ATT ARG!!!!

I know I promised to write about Flagstaff next, but have to share this experience first.

Living without internet it more challenging that I first thought it would be, but I kept telling myself "You can do it." I think I was lying. It didn't start out this way though (which sounds like a good opening for a movie). 

(Fade to small town America and pan to a small gray house)

While in Arizona over 4 weeks ago I called to have my electricity signed over on my new apartment in Clare where I was going for my final fieldwork for my Master's degree. While on the phone with a really nice lady here in MI at 6 A.M. Arizona time she asked if there was anything else I needed done for my move. I off hand said I was looking for internet but since I was only going to be there for 3 months I didn't think anyone would let me because they usually want a 1 year contract.

She was really helpful and said that she showed ATT as not requiring a contract. WOW! How awesome is that right? 

(Introduce that Dun dun dun music. You know the kind I mean.)

She set me up with ATT, and had an install date of the 23rd which was the day I was coming up to officially sign the lease and meet my new supervisor. I said this was the only day that would work because I was not going to be actually living here until the 28th. I left for work thinking this is so cool! I will have internet practically waiting for me in Clare.

 (Start sinister music and the light foggy mist you see in those horror movies).

I get an email from ATT that night stating they had the install date for the 25th and that my router would be sent to this apartment and would be delivered on the 24th. Wait, what!?!? Where did those dates come from? So I called ATT (Phone call #1) and explained what was happening. The lady I talked to said I could just call UPS to have the delivery stopped because it had gone "too far" in their system, and that I did not need to be present for the installation. Oh, yeah, and when I asked for a tracking number to give UPS I was told "Oh no! You don't need a tracking number! Just give them the address." 

(Increase sinister music)

So I called UPS only to be told that, No... you did have to have a tracking number for them to be able to do Anything with a package. So I called ATT back and got a guy this time (Phone call #2). He told me that Yea, you do need a tracking number, but he couldn't give me one because it hadn't been generated yet. I would have to call back on Monday (the 23rd) and I could get one then.

(Fade to black. Narrative voice comes as dawn breaks over a lake)

Monday morning I get an email from ATT telling me my package shipped and gave me a tracking number. I email UPS (because Monday was nuts), and am told the next day that there is nothing they can do because the package is already out for delivery. 

(Enter crazy woman screaming as she jumps into the lake)

I was told by UPS that if I ever wanted to have a package location changed that I could pay them $5 extra and they could hold it at the UPS office (wherever that is). 

(Woman is now throwing things at nearby telephone polls that just so happen to be serviced by ATT)

Tuesday I recieved an email from ATT that my services would be installed the next day (25th) and that I needed to be sure someone was present during the install. So I called ATT to cancel or change the date. (call #4). I was told that I did not have to be present and that the service would just be there waiting for me.

(Fade to Woman smiling while sitting on a park bench peacefully watching pigeons poop on telephone polls serviced by.. Yep.)

Wednesday I get two (not one, but two) phone calls from the guy installing my service to say he will be there within the next couple hours. Well good luck to him, but I am at least 2 hours away and there is no way I am making the drive for nothing. I hear nothing from them until Saturday when I get to the apartment with all my stuff and see the 3 notices UPS left on my door including the final notice that was made last Thursday. 

(Woman is grinding her teeth now, and starts cheering the pigeons to poop more)

Finally on Tuesday I call ATT to find out where the router is (call #5) and am told I will have to call UPS to find that out. They were nice enough to give me the number when I explained that I did not have internet access because my phone is stupid (non-smart). Called UPS and they said it is about 20 minutes (each way of course) in Mt. Pleasant. So I drive like crazy and get there just before they close. I am feeling good now.

(Woman is doing happy dance around the park bench)

Get home and go to install it only to discover that unlike Charter who uses the cable jack that I have in the apartment, ATT only uses a phone jack which is not in the apartment. So phone calls #6, 7, and 8 are all similar as I explain to them that I do not have a phone jack, yes I know it is weird, no I do not have the legal right to install or have them install a phone jack because I only rent the apartment, no I am pretty sure the landlord won't allow changes to the apartment, and yet I will need the account canceled and since I did not use the service and was not asked about a phone jack during ANY of the previous conversations I should not be charged anything. I was told during phone call #8 that my account had been canceled. 

Except, 3 days later I get an email from ATT with my first bill charging me the full amount. I emailed them explaining what had happened, and got a reply that said they did not show my account canceled, and I would have to call ATT again!!!

