BROKEN? ALSO, DISCONNECTED – Marilyn Armstrong

Broken

I got up this morning in a pretty good mood. Bright sun, not humid. Looks like a nice day as spring heads into summer. Put up the coffee, gave the dogs treats. My son came over to install the new router and that’s when things started to go downhill.

The new one is exactly the same but bigger.

I hate new routers. It means everything which connects to WiFi is going to need a new password and a full restart. The phone started ringing … and that was when I realized we still have one, single hard-wired WiFi item in the house — my husband’s caption phone. I couldn’t get it to hook up and it turned out that this was because I had not yet fully installed the router itself.

To make this just a little more difficult, Garry’s phone is at the back of the house in his office. The router is in the middle room which used to be my office. And my computer is in the living room where I mostly live. I needed my computer. I needed information off the bottom of the previous router and I needed the serial number from the new router. It’s easily a dozen numbers long and probably 6-point type. Does anyone try to read those numbers?

I unplugged my computer and kept moving me and it from room to room.

Of course, this is the week that I had to reinstall everything on my computer and that meant I have new passwords and I don’t remember any of them. Although I used to have a NetGear account, I’ve apparently changed email addresses since then, so I had to register as if it were the first time.

I did that. Then I had to reinstall Garry’s caption phone and of course, it had a whole set of new software on it (we don’t reinstall it often, so inevitably when we do this, there’s always new software). Yet, I got all this done and somewhere in here, I vacuumed the floors, too.

I still hadn’t gotten a cup of coffee — was cruel and unusual punishment. I needed coffee!

The doctor’s scheduler called and lucky for me, that was exactly when Garry emerged from the bathroom. I set up his dates for pre-op and the surgery. Plus the first follow-up post surgery — and realized, I also had to arrange for him to get a meningitis shot. Which, it turned out, I have to get at the pharmacy, but not our usual pharmacy because the vaccine for people over 55 is different than the one for everyone else and requires a nurse practitioner. Which means CVS. Which I couldn’t speak to because they only have recorded messages. No humans.

I tried to call the hospital, but kept getting disconnected. By now, I’m breathing slowly and deeply because this is stuff I simply must get done, no matter how aggravating. It’s important. In the case of the vaccine, also expensive!

For reasons best known to our government, vaccinations (except flu) are NOT covered by medical insurance. Don’t ask. I don’t have an answer. A lot of our medical care is senseless and this is one of the more irksome items.

Garry wants a list of grocery to get and I feel brainless. I can’t give him an answer because my head is swimming with vaccinations and appointments and computers and I really, really need coffee.

It’s two in the afternoon. I still haven’t cleaned Bonnie’s eyes and I have no idea where I’m getting $150 for Garry’s vaccination. Some credit card, I assume. Lord knows how I’ll pay for it. I also have to change the post surgical checkup because it’s on the only day Owen can’t drive us there.

If I drink some coffee, I’m sure this will all work out. I’m sure of it. No, really. I’m sure.

It’s all about the coffee.



Categories: Humor, Life, Medical

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23 replies

  1. With coffee, or without coffee, I would not attempt to set up a router or wifi. I’m not that good with computer stuff. I either call the cable company or get one of the kids to do it for me. Hopefully, you eventually got your coffee, and Garry eventually got his vaccination, and you found a way to pay for it. I fail to understand why something like that isn’t covered, especially since I presume it’s required for Garry’s surgery. Seems like all surgical expenses, and preparation expenses, should be covered. But then, I’m not one of the insurance administrators, so what do I know?

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    • Garry will get his vaccination tomorrow — it required a prescription and had to be sent to the pharmacy where they have an actual nurse practitioner. I did eventually get coffee.

      I learned how to use computers because that’s what I did for a living. At a certain point, if that’s what you do and computers are how you do it, you learn about them or you lose your job. Garry, when he was working, had to learn to use them and while he was working, he was actually pretty good with them. Now, of course, he’s got me so he doesn’t bother, but he is perfectly capable of learning what he needs to know … when he needs to know it.

