My wife and I started watching the latest season of Amazing Race a little late, with yesterdays second episode of the season.

One thing that I picked up rather quickly is the frequency of the cowboys and the use of the phrase “Oh My Gravy”. I think this would make for a great drinking game.

From now on whenever you hear the cowboys says “Oh My Gravy” Take a shot of whiskey. I dare you…. If you do, though, be warned, you may have to call in sick (or hungover) to work for Monday morning.

We have been loyal customers of Shaw Direct (Formerly StarChoice) since 2005. Five years of paying our bills on time and enjoying their programming.

We have been thinking about getting an HD PVR for a while now, and their prices are around $500. Currently Bell has a deal on where new accounts can get one for $299. We decided to call Shaw Direct to see if they would match that price and send us out a PVR. They said no.

We told them that we would cancel our account and switch to Bell – the girl on the other end said, “Okay, well, have a nice day then”. Are you serious?

Shaw Direct really doesn’t want our service at all! Back in the “StarChoice” days, customer service would bend over backwards to keep a customer happy – since their acquisition things seem less customer oriented. (see my Post “Free HD PVR – But Not Really” from last year for another Shaw Direct experience

To top it all off, we are saving by switching – in the long run!

The Numbers

Stay with Shaw Direct
$39.99 / month + tax = $537 (for 12 months)

Switch to Bell
HD PVR Cost + tax = $446
Service + tax (@ $25 promo rate) = $336
$200 Promo Credit (for PVR purchase) = -$200
Total Cost for 12 Month Period = $582

That’s like paying $45 for the HD PVR when the dust settles.

BUT there’s more. The regular package price for the service is also $34.99 with Bell, an additional savings of $5 per month, so after 11 months of paying the regular service price, we will have recouped that $45, and after that we will start saving. So, basically, in the long run, all this will have saved us money, AND we will have the HD PVR. Can’t go wrong with this switch.

If you’re with Shaw Direct and want a PVR, you might want to consider switching…

Summary of why we are switching

• Great deal on HD PVR
• Lower monthly cost saves us money
• Better HD selection (more stations) in basic package
• Better Pay Per View selection

If you like the muppet show, you will probalby like this clip from 1969… hard to believe it is from so long ago. Still entertaining today – so simple, but so catchy.

If you have been asking “Who Wins Survivor Samoa?” Well, its official, Natalie has won the latest edition of Survivor!

Personally I think Russell, the player everyone loves to hate, should have won. But what do you think? Who did you want to win?

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Russell did play a very strategic game, and while many may think he may be evil, its a game, and you have to do what you have to do.

I don’t think Natalie played a bad game, I think sticking under the radar is a good strategy and she does in fact deserve the money, but I think Russell might be the smartest player to play Survivor and not win.

If you hate Russell, or if you love him, you have to admit that he made Survivor Samoa very exciting and fun to watch.

The whole Prop 8 vote etc is long since old news, but I had not seen this video before yesterday and thought I would share it. I have to say I agree with just about everything Keith Olbermann says.

I see no problem at all with allowing same sex couples to marry – trying to prevent this, and take away their rights is a joke. What difference does it make to me, or any other straight couple out there if two women, or two men decide to get married? None. It does not impact my life one bit in any way shape or form.  I am certain that in my life time this is something that we will look back at and wonder why it was ever disallowed, just like inter-racial marriages – its hard to believe that a black person could not marry a white person only 40 some-odd years ago.

Lets move in the right direction and give everyone the same rights once and for all.

This video is kind of old, dates back to 2008, but I saw it for the first time today and found it worth sharing. Funny stuff If you are a fan of the Office (UK or US versions) you will get a kick out of this:

Kanye West was on the premier of Jay Leno tonight, and the interview was not quite what I expected. While Kanye was relatively quiet and didn’t say much he did sound genuinely sincere about feeling bad for what he had done at the VMA’s last night.

I have a feeling that the entire thing is a well orchestrated publicity stunt for ratings for Leno, and extra exposure for Kanye, but who knows.

As far as I am concerned when he interrupted Taylor Swifts acceptance speech last night it was entirely unacceptable, and this small apology is just not good enough.

I have to say I do watch my fair share of reality television. I am not a true Survivor fan, I miss it now and then, but for the most part I do tend to watch this show, and enjoy it. As for most of the others out there, I can do without them, the Bachelor can go away, I can’t stand it. When my wife has Americas Next Top Model on, I leave the room I dislike it so much. The only reality show that I do try to watch each and every week is the Amazing Race, My wife got me into this one, and now I can’t miss it.

My wife is also into the Biggest Loser. This is one of those shows that I don’t mind watching, but would never turn it on if it was just me alone with the TV. I watch it because my wife likes it and I don’t mind it, but it is not something I would choose. The problem with most reality shows, especially with the Biggest Loser, is the recaps they do after each and every commercial. Why do they feel it is necessary to recap everything that happened right before the commercial break, including a full repeat of at least a minute of the show! Hello, I JUST watched this. Why must they repeat themselves, why all the filler? Sooooo annoying.

Really the only part of the biggest loser that I find interesting is the final weigh-in at the end of each show. I am truly amazed at the amount of weight these people can lose in such a short time, it really is incredible. Last night, before revealing the weight of the final contestant, the show was “to be continued”. Give me a break – the show was already 2 hours long, and now you have to wrap it till next week?? Why not just cut some of the filler! Its things like this that make me want to boycott the show.

There seem to be more and more of these reality shows popping up, and then the networks go and cancel well written shows like “Life on Mars”, but that’s another blog post all together.

In case you missed it, as I did, below is the opening for the 2009 Oscars – Hugh Jackman did a great job, quite entertaining.

Be sure to watch this soon, as I wouldn’t be surprised if it was removed from YouTube for Copyright Infringement rather soon – but you never know.

So we are sitting here watching American Idol, and we realized something – Ryan Secrest is super short. But how tall is he? He “claims” to be 5′9, but we think thats a load of bull – SO, how tall do you think he is? Take my poll and tell me what you think? (As for the 1′11″, I got that figure from a response that some put over at Yahoo Answers claiming that he Seacrest is a leprechaun – he may be right, so I included it here

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