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Night Out

On Wednesday night, I joined the two other women in our writing group for a poetry reading by Billy Collins that took place in the Ira Allen Chapel on the University of Vermont campus.  It was a packed house.  If Collins achieves his goal of world domination through poetry, I will able to say, "I was there when."

Afterwards we went downtown to The Farmhouse Tap and Grill for snacks and a beer.  It is October.  One is required to drink a beer in October if one finds oneself in a downtown bar...which I probably haven't done since my college days.  My nephew Alex was there and introduced me to his girlfriend.  ("Leave it to you to know the best looking guy in the place." was the comment from my companions.  Ha! but, yes, my nephew is very good looking.)

I can tell you that I needed a night out because the day itself was a living nightmare.  It is a long story that started when I went to pay my Florida utilities bill and discovered that I no longer had access to the online bill paying that Mike had set up.  (Who knew I had to have a separate User ID and password to access our joint account all those years?  I had always just used what Mike had set up.  It was a joint account.  We both used it without any kind of conflict.  Why did we need secret passwords?)  This sent me into a whirlpool of trying to get accounts set back up and changing them over to just my name.  Every account had a different set of hoops for me to jump through.  Comcast was the worst because I had to go there in person--a 45 minute wait--and then--I was told to bring a copy of the death certificate but not Mike's social security number--so I had to go back with that information and fill out two pages of swearing I would be responsible for paying the bill.  I have paid half of it for the past 20 years and my name was already on the account.  I really don't get what the big deal was AND they took my check for this month's bill without any hesitation.  Seriously, it felt like having to get a top level security clearance just to be a Comcast customer.

Also, let me just say that I fully do not understand why the Comcast lobby has not been the scene of rage incidents worthy of the road or the post office.

Comments

  1. Gee, what a nightmare! I am so glad you survived it. I would have been extremely irritated and would have said a rude thing or two.

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    1. I said plenty of rude things, but just in my head.

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  2. I am glad that had a night out and had a beer in a downtown bar in October, critical things that keep life on an even keel.

    I hope Collins fails in his goal of world domination through poetry, if so I will be in the market for a new planet. I have to be the most non-poetic person on the face of the Earth. I try to read poetry and some section of my mind states WARNING Incoming poetry! Shields down. My mind shuts down and there is this collection of words that mean absolutely nothing. Take a book of poetry, put it in a blender, scatter the results on a table top, and it would be just as meaningful as the original book. If it can't be said in prose, it is not worth saying. And there you have it, a typical 13 year old boy's view on poetry.

    The machinations of modern society's accounting of accounts is quite remarkable. Another path of which you must trod that I fear to the bottom of my heart. May God grant you infinite patience and a forgiving heart.

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    1. Mike had pretty much the same views on poetry, but I went right ahead and read a couple of poems at his memorial service. Ha! I win that one.
      I can only encourage you to pursue that end-of-it-plan you have. I miss Mike so very much, but I have to say...at least he is not having to go through this.

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  3. I would have gone ballistic! Just be glad you don't have Time Warner Cable -- you would still be in that lobby. Glad you got some time out and about with friends. I'm thinking you need to do it again after you frustration with paying bills -- like they aren't frustrating enough to start with!

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    1. There was a wacko woman in the lobby, made the whole experience so much more enjoyable. Apparently she is the ONLY one who had pressing problems even though there were dozens of others in the same slow line.

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  4. Oh my goodness! That is just horrible! I'm so sorry, Olga. Since Art handles all our bills, I'd be really up a creek if anything happened to him.

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    1. Mike had the bill thing under control--all so organized, but he kept me right there in the loop. It really does not hurt to know that stuff.

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    2. Thank you, Olga. It's a good lesson for me.

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  5. I am sorry you had that experience. At a time like this you do not need that kind of added stress. I am glad you had a nice evening out to end the day. Hang in there.

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    1. Well, I got it under control, mostly. It was hard to keep myself under control when things got most frustrating. There were some very helpful folks out there, too, though.

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  6. I love poetry and oral readings. Glad you had a nice evening out. Sorry, however, for all the bill-paying hassle! I'm surprised about Comcast -- we've always had good experiences (well, mostly...)

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    1. The gas company has taken over the worst spot--they closed the account entirely and are having me reapply for a credit check--like I haven't paid half of all the gas bills for the past twenty years. GRRR

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  7. I am sooooooooooooo sorry you are having to deal with this. My nightmare is with US Cellular. The story is long and painful and still ongoing simply because I wanted to turn off Ron's phone and keep the account in my name. I too had to take proof of death but that was the easy part. Guess I'll have to figure how to put it all in words and share it on my blog. Did even one person with Comcast tell you they were sorry for your loss. All I got from the US Cellular rep., was, "well we all have experienced a loss of some kind."

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    1. Yes, the clerk did offer condolences. Nothing is easy lately. I hope you are feeling better!

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  8. I'm glad to hear you had a nice evening out to make up for the hassles earlier in the day.

    Have a great weekend!

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    1. I jump at the chance to do anything in the evenings these days--that seems to be the toughest time for me. No matter what we may have done during the day, together or apart, we always sat down together and talked in the evenings. I miss that.

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  9. I hear you about the evenings. Glad you're getting out.

    I do all the bill paying. If my husband were having to do what you did, he'd have had a screaming fit in the lobby. I wonder if that would have helped.


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  10. What a blessing you had something fun and pleasant to offset such a frustrating day. A mental break at the reading plus beer or two with friends had to help. Hang in there, eventually it will all be straightened out.

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  11. Isn't that awful? That's what I went through when my mom died and my dad had dementia. I feel for you.

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  12. Poetry and pub brew does sound like the right medicine for the day you had.

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