I did a little bit of research on over the air HD signals, and it looks like options are limited for our area. We are in a fairly densely populated suburb, but live in a bowl with large hills surrounding us, so signals aren’t very strong. The search continues!

I just bought a Roku XS which has access to Hulu Plus among other things, their interpretation is much better than that of my Sony Bravis, plus they have many other options and regular updates to their software, which Sony doesn’t seem to do as often.

Roku.com is showing HBO GO, or something like that as ‘Coming Soon’ on their website, which would seem to solve your issues about some of the missing shows.

Worth taking a gander, otherwise depending on your area, check out a good HD Antenna, thats my next stop on dropping the entertainment bills journey.

Five years later, my wife and I still love our rug and it is still in great condition. Seeing it brings back so many good memories of our trip, and we are always telling visitors the history behind the rug. We have definitely gotten our money’s worth from sentimental value alone!

Thanks for your write up.

My girlfriend and I also bought rugs at Bazaar 55 recently. When I got to Istanbul, I had to no plan to buy a rug, but we were drawn in by a good salesman we met at another store looking at totally different items. We were unhappy with the price we got on those items, so I went shopping. Turns out, their prices were fair and their merchandise was more to my liking than anything I could find anywhere else.
On the way back to their store, the salesman crossed out path by coincidence outside his carpet store (he was maybe kind of going back and forth between shops I guess).

He drew us in by saying there was no commitment to buy and that he simply wanted us to learn about rugs. I, like you, had no idea what I was doing, but am a salesman by trade and love to negotiate on just about everything – particularly big purchases. I find it exhilarating. Once I saw the rugs, I knew I wanted one, and it was game on.

All your advice is great. You really do have to remember that you can’t buy out of guilt (they are making you feel that way for a reason, but don’t fall for it) and you really should act like you’re leaving to find out how low they will go. The price everyone gets is going to be different so it’s hard to say who gets a good deal and a bad deal. Like you, I was enjoying myself, loved the look and feel of the wool rug I picked and also loved going through the process in Istanbul with the people at Bazaar 55.

Since I’ve been home, cynics have teased me for buying the rug. But anyone who says you are foolish for buying such a rug is only looking at the bottom line. The experience alone was worth some money to me and most importantly, I love my rug and don’t regret the purchase at all.

I would love to be in your position.

I do think that wishlist holds should be limited to a small amount of time.

Have you tried other websites like Paperbackswap.com ???

John TW

Thank you for your comment. It is a nice surprise to connect with you here.

When I think about the ~50 films I’ve seen this year, I think only about the relative success of each in providing a couple hours of entertainment. For those films based on a true story, I think it’s possible to evaluate the film separately from the real-life people and their stories. My brief comments about the acting and the film aren’t meant to be taken as a negative opinion of your dad. As a new father myself, I can’t imagine the sacrifices he made over the years in the course of standing up for his ideas and hard work.