(Fade to Woman falling back onto the bench crying and screaming at the telephone polls and pondering is she can rip them down with her bare hands)

So today I called (call # 9 and 10) after work and told them I am done, and just want to cancel. The lady was the best I talked to so far, and offered to wave the installation charge of the phone jack if I could get the landlord to agree. This is a $150 charge that is free now. SO... I agreed to check with him.

(Fade to woman hopefully looking at the telephone polls smiling slightly. music changes to soft classical music maybe Fur Elise)

So I texted the landlord and explained what was going on. His reply was as long as they don't drill through the siding. He then said he knows there is no phone line in the house, and that he is sure they won't be able to do it without drilling. Also that most people just use Charter.

(Music changes rapidly to loud angry cymbals crashing like one of Beethoven's Symphonies. Fade to woman screaming as she knaws on telephone poll with her teeth. She is making some progress too!)

I mean a $150 service installed for free and you are worried about your siding?!? Oh well, I don't know what to think anymore. Just glad that McDonald's is only a 5 minute drive and they have free wifi. Big Sigh! At this point I don't think internet is worth all of this. I mean it's not like it is chocolate or coffee right?

The not so Grand Canyon

As I promised in my last post the continuing saga of my Wild and Crazy weekend.

The day started out rough (as you might have guessed from the last post) as I had only gotten about 5 1/2 hours of sleep. But I was ready! I check the car over and there were no missing part (as far as I could tell), and the muffler was still attached. So I got packed up and was on the road by 6:30 A.M. Decided to head over and fill up on my way out, and go to McDonald's for a coffee. (That is the best way to start you day by the way).

I was leery of trusting my GPS so I ended up driving across town to the McDonald's I know is there. Of course left to my own devices I still got lost and ended up one road over from where I wanted to be. (sigh) I finally got on the road for the Grand Canyon, and for the most part everything went smoothly. I didn't get lost (although it felt like it at times as the road from Williams to the canyon is Looonnngggg.)

Got there and my GPS took me on a side road which was okay because I got to see a deer. (Yea!)  Parked my car (the hated Nissan) and found the bus that would take you around the park for free! I love free!

I waited at the stop and it was pretty easy. Took the bus back to the main area (where I should have started out no thanks to my GPS again), and talked to a park personnel. Told them I had to leave by 2, and asked what I should be sure to see. They were Very helpful, and said I should be able to see everything along the Red route (which is the actual canyon itself).

So I got on the bus and started out. The view was amazing, and kept getting even more awesome the further I went! Got a ton of great pictures, and who knows I may enlarge and frame some one day. Anyways, it was 90+ degrees so I wore a tank top and shorts and took my little water bottle bag. The bag I made myself and it is just big enough to hold my camera, a water bottle, and small stuff like money, extra batteries, etc.

The buses run every 15 minutes so there was plenty of time to get out and stretch and still catch a bus. There were also hiking trails if you wanted to walk from one stop to the next (or the entire route). So I took my time and enjoyed it so much! Got to meet a lot of nice people (who spoke English) who took my picture for me. Felt a little bit like a stalker as I listened to people talking to see if they spoke English so I wouldn't have to try to gesture appropriately that I wanted my picture taken. Met two different groups from Minnesota (you could tell by the giant burgundy M or Vikings logo's).

Finally got to the end of the trail as the clouds started moving in. I decided to check out the store while I waited, and glad I did. They actually have a book out there FOR CHILDREN called "Who pooped in the Park"!!!! Really! Had to keep myself from laughing hysterically and buying a copy. I did get some post cards so I could send back to family and friends. Also decided to buy an overpriced sandwich since I hadn't eaten since 7 and it was now 1:30.

There was a sign up that said Do not feed the squirrels, and someone had written on it in black marker "Squirrels kidnap children." So I was very wary while eating my sandwich to watch out for the unsuspecting children who may not be able to read yet to know they were in danger. No kidnappings on my watch!

Then it was time to go, so I along with 30+ other people stood out at the bus stop in the open unprotected elements as the clouds started coming in. Now Monsoon season in Arizona involves high winds, rains, and dropping temperatures. The problem is, you never know where it will hit or how severe. The busses were NOT running every 15 min. or even every 30 min. We stood outside for over 30 min. before the horizontal winds blowing the ice needles into my skin got to me and I went back inside. BUT! I protected the postcards! I was standing there with my back to the winds arms hugging my chest. Other people probably thought "oh she is hugging herself to stay warm."

Nope, I was not going to let those cards that I carefully picked out get ruined. Looking back I can see that was a little overboard and maybe even a little crazy, but at the time... Finally the bus got there, and it was a mad crush before the guy said he couldn't take any more people. He said there was another bus "right behind" him, but it wasn't until the other bus came into sight that the almost riot was stopped. Then that bus driver has to go through the same thing. In the mean time it is still pouring rain on all of us.

