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My PBS station has no clue

I watch a lot of PBS. We have two channels here in Miami and I watch them both, but one, I watch more than the other.

I mentioned to a cousin one time that I watch a lot of PBS and she asked, “You like to watch nature shows?”

No. I like to watch all the British tv – Britcoms, dramas, things like that. And I watch a lot of cooking shows. I can barely boil water, but I find them relaxing. When I ran into Lidia Bastianich at Whole Foods in NYC not long ago, I was excited.

I didn’t approach her, but we did rub elbows – literally – it was very crowded in the store that day.

Anyway, I’m writing about PBS’s lack of marketing knowledge, or at least one of my PBS station’s lack of being able to hold donations.

Two times they had money or access to donations from me and they blew it and didn’t make an effort to keep the donations going.

This bothers me no end because they take all their programs off the air for weeks on end and have these nonsense telethons, asking for money to support their stations. They literally antagonize their viewers by taking their favorites shows off and then asking us to donate to keep the shows on. A form of extortion.

Anyway, I was donating $25.00 a month to one of the local PBS stations but all at once, they took my two favorite shows off the air. Not just my favorite shows on PBS, but of all of tv – Doc Martin and Escape to the Chateau. I could watch those reruns of both shows forever.

It bothered me so much that I emailed the station and told them I no longer wished to donate due to the fact that they removed my shows.

I expected them to call me and try to keep me donating and I would then make a deal to split the cost and use half the money for a streaming service or something and let them keep the rest. But you know what they did? They emailed me back and said, “Done, starting next month you will no longer be charged.”

They didn’t even try to keep what they had – the first rule of business – keeping your current customers! And they didn’t call to see if it was really me wanting to cancel my affiliation with them.

And some months before, I was donating one of my cars. But they never came to pick up the car – a Mercedes! I waited a couple of weeks, but they never showed up.

I finally called them and told them they had to come by the end of the week and get the car because I was leaving town for a few weeks . They said they could not come and get it, so they lost the car. They didn’t even try to talk me into not canceling the donation.

So twice, they had donations that they are on tv begging for non-stop and when they had these donations in hand, the cavalierly just gave them up.

I don’t ever like to use this word, but they were STUPID. Totally Stupid.

That’s how you don’t run an organization that relies on charity to stay in business.

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Save the whales; and track them, too

I bought some of these Whale Tracking Bracelets as Christmas gifts this year from Club Ocean. People loved them.

I got a variety of colors, dark blue, light blue and pink.

Originally I thought there was a chip or something in the bracelet that let you track the whale, but there is a card with each bracelet that has the whale’s name along with a QR code which takes you to the GPS where the whale is. If you save that info on your phone, you can easily pull it up whenever you want to check him/her out.

My humpback whale, Merlin, a female, is off the coast of Australia. She is about 45 feet long.

Club Ocean also has other animals you can follow and donate to. There are turtles, sharks, polar bears and dolphins along with the whales. And there are coral bracelets, plushies, caps and other accessories you can purchase.

The bracelets took almost a month to arrive, even though I paid for rush shipping, as I wanted to have them in time for Christmas and maybe the Christmas rush is what delayed the delivery, but they did arrive the day before Christmas, so that worked out well.

Check them out here. and support sea animals and get a cool item in the process.

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Dumping the Christmas tree

I used to do this. I would throw my Christmas tree off the balcony. But I didn’t leave the ornaments on, I would remove those first.

I did it because lugging it down the elevator left so many needles inside the elevator and it was a chore trying to get them all out, so I dumped the tree.

I had a convertible, so when I bought the tree I dumped it in the back seat of the car and brought it home. When I was getting rid of it, I tossed it off the balcony and then dragged it to the street.

I had someone stand downstairs to be sure no one was under it when I tossed it, so there was that.

That’s how I got the idea for this cartoon. Of course it’s funnier with all the ornaments and lights still on the tree.

I no longer throw the tree over because I bought an artificial tree some years back. I wasn’t that crazy about it after I set it up and thought I would just use it a couple of years and then go back to buying real trees, but it’s so easy to just lug it out of the spare room and lug it back, so it’s been the norm now.

My family and I do this gift exchange thing with ornaments. We give regular gifts, but the ornament thing is a game sort of. You get an ornament and wrap it and play that thing where you choose the ornament and the next person can steal it. I think it’s called the “White Elephant Gift Exchange,” but we do it with the ornaments.

For years I would wait till the last minute and go to the store and get the best of what was left. This year I forgot, so I took a good ornament off my own tree and wrapped that. I put it in an old sunglasses box I had and it confused people at the exchange. But when they opened it, they loved the ornament.

This year, no one stole anyone’s ornament and the last gift was a dud and one of my sisters-in-law got that.

