I went to Communication Land but still couldn't figure out how to prepare my Japanese instant lunch. I put the inky black oil and the green powder in with the dry noodles and added some hot water. The instructions included the numbers "9:00-17:30" so I let it sit ten minutes, later realizing those were the hours of the customer hotline. After draining the water I added the little bag of dried vegetables, getting things further out of order. The green powder was a wet little pile and the vegetable chunks were hard. It resembled the picture on the package as much as a typical TV dinner does, and tasted just fine. I am still waiting for Squid Lady to appear.

*From the "Nutrition Facts" label, the only thing I can read.

We finally signed up for the Do Not Call list, hoping to stem the flow of *69-proof Out of Area calls. I started picking up too, finding no one there most of the time. When there was a telemarketer, I didn't give them much slack. One evening it was Comcast, asking about our Internet connection. I allowed that we were happy with the service. The guy then offered basic cable free for four months. The temptation was enough to overpower my aversion to rewarding a cold call.

The first hour after the cable guy left was great. I haven't had cable TV since MTV was still showing videos. The Speed channel, showing nonstop racing action, the International Poker Championships with a Texas Hold 'Em tutorial, TLC with a documentary on ninjas. Ninjas! After a few days, I found that flipping through channels makes for quite an inventory of commercials. Still, there is always something on. Just now it's 2:30 in the morning and I'm finally getting to see how the French plantation scene cut from "Apocalypse Now" would have killed the pacing. Anyway, kudos to Coppola for a colorful scene, precise down to the wine temperature.