I'm posting this picture because it puts a smile on my face. You don't even have to read the entire blog as I am just venting today and I need imagined sympathy.Taken at Easter, I'm with my grandchildren, Joe (age 12), Nick (age 10), and Jakob (age 16 mos.) Those kids absolutely warm my heart. The bunny cake, which some years does not always look like a bunny, is a tradition I started when I was a young mother, trying desperately to impress my young daughters. Never mind that it is just two round cakes, cut and assembled to reach the desired result.
I did absolutely no knitting yesterday, nor have I yet today. It all started last week and I'll make it brief. I just want a little sympathy along with ideas of what you would have done...lol.
Thursday: What is that smell? Office computer emits a strange odor that really is offensive, if you know what I mean! Laptop loaner is delivered but no links, printer, etc. Ugh!
Friday: Home modem dies. Tech support tells me I need to be home for them to remotely test the line.
Saturday: "Yes, m'ame, its the modem but customer order support not open on the weekends."
Sunday: Out of desperation, I venture to the Verizon store, hoping they have a modem in the back room they can dust off. Silly me!!! Best Buy, etc. modems not compatible.
Now, I am feeling really isolated! No internet!!! No blogging! No e-mails. Not even a puppy to wag it's tail at me.
Monday: Ma'me we need your customer # in order to help you. Trying not to let my face get flushed with frustration, I explain to the lady that Verizon has sold out to Fairpoint Communications. (this past month). Because I have PAPERLESS billing (don't do it, don't even think about it....just let them kill another forrest!) I can't give them my account number, nor pay my bill online as that feature has been discontinued. I finally plead and convince them to help me. Yes, we'll have a new modem in the mail to you along with a paper bill. It will arrive tomorrow.
In the meantime, I go to the P.O. to mail daughter knitting needles and they won't let me mail them. Not getting much accomplished today.
Tuesday: Note on the door from UPS. Modem has arrived. The note tells me I need to pick up the package in person and bring a PASSPORT and/or a picture driver's license. I'm beginning to wonder if I am on some terrorist's watch list? First the P.O. and now UPS. The dang modem only costs $39.99 but obviously someone thinks it's gold.
However, Kim's quilted wall-hanging to me arrives and that keeps me from going over the deep end.
Wednesday: I excitedly rush home with modem in hand after a frantic visit to UPS, anxious to connect via internet to my family and blogging friends again. No dial tone. I'm told that the problem is at the house and I need to find some Verizon box outside and test the line, being careful that it is not raining as they don't want me to electrocute myself. Yikes! Issue is mine and they will repair it for $96 for the first 30 minutes and then $46 for each additional 30 minutes. But check the box first and make sure.
Not even a bottle of wine in the house, I go to bed in tears. I'm exhausted. I hate phones, computers, anything dependant on electricity or some utility service. Can't even get a signal for my cell phone for the area where I live.
I can't even call in sick on Thursday. Can't send an e-mail telling them I'll be out with a migraine. Can't use my cell phone unless I drive down the road a couple of blocks so I might as well continue on my way to work.
Thursday: I find the little outside box, plug in my phone. No dial tone. Ah ha!!! The problem is theirs. In the meantime, I realize that anyone who knows about that little box can use my phone service if they want to (when it's working, that is).
The phone company apologizes when I call again (from work, of course). They will have service for me by 6:00 p.m. I'm so grateful that I am ready to kiss the customer service person's feet. Wait a minute, it was their problem right along.
If I don't blog for a few days, you can find me with my sleeping bag in a batless cave with my battery operated headlamp so that I can peacefully knit!
Happy Knitting!
OH, No! What a week. Atleast the phone repairs will not be out of your pocket. Can you return the modem?
ReplyDeleteI love your Bunny cake. When I see you at Webs remind me to tell you the story of the "alien" cake I made once, and the years of trying to out- do myself that followed. (it's way too long for a blog comment!)
I hope you have a better day tomorrow, and remember, the weekend is almost here!
holy moly and I thought the teens were a pain in the rear.
ReplyDeleteI'm 3 windows away from finishing this quilt but the tips of my fingers are bleeding :( and it's a white background- I'm outta wine but I think I"m ready for a margarita - shall I toast to your sanity???? Hang in there Joansie
Oh sweety, huge hugs. Last time I had a week like that DH was in hospital and some idiot told me to cheer up "things could be worse".....10 mins later, the cistern on the toilet flooded the bathroom! what I will say is, that was 8 years ago, these weeks really don't happen that often - promise! It will get better!
ReplyDelete"That was the week that was!
ReplyDeleteIt's over, let it go...
But, Oh, what a week that was...That was the week that was!"
http://tinyurl.com/3tdehk
Hope all is better!
{{{Hug}}} Wow what a week. Things will be better this week!
ReplyDeleteHow infuriating! Sounds like just about every possible thing went wrong (at least your power didn't go out, I hope!). I sure hope everything will be fixed pronto, and then this will fade into being a great story to tell people. But while it's happening, it sure is a horrible feeling! Take care, and hang in there.