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He’s Toast

So I show up on Christmas day to my Nephew’s house, which the family traditionally does every year. I opened the door, and there is a dog staring at me. I asked his wife (my nephew’s, not the dog’s), “You have a dog?” She said, “Yes!”

“When did you get him?” I asked. She said, September.

I then asked, “What’s his name?”

“Toast,” she replied.

“What?” I asked, I thought I didn’t hear right.

“Toast,” she replied. I had to ask, “What did you say, a few times, as I thought I heard wrong.”

Apparently one of the kids named him because he was the color of toast, which I don’t get. Especially since he is gray. I’ve never seen gray toast, even when it’s burned.

It reminded me of years ago. My parents lived in the same house for more than 50 years, so once in awhile, neighbors changed next door. This one time there was a family with a dog named Richard. Yep, Richard.

The first time I heard the lady calling out, “Richard! Richard!” I asked my mother if she was calling her husband. She said, “No, that’s her dog!”

The funny part is I never saw the lady or Richard, but whenever I was at my parents’ house, I would hear the lady calling Richard. He must have gotten out a lot. It sort of sounded like Hyacinth Bucket calling her husband Richard. It was that same tone, “Richard! Richard! Richard!”

I never saw the lady, or Richard. I don’t know why. I just never did. I guess they moved away and that was that.

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Merry Christmas!

As usual, here is my favorite all time Publix commercial. I post it every year at this time.

This commercial ran for a few years from 1987 to 1996 and every time it came on, I would stop what I was doing and watch. It’s part of my Christmas memories of my youth and it’s just one of those things – a song, just like a smell, that brings you back to another time.

The music in Last Train Home is from Still Life Talking an album by Pat Metheny Group, released in 1987.

To this day, when Pat Metheny is performing, he’ll refer to the song as, “The Publix song.”

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My filthy car

We had painters here for a couple of months and they finally finished up this past Friday. They were all nice guys, overly polite and fantastic workers, but enough was enough, we need our building back. I wrote about it here, how it was like having a film crew on top of us all the time.

I would get them coffee and doughnuts and stuff a few times a week, so would other neighbors here at the condo. To thank me, they washed my car on the last day they were here. And it needed it.

I had to laugh because this is not the first time this has happened. Over the years, people have washed my car because it’s always dirty.

I used to go often to a car wash I liked, but it closed and I just never seem to bring it anywhere else to get washed. This guy Jerry comes by the building once in awhile and washes the cars and that’s great. And the best part about bringing the car to the dealership, is that they wash the car before they return it after servicing it.

One time I was sort of rushing them to complete the job and my service writer asked, “Do you want the car washed? That’s what’s holding it up?” And of course I wanted it washed. “Yes!” I shouted. “I’ll wait!”

When I first moved to where I live now many years ago, a neighbor who lived here washed his car all the time. I think he found it relaxing. The day I moved in he was washing his car and he was always do it. He parked right next to me, so I would always notice him washing the car.

One day, he asked me, “Did you notice how clean your car is?” I responded, “Yes, what about it?”

He responded, “I’ve been washing your car. It was so filthy I couldn’t stand it.” He used those exact words.

I was shocked. He asked, “Didn’t you notice?” I said, “Yes, but I thought it was the rain. Whenever I drove in the rain, I thought the rain was ‘washing it.’ “

I don’t think he liked that because he never washed my car again.

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Skip intro

I was watching something on Netflix and when “Skip Intro” came on, I thought of this.

I don’t watch many streaming services, but luckily I got this idea from one, you know, when you skip the intro to the tv show and get right into it.

I pay for many streaming services, I just don’t watch them. I need to do that thing where you delete them and just pay for them when you want to see something.

There are things I want to see, but I find myself watching tv the old fashioned way – on cable. Yes, I guess cable tv is the old fashioned way.

I remember many years ago, maybe in the 1970s, when I had seen something on tv; I don’t remember what the show was, but at the end I said to my mother, I wish I could just snap my fingers and be in California so I could see the show again when it came on in their time zone.

I didn’t think of taping it with a VCR because there were no VCRs yet. Hard to imagine a time when you had to see the show when it was on and possibly see a summer re-run, or you missed it for good, or wait until years later when they were all on streaming services.

Today, I still watch tv when the shows are on, you know, Thursdays at 9 on CBS on Tuesday at 8 on Bravo or whatever. I do DVR things and watch that, but I don’t really dabble in streaming services. I just overpay for them every month, along with the cable service, which I have to cancel soon.

I know I can do it online at their websites, but I want to speak to a person because I may be able to get a good deal to stay.

I just have to make the call, which I am dreading. You know, you try to make a fast phone call and it ends up being a frustrating hour or so.

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It’s all about Luigi

S0 this cartoon got a lot of play – lots of likes, shares, etc. It’s the month of Luigi. Luigi Mangione. I don’t know why I am linking to him, unless you live under a rock, you know who he is.

