It’s impossible to write very thoughtful, smart, link-filled posts right now. It’s 9:30 already, and it’s the first chance that I’ve had to log on all day. So, instead I’ll just have ramble on about life around here.
Last Friday, the Verizon guy finally showed up at 5:30. Only five hours late. He walks into the house and immediately asks, “You sure you want me to put in these jacks? You know how much they cost, don’t you? I don’t make the prices. I just hook people up, you know.”
“Yeah, put in the jacks.”
He looks at the phone jack that is hanging from a thread in the middle of wall in the kitchen. “You sure you want a floor jack? This one works fine. You can get one of those wall phones. You should really think about this. I could come in next week.”
“Ur. Well. Maybe. In the meantime, could you put the one in the office? I really, really need that.”
“Sigh.”
I walk him up to the office. And he grunts that we could probably use one there. He walks outside to check out the outside of the house.
“You’ve got a tree there. I can’t get my ladder up.”
“Cut down the limbs. That tree has to go anyway.”
Minutes later. “You know that you’ve got asbestos shingles don’t you? That thing could shatter into a million pieces if I put a hammer through it.”
“Shatter away.”
Minutes later. “I cut down those limbs, but the tree is still in the way. You’re going to have to get someone in to fix it. Someone will have to come in next week.”
He ran into his truck and roared away with a big grin on his face.
This morning the tree guy came, but couldn’t promise to do anything until Sunday.
Later this afternoon, I had to go to the Department of Motor Vehicles, because my license expires tomorrow. DMV, the waiting room for hell. All in shades of taupe and sea green, designed to put the throngs of hopeful drivers into a state of stupor. I came with a satchel of paperwork with my name, date of birth, and new address. One hour later, a woman with purple finger nails and red pants came out of an inner room and shouted in 152, 153, 154 and 155. 155 — that’s me. It seems that number shouting was this woman’s entire responsibility. Something that a nice sign could have accomplished. Anyhow, the license thing finally happened. One thing checked off the list.
Still on the list is updating this blog. And figuring out why Typepad won’t let me respond to comments on my own blog. Seems like Typepad doesn’t like Macs.
Also on the list is getting a two year old to bed. He’s sitting on my lap babbling in Hungarian and flat out refusing to go to bed.
Apt. 11d 
Does it make you feel better to know that the phone companies here in Germany are as completely inept as the ones back in the States? It took us 2 weeks to get phone service and 3 weeks for internet. They also are notorious for not mailing your bill and then cutting off your service, claiming that they sent said bill and you did not pay. Grr. We eventually had to open an automated bill-pay with them.
The DMV is my current nightmare too. My liscense is expiring in November and apparently I *must* have an updated photo – there is No Way to get around this! Trying to contact a human DMV representive over the phone is near impossible too. So, I may be the first owner of the $620 dollar liscense. Hurrah.
Re: Posting comments on a Mac – I have the same problem. There does not seem to be a Typepad feature that lets you respond when you are logged into the editting program. I just view my own site and post from there.
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First Typepad then phone jacks:
I have always used macs, I have no problem responding to the comments.
Let’s see. I have OS X and Safari. I usually have one tab (I use tabs more than opening new windows, I’m less likely to get confused…although with Safari there’s a little x in a circle which closes the tab….only I often seem to perceive it as a target, by bye tab….) At any rate, I usually have one tab with just my blog (http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_of_dreams/–the main or front page) open. That’s where I go to respond to comments, cause I have “recent comments” right there to the right.
If you are still having problems, you could open a help ticket. Let me know if you need help opening a help ticket.
On to the telephones: when I bought my house, the phone lines went to the kitchen and one bedroom. Oops, not sufficient. I personally rewired the house. It wasn’t hard, just fiddly. I had an acquaintance who was a maintenance manager type-guy for a small office building, and he showed me how to do it.
The good phone jacks, from the phone company, ARE expensive but are easier to use. When the phone guy came out to hook up the lines–I’d ordered 3 instead of the one the previous owners had–it was hotter n the hinges of hell (no kidding, it rarely gets above around 85 degrees arouond here and it had been pushing 95 or better for a few days) I plied him with popsicles and watermelon & he showed me a few more tricks.
There’s ahome wiring book but oh look life HAS advanced in 4 years:
http://www.quantometrix.com/doorwy_home_phone_wiring.htm
http://www.handymanusa.com/questions/wirephonelineq.html
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I’m having trouble commenting when I’m in Mozilla. I have to open IE to use the comments feature.
Whenever I move (and I’ve moved 4 times in the last 5 years–and yes, I have two kids under 5 and yes, it’s been hell), I always arrange the Internet service first. Why? Because the electric company knows what to do and how to do it fast.
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I think almost every one of my students live in homes and apartments without phone jacks; they simply have their cell phone accounts. I wonder how much longer it will be until actual wires in the ground and in the walls completely disappear. What several of my friends have is cable tv/internet connections, with their phone service completely wireless; when they hear me complaining about the phone company, they wonder why we haven’t done the same thing. (Basically, because we’re too cheap to pay for DSL or cable or Wi-Fi, since all we really need to do at home is check e-mail. Plus, we want to be the last people in America to get cell phones. Really. If we can just hold out another year or two, I think we’ll have it made.)
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Typepad doesn’t like my Mac either. I use Netscape. Sometimes Typepad works, sometimes doesn’t. Rarely it lets me comment in Netscape. If I buckle and open up Internet Explorer, I have no trouble.
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Is DMV some sort of plot to turn Americans against the government? In my experience, it’s invariably like something from Kafka.
I’m using Safari and having no problems commenting.
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Wisconsin’s DMV seems to be run in a reasonably smooth manner, although it’s hard to say–because they require documents that you can’t possibly have by the time you’re legally required to have a Wisconsin license. I called the DMV about this and they unofficially told me not to worry; I pointed out that I couldn’t get a MIlwaukee city permit to park in front of my apartment without a Wisconsin license and they officially told me that that wasn’t their problem. So, yeah, John Q is right.
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Wait, back up, why is your 2-year old babbling in Hungarian?:)
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He could be babbling in Hungarian. If so, we could use a translation. Could you help us out? Of course, he might also be talking in Swahili or Ancient Greek. Who the hell knows?
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Darn. I’ve got an article in Hungarian that needs translating. I was going to ask him to do it.
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I can help with Hungarian, but not with Swahili or Ancient Greek, I’m afraid. Then again, maybe I can help with babbling in whatever language.;)
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