So this week I had to fix part of my roof due to the heavy rains that fell in San Felipe. New leaks appeared out of nowhere.... So the roofer guy, whatever it was I could find in such short notice toward the end of the year as all those who are not drowning are spending their end of year "utilidades", hit the Direct TV dish. Not much but enough to lose signal. That, of course, on a Friday afternoon.
After a dozen options I finally reach an operator and Direct TV takes a report but refuses to admit to me that I am going to stay at least a week off. So I suspend my service until the tech guy comes. To my great surprise this morning at 9 AM as I am driving off for some light shopping and the papers they called me for an appointment at 10:30. I rush and I am home by 10 AM. At 5 PM none had come, no one answered the number left on my cel phone, a day wasted in waiting...
Not wanting to start any major project as I wait, I decided to take several naps in between watching a pirated copy of Mad Men. Yes, I have season 1 and 2 of Mad Men that I paid a ridiculous low amount of money since even if I wanted to buy original I could not find them anywhere. While I watch episode after episode, I am getting dizzy because of the cool, breezeless humid air the smell of my neighbor painting some iron fences creeps inside my house no matter what I try to do to vent. I wonder if my nap needs in spite of a good night sleep have something to do with that chemical scent.
I finish season 1 at 5 PM and I understand now why so many people talk so much about it. It is really, really good, and I remember some of that left over era early in my childhood. We were always a tad late to follow "el norte". The smoking and the drinking when I was young was not as bad as Mad Men but not that far..... Smoking started relenting some only in the 70ies in Venezuela. Drinking keeps apace. Watch it if you can!
So, resigned that for sure I will have no TV until Monday now, I take my tea pot reading the newspapers. Water everywhere still, roads to Caracas in trouble, good thing I do not need to go. I skip the wikileaks section.
Diner time and I decide to start season 2. Soon I realize that something is amiss, that some data is not falling together. I check out Wikipedia and realize that sure enough there are 13 chapters per season and that I have only 12. In both seasons. Why? Pirated DVD have room for three chapters only so they simply cut out the last installment rather than charging us for an additional DVD!!!!!!!!! It is just so much more convenient to sell two packs with 2 DVD each for 12 episodes.... who needs to watch the cliffhanger season finale?
By then upset at the service, upset at the chemical smell, upset at the wasted day, I pour myself a drink and start playing facebook games to forget that I live in country where it has become routine that whatever can go wrong, will do..