Dododreams

Hi from my desk at work.

My computer is still not able to connect to the internet, plus despite trying various things I’m still unable to access my own files. The next step is to take the box in to a repair place — I spoke to local place earlier today and they say they can fix both problems based on my description. That by itself is a little scary because I am truly parroting things I have heard and read. So if I run it down to the Chipheads tomorrow after work, with a 3 to 5 day turnaround I may have a re-functional machine by Monday or Tuesday.

I have been trying to figure the issue out without resorting to this, with no luck. Last night I spent two and a half hours on individual and conference calls with Microsoft and Comcast about the connectivity issue. Good news there was because MS couldn’t create a work order number for me they gave me a freebie rather than charging. Bad news is above, couldn’t fix it.

Then after all that (and man, were my children patient throughout; I had to initiate the call during Microsoft’s hours so the three of them had to be quiet and calm for the duration) it was finally time for my evening bath. While the tub was filling I noticed that one of the three bulbs over the sink had burnt out. Upon unscrewing the entire glass part of the bulb came out of the base which then jiggled and !!!ZAP!!! blew a fuse. Oh grand. So what did I do? First off have my bath in the dark, which is rather creepy. Second confirm that the power was off in half the apartment and not just the bathroom light over the sink. Third call the complex’s caretakers and leave a message. Fourth, sneak into C’s room and take his alarm clock since mine is on the “dead” side of the living room. Finally, go to bed and look up at the ceiling wondering what will go mildly wrong next.

In my defense, before the ceiling staring part I had opened the fuse box and looked at the fuses. I unscrewed one that had a piece inside that made a rattling noise when it was shaken (I’ll just bet that’s the one that blew) and then exchanged a bunch of them from place to place to see if that would fix the problem. It didn’t. I also jiggled one of the big fuse thingies with handles and successfully turned off the rest of the power in the place for a moment. That was a bit of a thrill so I did it again. The other one (which is obviously the problem) didn’t seem to be jigglable. What I didn’t do was try to unscrew the remains of the light bulb or rewire the place or anything else electrical. That’s what building management is for. I am not an electrician, as you can tell.

So anyway, that’s my little update for today. Since I cannot get on-line at home anyone who wants to reach me has to either email during working hours (from 7:30 - 4:30 central time) or call.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 26th, 2007 at 11:34 am and is filed under Personal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.