It's bad enough to be without the Internet for an hour or even a whole morning, but how will I live without the Internet for a week?
The week in question will be next week, during which my family will be in transition from one house to the next. I'm dreading it.
I set the date for next Wednesday for the cable company to come hook up the Internet service. They want the computer physically there so they can leave the equipment — it's their policy. With us living an hour away from our new home, my husband and I both having to work, and the girls being in school through next week means we can't just take the computer over there right before hookup. It has to be moved this weekend, but I can't move with it because of the school thing.
Since I — or someone, preferably me with the more flexible schedule than my husband, who will be 10 minutes away from the new house but not able to break away — must be there at hookup to pay the activation fee, I figured I'd make it okay with being able to get on the Internet on Wednesday after the computer was moved the weekend before. I can pay the nice man, hook up the Internet service, and get on for a few minutes before I have to make the hour's drive to get the girls from school, that is, if I don't let them miss so they can come with me.
That plan rather fell apart yesterday when I got a note from school saying my daughter's behavior awards ceremony is next Wednesday! Now this award is very important; she's already collected three ribbons for good behavior and at this final assembly she gets another ribbon plus a gold medal for being good all year. This event is not to be missed.
I called the cable company back to see if I could get my Internet hookup moved up to Monday. No can do. The next available appointment is way on next Friday. Gasp, I can't hardly breathe! It's more than I can take.
Well, I guess I'll just have to live with that. If I feel myself losing control there should be a computer with Internet somewhere I can use. In the meantime, I guess I can use all the extra time to actually pack all our stuff up!
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Friday, May 19, 2006
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Making the switch to cable Internet
I'm switching from DSL Internet to cable Internet and I am told that I'll be completely delighted! I called the phone company, AT&T/SBC a couple of weeks ago to get our phone and Internet service transferred from our current home to our new residence. The phone switch arrangements went smoothly but I hit a brick wall when inquiring about DSL service. It seems that there is no DSL service available from AT&T/SBC at my new address.
WHAT??? Do you mean to tell me I've had DSL in a town of fewer than 4,000 people for two years — or is it three? — and it's not available somewhere within a city of 60,000 people? Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable.
Talk about angry. I stomped around mumbling in frustration for a while and then decided to call the cable company. My husband had mentioned wanting to get cable TV and Internet service through the cable company although I wasn't paying attention since we don't have cable or satellite now and I intended to keep it that way. I could at least check to see how much the Internet service is through the cable company.
I called the local Comcast office and was greeted quickly and quite pleasantly by a real person with a smile on her face — I could just see it. She offered me a deal too good to pass up: basic cable — 78 channels, mind you — local and long distance phone service, and some kind of extremely speedy Internet service all for the low price of $99 a month; $113 with tax included. (With all taxes it'll probably end up being around $150 a month but that's still a good deal.) I snapped it up and told her why: it's inexcusable for the phone company to not have DSL at my new address in a city of 60,000 people.
I'm excited about trying out the new service and I think I'll really like it. What's not to like about having Internet, fast Internet at that?
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WHAT??? Do you mean to tell me I've had DSL in a town of fewer than 4,000 people for two years — or is it three? — and it's not available somewhere within a city of 60,000 people? Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable.
Talk about angry. I stomped around mumbling in frustration for a while and then decided to call the cable company. My husband had mentioned wanting to get cable TV and Internet service through the cable company although I wasn't paying attention since we don't have cable or satellite now and I intended to keep it that way. I could at least check to see how much the Internet service is through the cable company.
I called the local Comcast office and was greeted quickly and quite pleasantly by a real person with a smile on her face — I could just see it. She offered me a deal too good to pass up: basic cable — 78 channels, mind you — local and long distance phone service, and some kind of extremely speedy Internet service all for the low price of $99 a month; $113 with tax included. (With all taxes it'll probably end up being around $150 a month but that's still a good deal.) I snapped it up and told her why: it's inexcusable for the phone company to not have DSL at my new address in a city of 60,000 people.
I'm excited about trying out the new service and I think I'll really like it. What's not to like about having Internet, fast Internet at that?
My website
My writing blog
My mom life blog
Monday, May 15, 2006
Getting the day started with a good cup of gas station coffee
There's not much better than a good cup of gas station coffee, and I decided to get my day started with one today.
After I got all the girls dropped off at school, I was possessed with a craving for a cup of gas station coffee. I fished around in my pockets and car cup holder for change, and to my delight I found enough! I mixed a 20-ounce cup of one-third French vanilla cappuccino, one-third extreme caffeine latte, and one-third regular coffee. Yummy!
I'm going to need this delicious pick-me-up today with all that I have to do. Three stories are due today and one of them hasn't even been interviewed yet. I've got about three loads and counting of clean laundry to fold, and of course there is the ever-present packing to move to do. At least I'll have the energy to knock a pretty good-sized dent in my to-do list!
