Society for the Preservation of My Sanity

The winner is....

GAH! We logged into the main website that our dsl account is through, were able to make the password change and set up email accounts, etc. We figured that surely this meant the service was enabled, so we proceeded to install the dsl software.

When we got to the "wait while we establish your connection" part and that's when the cowpie hit the fan.

Gah.

We tried a few things we thought might be causing the problem (like having the phone filter run through the surge protector instead of from the wall socket), then decided to call tech support.

Yeah...good ol' tech support.

I got transferred a couple of times, but have to say that, all in all, it was a WAY better experience than trying to talk to rassen-frassen Nextel. BLAH!

Okay, so the short story is... I call Tech Support department and quickly get transferred to the Service Status department...I found out was that our service was put 'on hold'. Get sent to the Customer Business department, there am told no one's sure why our service was on hold...can I hold while the operator contacts The Held Accounts department...wait while listening to generic elevator music...soon my op comes back to tell me the simple explanation is that there's some engineering problem getting our service connected. He can't give me a timeline for connection, but assures me that we should have service in no more than THIRTY DAYS, probably less I'm told, but that's the longest it could take.

GOOD GRIEF!!!!

SO, I did exhale, but only with relief that I hadn't already gone through the steps to cancel our dialup! GAH!

Although...they ARE supposed to supply us with free dialup while we're waiting for the rassen-frassen dsl to be connected.

ARGH!

During all this aggitation with trying to get a speedier 'net connection, I'm trying to make up some maps for Case's history/geography. I have a book with all the teacher's editions, etc., but I bought it used, thinking a few marks wouldn't make it unusable.

And it hasn't, but the very first map is gommed all over and there was no fixin' it in PSP. Urgh.

I went online and found several blank world maps. Opened them in PSP and started remaking the worksheet basically. Adding a list of places to label and instructions on coloring, etc.

Urgh!!!

Once I FINALLY got the fill-in one done, I realized that I'd need to make a study map with all the info on it since the online map wouldn't match the study map in the book.

[This is where the frustrated explicative goes. You can make up your own, or reuse one of mine.]

After getting all the labeling done, I had to print, of course. Simple matter, no?

NO! I'd printed one perfectly good copy of a not-precise-enough map before starting over with the one I was now set on using...but it wouldn't print.

Oh, paper with ink came out of the printer, but a map with thick black lines through it is USELESS!!

I tried it again. Same thing.
I did a regular cleaning on the printer. Same thing.
I ran a print roller cleaning. Same thing.
I ran a deep clean on the printer. Same thing.

['Nother loud vocal expression of frustration goes here.]

I restarted the computer. It printed fine.

What the poo?!?!?

That was the blank one, now I needed to print the labeled one.

SAME THING WITH THE BLACK LINES!!!

[You know what to do.]

This time, I shut down PSP and reopened it and again, the print job went without a hitch.

I have no clue what's up with that. And frankly, at this point, I'm too tired to care.

I have, however, vowed to never buy a used curriculum that includes a workbook "with minimal markings" Yeah. SuuuUUUUuuure.

Random updates to come....