So, there I am, IMing with someone, when AOL freezes. So, I force quit AOL. Then it won't come back up, so it's not AOL because Safari and IE won't come up, either. So, I look at the cable modem and all seems to be fine. I shut the computer down, unplug, replug, and turn the computer back on. Nothing. And now the lights on the modem aren't working and it clearly isn't in synch with the airport extreme wireless. So, I call Adelphia and I get some woman from hell on the phone. She has me do the usual thing, after first telling me there aren't any outages. So, I unplug the modem and the airport extreme. We wait. She says, "Sir, if you're not going to unplug the modem I won't be able to help." I said, "I DID unplug the modem and the wireless port." She tries refreshing on her end. Nothing. She says, "We really need you to unplug the modem, sir." I say, "Do not say that to me again. The modem is unplugged. I'm looking at the plug - the plug is lying on the table, what about that do you not understand?" She takes umbridge and basically keeps calling me a liar. I told her to get a supervisor on the phone, which she did. The supervisor had me read the numbers at the bottom of the cable box. I did. Oops - guess what - some dip never bothered to update their records when they gave me the new cable modem box, at least on the screen the woman had been looking at. Now, why the woman couldn't have had me read her those numbers is anyone's guess - she was having too much fun, I suppose, calling a valued customer a liar. As soon as he had the number, he had me restart the computer, replug everything and all was well - they, of course, acknowledged no wrongdoing or errors on their part.
I would now nominate Adelphia to be in the rarified company of Dali and Bunuel as masters of the surreal.