Finally I get on the bus and have to sit soaking wet and freezing the entire 20 minute ride back to my car. My teeth were chattering so hard. So I got back to the car (who cared about souvenirs at that point) and put on the t-shirt I had brought and left in the trunk over my tank top and turned the heater on high. Now I am running 20 minutes late to get the car back to the rental place, and I have no reception. So I start driving quickly, and as soon as I get a signal I call the car place. That is when I find out that they close at 4 on Saturday not 5:30. The good news is that because of the times I was getting charged for an extra days insurance already so it was only like $20 to keep the car another day.

The bad news is I am already racing back home, soaking wet, and could have stayed longer at the Canyon to get souvenirs. (sigh) Such is my life. At least I didn't end up on a forest trail, I mean "road" on the way back this time. I did end up with a 24 hour cold though, but it was gone by Monday so that was good.

My next report will be on the wet trip to Flagstaff, so check back again!

A Day in the Life of Me (or in this case a few hours)

In the insightful words of Bugs Bunny- "I knew I shoulda taken that left turn at Albuquerque!"

Because of some suggestions from people who hear my stories (at least after they stop rolling on the floor laughing at my mishaps), I have decided to start a blog about these "adventures." I have never blogged before so this might also end up a new "adventure." But if I can cheer one person up, it can't be that bad.

Currently I am doing an internship in Prescott, Arizona. I decided to go on a Sunset Cruise last Friday night in nearby Sedona. As I do not have my car here, I got a rental. I started out of the lot and noticed at the light that the Nissan Altima I was driving was really revving high! I don't have time to turn around because I have a tight schedule, so when I get to a light I put it in park and then back in drive. 

This helped a lot as now the car wouldn't go past 2 on the RPM dial, AND would not go over 60 miles an hour. Even with my foot on the floor and me yelling at the car it didn't work. Of course I also had to get used to the cruise control being on the actual steering wheel itself so randomly driving 60 mph in a 75 mph zone I bump the horn while trying to set the cruise. 

I made it to Sedona just in time, and despite a cloud bank to the west I had a fabulous time! I got a few gorgeous pictures, and my tour guide with Pink Jeep Tours even took my picture for me. (Would recommend them anytime)

Back to my story. So it is going on 9 P.M. when I finally get back to the car and call the Emergency number for the rental. Now part of this is not their fault because I did choose the option for "other questions concerning your car," but I sat on hold for about 15-20 min. and then the operator comes on and say "Hi, my name is ___. Are you safe?" First thing out of my mouth was "What?" I thought I hadn't heard him right. I just sat on the phone for 20 minutes, I would hope I was safe. Afterwards I felt ornery and think I should have said something like, "well, I am not sure. Are there supposed to be flames coming out of the engine." But I did not do this. I only thought about it.

After all of this, I found out there is a new feature on some of the cars that lets you "race" or put it into a manual gear so you can shift on your own. I was not aware of this, so I probably drove the 66 miles in first gear.

It gets better though. So I head home a different way through the town of Jerome. It is an old mining town that has some cute shops and loads of history, but it is literally built on the side of a mountain. It is now closer to 10 P.M. and my GPS decides to attempt killing me. I first drive through the entire town, and end up back where I started. Then I decide to use the Detour button and tell it I want to go to Prescott's airport. (Bad move)

Next thing I know I am driving on a one lane dirt road around the side of the mountain. There is no place to turn around for at least 10 miles. Finally I get to the other side (at least I think it was since it was pitch black outside). Then no less than 2 times my GPS directs me down trails that I believe are only navigable by 4 wheeler. After two turn arounds, I am finally on another single lane dirt road, and I drive, and I drive, and I drive (you get the picture). 

I pass multiple cattle guards, see one rattlesnake, 1 tarantula, a couple jumping mice, and some cow that looked at me funny. After my GPS makes me leave this road it takes me down a dried up creek bed and in the middle of nowhere says "You have arrived." I am not sure where I was other than there was barbed wire fences, and one cow with long horns looking at me funny. I almost asked her for directions, but figured she didn't speak English. So I turn around on this dried up creak bed with a big ditch running down the center trying to keep both tires on either side of this great divide. Turns out I was originally on some road called Perkinsville Road (also called Forest Service Rd 354). 

Finally at Midnight I make it home. And that is just a few hours in the life of me. I can't wait to tell you about my trip to the Grand Canyon the next day, but will hold off on this for now. ;)