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After I got all the girls dropped off at school, I was possessed with a craving for a cup of gas station coffee. I fished around in my pockets and car cup holder for change, and to my delight I found enough! I mixed a 20-ounce cup of one-third French vanilla cappuccino, one-third extreme caffeine latte, and one-third regular coffee. Yummy!
I'm going to need this delicious pick-me-up today with all that I have to do. Three stories are due today and one of them hasn't even been interviewed yet. I've got about three loads and counting of clean laundry to fold, and of course there is the ever-present packing to move to do. At least I'll have the energy to knock a pretty good-sized dent in my to-do list!
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My writing blog
My mom life blog
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Packing up my desk
In preparation for the big move in a couple of weeks, along with the need to find the scanner program CD — apparently I deleted a scanning program when I was cleaning off the computer files about a week ago — I cleaned my desk entirely off and packed everything away. Everyone else in the house loudly expressed their skepticism that I could fit everything in one box — "Do you think I can fit everything in this box?" I asked, to which three people loudly and quickly chimed in, "NO!" — but I did it.
I filled two large bags with trash from my desk — why do I have five catalogs from the same company? — and filed numerous other papers and notebooks away in other boxes containing work papers and notebooks, kids' schoolwork, drawings, and other keepsakes, and kids' books and activities. There was a tax return bundle and a needs-to-be-shredded pile to go along with that.
Alas, I didn't find the scanner program CD but I did pack away numerous other CDs, floppy disks, notepads, phone books, envelopes, a box of receipts and paid bills, and all manner of office supplies. My current files and notebooks were already in my new little file box so that really helped.
I did leave out a few important things I need now like pens and pencils, a sticky note pad, scissors, stapler and staple remover, and of course my planner, without which I cannot breathe much less get a single thing done. If I need anything else I can just flip the lid of the big desk box and get what I need.
Now all that's left to do is to unhook the phone, answering machine, pencil sharpener, scanner/printer/copier, fax machine, computer, and monitor. Actually I think my work is done here and I'll turn over all this equipment to my husband.
When I unload and hook it all up at our new home it will be at a smaller desk since the one I'm using now is too large for the spot that will be my office. Getting all my stuff on it should be very interesting.
My website
My writing blog
My mom life blog
I filled two large bags with trash from my desk — why do I have five catalogs from the same company? — and filed numerous other papers and notebooks away in other boxes containing work papers and notebooks, kids' schoolwork, drawings, and other keepsakes, and kids' books and activities. There was a tax return bundle and a needs-to-be-shredded pile to go along with that.
Alas, I didn't find the scanner program CD but I did pack away numerous other CDs, floppy disks, notepads, phone books, envelopes, a box of receipts and paid bills, and all manner of office supplies. My current files and notebooks were already in my new little file box so that really helped.
I did leave out a few important things I need now like pens and pencils, a sticky note pad, scissors, stapler and staple remover, and of course my planner, without which I cannot breathe much less get a single thing done. If I need anything else I can just flip the lid of the big desk box and get what I need.
Now all that's left to do is to unhook the phone, answering machine, pencil sharpener, scanner/printer/copier, fax machine, computer, and monitor. Actually I think my work is done here and I'll turn over all this equipment to my husband.
When I unload and hook it all up at our new home it will be at a smaller desk since the one I'm using now is too large for the spot that will be my office. Getting all my stuff on it should be very interesting.
My website
My writing blog
My mom life blog
Payday wasn't payday after all
Thursday is what I like to call payday, since I receive a check in the mail from one of my papers for the work published the previous week on that day, and I can go pick up another check from a different newspaper for the work printed the day before if I like.
Neither one of those worked out today, though. The check that comes in the mail didn't come, and the young lady who makes out the checks at the other newspaper wasn't working today. The mailed one will probably arrive tomorrow, and I will wait until another story is printed at the other paper before picking up a check from there. I normally wait until two or three have been printed anyway, but I was over there today and thought I'd grab one while I was there.
I'll add that one to a pretty nice one I'm expecting this coming week for some independent contract work I did last month, and we'll knock those utilities right out.
My website
My writing blog
My mom life blog
Neither one of those worked out today, though. The check that comes in the mail didn't come, and the young lady who makes out the checks at the other newspaper wasn't working today. The mailed one will probably arrive tomorrow, and I will wait until another story is printed at the other paper before picking up a check from there. I normally wait until two or three have been printed anyway, but I was over there today and thought I'd grab one while I was there.
I'll add that one to a pretty nice one I'm expecting this coming week for some independent contract work I did last month, and we'll knock those utilities right out.
My website
My writing blog
My mom life blog
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