February 6, 2002
Dear Everyone:
This week I bought a new television. The TV in the bedroom had begun to show its age of late. Considering that I bought it in time for Christmas in 1989, this was understandable. And I had it in mind to do the same thing I have done in the past: Don’t wait for an appliance to die on you, thus forcing your hand. Instead, give it away to charity while it still has some life in it so you have time to do some comparison shopping and consider your options.
A couple of weekends ago, “Jeannie” and I did just such comparison shopping, looking at PC keyboards, monitors and the like, because I’m also planning on buying a new PC in the near future. (However, instead of donating the “old” PC, I will “hand-me-down” it to “Jeannie” to use for surfing the Web and comparison shopping on eBay.) We also looked at relatively small TV’s.
These days it seems like your choices in TV’s run around 20” or 56”. And not many of the 20” variety at that. When did TV’s all become room-sized, or nothing? Anyway, I only wanted a simple little TV to watch in the bedroom while I’m getting ready for work, or on weekends when I’m changing the bedclothes.
But even “little” TV’s are pretty big, and heavy. So I bought the TV on Monday, after work. Then on Tuesday, again after work, a helpful co-worker followed me to the store, loaded the (big!) box onto his truck and followed me home. Then he pulled the TV out of the box and hauled it upstairs for me, bringing the old TV downstairs and depositing it in the aforementioned box. Now all I have to do is wrestle the box out onto the front porch next Sunday night.
This was one of the reasons for getting the new TV this week: I got a call from one of my favorite charities that their truck would be in my neighborhood next Monday. They will obligingly take the old TV off my hands and I can take a few dollars off on next year’s taxes.
But not many dollars. TV’s are (relatively) cheap! I can remember when I paid $100 for a refurbished, second-hand, black-and-white TV when I was in college. I can also remember when I paid around $700 for a VCR (took out a special loan for it at Macy's.) Now a pretty good, new, color TV, with built-in closed captioning and a multi-language programming menu is less than $200. And the last VCR I bought, at a supermarket right before Christmas, was under $60. (I picked it up as a “spare” for when the next “on-duty” VCR bites the dust.)
In other news…
Even though the Super Bowl was going to be on last Sunday, “Jeannie” and I decided to go to the movies. Several people have recommended A Beautiful Mind, but I was in the mood for lighter fare, so we saw The Count of Monte Cristo instead.
The last time this book was made into a movie was a 1975 made-for-TV with Richard Chamberlain, so it was ripe for a remake. It follows the familiar story of Edmund Dantes, a simple sailor, unjustly imprisoned, who manages to escape (with a vast fortune at his disposal), and his quest for vengeance against those who betrayed him.
In this version, Edmund is not exactly the brightest bulb in the chandelier. He is noble of heart, if not of birth. His “friend” is noble of birth, but not of heart. It takes this opportunist about 15 minutes to toss his friend to the wolves. It takes Edmund 10 years to figure out whodunit.
Nevertheless, his time in prison is well-spent in learning reading, writing, and arithmetic, not to mention multiple languages and trigonometry, thanks to the priest played by Richard Harris (the only actor of any note in the film). After 13 years, Edmund grabs the opportunity to escape (you really must check your credulity at the door on this one) and quickly finds some of those happy-go-lucky smugglers-and-thieves that seem to spend all their time waiting around for some noble-of-heart “master” to give their lives direction.
Much conniving comeuppance ensues. Edmond gets even.
Two problems with this movie. One is that all of the actors are so young and beautiful that their performances are strictly one-note affairs. (Although, you might be able to blame this on director Kevin Reynolds who previously did Robin Hood, Dances With Peasants.) The other is that Edmund really is so callow that you find yourself almost rooting for the other guys. Also, the writers bent the rules a bit on the ending.
On the other hand, gorgeous Restoration Era costuming and scenery. And quite a lot of humor. If you can’t rent the Chamberlain version, this will do in a pinch.
Love, as always,
Pete
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