Disconnected.

OK, I'm really upset.

I just called Comcast, my apartment's cable provider, to see how much their basic package is, and it's a fairly good price. But I asked them the single most important question before determining whether I would get the service.

"Um, I feel really silly asking this," I said. "But I only really watch one channel."

"What channel is that?" the operator said.

"Um, it's embarassing," I said. "But the only channel I ever watch is SoapNet."

"Oh, we don't offer SoapNet," she said. "We're trying to get it, but we don't offer it yet."

"Oh," I said, disappointed.

She asked me how SoapNet worked, and I told her. I told her about the old reruns of "Ryan's Hope" and the kitschy, addictive '80s episodes of "Another World" with Anne Heche in them. I told her that "Dallas" is starting up soon.

I decided not to get cable right now. It's no use getting cable if the one channel I've watched religiously for about two years isn't available, right?