Goodbye, SiriusXM. It was good while it lasted.

About five years ago, a friend introduced me to the marvel of satellite radio.   I always hated going to a new area that didn't have any radio stations I was familiar with.  There were always CDs or iPod, but I enjoyed live radio with new music I had never heard before with live people doing the disc jockeying.  But the limited broadcast areas and ever increasing amount of commercials were driving me nuts.  Lo and Behold...here was my radio salvation.  And the best part was the amount of stations was incredible.  The choices were astounding.  And I could stream in my office and at home...pure radio bliss!

The only downside was the price...$11.99 per month.  I make a decent salary and so does my wife, but that price seemed a bit steep for something that I estimated at most I would listen to twenty hours a month, and more often about ten.

So for almost a year I hemmed and hawed about it, always trying to justify the cost.  But my fine protestant  upbringing always prevented me from making the leap and getting it.  Finally, almost a year later, my wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas.  There was nothing I could really think of but after a while it occurred to me...I want XM radio.

So she got it for me and we both enjoyed it so much she got hers a few months later.

Over the years there were issues here and there...the merger, the increase in fees...but it was always worth the money.

In September 2011, Sirius XM announced a price increase.  While the increase was minimal, like so many Netflix users responded to the Netflix price increase, for me this was the last straw on a once great product.

There are three main reasons I decided to cancel my subscription:

1)  They pulled their free internet streaming radio and made it a paid add-on.  I understand it was part of the merger, but to pull something that was purchased without compensating the user is just wrong.

2) While they were very quick to pull the XMRO (XM Radio Online) when the merger occurred, they were not so quick to merge their two accounting systems.  So when my wife got a car that only came with Sirius (and not XM like I had) there was no way to have a family plan even though we had two radios in the same family with the same company.  And I was okay with it...the first year.  By the time the third year came around, my patience with this issue was exhausted.

3)  Finally, the price increase.  As I said, its a small amount.  But history has show only a decrease in service, a decrease in programming line up, and an increase in "commercial" radio.  Add that to the economy of scales they gained through the merger and the fat that it's just a boneheaded idea to increase price on a non-essential service in the middle of this biggest economic downturn in the last 80 years.  Well, it all amounts to the appearance of just being greedy.

On the other hand, Pandora is very cheap and customizable and friendly and goes wherever I do.

SiriusXM needs to wake up...there are lots of choices out there and none of them treat their customers with as much distain as SiriusXM does.

I found it ironic that after I cancelled my account they sent me a survey to ask why I left.  It was a very blunt tools that really did not capture the frustration I have has with SiriusXM.

See ya, SiriusXM.  It's been fun.

El Gaucho....Awesome Steak in Seattle!!!

18oz Frenched Rib ChopBefore dining at El Gaucho I thought the phrase "melts in your mouth" only applied to M&Ms and butter. Then I had the Frenched rib chop. I didn't think a steak could get this tender and flavorful. I asked for it cooked medium and it was perfectly done. But not only was it perfectly done color-wise, but the most amazing part was how it was perfectly pink in the center, but the was no blood at all. And while normally I would expect a steak this thick to be a little raw in the center, the cooking was done with such perfection that the texture was somehow firm but tender throughout. Simply put, perfection.

But the perfection didn't stop there...the Full Gaucho potato was phenomenal. Prepared at the table with cheddar cheese sauce, butter and scallions, it was light and fluffy and delicious. And the roasted corn was a sweet and tasty treat that rounded out the saltiness and pepper of the potato and steak nicely.

The service was second to none and the live piano added a charm that reminded one of a day long past. It was very much like stepping into a time warp. I really expected Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Rat pack to walk through the door at any minute.

I would have said Humphrey Bogart, but I think he might have actually been there....

Seattle....still loving it.

So I am in Seattle for the Dexter and Chaney User Confrence, and it just reaffirms my last opinion...I really like Seattle. Very pretty and the people are very friendly. And the food is awesome. Just a great place to visit. I really want to bring my wife and kids out here to visit.

One thing that kind of suprised me (although I'm not sure why) is how many Apple products people are using here in the land of Microsoft.

Pike's Public Market is still a great thing to see. It is a maze of little shops and resturants and vendors and everything else that you can imagine. Salvidore Dali said that the train station at Perpignan was the center of the universe. I think he would change his mind if he ever went to Pike's Market.