#it has an integrated DVD player that’s why I bought it

[occasionallynotwatchingroger]

I’m dogsitting at a proper grownup’s house and they’ve got a big TV and my spacemen in their spaceship are so big and I can see so much

I wish I had an HDMI cable so I could watch with the original effects

[ahnsael]

Today I learned just how difficult it is to install a TV wall mount when you don’t own a drill.

The securing bolts are about 4″ long.

I went out and bought a stud finder (it beeped as soon as I picked it up).

But before I picked that up, I missed the bit about needing a drill.

You know how hard it is to use an awl to make a pilot hole in a wooden stud? It literally took me an hour and a half to get those four bolts into the wall. And hours later, my arms are still sore from the pressure I had to put on them as I was using a not-very-good socket wrench to get them to start gripping into the wood.

But...I got the job done.

The hard part was then mounting the TV to the bracket (it’s above my dresser, and it was REALLY hard to get a good angle to (a) even see the brackets on the TV that I needed to match up to the wall bracket, and (b) reach it in the first place (over a four-foot tall, three-feet-deep dresser that is FAR too heavy to move by myself), and (c) not drop the TV behind the dresser as I climbed on top of it, holding the TV (which is not as light as I thought it would be), to get a decent angle, and (d) hook up the power cord, which was almost impossible, even though my bracket lets me move the TV about 6″ from the wall.

And it’s a good thing I bought the wall mount as an afterthought. If I didn’t have it, I’d still be watching my old TV. If I had to rely on the legs that were included with the TV, well...those would be 45″ apart. And my dresser is 42″ wide. It wouldn’t have worked.

But now I have a gigantic 55″ TV on the wall of my room, and I’ve angled/tilted it so that I see the actual picture, and not the reflection of my bedroom ceiling lighting fixture.

[insert Read More here because I rambled about both the new and old TV]

Turned out that, even using a laser level, I mounted the wall bracket a little crooked -- when I was done, the right side of the TV was about 1″ lower than the left. But the manufacturer accounted for that possibility and included a way to adjust the TV brackets in order to raise each side of the TV separately without disassembling and starting over (and putting more large holes in the wall).

It was a LOT of work (if I’d known what I was in for, I’d have just had Best Buy do the installation [[ free installation was included, but I ordered my wall mount a day later and wasn’t sure it would have been here, and the 5.1 sound bar still isn’t here yet, and I’m too macho in my head for my own good and say “I can install it myself! but there are things that could have been done better than I did them with the right tools), but...it’s up, and it looks fantastic.Any larger would have been too big (not that I wouldn’t want a full-wall TV, but...with the furniture and the wall decorations, this BARELY fit without blocking anything or being blocked by anything). And don’t get me wrong...if it was just hooking up cables to the TV, I would be golden

But a wall mount? That was VERY new to me. And I screwed it up.

But since I ordered it a day after the TV, I said no to the installation, thinking they’d come to install the TV to my wall only to find that I had no wall mount.

It all worked out (so far -- after about 12 hours, my TV hasn’t fallen off the wall, so I’m thinking I probably did it right (despite the fact that one of the bolts went in at about 30º upper-left instead of going striaght int the wood stud) even though the TV is FAR from centered on the mount  -- bust MOSTLY centered where I need it, and angled to where the reflection of my bedroom light isn’t glaraing back at me via the TV screen -- because of where the studs in my wall are).

But for wood stud installations, the manufacturer says that positioning the TV at ANY POINT along the wall bracket works, so I think I’ll be okay.

I leveled it. I raised it on both sides (I was about 2″ short in where I installed the mount, but the TV portion of the mount had a work-around that I used).

And unlike my old TV (which I have to figure out how to legally get rid of -- see below for how Ive decided to try to get rid of it without paying reycling fees; if someone ffers me $5, I’m gonna take it), the new one hasn’t restarted itself once when I didn’t want it to so far (it did restart when it was first turned on and downloading software updates, but that was just part of the update process).

