Well, dear readers, there are some days where you’d just like to let out a high-pitched squeal. Yesterday was such a day, and yet I didn’t have to let out a high-pitched squeal because my telephonic device was doing it for me. This had begun the day before: If I didn’t pick up the phone before the first ring was completed then the phone let out a high-pitched squeal, kind of a fax tone gone berserk. If one stayed on the line and endured it it would go away after about twenty to thirty seconds. Since I don’t have any fax machines hooked up I really didn’t see how it could be that. So, I used my cell phone device to call AT&T and they said they’d send someone out here to see what was what. The person called at 12:20 saying they could be here at 1:15. I explained that I’d told the person who made the appointment that I’d be gone from 1:30 to 3:30 for a lunch thing. He said he could be at my place in twenty minutes or so, and I said fine. He got here and called my phone via his cell phone, answered on the second ring and heard the high-pitched squeal. He went outside to the phone box, unplugged the line and called and got the answering machine. He kept doing those kinds of tests, but in the end, if he answered after the first ring, it was the high-pitched squeal story again. He came back in the house and checked the main base station for my phone and ascertained that was fine. He then knew it wasn’t my phone equipment and it wasn’t on their end. He asked if I had an alarm system and I said yes. So, he went to the main alarm box, unplugged the phone line and voila, everything was fine. Of course, the alarm went off, but I put in the code and it stopped and he plugged back in the line. At that point we knew something in the alarm system had gone awry and was causing the problem.
I then left, had a fun lunch at Mo’s, ate a nice quesadilla and we split some guacamole and chips for the table. I made a quick stop at the mail place and picked up no packages. Then I came home and began trying to deal with ADT, the alarm company. I told them what was happening. They told me the first appointment I could get was two weeks away. I told them that wasn’t acceptable. They switched me to the national office, as they have the ability to make earlier appointments. They got me an appointment one day earlier than the previous appointment. I then told them to instruct me on how to turn the system off so I can use my phone. They switched me to the tech department. And that’s where it became surreal. Because I don’t pay the bills for the alarm company, they expected me to have all sorts of information that I don’t have. I finally hung up on them after it became apparent that I was talking to a brick wall or robot. I called the people who do pay those bills and they called ADT. Unfortunately, when this system was set up ADT was a different company and none of the passwords or correct information got transferred back when it became ADT. Of course, it would have been nice for ADT to let these people know that. But they told them how to turn the system off. They called me, I walked to the alarm box in the closet. There’s a key in the lock and one should be able to turn it and open the box. Only the key won’t turn. I tried it for over five minutes with no success. At that point, I was told they were going to switch alarm companies anyway and asked if I could be patient for a few days, to which I said yes. They also told me they were finally coming out to see what needs to be repaired here at the home environment, so that’s very good news. So, I have to live with the high-pitched squeal for a few more days and will mostly just let calls go to voice mail, or I’ll tell people to use my cell phone number for now.
Prior to all that high-pitched squeal malarkey, I’d gotten up at nine-thirty and by ten I’d already had two visits. After that, I began finessing the writing from the previous day. When I finished that, I wrote a couple of pages. Then I watched the second to last episode of The Killing III and it became very obvious that the finale was going to be disappointing. When I got home from lunch, I had a wonderful call from Muse Margaret, and I couldn’t have asked for a better reaction to the pages she read. She laughed, she was interested in the plot, she liked the dialogue, and just the whole feel of it. That made my day, of course. I then wrote about four more pages (I’m in the dialogue-heavy chapters for the next twenty pages or so), then watched the finale of The Killing III, which was indeed a little disappointing, with an ending that was downright peculiar. I understand there will be no more of this series, which makes the ending even more peculiar. I kind of wish they’d do another one, but just make it a two-hour movie. Dragging these things out to ten hours is just too much.
After that, I wrote another six pages, so I did do a total of twelve, which surprised me. I finished chapter eight and in the morning I move on to chapter nine, which I’ve been waiting for, for reasons that will become obvious when I say what the book actually is. In two or three days, I should be halfway through. Then I went to Gelson’s for some chicken noodle soup and a couple of chicken tenders, then I came home, ate it all up, and relaxed. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must get a good night’s beauty sleep.
Today, I shall finesse, futz, and fix, then write new pages. Then I’ll have a visit with our very own Mr. Nick Redman, after which I’ll eat, hopefully pick up some packages, and write some more. I’m sure I’ll take a break at some point and watch some motion pictures.
Tomorrow is more of the same, Saturday is more of the same, Sunday is more of the same, and then Sunday afternoon I have a work session with a singer and her accompanist. I also hope to have a nice dinner out at some point over the weekend.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, finesse, futz, and fix, write, have a visit, eat, hopefully pick up some packages, write, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What true crime event kept you riveted, made you tune into the news or read the papers every day, and that you followed the entire time to whatever conclusion it had? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, hoping that the days of the high-pitched squeal are almost over.