Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Telle/DSL Update / other news

The guy from Big Bend Telephone made it out early yesterday morning and said I had everything I needed to get the phone and DSL installed. He took pictures of the wind genny, solar panels, gas powered charger, battery bank, RV and It'll Du. I suppose the last was proof of a permanent structure? ;) He also put up  wooden stakes where the pedestal is supposed to be placed and one across the road where it should be run from. He also went to the trouble to do the same between here and the legion and at the legion to so... I assume that means I'll get it installed within the next 90 days? That isn't necessarily true though because they have done that in other places where they later said they wouldn't install it. I'll keep updating as this unfolds. If they do it then I suppose I'll be getting a second driveway out of the deal (If they do like they did with John Wells) since they will be coming straight across from the road to the RV. That should make it easy to use it and the other one as a circle driveway which I don't have a problem with at all.

Family news goes like this:

Some of you may remember my Nephew the retired Colonel I posted about some time back. Well his youngest sister just died and considering his mother died just before his retirement I'm sure this is a double whammy for him. I went through a similar experience several years ago and it was really bad.

Paula is still hanging in there and Dale is still waiting to find out how they will treat him.

As for me... I have a tooth ache from HELL that is really making life rough right now. Two different types of tooth ache medicine doesn't seem to be helping at all and neither does eating Advil like candy. I think its time to get DRUNK!

As for weather? Well it was windy as heck all night and still is now. That's actually good for me though because its partly cloudy and hazy so the wind genny is taking up the slack that the solar panels are loosing.

21 comments:

  1. Sad news about your nephew's little sister ... very sad.

    Sad news about your toothache, too ... that is a pain that'll drive you crazy.

    Will keep you, and Paula, and your family in my thoughts ... as always.

    Love you.

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  2. ~mc~, seems that the tooth ache pain is a little less now, but for some reason I'm having trouble walking in a straight line. By the time I have a few more beers I may not even be able to stand up, but the pain will probably be manageable by then. ;)

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  3. Don't put off that trip to the dentist for too long, my friend.
    I'm jazzed to hear about the DSL line. I hope it gets installed soon.
    Good luck with it all.

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  4. I wish it was that simple Allen. No Dentist around here that I know of and if there was I couldn't afford them anyway.

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  5. About your tooth ache, go down to the Legion, get drunk, start a fight with the three largest dudes in there . . . Presto, no teeth, no tooth ache.

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  6. Last time I had a tooth pulled it was $90. Much cheaper than another root canal :) You could probably get it done even cheaper in Mexico, but if I recall, you don't go there...

    I think it's good that the phone guy marked stuff - I don't think they'd do that if they didn't intend to hook ya up. It's just a matter of time now.

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  7. Well damn DD, I tried that and there just weren't enough big people in there to pull that off so I came back here and got out the 16 LB sledge and a chisel. When that didn't work I resumed my 30 pack marathon and am not feeling too much pain. (Just 6 more beers left)

    ~mc~ quit that giggling because that leads to hiccups.

    Abby, I've had teeth pulled for $25, but with the inflation and the dentist saying "I won't pull your tooth unless you pay off my Porsche or my wife gets a new diamond ring." I think I'll just walk out in front of a semi.

    As far as the phone and DSL around here I'll believe I'm getting it when I have a working land line phone in my hand and can logon by DSL here by my self without scabbing off of someone else.

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  8. David, I would almost trade you places with the tooth ache.....I have two. I tried to loosen one so it would come out easier, but damn, thing is in there tighter than a rusted bolt.

    Anytime you find a wifi broadcasting unsecured, it's free to the public. As I recall, the legion advertised free wifi....so, ya ain't scabb'n.

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  9. David I know you dont go to Mexico or even have a passport. However I would recommend that you think about getting one (a passport that is) and consider it as an investment in your health care.

    I do not have medical insurance because the cost is prohibited here in Houston. However when I am at my mom's (Del Rio, Texas) I can see a doctor for as cheap as $3.00 (for the low income) or as much as $30.00 for private practice doctors.

    Dentists depending on the service they perform for extractions can range between $20 to $60 USD.

    Another thing I do not understand since Mexico is considered third world is how they offer their citizens flu and H1N1 as well as tetanus shots for FREE!!