I had thought about waiting until tomorrow to install the new TV, but when I turned on my old TV earlier, the sound cut out -- and it literally took 15 minutes for the TV to reboot with sound. That was when I decided that today was the day. And I was without a TV in my room for HOURS while I installed the new one.

The only thing -- I went into my parents’ room to get a step stool which I knew was there to help me reach where I needed to install the wall mount (and, later, climb on top of my dresser, which I’m REALLY glad I didn’t end up tipping over as I carefully shifted my weight onto it -- there was one pretty close call). Their bedroom door was closed. They usually leave it open when they’re out of town.

And right by their dresser, there’s a 40″ flat screen TV, brand new in the box.

When my mom asked about birthday gifts, my reply included a new TV. They ended up getting me the Disneyland Spirit Award pin (which I mentioned in the same email), but...they may have decided to save that TV for a Christmas gift (and a very nice one, don’t get me wrong).

So tomorrow I’d better text to say Happy Thanksgiving and also mention that I bought myself something nice for my birthday. That way they can (hopefully) return the TV when they get home (if it is for me -- I don’t know that for sure), and if it will have been too long since they purchased it, maybe use it as an upgrade from their own smaller 32″ TV in their room.

Now I’m just waiting for my 5.1-Channel Sound Bar (with wireless sub-woofer and rear speakers -- which now costs $20 more on Best Buy’s website than it did when I bought it in their “pre-Black Friday sale”).

I ordered it in the same transaction as the wall mount, but while the wall mount arrived a day earlier than promised, the sound bar -- instead of being shipped from California to here in a couple days -- was sent from California to Utah for some reason. Even at 2:00 Wednesday morning, the tracking info from UPS said “on time delivery by the end of the day Tuesday the 21st.” Now it’s expected to arrive on the 24th, while I’m at work (hopefully it won’t get stolen from my front porch). I see on the tracking that it made it earlier tonight to the place in Nevada where it will be put on a truck to my house, but UPS also says that they don’t do deliveries on Thanksgiving (which is fine...just hoping that nobody steals this $170 sound bar as it sits on my porch all day until I get home from work.) Also, I decided to sell my old TV on CraistList rather than try to find a legal way to dispose of it (which might cost me money -- Best Buy wanted $15 to haul it away).

But fear not, my integrity is intact. The following is the ad I submitted (which can be seen at https://reno.craigslist.org/ele/d/flat-screen-smart-tv-works-as/6397825672.html):

