Excitement and Earth Shattering Dilemmas

On the way home from work this evening, my van sounded as if it might stall while it was at a traffic light. The temperature gauge seemed high, although it wasn't in the red zone. My dad has wondered whether my radiator hoses might need replacing, since it has recently been possible to smell antifreeze after I've driven. We're going to take it to the shop in the morning. That, yes, that, was the excitement for the day.
I also wrapped a baby gift.

So, there are two earth shattering dilemmas that have come up in recent months. 1) Do I get cable or satellite? 2) Do I wire the great room for surround sound?

I have lots of trees around my new house, so it may take a effort to get satellite. I'd certainly have to put one on a pole and even then, it's not clear that I'd have a good view of the southern sky. One of the reasons that I was leaning away from satellite, even though I love the DirectTV service that I gave my parents last year, is that you can't use it to get high definition signals. I just read, however, on a link off of Gizmodo that RCA will be releasing a DirectTV receiver in February that receives high definition signals. That sounds interesting. If they would make a receiver that handles high definition AND TiVo, then that would be something.

I don't know what to do about the second issue. I'm going to have my TV flat against the wall in the corner of a square room, which I've been told is unacceptable. That's where it's going, regardless. The kitchen counter will be across from it. I'm just not sure it's worth it. I don't even have a stereo. If people want to hear great sound at my house, they're just going to have to bring their own headphones.