    They have free clinics all the time and they never ask about your nationality (even if you look like a gringo) :-) everything is free.

    Considering a US passport runs around $100 and is good for ten years that is like paying $10 a year for a flu shot that in the Houston area runs like $24.00 at Walgreens.

    You can also buy building material like concrete, cement blocks, rebar etc...for a lot less there.

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  10. P.S. forgot to mention you dont even need a US passport you can get a passcard (kind of looks like a drivers's licence) for like $65.00.

    Ofcourse since I am bilingual I volunteer to be your interpreter and would even drive you down to Ojinaga, Chihuahua Mexico. It is a very nice little town with none of the drug violence of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

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  11. I second what MsBelinda said. When we move down there you can bet we'll be going to Ojinaga for medical care.

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  12. BB, I feel fer ya even if they are only giving you 1 tent the pain this one is dishing out. After maybe getting 2 hours sleep total last night and finally giving up and getting up I've found that sipp'in a hot cup seems to be the best medicine. Problem with that is there isn't much chance of taking a much needed nap later.

    MsB, I think I heard the other day about a man being gunned down in Ojinaga so it may not be as safe as you think. I may check in to one of the cards you talk about. Sure won't help me out of this dilemma now though.

    Allen, both of you have good points.

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  13. Sorry about the toothache. Clove oil will dull the pain, not sure where you can get some there. Let me know and I'll get a bottle to you if you like.

    I hope they get the phone/DSL installed quickly for you. I'm trying to get used to the idea of slower speeds, cable internet has got me spoiled, lol. The price of satellite internet is ridiculous, but it is what it is. Sigh.

    Very sorry about your nephew's baby sister : (

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  14. desert rose, I have two types of tooth ache medicine and one of them has a clove taste so I'm pretty sure that is what it is or at least an ingredient. The other type with the small cotton balls and tweezers to apply it used to work well, but I guess I've developed a tolerance to it. Neither of them work worth a flip now.

    As far as the satellite Internet goes I have to agree with you. HughesNet is the worst as far as limits go from what I've heard. At least Wild Blue Yonder does their limitations different. Both are too expensive and MagicJack doesn't work with any satellite Internet.

    I had FIOS in Plano and sure miss that! I could download a 4.5 Gig DVD in 20 minutes. It would probably take hours using DSL. Never the less the DSL is pretty fast down here, but if you can get it I wouldn't be expecting to play movies over the Internet or even watch TV.

    The satellite phones don't work too hot down here either because the satellites move by and the signal drops a lot from what I hear also. Where your land is you may be able to use a cell phone though.

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  15. I will get a pair of pliers and after your drunk we'll go to work! My nephew in Odessa paid $260 to get 1 tooth pulled last year.

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  16. frann, if I had the right kind of pliers and enough whiskey I'd give it a shot myself. Of course there's a HIGH dollar post and cap behind it that I'd sure hate to loose.

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  17. Hi Tffnguy,

    Looking good. Man if you built yourself about 3 more of those windgens at 850watts you could really pull some power down. haha. Question, as I understand it if you can still cross over the border to Manuael Ojinaga they will pull a tooth pretty cheap? I am not sure if you can still cross but maybe some of the others down there would know. Just saying........ when we get down that is where we plan to go for our meds, dental etc... I hope that is still an option in 2011.
    Thanks so much for the info and will wait until I arrive as you said.

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  18. tffnguy

    I made it back to corpus ok, had fun in Terlingua this week. Im sorry about your tooth, talk with John Wells at "the field lab" about modifying the "bike o' washer" into the "tooth o' puller". Im suprised that there's no Doctor, Dentist,Gunsmith or Blacksmith working in the Terlingua Ghosttown? You guys could use an "Undertaker" with a horse drawn herse too.

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  19. congrats on getting ready for phone service - Don't call us...we'll call you! as for your tooth? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPhRiaNW4UQ

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  20. Wayne, its getting harder to know what the options will be down here in 2011. Things are changing fast!

    Captain, glad you had a good time down here. Occasionally there is a group of dentists that come down here and set up in one of the churches. They pull teeth for free, but that's all they do. Unfortunately this isn't the time they do that and I don't know when it will happen again?

    Dang John! I just shot my last rocket at the two helicopters that kept buzzing me yesterday. You got any over there?

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