New Short Story
Very short. I just came home, poured myself a drink, and hammered this thing out. It’s got, like, symbolism, man.
Read The Magic Pill.
Charter Internet Wackiness
I just had a lengthy chat with Charter support about the fact that I upgraded to their Internet Plus 30Mbps package two months ago and never saw a speed increase. They tried to put me through to tech support, but I told them not to bother, just switch me back to the lower plan. I’ve been through that song and dance, and the only tangible effect is a reduction in my personal time balance at work for the multiple days I have to take off work, and a reduction in the amount of Febreze left in the bottle after the chain-smoking technicians soil my home with their body odor and lingering smoke-stink.
There was some back and forth, and two steps of elevation to get me refunded for the two month’s of Plus I paid for but never benefitted from from, but I did get that refund. The interesting thing, however, is that they went ahead and kicked me down to the lower “Express” package immediately. The plan I’d been paying for was supposed to give me 30Mbps, and the Express package is supposed to be 15Mbps. When I upgraded from Express, I was routinely seeing 18-20Mbps, so I had high hopes for the Plus package, thinking I might get closer to 35Mbps. Well, after the upgrade, I actually started consistently getting just 15Mbps. I thought that the reduction was unrelated, though obviously very disappointing. Now I’m not so sure.
See, after my chat today, when they dropped me back down to Express, my speed went back up to 20Mbps. Right away this happened. So, the only conclusion I can draw from this is that somehow, for some reason, upgrading my speed actually was the reason my speed decreased. Maybe, in a perfect world, I could talk to some technician there who could actually determine why this was the case, but this world is far from perfect. My best bet will be to see if my friend Tommy (former cable tech) has ever had experience with this same phenomenon, if my curiosity is ever to be sated.
For now, though, I’ve decided that I’d rather save the $10 monthly than have higher speed, especially since getting the higher speed would require me to have those techs at my house again, at least once (but probably more). 15Mbps is pretty decent, and the difference in upload speed between the two plans is tiny, so I won’t sweat that, either.
Hey, This is BlaineKyle.Net
This is my blog, right? I’m pretty sure it is. So, with that fact under careful consideration, I would like to submit the following: I will post what I want to post, whenever I’m so inclined. It has occurred in the past that I have apologized in posts for how long it has been since the previous post. Who cares? Am I right? Well, probably. I keep thinking of BKN as something that I should be working to transform into a popular internet phenomenon. But, let’s be honest—this is a vanity project. I, for whatever ridiculous reason, think that my opinions, thoughts, and ideas are so important that I need to make them public. That concept keeps translating itself in my brain into the notion that I must carefully vet anything I might post here for it’s value on a site that might be frequented by the internet masses. Well, fuck that. And I’m not just saying that because I’m drunk.
Back to the Future might be the only movie, apart from certain classic animated Disney films, capable of causing my body to fire of endorphins. I mean, it helps if there are other chemicals involved, but still.
Hey, I just noticed that the guy who cleaned up and repaired Biff’s car in 1955 in BTTF-II is the same as the guy who, in 2015, talks to Marty about the Cubs winning the World Series in the same movie. It seems that every time I watch these movies I pick up on another detail that serves only to increase my appreciation for the series. To make a contradictory point, it’s always bothered me that the Grays Sports Almanac wasn’t thicker. In BTTF-II we see how the information is arranged in book, and they are not conservative with page real estate. It is supposed to cover every major sporting event, covering football, baseball, soccer, and even horse races, from the year 1950 to 2000—half a century—and yet it is only about as thick as a magazine (and probably the same dimensions by height and width).
I’m all over the place here, sorry. Next thought: It took what seemed like an eternity for Universal to release the BTTF trilogy on DVD. I was entirely expectant of a very late release of the blu-rays. I am definitely pleased to have been proven wrong. Man, these movies are so perfect. Why haven’t “the Bobs” (Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale) teamed up to create something comparable since? I mean, I enjoyed Zemeckis’s take on A Chrostmas Carol in 2010, but it wasn’t in any way comparable to the BTTF series. And nothing else he has done since has really held a candle. I mean, hell, Polar Express and Beowulf both kind-of sucked.
Halloween Story 2011 – “Jesse”
In keeping with my goal to post a new short story for Halloween each year, I have written a little number titled “Jesse.” Enjoy!