Wednesday Reads and DVR Woes

We have a love/hate relationship with DVRs. Two years ago our DVR died on us and we lost many hours of programming. It was an old DVR and didn’t hold many high def shows. So when it died, we took that opportunity and switched to a whole-house system so we could get a bigger and better DVR. Well, on May 7 (not two years later) that bigger and better DVR died on us. Arrgh! We lost way more than the last time because this DVR was over 80% full (close to 80 hours), and of course there’s no way to transfer what was recorded to a new DVR. So frustrating!

My daughter was able to baby the broken DVR for a bit (unplugged it to cool and then plug it back in). When she couldn’t get it to stay on for more than 15 minutes, she gave the go ahead to get it replaced (a good portion of the lost shows were hers). We finally got the replacement DVR on Friday only to find the display acting all wonky (most of the time we can’t even make out the time). Not feeling too confident with this machine, I now get to swap it for another, which means driving 20 miles to the store. What a pain.

If we ever move, I seriously wonder if I’d stick with cable. Can’t imagine the other services are any better, though. I guess no one business is perfect. I should just stop watching television, but I doubt that will ever happen. I like it too much. J

Anyway, this is what I read this week:

May 24: “Crouching Tiger Forbidden Vampire” by Kerrelyn Sparks, book 16 (and finale) in the Love at Stake series, a paranormal romance at 370 pages long. Blurb from book: Russell wakes from a coma to find he’s become a vampire. Now he has a thirst for revenge. Determined to hunt down the master vampire who turned him, he’s used to working alone…until he meets Jia. She is after the same vampire for murdering her parents and insists she can help Russell on this mission. Reluctantly, he agrees, and sets up some ground rules. Rule #1: Their partnership is strictly business. If he holds her a little too close…if she looks at him with those exotic eyes…well, that has to stop. Rule #2: He’s in charge. Jia isn’t used to taking orders and questions every move he makes. So he stops her the only way he knows how. Rule #3: Don’t fall in love. But the kiss that was supposed to quiet her awakens something else in him…something forbidden. Because Jia is engaged. To someone else. It was sooooo refreshing to read something I love. Something that fueled my own writing. So sad that this is the end of the series, though. I really love these books.

May 25: “Jason” by Laurell K. Hamilton, book 23 in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series, an urban fantasy at 255 pages long (although the print was practically double-spaced, so probably a lot shorter than that). Blurb from book: Jason Schuyler is one of Anita Blakes’s best friends and favorite werewolves, with benefits. J.J. is his ladylove, and old flame from childhood who dances at one of the top ballet companies in New York. She’s accomplished and beautiful, and she’s crazy about him, too. Neither of them wants to be monogamous, so what could go wrong? J.J. is enthusiastically bisexual, with an emphasis on the female side of things. She plans to keep sleeping with women, because Jason can’t meet that need, just like she can’t meet Jason’s need for rough sex and bondage. J.J. doesn’t understand why Jason isn’t content to go elsewhere for a need she can’t fulfill, so Jason asks Anita to help him explain. Anita is having her own relationship growing pains with her only female lover ever, Jade. Jason suggests that J.J. might be able to help Anita with her girl problem, while she helps him with his kinky explanations. With some encouragement from a few other lovers in Anita’s life, she reluctantly agrees, and J.J. makes plans to fly into town for an experience that none of them will ever forget. This story wasn’t really part of the series, but an off-shoot of mostly a discussion on sex (oh, and sex, too). So, no fighting monsters and stuff like that. I enjoyed reading it because I enjoy the characters, but it’s certainly not required reading to stay with the series. I did find it a nice recap of who is who in Anita’s world, though (since I tend to forget sometimes).

So…What service do you use to watch TV: cable, satellite, antenna, or other? Do you like it? Or do you dream of switching?

Have a good Wednesday and happy reading!

Stacy