The Rest of the Story

Hi All!

Isn't it funny how quickly and totally we get attached to the Internet? Just have it go down for a day (or two or three) and you soon find out that you are indeed an addict.

This past weekend proved a couple of things to me. First, that I am indeed a computer addict. Second, that my husband is a television addict (which I already knew). Third, that not having a phone which works is a real bummer!

It all started innocently enough. Hubby decided that he wanted to try out the new cable service available in our area - ATT Uverse. He talked about it with me first - as if I really had a choice - or an opinion. He called and set up an appointment to have the service installed and was supposed to get a confirmation email.

No email showed up. The first sign that something was not quite right.

Hubby called and found out that our order had been "lost." While I am not too sure how a company looses an order, I understand that these things happen. Hubby rearranged everything and got a new installation appointment for last Saturday between 8 and 10. Cool! Hubby wouldn't have to take off work or leave me in charge of the installation - which he hates to do because I apparently don't ask the right questions!

Saturday comes and the installer arrives. Everything is looking good! I tried to catch a quick nap while he is here and do a pretty good job by camping out in the guest room - the only room in the place which has a place to get horizontal and which doesn't have a television. When I emerge from the guest room I notice that Hubby isn't looking too happy and the installer is sort of puttering around.

What is wrong? Well, there is no signal and the installer has to wait for a phone guy to come out and fix the problem. However, the phone guy doesn't show up and the installer leaves for his next appointment. Without telling Hubby he is leaving. Without hooking anything up so it works (including our phone!). Without telling Hubby when he will be back. Not so cool!

So - Hubby waits around the house for the rest of the day - afraid to go anywhere because he might miss the installer coming back. (I, by the way, spend a big chunk of the afternoon at a SD support group meeting that my friend Lori and I have organized - I will tell you about that later.).

By the time I get home Hubby is a bit perturbed and I can understand why. At about 6 P.M. Hubby digs out our pre-paid cell phone and calls ATT to find out what is going on. ATT tells him that their records show that the installation is complete! WRONG!

After going through a huge long production to make ATT understand what has happened, Hubby is told that someone will be out on Sunday to fix everything. Really? You mean that they make these poor installers work seven days a week? We were both a bit sceptical.

Hubby, frustrated and in TV withdrawal, goes up the attic and hooks the satellite back up so he can watch some television. This helps calm him down a bit and we spend the evening on the bed watching television (okay - I was reading but I was still there).

Sunday dawns with Hubby anxiously turning on the cell phone and waiting for it to ring. Nothing. He takes the phone with him to the breakfast table. Nothing. He makes me promise to "watch" the phone while he takes a shower. Nothing. We wait until about 2:00 when our regular phone rings and scares us both to death (remember it wasn't working!). However, it is only our neighbor, Mrs. N, checking to see if I wanted to go to a Southern Living party with her. Rats!

Now Hubby takes a walk out to the box on the side of our house. On Saturday it had all kinds of wires hanging out. On Sunday - all closed up. Interesting.

Hubby calls ATT. Then they call him back in half an hour. And they call back again in another half an hour. And they call back in another half an hour. This goes on for several hours until they finally figure out that installation ISN'T complete, that yes, the phone guy had been there, and yes, we deserved something for our trouble (this one was prompted by Hubby). They swear to us that the installer will be at our house between 8 and 10 on Monday.

This means I am in charge since Hubby has to work to support me in the style to which I have become accustomed. Of course Hubby doesn't tell me anything that he and the previous installer have discussed so I am flying blind.

The installer and a guy who is being trained to be an installer show up at 10:10 and work until 1:30 getting everything up and running. There are several problems which they have to fix and several parts which are not working correctly. Sounds about par for the course.

Anyway - they finally have the whole shebang up and it all works. YEAH!

Now all I have to do is figure out the darn remote!

Trisha

Voice Update: My voice is doing well. I talked quite a bit at the support group meeting on Saturday and did notice that my voice got tired after a bit and I started "missing" some words. I didn't do many exercises on Saturday because, frankly, my voice was tired. I did do some reading out loud on Sunday and exercises on Monday. Not as much as I should, of course!