Weekend Warriors

Another sunny weekend in SJ.... It was actually in the 80's Saturday. With Mark home, we were able to get alot of the BIG projects done..... like put up the antenna. Mark has decided that we will not have cable (fine by me). So we have high-speed internet, a TIVO box, purchased programs that we can't get any other way (like Top Chef) and an antenna. Now those of you in New England may wonder how in the world you could get ANYTHING with an antenna. But when you live in a relatively flat place with short trees and LOTS of people (after all, we ARE in Silicon Valley - capital of Geekland), you can get HD with an antenna - in fact you can get 63 channels of HD with an antenna. There is just one small complication...... the antenna has to be mounted on a very high place like a roof. So Mark gets all the pieces out of the box and has them laid out on the deck and begins assembling them. I look out an hour later and he is still assembling.... but now he is reading the directions. It seems that having several courses during your Electrical Engineering program in Antenna Theory does NOT help in putting an antenna together..... the directions are much better. So he has the thing all attached to a VERY LONG POLE and he is staggering with it to the back of the garage where he has placed a VERY TALL LADDER. I'm waiting for the call...... (for those of you that don't know it, Mark HATES heights!)........ and then I hear.....Honey..... can you come out and help me for a minute? I'm ready to assist. Mark asks me to hold the ladder (balanced in 12" of "gorilla hair" - what our landlord calls redwood bark shavings and not very stable) while he manfully climbs WAY UP to the top dragging the pole and antenna along. It is very sunny and getting hot and Mark is sweating and looking very nervous..... But he gets the antenna onto the roof where it is left lying. He then makes a brief attempt to lift it up and place it in the bracket he has all ready put up. He starts swaying, the ladder is wiggling, and the antenna...... well, the antenna looks like a flag of surrender being frantically waved in the bright blue sky. And where am I, you might ask, as my husband is about to plunge to his death? Why, I'm at the bottom of the ladder trying to take pictures and laughing my head off of course! Ok, Ok. I know that seems a bit harsh..... So I offer to make the supreme sacrifice. I tell Mark to come down and I'LL go up ON THE ROOF ITSELF and lift the antenna up into the bracket so he can anchor it. He gratefully agrees and VERY QUICKLY climbs down the ladder. So up I go..... Now remember, I have less than 100% balance abilities because of my ear issue. And there is a satellite dish all ready on the roof impeding my ease of getting up and into position. So I get on the roof and try to lift the antenna realizing that it is VERY HEAVY and I AM FACING THE WRONG WAY! So I carefully put the antenna down and hope it doesn't slide off the roof as I try to turn around maneuvering my feet around and in between the satellite dish. Finally I am in position..... but I have to reach BEHIND me to get the VERY HEAVY antenna and raise it up (just like the flag at Iwo Jima!) and slide it into the bracket and HOLD IT THERE while Mark tightens the bolts. But we did it and we now have more TV channels than we could ever possibly watch in HD no less.