Frustration: a feeling of dissatisfaction, often accompanied by anxiety or depression, resulting from unfulfilled needs or unresolved problems.

Hello and welcome to Monday, September 10, 2012. Last week when we lost our internet service along with dial tone on one of our lines, it became one of those legendary recovery efforts. It couldn't be helped once the phone line had been cut but trying to get something done about it, it's enough to make a grown man want to make someone cry. Guess what? You no longer have to talk with someone in India. They don't do that anymore. That gives me one thing less to complain about. However, the trouble reporting facility is now nothing but an automated system that immediately informed me that full service was only available between the hours of 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. But, I was calling at 4:45 a.m. What was their recommendation? Wait until 6. I found some old escalation numbers I've used in the past. Most of them no longer work but one did. It worked me through a process and then transferred me to a real person who could not hear me no matter how loud I shouted. They apologized and disconnected the line even as I continued to scream. I think I kept on talking loud even after they cut me off but I can't be sure. I will have to get back to you on that one. When I talked to the technician who came to our location, found and fixed our problem, he said I didn't know the half of it. He then began to explain what he had to do just to get permission to fix the problem he found on our premises and yes, he doesn't get to talk to a real person either. I guess I was lucky. I actually had a real person on the phone. She sounded real nice and I might have even had gotten some help had she been able to hear me. Once again I was reminded that about the only customer call that is satisfactory is one you never have to make. Sorry. But that's my recollection and I was there when it happened.

I am grateful there are exceptions to this sad state of affairs. The other day our kitchen faucet developed a problem. We had replaced it after Hurricane Ike in the remodel project. The problem was in the nozzle. It is a Moen. I went here and there looking for the part and a fellow at Sears gave me the name of a plumbing supply company that would be the best place to check. I drove over to it and the counter man immediately recognized the part. He said he could order it for $80.00, OR, he could give me the 1-800 number and most likely they would replace it free of charge. He was very nice, wrote down all the information and even told me how to work through the Moen automated system to get a rep on the line. I did exactly what he said. They were unbelievably courteous. They didn't have the brushed nickle but offered to send a chrome nozzle for temporary use until the other one became available. We didn't do that. I told her to just send the other one. My wife said she would believe it when she saw it. The next Friday she saw it and it works like a brand new nozzle. Why? Because that's exactly what it is! Thanks to the gentleman at the plumbing supply who could have ordered and made money on the part, my belief is renewed that somewhere over the rainbow there does still exist people who care. Thank you very much.

Okay. After that first paragraph, I think I may have exceeded any reasonable amount of words when writing about something that in retrospect doesn't really amount to much. During the actual attempts to get the repairs done it did test my heart rate and blood pressure but that's still no excuse to write a dissertation. As you can tell by reading about it, I was not in the least bothered by the insane way in which it all unfolded. Sorry. No more on that subject. Now you just try to have more of those stories like the one in the second stanza and I'll keep you posted on my progress. May God bless. Amen.       .....More later.