      I think for most of us, learning is motivated by the needs of our lives — or sometimes by curiosity or intellectual drive. I was in a business which was ALL about computers and applications and ALL my work was done on a computer, both at home and in the office. I also spent some time just learning stuff because I hate having to constantly ask for help unless it’s a physically impossible thing to do. I’m not good with routers — I never know which of the things needs to be plugged in vs. which are wireless, but everything else, I can do at least the basic stuff. There is a point when I call someone in, but I’m poor, so I have to have exhausted my own limits first ;-D

      Liked by 1 person

  2. You are a very strong woman! without coffee, something would not have survived in my house, I have been known to have a violent reaction to aggravation without coffee.

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  3. Oh my God it is a good thing you are retired. Where would you have found the time to go to work.

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  4. You did all that without coffee? You’re a Superwoman!!!

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  5. addendum: no longer can I use Google/Chrome to post here. I have to use my WP account, which doesn’t exist (but don’t tell them that) or it won’t take. sigh.

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    • It must exist or you couldn’t comment. Besides, you might as well just sign up. All they really want is your email address and you get to pick out a blog name you’ll never use. I have three I’ll never use. I save them. In case I go slightly mad and need to open many more accounts because you know, I’m not busy enough!

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  6. without coffee, the world is an ugly, complicated place. with coffee, it’s still complicated, but you can see far enough into it to find the right plugs and the right buttons.
    It will smooth out. Really. And I have most of my fingers permanently crossed for Garry.

    Deeeep breaths. In. Out.

    And yes, that full moon does strange things to us, sometimes.

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  7. I gave up caffeine-coffee on March 23 of this year, and started eating buckets of organic chocolate at night again, which I hadn’t bothered with for years and years. Oh well.

    We use broadband only, since wifi messes up my neurological systems. Now I just have to keep my spouse from buying all these wifi-only products, like a phone system and a printer, both of which we are unable to return so will give away to some lucky someone–

    Best wishes to you both with all the crazy stuff–yesterday was full moon, so when it started feeling too overwhelming to my body and brain, I got into bed and read Georgette Heyer Regency romances–

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    • You are only the second person I know of who has issues with WiFi. A very inconvenient problem to have. So your whole house is hard-wired. Wow. That’s some serious wiring.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Fortunately it’s boonieville, so broadband is a viable and even expected option. We only have one modem for a single phone and computer, and they (time warner variant) do not allow more than one per house, oddly enough.

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  8. Maybe a 3 or 4 cup day? Wow. My sincerest sympathies. Last year at roughly this same time, I had to do that crap too…well the router thingie. Previous to it, I had DSL, which apparently is so old and archaic now that the techs all laughed at me when I said that’s what I used. Fiber optics don’t work & play well with DSL… anyway, after flipping around for about two days, it was all accomplished. And the weird little man who is now my ISP (he’s the only employee, I think he owns the company, and he’s a computer guy. You know, pale & chunky, socially inept, but an apparently whiz bang with all things computer. ) I tell you this because it will get better. Presently. Just drink the coffee and wait, which if you’re anything like me, patience isn’t a virtue you have a great deal of…

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    • It turns out, the phone at the hospital is actually broken because the main switchboard can’t reach them, either. So it’s not personal.

      The router is installed, but not all the computers know about it. I’m just going to deal with them one at a time as needed.

      And it’s definitely MacDonald’s night. The very IDEA of cooking is overwhelming. I’ve been good. I got everything organized, including all the bank payments for the month, Garry vaccination (the doctor will call tomorrow after they make arrangements with CVS – and good luck with THAT) … That’s it for me. I’m DONE for the day. So much for getting out to take a few pictures!

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  9. Coffee always helps, but it sounds like you may need a gallon or so…

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