I just replaced a 38½" 1080P Insignia flat screen Smart TV and it's yours for a low price. The original box (not included) said 39" Class but official diagonal measurement is 38½" (which my tape measure agrees with). For full product details, see https://www.insigniaproducts.com/pdp/NS-39DR510NA17/4863802 (this is the exact model I am selling -- they are still selling it new for $180, so you can save some money here if you can accept that it's a TV bought in July of 2016 and used daily since then). A couple of caveats, because I want to run an honest ad: The TV has a history of restarting itself at random times. You might be watching a favorite show, and the TV will reset, go to the Insignia/ROKU logo, and start from scratch, so you may miss a part of what you are watching. Sometimes the sound gives out, and a reboot to fix it (large square button on the back left of the TV -- hold it down until it starts the reboot process) can take up to 10-15 minutes before you're back to watching TV. The basic restarts happen, on average, once a day (some days it happens twice, other days it doesn't happen at all), and those generally take a minute or two before you're back to watching TV or playing your video game (I would NOT recommend this TV for a gamer who can't press "pause" when this happens, like if you are playing a multiplayer online game). The 10-15 minute reboots, maybe once every two weeks. If you can handle that, the TV has very good picture quality, and fit very well on top of a tall dresser that is 42" wide. No wall mount included. Legs can be easily removed if you have a wall mount already. Usually these restarts happen within 10-15 minutes of powering it on, but once in a while, you can be watching TV for hours, be really into a sports event, and...suddenly, there's an Insignia logo in place of the great play you were about to see, and now will have to look up on YouTube. This is why I replaced the TV after just 16 months -- it was frustrating to me. But if you're okay with this, or know how to fix it, or have a friend that you like a *little bit* that you feel obligated to get a gift for...this could be the TV for you. Cable box and compact DVD/Blu-Ray player fit comfortably in the space between the TV and the surface -- your experience may vary based on the size of your cable/satellite box and/or DVD/Blu-Ray player (actual under-TV clearance: 2" on the left and right of center, 1½" at the center where the LED light and remote control sensor are located). Has original remote, and the legs are still attached. All settings have been restored to factory default. For inputs, see images. To clarify dimensions: TV itself is 3½" deep (9½" if you include the legs), 34½" wide (if you have limited space on your flat surface, a surface 27" wide would accommodate the legs with the TV hanging just over the sides), and 22" high (with legs -- 20 5/8" high without legs). As far as when this sale (or barter, if you've got something you think I might want -- I'm certainly open to negotiations) can happen -- I work in a local casino, and cannot be seen on camera accepting cash when I'm at work since I'm a manager who is ineligible for tips, and a transaction like this could be seen as taking a tip if it happened while I am at work. I work from 3pm-11pm Friday through Tuesday. I would be available after 11:00pm any of those days (before work, I sleep until it's time to get ready for work -- if you work out a 12pm-1pm meeting in advance, I can adjust my sleep schedule for that day). Wednesdays and Thursdays, I am free whenever works for you (this includes today, Thanksgiving). Given the problems that the TV has with restarting, I will accept offers. The $50 list price is not firm. I will say, though, that if I tell you we have a deal, we have a deal. If I get a higher offer while you're on your way, I'm going to honor our deal. If I accept your offer, that acceptance is firm and not going to change, even if I get a higher offer after the fact. I absolutely guarantee that you won't get a call on the way to my house telling you that the deal is off if I agreed to it. That's on me, not you. But if my phone is ringing off the hook (I know, wishful thinking) and people are outbidding each other, I'll keep you all informed as to the most recent deal. Again...this is Craigslist, and I live in a relatively small community, so...what I actually expect is for one person to call (if I'm lucky), offer a price, and then for me to accept that price and you take the TV away and give it to someone you sort of like, but don't like as much as you like [insert favorite food/music/movie/vacation destination here]. And again, I'm not against a barter if you have something cool that you no longer want. Either way, it beats me having to pay to have the TV recycled...especially when it works (most of the time) and has just about as many bells and whistles as the TV I just bought.

If someone actually pays the $50 asking price, I’d be shocked (though the TV does, honestly, work as well as it did out of the box -- it just sucked out of the box but I disclosed that so I wouldn’t feel any guilt), but...the fact that I said “If I get a higher offer while you’re on your way, I’m going to honor our deal” (and not be greedy and go for a higher offer from someone who may call 20 minutes later) might get me some takers. I’ve never sold on Craigslist before, although I helped my parents sell a lawnmower so I’m not a TOTAL newb). but...the promise of “I know I said we had a deal, but someone else just offered $10 more, do you want to match/beat it?” seems like such a slimeball move that.

I don’t want to go there. I’m not a used car salesman. I’m just looking to pawn a mostly-working (but not without problems) TV off on someone else, after being honest with the TV’s pluses and minuses, so I don’t have to pay to have it recycled. Let someone else have my lemon TV -- as long as they have had the chance to see that it’s a lemon before they drop some money on it (honestly, I’d be THRILLED if I got $20 of my $50 asking price...I don’t know Craigslist well, but even getting $20 would be worth saying no when Best Buy said they’d haul my old TV away -- which they sold me -- if I paid them $15.