The idea for this cartoon was a natural. It just wrote itself.

While watching and reading the news, it was all about Luigi and I thought to myself, “Are they going to start naming newborns after Luigi now?” And the cartoon was born.

Some comments I received were that I’m idolizing a murderer. I think I’m just commenting on what’s going on in the country today. It’s the top story. While I don’t do political cartoons, I thought this was interesting to comment on. People are infatuated with Luigi.

It was posted on Reddit with the headline, “Even the girls?” And most of the comments there were about girls names for Luigi, like “Luigia” or “Luigina” or “Luigette” And many were concerned about Mario’s feeling (from the Nintendo game) Luigi’s brother, since the name Luigi is getting all the attention. Unfortunately, most Redditors didn’t really mention the victim in the shooting.

I don’t even like the name Luigi, I would never name one of my kids that. I don’t really like my own name, Thomas. I like Tom and Tommy, but when someone calls me Thomas, I cringe. Usually it’s people I don’t know like someone at the doctor’s office or at a hotel check-in or things like that.

Luigi is such an ethnic name. I think of Nintendo and Mario Brothers when I hear that name. I don’t think I know a Luigi in real life. But Luigi Mangione now stole that name and it’s his now every time you hear it.

He’s a hero to many because he struck out against our screwed up healthcare system, but what I don’t get is that Luigi’s family had lots of money, why didn’t they have good health insurance?

Over the years I’ve paid a lot for health insurance and when I need it, it came through. I wasn’t happy with the premiums I paid monthly, but I was happy when I had two hernia operations in 15 years and didn’t pay much or anything.

After the first one in 2009, I got one bill. For $58.00.

After the recent one I did not receive a bill. It was all paid for. I had CT scans, MRI’s and so many other check-ups over the year before the operation, and through all that, I didn’t pay a dime. And after the operation, I didn’t pay a dime. All those people called me “Thomas” by the way.

So while Luigi and his family may have had good health insurance, is he paying the price now for trying to help the little guy?

That part I don’t get. We do need a new healthcare system in our country. It’s odd that the healthcare is for profit. The most important aspect of our lives, our health, is controlled by huge for profit corporations. not doctors or medical personnel.

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There’s always one

Today’s cartoon makes me laugh because it is so true. If you live in a cold climate, you’ve seen this – some guy running or just traipsing around in shorts and a tee, while the rest of civilization is bundled up.

I saw this the other day in New York City, it was quite cold this week and a guy was walking in shorts, with a bunch of people who were bundled up. Usually it’s a guy running through the streets – jogging or whatever -at least the guy here has a hoodie on.

***The Montauk Lighthouse all lit up for the season.***

Last weekend a bunch of us went to see the Montauk Lighthouse Christmas lighting. They make a big show of it every year.

The weather was brutal that night. We were literally on a hill, which goes up to the lighthouse on the very tip of Long Island. The wind was whipping and we were up there for hours. But it was worth it. And no one was in shorts, I’m happy to say.

We usually do the Southampton parade and Christmas tree lighting, but we did Montauk in stead.

One funny things at the end of the lighting, a bunch of people do “The Roll.” I’m not sure how it started but people take a sip of wine and then literally roll down the hill from the lighthouse. It’s a lot of fun (to watch). It’s a tradition that goes with the lighthouse lighting.

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Are bookstores back?

Bookstores are back according to the news. The American Booksellers Association (ABA) has seen a growth in membership, with more than 2,500 member stores in 2,561 locations.

Large bricks and mortar bookstores and our favorite, independent bookstores are back.

I usually stop by the Barnes and Noble bookstore in Union Square in NYC, but I noticed the other day that they sort of have more security guys than customers. These guys look very official, like FBI guys with long black jackets and walkie-talkies and they are quite menacing. You can’t steal books there if you want. Which of course is a good thing, but it is a bit off putting.

I guess I look like a thief, because I left the store after being followed around for a bit which was very insulting and annoying.

There seems to be a nostalgia for bookstores. In the past, I would go in and take a picture of the book I liked and then just ordered it online for my Kindle. But of course that doesn’t work well with graphic novels.

Lately, I’ve been ordering comics and comic strip related books, so those I like having in my hands rather than trying to navigate them on a gadget.

For many years I was on a list for book reviewing and all of the major publishers would send me a few books a month – mostly graphic novels. I don’t know how I got on the lists, but it got overwhelming for a bit, but it was nice. During the pandemic, I donated most of them to a charity shop in the neighborhood.

What’s nice about bookstores is the warmth and smell when you enter. And of course, you can be going in for one thing and wander around for a long time finding other things.

In today’s 10 With Tom column, the subject is: “10 Reasons Bookstores Are Making A Comeback.” Read it here free.

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