Further Adventures in Technology or, It's Gotta Be Easier Than This

   

When last we spoke of technology and its direct application to and influence on both Fabrics to Dye For and Jenny's disposition, we determined that things weren't going as well as they could. That's still the case, but things are getting better, albeit on a somewhat limited scale. Some of the things that weren't quite up to snuff before are still pretty much in the cellar (that would, of course, be the internet service in our part of South Texas, fatally flawed by placement of the antenna in a bird-rich environment) and are seemingly destined to remain that way 'til the end of time. This is annoying, to say the least, but it's also a chance for us to rise to the occasion, overcome all obstacles, work the problem, and move ahead in a forceful manner. It's an opportunity to excel. Sounds good, doesn't it? Yep, I know it's a load of hooey too, but we need to keep a positive spin on things, don't we? It's good for the soul.

Anyway, The internet problem is defined, and apparently isn't going to improve any time soon. Status quo, as it were. So, you might ask, what is it that's getting better? Well folks, they fixed the phone!!! Let me tell you a story...

Jenny moved down here (both self and business) before Christmas. An immediate requirement for a business was, and is, multi-line telephone service. Easy enough. We'll call the Big Phone Company, they'll get the lines squared away, and we'll be rocking. Or not.

It was a Line 1 issue. There are others, but Line 1 is special, because it's Line 1 and, more importantly, because we're paying for it so it's going to work, by Golly! The Big Phone Company determined that our internal wiring was all set for multiple telephone lines. They installed the box and flipped the switch. Line 1 was dead as a post. We called the phone company and they checked their stuff (they're only responsible for what's outside the building---inside is ours---and once again determined that everything was fine. It was fine too, except for that pesky Line 1, which was still totally, entirely, completely dysfunctional. You can make either a sighing noise or an "arghh!" sound at this point. We did both.

OK then, the stuff on the outside is ok, so it's gotta be an internal issue. Let's buy new equipment. The old stuff is a little dated anyway, so let's kill two birds with one big rock. Fair enough. The new system is purchased, the rock is thrown. The Dead Phone Line Bird is still alive and well. Arghh!

There we were. Plan A had failed. Plan B had failed. It was time to implement Plan C and call an electrician, preferably one familiar with the Big Wonderful World of Telecommunications. We did. He came. He saw. He said all the internal wiring was just fine, and there was no issue with the equipment. Of course, he said that after  he had accidentally but almost irrevocably killed the phone system. An expensive one-hour service call turned into a really expensive two-hour service call, but when the guy left everything was back to normal, "normal" including the fact that Line 1 was dysfunctional. It's time to say "arghh!" again.

Desperation was the root cause of Plan D, which was to call The Big Phone Company again. We did. They came out, looked at the box, and told us a module was dead in the box, said it probably always had been. They'd never seen anything like it before, because those never fail. Ever. The replacement of said module took less time than it would take to say "he replaced the module". Line 1 now works like a champ, as do all the other lines. The FAX is happy. The 'net is still kindof flakey, but we're learning to live with that. It's a Green Acres thing.

Next time you call in an inquiry or place an order, ask Jenny about Line 1. We're proud of Line 1, you know. And keep the birds off your water tower.

  hasta bye bye,

    phil