Internet Connection BS

Ok so for three days my high speed modem has refused to line sync. No DSL. So we've gone through the usual Bell Sympatico hell of trying to find someone who doesn't treat you like a complete idiot and will acknowledge that there's something wrong on their end.
"yes I've turned it off and then on again"
"I know it isn't the jack. I tested the jack by plugging a phone into it and it works. It's worked for over two years"
She meanwhile insists that I have to move it to a different jack and try it because without that test she can't escalate the call. I know it isn't the jack and it's a nightmare trying to move the modem because of all the cords behind the computer that I'd have to fish out so I humour her and pretend to move the modem

"you'll call back within a half an hour to an hour while you run line tests? OK" She also tells me I shouldn't make any outgoing calls.
Two and a half hours later no call back so I go to bed.

On day three Irmina freaks out on them and gets someone who thinks it's the modem and wants to send us a new one OK. When I get home that day I look at our current modem. Low and behold it's line synched. Yay! But I still can't logon. I can't even get onto our router. So although the modem is now working there seems to be another problem also.So I call Best Buy to find out what the warranty on the router is. Best Buy's phone system is "option" hell. Press one for this and press two for that. About 5 layers in the phone actually rings only to tell you that the person you need is unavailable. You try a slightly different but almost as valid route through the decision tree only to get the same result. Two more tries later and I'm ready to press any button that is most likely to be answered by a person. I get someone who tells me it's one year (I'm within warranty) and I can get the number on the internet. Ah...no I can't. OK so he actually finds the number for me. Ah...the benefit of having a person. It turns out that Linksys tech support is actually helpful and 10 minutes on the phone with him leaves back in the wonderful world of the internet. Sheesh what a pain.

Day of Busyness and Fade Out

So today it's incredibly busy at work. Meetings and phone calls and many other things to do. Near the end of it I have one of my patented disassociative episodes. I get these now and then especially if I'm a) busy b) tired c) hungry. The best way I can describe them is that I can't feel what day or time it is or where exactly I am. If you ask me and I think carefully about it then I'd be able to tell you but I can't feel it. I know that may not make sense but it's the best way I can describe the feeling. The first few times it happened I panicked a little because I didn't know what was happening. Now, although I still don't know exactly what it is, I at least know that the feeling will fade away in a few hours.

The Misanthrope

Some of you know that I normally walk to work. Well lately I've been taking the streetcar instead and I'm startled by how heavily it affects my physical and mental well being. Although I can't be entirely sure that it's the walking the last couple of weeks that I haven't been doing it my joints are much stiffer and more painful. Moreover, I find that my mood and thoughts are nostalgic (not in a good way), sombre, and distracted. Although I can often be a bit of a misanthrope it's taken on a whole new level. I'm sounding positively decrepit writing this but that's the way it is. Not a kid anymore.

Church and Science

I was on a walk with Finn the other day and we passed by an old church that had been converted to condos. Although the prices were ridiculous, it was really nice because they kept the exterior as a church but renovated the interior to make it living space. Anyway, it got me thinking that IMHO church and religion as we know it is really a species on the verge of extinction. I think that really science and scientific study has replaced it. In a sense this isn't unlike ancient monasteries that were the centres of knowledge in their day. They've just been replaced by centres of scientific study (ever heard of anyone going on a pilgrimage to Cape Canaveral to watch the shuttle launch—it happens all the time). I think if the scientific community added a bit of ceremony and flourish, maybe a robe or two, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a PhD in physics giving a lecture on the big bang and a minister talking about creationism (content aside). I seem to remember one of the Asimov Foundation books playing on this theme where people essentially worshiped technological objects and the scientists that made them and understood how they worked. Of course even today, technological objects are "worshiped" as fetish objects—can you say blackberry.

Makeout Music

After I put the kids to bed I spent the rest of the evening making a mixed CD of good makeout music. I was inspired by a Peter Elkas song "Will Power" I heard on the CBC Radio 3 podcast. I've already got some good tunes on there but any suggestions are welcome.

Idealizing Leaving Something Behind

My consumerism of the last post definitely stems from my wish to pass on to my kids good stuff that's intimately associated with me. I like the idea of my son having/using the watch his father used or my daughter signing her wedding registry with the fountain pen her father always used. Watch company's try and sell you their top of the line watches and call them heirloom pieces; however, I've come to the conclusion that most of the time a mid-range product will do just fine. Moreover, I'm much more attached to the idea of an heirloom piece having value associated with the stories it comes with rather than any intrinsic value, e.g., solid gold. For instance, if I wrote my PhD thesis with my fountain pen that would be an object I could proudly pass on with a story attached to it.

My father, at my daughters baptism, has actually passed on a wall hanging to my daughter because it is something that has been passed down through the women in his family. Because my grandmother had no daughters, the brocade went to him and he passed it down to Asha. Irmina has had it appraised and it just so happens it is valuable but to me this is secondary to the fact that it's an object with meaning. It's another reason that I wanted to buy Asha and Finn expensive Steiff teddy bears (although I haven't yet). I want the expensive ones because I know that they will last for another fifty years without disintegrating. I'll always remember watching the antiques roadshow and seeing this elderly woman talk about the teddy bear that her parents gave her when she was a little girl (I think it was a Merrythought--another expensive brand).

This is why I really have less interest in cars or electronics (although I admit my interest isn't zero--those LCD TVs are really dropping in price.)

Week in review

Those of you who know me may know of my many past times and obsessions. The irony is that many of these obsessions are in no way reflections of my level of skill or knowledge regarding them. For instance, I have a bit of a chess obsession--yet I'm probably the worst player I know. The computer can beat me with at every predetermined skill level with the possible exception of the opponent that seems to move more or less randomly. I should definitely spend more time practicing which is of course the key to getting better.

Another obsession is for watches. I have one watch and it's a Timex. Moreover, I know nothing about watch repair or movements--although I did see an online course I'm toying with enrolling in. This week after about a year of deliberation I spent 45$ (those of you who know me also know that I can hem and haw a LONG time about purchasing something I know I don't really need--even if it's a small amount). Anyway, I got a gray market Seiko on ebay. I've got a bit of a thing for in-house movements and Seiko is one of the few that manufactures pretty much every part of their watches. Plus, they are really good value for the money. Sort of the hondas of the watch world. So it hasn't arrived yet but expect picture of the new watch both to go up on facebook and on timezone.com. I'm eyeing the Seiko Spirit for the next purchase although it's more like 300$. I'll have to save up, but there are other personal purchases I should probably making beforehand--like a new pair of dress shoes (right now I use my doc martins).

Aside from my consumer tendencies and news there are other, more important, things going on. Finn still isn't speaking and we're starting to wonder if he is just delayed or if there is something more serious going on. Fortunately, my sister-in-law is a speech pathologist so she is going to assess him.

Sleepy

Holy sleepyness batman. First day back from a two week vacation is painful yet unbelievably busy. Still, can't complain. A enjoyable and productive vacation. Finally managed to fix the drywall in my basement and kitchen (with the help of my father-in-law). Also get the quotes to fix my roof. And, most importantly, took a lot of cool daytrips with my family e.g., Black Creek Pioneer Village, Niagara Falls, and the ROM.