't meant to still be working at this point in time. And it's probably time for me to consider getting something else. I just would have liked to have done it as a choice, not a necessity. I have spent a little time checking out TVs on Target's website, and there are a few that may work that are under $200, but everything's so big now. My current TV has a 13" screen. Both of my computer monitors are bigger--and the smaller one is 17". The smallest TV I found at Target.com is 23"--the same as the monitor I'm currently using. And to me that's pretty big. This may also necessitate getting a new TV stand of sorts. Honestly, I'd already been contemplating that, as it's where I store all my music and I have way too much of it now. I'm not sure how soon I'd get it, since I'm looking at $150-$200 for a TV, but Ikea has something that looks to fit my bill. I'm not looking for an entertainment center per se; I'd rather have storage for music and books and things. What I found is actually a dining room sideboard, but it should work okay. The description even mentions using it to hold a TV and making sure the dimensions will work. The only thing is that it's pretty wide and would take the place of both the entertainment center and an old bookshelf I have, so that's something to consider. I've had that bookshelf since childhood. It would be weird to be without it in some ways.
So much to think about. Better sleep on it. Except now I won't wake up the way I'm used to, since I use the TV as my alarm. That was the other thing, and why I checked on it last night--I woke up late this morning since I had to rely on my standard (annoying) alarm clock. The TV didn't even attempt to turn on this morning; I'd have heard its unhappy rumblings because it's just that noisy. Also, I was awake, but I'd had a few more minutes to sleep and chose to take them. Naturally, the next thing I knew, the regular alarm was going off. Well, maybe the TV will miraculously start working again, or else I'll figure out what's going on. Otherwise, I may have to turn this trick into a treat. Well, I do have a birthday coming up. At my age, I guess I have to buy my own presents.
My TV has long been kind of funky. It's a combo TV/VCR, a gift from my parents, something I've had for years--perhaps since college (the first time). For some time now, it has refused to work unless a tape was in the VCR. Okay, fine. On occasion it'll make an unhappy noise, spit the tape out, and turn off within 5-10 seconds of being turned on. Usually I can pop the tape back in and that fixes the problem. Less commonly, something else will happen, and it'll make an even more pathetic unhappy noise, and it'll simply refuse to work. No, it's not yellow, though it does remind me of someone in certain ways. Anyway. At that time I'll typically fiddle with it, it'll refuse to work, but then miraculously I'll come back hours later and it'll be back to its cantankerous self.
Last night, I'd set the sleep timer to turn off after an hour. As it did so, it woke me up with a loud unhappy noise, one that was more unusual than typical. Hmm. So I turned it back on to see what would happen. Unusual unhappy noise; off. Try again. Unusual unhappy noise; off. Sigh. I got up to manually check it out. The little door flap where the tape goes is stuck open. The tape is somehow stuck inside. I can get it to pop up, like it's about to be ejected, but I can't get it to come out. I can push it back down, as if it's going to play, but nothing else happens, and the door stays open. Strange.
Considering the calendar within the TV didn't make it past, like, 2007, it's clear this TV wasn't meant to still be working at this point in time. And it's probably time for me to consider getting something else. I just would have liked to have done it as a choice, not a necessity. I have spent a little time checking out TVs on Target's website, and there are a few that may work that are under $200, but everything's so big now. My current TV has a 13" screen. Both of my computer monitors are bigger--and the smaller one is 17". The smallest TV I found at Target.com is 23"--the same as the monitor I'm currently using. And to me that's pretty big. This may also necessitate getting a new TV stand of sorts. Honestly, I'd already been contemplating that, as it's where I store all my music and I have way too much of it now. I'm not sure how soon I'd get it, since I'm looking at $150-$200 for a TV, but Ikea has something that looks to fit my bill. I'm not looking for an entertainment center per se; I'd rather have storage for music and books and things. What I found is actually a dining room sideboard, but it should work okay. The description even mentions using it to hold a TV and making sure the dimensions will work. The only thing is that it's pretty wide and would take the place of both the entertainment center and an old bookshelf I have, so that's something to consider. I've had that bookshelf since childhood. It would be weird to be without it in some ways.
So much to think about. Better sleep on it. Except now I won't wake up the way I'm used to, since I use the TV as my alarm. That was the other thing, and why I checked on it last night--I woke up late this morning since I had to rely on my standard (annoying) alarm clock. The TV didn't even attempt to turn on this morning; I'd have heard its unhappy rumblings because it's just that noisy. Also, I was awake, but I'd had a few more minutes to sleep and chose to take them. Naturally, the next thing I knew, the regular alarm was going off. Well, maybe the TV will miraculously start working again, or else I'll figure out what's going on. Otherwise, I may have to turn this trick into a treat. Well, I do have a birthday coming up. At my age, I guess I have to buy my own presents.