More Fizzle than Sizzle

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Well. That wasn't fun. We have our internet back, and we're getting a discount for the month (I would hope so!!) Talk about your "first world" problems. So, I promised you a long, boringdetailed story about how it happened.

Click here to skip to actual pictures, your internet's back, who cares already!!!

A few weeks ago, our power went out for a second around midnight. This is very unusual for us, since we're very close to a substation, and we're on the same power grid as some rather substantial power clients (*cough*Coke*cough*). What was really weird was that there were no thunderstorms in the area. We didn't think too much about it, but the next morning, something else weird happened: Traffic was backed up outside our place. This only happens if there are two large events happening simultaneously in Philips Arena and the Georgia Dome. But this was at 9 AM! When we backed out of the garage, we could see the issue. About a block and half from us, the street was closed. We did not put two and two together at that point because there were too many flashing lights to see what happened, and I really hate being a rubbernecker.

Later that afternoon when I was able to drive past again, I could see what the issue had been. There was a new telephone (and power) pole, with a giant chunk of the old one (probably 10 feet--3 meters--long) DANGLING from the new one, with all the wires still wrapped around it!!! I really wish I'd gotten a picture of it. Someone must have hit the old pole; there are no trees near it and I can't imagine that it just fell over. I can, however, easily imagine an idiot slamming into it...we've seen it happen before!

Nothing happened for a week.

Then, one afternoon, a thunderstorm with high winds rolled through. Downtown, there were traffic lights turned sideways. When we got to our place, our phone was out. I suspect the high winds buffeted the dangling chunk of telephone pole (oh, yes, it was still there after a week!) and knocked something loose.

So now, we simply call in on one of our cell phones to say our phone is out, right? Easy! Except...we couldn't find the number to call! We have cheap cell phones (pay as you go), so they're not with our land line provider. We throw out our phone books the moment they arrive because we look everything up...ON THE INTERNET. Phone bill! We can get the number from the phone bill! Yeah, you know, that thing that I get e-billed to me, which I pay...ON THE INTERNET. I thought I was going to have to call someone and ask them for the number (how embarrassing!) but I found the flyer we got when we signed up for our DSL, and we called that number. It took a disturbingly long time to battle our way through the menus just to tell someone our phone was out (not a menu option).

The next day Michael got a call from the service guy, who said that once he showed up, all our neighbors started popping their heads out of their doors like sideways prairie dogs and saying their phones were out, too. WHY DIDN'T YOU PEOPLE CALL???!? He said it was an issue with the cable to the whole street (YA THINK??) and a different crew would have to repair it before he could check our line. That was Thursday. All weekend, we still had no internet or phone.

OH my gosh is anyone still reading?? Seriously??? You deserve a prize. Leave a comment telling me about the last first world problem you felt embarrassed to even complain about (by Sunday) and I'll have a little drawing. =)

Monday we got a call from the same service guy who said the ticket had shown up in his queue, but when he got out there he realized the cable work had still not been done (by this time, there was a pile of "logs" sitting next to the new telephone pole). A few days later, we had service again, but we had to make a special call to billing to get our discount (though they cheerfully and immediately credited us, that would not have happened if we hadn't called).

Whew! Now for some fun stuff. Last time we "talked", I was anticipating getting some better fireworks pictures than last year.

 

Yeah...that didn't happen. It rained so much the week before, that the air was completely saturated. In fact, it had rained off and on all day, so I didn't even bother setting up the tripod. There were some very, VERY low-hanging clouds, and combined with the smoke from the fireworks, after a few minutes, it was a lot like watching a lava lamp.

 

By the end, it just looked like the city was on fire.

 

Camp Loopy is kind of destroying me...I made it through the first two projects (I'll show you the second one in the Theme-a-licious wrap up =) but I'm not sure if I'll make it through the third. I'm also trying to keep up with the Cookie A Sock Club. They'd probably never get done if I weren't doing them two at a time...

I'm doing a lot better keeping up with the cookies. =)

 

These Ginger Molasses cookies include TWO THIRDS OF A CUP of chopped crystallized ginger. And they're the first ones I've had that have ENOUGH ginger. =)

And just for fun, here are my two missing TUSALs...June's is filled with blue from Monochrome May...

 

...and July's with a lot of yarn from Camp Loopy.

 

JiffNotes
A washed-out Fourth is still not as bad as when it's raining fire.