ReplyDeleteawww hon, i have been in your shoes with the phone company, test the little black box...calling and waiting thru computer voices till you get to a real person and by then I'm screaming CAN YOU HEAR THE NOISE IN MY PHONE???? They must take Sympathy 101 classes and tested and promised repair...which didn't happen on said date...so I had to do it all over again, to find nothing was written in blood that anybody had stopped by... so hon I know the withdrawel feelings and know that things will get better. As another blogger said, it is behind you, let it go, and I'll buy us the next round!! If it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen to me...I have Murphy's Law.
ReplyDeleteLove ya,
Jagstm
Oh, my, what a mess and a headache!
ReplyDeleteI had to fight w/my DSL service when we first got it. They sent out-dated software & a defective modem. They told me to check the little box. We never did find it & I still don't know where it is, but we eventually did get things resolved when I told them that I was going back to dial-up! I had a new modem & new software within 24 hrs.!
Great bunny cake! I made a couple of those in my life time. My kids weren't impressed.
I sure hope you have a better week coming! Minor setbacks as I like to call them,, are sure annoying..
ReplyDeleteI have finally set up an account on here for myself now too,, 360* hasn't posted anyone's news this week.. I love to read your blogs and see all that you are making,, you have a great habit of motivating me to strive for more and to complete more projects..
Sending a knitters Hug your way..
I will also post pics soon on here
once I get the feel of the site and all..Yes I did change my look, so don't freak when you see the pic. LOL
Sarina
OMG! What a lousy week!!
ReplyDeleteSo glad it was their issue and not yours though.
I feel for you, our house has had computer issues a lot during this month. I go through withdrawls each night I can't check blogs or IM. It makes you feel so isolated! ARRRGGGHHH!!
Here's to better days, with plenty of wine in the house. ;)
Oh my!!! You have had a horrible, very bad, no good week!!! I'd have been in tears too. Last time my computer went out was 5 months after my divorce when the power supply went out. Fortunatly it went out 1 week before the warrenty was up and they had to replace it for free ;P. Glad to see you back up and running :).
ReplyDeleteLaughing, I have heard that before, when I was WORKING for the phone company. Yes, we both had our weeks, didn't we?
ReplyDeleteOh! Also, yes! I am the Tammy you've been reading on 360. Thanks for connecting here on blogger. ;)
ReplyDeleteWAVING...over here. So glad to re-connect. Like you I got pretty fed up with 360. My page is still there barely. I will now that we're connected here delete you there, thats how I keep track of people.
ReplyDeleteI use both this blogger blog and mutliple. I think multiple has more features and is a little easier for those of less techy; but blogger is getting easier than it used to be. I started it long ago; then got frustrated and quit using it.
Cute picture, love the bunny cake. How do you keep the ears on it?
Am confused by your telephone mess, modem problems etc. Did you move recently...is that why you didn't have phone coverage?
I wasn't aware Verizon had been sold to someone else, in fact I thought they had the lions share of phone stuff these days. My cell is verizon. We do all of our bill paying on line, and or have automatic withdrawls set up. In some cases; we've gotten cheaper rates doing that. But, we still get a paper summary from them. Verizon that is.
Computer troubles........know exactly what you're talking about and how frustrating and disconneted you feel. My hubby and I both had troubles over the wkend not being able to get on line. We're connected via a router and have cable so we can both be on at the same time. Once he disconnected himself, I could get on fine...for a while. Then I'd be on, then I'd be off, like the awful old days of dial up when you'd get tossed off periodically. We rebooted, unplugged router started over; which is always the first thing the tech people tell you to do. Somehow, guess it resets it. That didn't work this time. Then I had trouble getting my computer to reboot. FINALLY, mine is back up; he still isn't working. He gets a newer router from work and trys us both again......nope. I work, he doesn't. Then bingo, I don't again. He then plugs me directly to modem and I work fine....for a day, then troubles again. So, then we think it's the modem. About the time I'm ready to call repair, he decides to try one more thing. He brings home his work laptop, plugs us both in...using org. router and everything is fine. He unplugs his laptop and plugs his reg. computer back in...mysteriously everything seems normal. ???????
However, in the meantime, I had decided I best back up everything on my computer; which I did, using 5 CD's. So I could take mine in for maintence. You know where they wipe your whole computer and you start over. Did this about 1.5 years ago and it ran much better afterwards. So, I have next to nothing on my computer now, no music, no family genealogy files, only a few pics of projects. All of this was going on while hubby needs to use my computer to do taxes. Turbo tax is on my computer, becuase his is too old to support it. Naturally couldn't take my computer in for service before he got the taxes done, and naturally.........he waited until the bitter end to do the taxes. Errrrrrr. Why, the procastination I don't know, taxes are so easy for him; he's an accountant...good grief.
Now.....let's talk wine. Not a bottle in the house....oh honey, don't let that happen again. Thats dangerous. LOL. Had I known, could have and would have rushed one over for you. I might run out of milk....but not wine!!!
Knitting.......such a peaceful way to reduce stress, hope thats now going well for you. I've got the fewest number of projects in the works right now that I've had in a very long time. Seems almost strange. Finally got my sweater done, took forever.......please swing over for a visit and looky.
WElcome mats always out, so glad to be connected to you here on blogger. I'll add you link to my list on my page I'm starting, since we don't have friends lists here per sey.
Have a fabulous week
Sandy