[colp76-blog]

It’s hard for me to recognise that Star Trek Deep Space Nine is over 26 years old. I first watched this series on BBC2 in the 90s when they had the rights to air it, not long after that I was consuming the VHS tapes as my hunger for the show grew. Actually; I can feel that passing of time now when I think about it . . . . . It’s basically a lifetime ago. What a world we lived in back then, when entertainment wasn’t just a click away, look how spoilt we have become, I find it tiresome to put a DVD in the player these days. That click away is a very good reason that I have been less than productive over the last few weeks! I’ve been knee-deep in Galactic disputes, Jambalaya and Orbs. Yes, welcome to the wonderful world of binge-watching. Thanks to Netflix, I no longer have to wait for an episode anymore, even better for me is the “Skip Intro” button, just pour that sweet Ketracel-white into my veins. You know what I have learnt whilst watching this series in its entirety, it’s amazing and would say at this moment in time could be my new favourite series in the franchise. Strong words for someone who has watched The Next Generation as much as me. Funny thing is, I’m not alone as Deep Space Nine is having a real resurgence in the zeitgeist. The Member Berries are strong with this one. Anyway, this is isn’t gonna be a deep kick in the history of DS9 but me picking out my favourite episode from each season. I just thought I best make some use of those hours I lost in the abyss of a streaming app, don’t get me wrong, it was bloody glorious. Enough of the small talk, let’s get started.

Season 1. Captive Pursuit, January 31st, 1993.

Chief Miles O’Brien Colm Meaney what a character and what an episode. As much as I enjoyed the first season of Deep Space Nine it felt like it was still in its infancy stage but this episode hit the ground running. The humanity of Miles is so well written in this episode as he builds a relationship with a Gamma Quadrant alien called Tosk who is one of the best alien costumes in the entire series in my opinion. Tosk says his ship was damaged in the wormhole but was damaged by laser fire and then the mystery begins. Later we learn that Tosk is nothing more than prey for the Hunters, unable to let the prime directive decide Tosk’s future Mile’s does what he knows is right and helps his friend escape. This is pure Star Trek in its element and Tosk is by far one of my favourite characters of the franchise, I just wish we would have seen more of him.

  Season 2. Paradise, February 13th. 1994.

Captain Sisko Avery Brooks and Mile O’Brien locate an M-Class Planet and decide to investigate it further. A colony that once belonged to Starfleet has been living there for ten years, creating a utopian, paradise after they ship they had crashed, stranding them. Turning there back on the technology available to them, the camp opts out for a simpler and more rewarding way of life, that is until someone becomes ill and has to suffer; regardless of using medical science to cure her. As captain Sisko becomes more alarmed by Alixus’s way of running the colony, she becomes more annoyed with his reluctance to conform to the rules. Later Sisko is put into a metal crate as punishment, leaving Miles to work out that Alixus had actually planned the crash on the planet and has kept them there since. Paradise soon begins to unravel and eventually Alixus is forced to pay for her crimes. Funny thing is, most of the colony decide to stay on the planet. Great episode as we much the captain grows into his role, at this point in the series you can really understand how determined and passionate he is about injustice and freedom.

Season 3. Past Tense: Part 1,  January 2nd 1995. Past Tense: Part 2,  January 9th 1995.

A time travel episode that takes us back to San Fransico 2024. I really struggled to come up with anything I really liked from season three, to be honest, this is definetly the worst season from the series. This double bill certainly did take me back to the ’90s though. I think the moral of the story is meant to be something more meaningful but this is just a comedy episode for me. First, is Jadzia Dax! Why is she wearing something Sherlock Holmes would suit better? Next, we have the doom and gloom of the Sanctuary District, every extra in the scene is walking with there heads down and looking gloomy, it was hilarious. Nothing can compete with Miles and Kira energising into different parts of San Fransico’s timeline, the hippy scene was just car-crash television on the highest scale, wonderful! The positive again is Avery Brook’s as he takes part in the Bell Riots, he really does stand out from the rest of the cast in this episode as he falls into the role of Gabriel Bell.

Season 4. Hard Time, 15th April 1996.

I guess I really do like the character of Cheif Miles O’Brien as this stand-alone episode features the darts playing engineer again. Saying that though, this is such a well-written episode that any of the characters could have carried the story. Miles finds himself locked in a cell and is released after twenty years of confinement. Luckily for him, its only been a matter of hours as those memories of his imprisonment are artificial and he can go back to his normal life once again, or can he?  The Cheif suffers flashbacks back on the station, which eventually spills over in his real life as he lashes out at daughter Molly and assaults Quark. Miles is placed on medical leave but is constantly visited by former cellmate Ee’char. Miles sees no way out from this nightmare and finding a weapons locker pulls out a phaser and sets it maximum, until his friend Julian arrives. It seems Miles is feeling guilty as he killed Ee’char over a few pieces of bread that hill cellmate was saving for both of them, Julian manages to talk Miles down and explains that he isn’t an animal and can get help to move on with his life. As Miles gives in to what has happened, Ee’char slowly disappears from his mind.

