Here Comes the Rain Again (Part Deux)

Consider this an open letter of apology to my cable company. On Wednesday I wrote about a sudden storm that showered the island and supposedly knocked out my television. It seemed like a perfectly good assumption at the time. After all, when I was shopping for a cable television provider I’d been told a number of times how the rain affects WOW signals across Bermuda. However after a quick call to the company—and a surprisingly pain free house call—they determined that the workers renovating the upstairs apartment unplugged my antennae booster. That’s it. I now know this is true because we’ve woken up to yet another wild storm—a thick blanket of rain that has engulfed the entire island. It’s pouring here and yet I still have TV. Remember those S and Q meters I blustered about? Well, they’re at 94 and 98, respectively. Good news all around, especially since I’ve been watching a shaggy palm tree blow in the breeze for the past thirty minutes (see above). It’s almost like I’m a character in Homer’s painting, Hurricane, which is fine by me as long as I can watch the news later on tonight.

Here Comes the Rain Again

A string of cloudy days has finally culminated into a much-needed storm—one that battered our windows and soaked our patio while we were sleeping last night. It’s fine by me, although I wish someone would do something about the television. Call it another island quirk. There are two cable TV operators here in Bermuda, Cablevision and WOW (World on Wireless). When we first got here, I did my due diligence to determine which service was best. I learned that WOW offered more channels for less money and that Cablevision bundled its service with an Internet connection. And on it went, until I finally learned that I could only use WOW due to our home’s location. Decision made, however there’s one small problem: The rain. Apparently our cable television provider doesn’t get along with it. In fact the two hate each other, evidenced by the nagging S and Q meters on my TV screen that read 1% during a storm. For those non-islanders out there, S and Q stand for sound and quality. When it’s sunny, there’s a red bar next to each one that usually reads 95%-100%. Last night they were at a dismal one. That’s one percent sound and quality for all you keeping score. Needless to say Joy and I fell asleep to the DVD version of Rudy last night. Of course the rain is not all bad. For folks whose cisterns went dry weeks ago, it’s the answer to their prayers. For the yellowed palm trees perched on my hillside, it’s a much-needed drink. And of course, the rain makes for an interesting photograph, especially when its droplets bubble up on the patches of thorny aloe that surround my house (see above). I’m not sure when my TV will be working again, but I suspect I’ll be dipping into my DVD collection yet again tonight. Just call it island intuition.