I can't take the Emmys (or any awards show not hosted by Neil Patrick Harris) in its entirety but I watched pieces. Robin Williams was, of course, deserving of that special tribute…but didn't Sid Caesar and James Garner warrant more than a few seconds of screen time? I have the feeling one or both of them gave us a lot of hours of beloved television programming.
I wish they wouldn't do those teasers like "6 minutes to Ricky Gervais." It's like they're saying, "Yeah, we know this is boring but hang in there because someone interesting lies ahead."
I was on the Disney lot this afternoon for the first time in a while. It's fascinating how much some of that lot has changed and how little some of it has. The Animation Building — apart from now being full of producers instead of animators and sporting "no smoking" signs — is very much what it was when Walt roamed its halls.
I continue to get one or two unsolicited, unwanted calls per day from contractors or other businesses that want me to pay them to do things to my home. They fall into two categories…
- The ones who introduce themselves honestly, ask if I need any work done on my house and then go away when I tell them I don't.
- Those who lead with a lie. Sometimes, it's that they're working on my block and an unnamed neighbor told them I need some work done. Other times, they claim to have spoken with me months ago and I told them I'd be ready about now to discuss some work and they should call back.
I deal with those in the second group via cross-examination. Who is this alleged neighbor? Can I call them and see how happy they were with the work done? For some reason, they have a policy of not divulging the identity of customers who might tell me what a swell job they did. Or if they claim I asked them to call, I tell them they're lying. Sometimes, they'll say, "Yeah, I'm sorry. That's what they tell us to say."
The calls in the first group get asked where they got my phone number. They refuse to tell me and when they do, I say, "I'm sorry…I can't deal with a business that won't answer a simple question like that."
This is a close re-creation of a call from a lady this afternoon…
ME: Could you tell me where you got my number?
CALLER: You're on the Preferred Homeowner list.
ME: I see. Could you tell me where you got this Preferred Homeowner list?
CALLER: Oh, you know. It's the Preferred Homeowner list.
ME: And what did this homeowner do to warrant his inclusion on the Preferred Homeowner list?
CALLER: You'd have to ask them.
ME: I'll do that. Could you tell me how to contact the people who compile the Preferred Homeowner list?
CALLER: Oh, come on. It's the Preferred Homeowner list. You should just be proud that you're on it.
ME: I am. I'd like to call and thank them. Do they have their phone number on the Preferred Homeowner list?
CALLER: It's just a computer program. The only numbers on it are the ones I call.
ME: Are any of my neighbors on it? I was thinking we could get together…maybe start a little club…
CALLER: We're not supposed to give out that information.
ME: Oh well, maybe I could get my own copy of it. I'd like to frame it and show everyone I'm a Preferred Homeowner. Where did you get your copy?
CALLER: The company I work for gave it to me. Listen, if you don't need any work done on your house, I don't have time for this.
ME: Oh, I'm sorry. This isn't going to cost me my spot on the list, is it?
And that's when I heard the click. You know, these calls can be a real pain in the ass if you don't learn how to enjoy them.