Season 4. Trails and Tribble-ations, 4th November 1996.

Another time travel episode but the difference between this episode and Past Tense is a huge leap forward in terms of quality for Deep Space Nine. The Department of Temporal Investigations visit the station and they want answers! The one thing I like about this series is that it manages to be a serious and somewhat heavy show and still manage to have little moments of fun in between,  this episode is somewhat on the lighter side, even though the plot could have devastating results. Basically, the plot is pretty simple as the crew pick up the Orb of Time and a hitchhiker, Arne Darvin. During the trip back to the station, the crew find out they have been transported back 200 light years back to original Enterprise, the one featuring Kirk, Spock and the rest of the crew. Sisko and his crew must do everything they can to stop Arne changing the timeline, in which Captain Kirk had disgraced the agent before.  The enjoyment in this episode comes more from watching the Deep Space Nine crew integrate with the Enterprise crew so easily, it really is a very technical episode and somehow they pulled it off superbly. The crew end up in a punch up with Scotty, who they mistake for Kirk starting out and it’s fascinating and funny. There are so many special touches in this episode that are worth writing about but I would be here all day. My favourite moments are Captain Sisko visiting Kirk on the bridge and eventually the promenade been overrun by Tribbles. Great episode, and one you can keep rewatching it without becoming bored.

Season 6. One Little Ship, 18th February 1998.

This is a little summary for an episode I really enjoyed. A runabout shrinks in size as they enter an anomaly, the only problem is the Defiant is attacked by the Jem’Hadar at the same time. The U.S.S Rubicon runabout must enter the Defiant and help the crew take the ship back. I’m a huge fan of the series, Land of the Giants and this episode made me realise just how much. There is nothing new here but its a really fun and enjoyable episode.

Shadows and Symbols, Image in the Sand and  Far Beyond the Stars. 7th October 1998.

Okay, I cheated a little, but I actually think this trio of episodes belong together and is by far one of the reasons I love Deep Space Nine and definitely confirms to me that this series is by far the most ambitious of all the Treks we have had before, or after. I mentioned earlier that I had bought the VHS of this series and Far Beyond the Stars was the reason why! Back then I got my information by a magazine and had seen some photos from this episode and was blown away. When I finally watched the episode, I was not disappointed and think its best and most powerful bit of television I have ever watched. Avery Brook’s is a great actor and I think it was only fitting he could get his acting chops around a story that is as powerful as this, his portrayal of Benny Russell is a thing of beauty. Benny Russell is a 50s science-fiction writer who writes a story about a black man commands a space station and can’t let the story go, regardless of the prejudice he comes up against. Benny works for the magazine Incredible Tales, and in this 1950s scenario, all the characters from Deep Space Nine are all there taking up some amazing roles. I really don’t think I have the writing skills to do this storyline justice enough, all I can say is that its a really important part of storytelling in today’s society. I also really love how Benny comes back and plays an important role in Sisko’s journey with the prophets. I just love everything about it. One picture that always catches my imagination is the picture of the space station for the magazine.

I enjoyed going back to this series quite a lot and Deep Space Nine is definitely back in the headlines again with the release of What We Left Behind and I can’t wait to watch it. I even hear that some of the writers for the show outline what an episode of series 8 would look like on screen. I also realise that movies, tv shows and other forms of media can change through time and becomes something much bigger and this series is becoming that right now and that can only be a good thing. Could we ever see a new series of DS9, I very much doubt it, but I can always dream. Anyway, what are your favourite episodes from Deep Space Nine? I would love to hear them?

          It’s hard for me to recognise that Star Trek Deep Space Nine is over 26 years old.