…(known among many customers by a two-letter initial): My week of cablelessness ended this evening, as I gave in and paid up what I owed ’em. The basic channels and local HDs came on promptly when I called; at least the visual portion. After some jiggling, I got the sound back on by turning up the VOL on my cable remote. There were still no cable HD channels or digital tier channels, and no menus. I had to call back to get them to “ping” a reset signal to my cable box (which seems to be the all-purpose answer to such issues).

How does it feel to be no longer tubeless? Great. I feel again connected to the great global media tether. Yes, I survived without it for a week. No, I didn’t instantly become a better person due to any magical power of tubelessness. Yes, I should keep it (and the DVD player and the Web browser) turned off while I’m writing.

One happy discovery: During the extended wait to reach a live person during my first call, the on-hold music consisted of recent and current TV themes. The signature sounds of The Office, House, Desperate Housewives, Survivor, and more serenaded me with the promise that all these pleasures would again be mine.