tv service.

When I answered the phone, it was Time Warner, which goes to show that if you see an unfamiliar number on your caller ID, you should just let it go to voicemail. But heck, I'd answered, so I might as well talk to the lady. I was a little worried that it might be about a billing problem, but no, it was a sales call.

She told me they were having some special deals because it was the end of the year. There were some clickety noises in the background as she called up my account. Lo and behold, she found that I only had internet service with them. This seems like a business opportunity. Here is this lady, who has paid her bill faithfully for several years now. Perhaps she would also be interested in some cable TV and internet phone?

"What are you doing for phone and TV service right now, ma'am?"

"We use cell phones and don't have TV service." This is not entirely true. We have Vonage, but we are getting rid of it as soon as our required two year contract is over. Then we will use only cell phones.

"Do you own a TV?"

"Yes." Oh yes, it was state of the art back in 1995. Twenty-six inches, hoo boy.

"But you don't have any TV service."

"Right."

"What do y'all do?"

Ugh, that irritates me so much. I got similar disbelief when I moved into the house and didn't sign up for cable.

"I cook, I read books, and we do have movies that we watch on our TV." Here again, I sorta was not quite honest with the Time Warner lady. What I said is true, but it was incomplete. See, we have a Roku and a Netflix account. Frankly, that is all the TV that I want. Netflix has obviously put a lot of work into their streaming service. The selection is enormous, and it's searchable from the TV interface. Basically, I have a huge selection of things to watch, and I can watch them without commercials anytime I want. That is worth $15 a month to me. I happily pay it to Netflix, a company that seems to be efficiently run, has innovative ideas and good customer service. Time Warner? They once sent the police to my doorstep because they didn't have my address right.

"Well, ma'am, you'll find that there are a lot of educational programs on now. We have the Science channel, and there is a Smithsonian channel as well. It's not all reality TV."

Ah, she's giving me the spiel reserved for concerned parents. You know, I've seen educational programming, and I'm never very impressed because it's so sensationalized. They cut out the information and replace it with invented drama. I'm sure there is good educational programming out there. It's probably on Netflix, though. But I didn't say all that, just like I didn't ask the lady how much more she might be able to get done in her life if she didn't have TV service.

"I'm not interested in getting any TV service at all."

Click. She hung up on me. I guess I'm a lost cause.