Monthly Archives: July 2016

My Pen Pal in Italy

Posted by MarkD60 on

Day before yesterday, on a whim, whilst driving to work, I called my pen pal in Italy. Giorgio. We’ve been pen pals for years, and met for the first time on our trip to Italy this year. Talking to them put a smile on my face that lasted all day. His wife,  Ada, is so cheery it is infectious, she answered the phone and we chatted for a while and she passed the phone to Giorgio.

This morning I got an email from their son, who we also met. It seems the torch has been passed from father to son.

Her we’re having rain every day. It is nice for the plants, but keeps me from riding my scooter. Our trip to Italy made me love my scooter even more!

The screenhouse/shed is coming along nicely. I am building a door for it. I’m worried about achieving the precision necessary to build a (perfectly) functional door. I expect to have the shed/screenhouse done in the next couple of days. Today maybe, weather permitting. I will post pictures when it’s done.

My wife is going to Canada on Saturday. So start making sandwiches to mail to me. Just in case.

This morning I woke up and walked outside. I immediately saw a very bright satellite. It must have been the International Space Station. it was very cool.

Have a good day!

Rather Not

Posted by MarkD60 on

I’d rather stay home than go to work today. I could mow the yard and maybe finish the screen shed. All that’s left is the side with the door on it.

Work would just be a waste of time! Of course, I’m obligated to go and I do it for the money. But still, I could get so much more good done at home.

So, the lawn and shed’ll have to wait. It’s supposed to be off and on rainy anyway…

Have a wonderful day!

Back To Work After Busy Weekend

Posted by MarkD60 on

I’ve been building a “screen house” for the wife to garden in. It’s supposed to keep cats and chickens out. he cats like to lay on new sprouts and chickens dig them up. I worked on it this weekend, and all that’s left to is build a door. I was going to buy a screen door, but they’re too big and expensive. This door will be just under 6 feet.

The weather has been weird, rain every day almost. Yesterday the weather said rain all day and it was sunny… Not scooter weather lately for ssure.

Tomorrow, at 12:33 PM, the sun will pass directly overhead here.It happens twice a year.

Saturday, the wife goes to Canada for a week. 

We’ve started a Netflix series “Stranger Things”. I think it’s a mini series of 8 episodes. Quite good. Spooky.

That’ll doer for today, have a great week! 

Finally Back Online

Posted by MarkD60 on

After 7 days and 7 hours, we have internet at the home again! And a dial tone on our landline!

Last night, I dreamed that I was a spy, and had these two suspicious packages that I thought were bombs. In the process of disarming them, I discovered they weren’t bombs,  but cinnamon roll dough. Also in the process of disarming the “bombs” I wrecked the preparation instructions, particularly the part where it tells you what size to cut the pieces. So, having no other choice, I made one giant cinnamon roll, using two packages of cinnamon roll dough, on a giant cookie sheet. Everyone was excited. (all the other spies, I guess, I don’t know who was there) 

The giant cinnamon roll was just getting ready to come out of the oven, I had the sugar icing in my hand, ready to put it on, when…

The alarm clock went off, and I woke up. 

Isn’t that the way it always is in dreams?

Have a good weekend!

Saga Continues

Posted by MarkD60 on

Yesterday, I posted my “open letter”(see previous post) on Facebook, on my and the ISP’s page. And I filed a complaint on the ICTA’S website. (ICTA’S is the regulating authority here).

Soo, yesterday afternoon I got a call, they were here to fix it. Five minutes later, I get another call, he can’t fix it, our box is dead. Need to get linesmen in tomorrow  (today) to get signal to my box.

So. Maybe we will have Internet this afternoon. It’ll have been a full week in about 10 minutes. 

Have a good day!

I am tired of this crap..

Posted by MarkD60 on

Public Letter to everyone, especially FLOW, LIME, Cable & Wireless, Candywhacky, whatever you want to call them. I am tired of this crap..

On Thursday morning, 14 Jul 2016, about 0630, my home (and small business) internet went down. I didn’t think too much of it, because service by our internet provider, FLOW, is always intermittent and drops out frequently. When I got home Thursday afternoon, internet was still down, so I called 811 and spoke with Dwayne. He gave me Reference number 2016-07-14-300135. no internet, no dial tone. I expected a repair on Friday. It was my understanding that the company policy is to respond within four working hours.

Friday afternoon: Still no internet, and no calls, emails or any response whatsoever from the ISP. I called again and their automation computer incorrectly said that I had reported problem Friday, (I reported it Thursday, not Friday), and said a tech was scheduled for Monday. Unacceptable! I hung up and called back immediately, entered different menu options, the only way to get a human with the horrendous automation system. I spoke with Eric who could provide no explanation why nobody came Friday, and said they don’t work Saturdays, when I asked for 20% off my bill, (I told him: “Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday, that’s 20% of a month”) he said he would send someone Saturday instead of Monday.

Saturday, nobody showed up and no response again, I called and got the same Eric, he denied saying he would send anyone Saturday. He said a tech was scheduled for Monday.

Monday afternoon, still no response from the ISP, I called and talked to Narina- She asked me what country I was in, very promising! She said no one at that call center can EVER tell me when a tech will come. I asked if all the other reps I had talked to previously and in all the years past were lying when they gave me dates techs (allegedly) would come. She said she couldn’t tell me when a tech would come and then she hung up on me.

Now it’s Wednesday, still no response whatsoever from FLOW.

Our home internet goes down hard approximately every six months, and requires a tech to come out. It usually takes a few days, although, like I said previously, my understanding was that the company policy is four working hours to respond. Often, FLOW reps promise a date the tech will come, nobody shows up. Also, they used to come on Saturdays.

I never get the speed I pay for. My plan is for 15 MB per sec, I usually get approximately 8 MB per sec. Sometimes 10. but never 15.

My home internet has been out now for seven days tomorrow morning, that’s a quarter of a month. I will never get a 25% discount on the fee I pay for something Im not getting. It is theft!

I have been a C&W, LIME and FLOW customer for 18 years, except briefly, when AT&T came, I switched immediately, then Cingular took over, then Digicel, who forced me back to Cable and Wireless. C&W has been continuously problematic for 18 years. They exist only because of their exorbent prices and because their customers have no other choice.

Logic does not provide service in my area, and Digicel cannot guarantee my internet speed requirements.

I am really tired of you, a company who has never, in 18 years, been able to reliably provide the service they are in existence to provide.

Switching Today

Posted by MarkD60 on

Today I’m getting new internet and cell phone service. Tomorrow will be a week of no internet and not a peep from our ISP. I’ve been calling them every day, except yesterday. 

Sorry I  haven’t replied to your comments.