| Rambling 030699 Sunday - March 7, 1999 Chris Maus [RAMBLE INDEX] |
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| My Web Archive |
The following is an e-mail newsletter that I send to 22 people. I feel a bit guilty for not printing and sending this crap to friends that don't have e-mail so this time 'round I am going to mail as well as e-mail this one. Hi ALL, The move is still in progress and I have some time to write about the adventure of it all. I started a journal file for the events so I wouldn't forget. I doubt dates are all than important so I’ll re-write the story here and make it a long boring read... About two weeks ago... I got up one morning, sat down at my computer and tried to dial up my e-mail. I had some replies to get out. The window came up: There is no dial tone... I had ordered phone service for our new apartment on Monday and Ameriwreck turned off my second line! I had told them to move the line on March 1!!! Not-so-Public-Utilities need a slap for things like that. I'm going to add my friend who works for Ameritech to my Mailing list for this "Ramble..." Vinny, I don't want to get anyone in trouble but this is the kind of thing that we-the-people hate about the phone company. Every time I move, whether it's Ameritech or US West, something gets screwed up. Last time I moved they shut off my phone because they had to turn "both lines" on at the same time for billing reasons. AND I went without a phone for two days because they weren't going to install my second line until then... This time they shut off my second line 2 weeks earlier than I asked. Some day I may write a book about all the times the phone company has messed up my phone service. I got up early on March 1, so I could be at the new apartment by 8:00 AM to let the tech from ameriwreck in to install a second phone line. I got a message from ameriwreck the previous Friday regarding the existing service in the new place. It was still in service and no orders had been placed to shut it off. Stupid me, I didn't call them back until the morning of March 1 (before I left for the new place). They had not scheduled a tech for that morning because of the existing service was still active. I couldn't get them to schedule one for that day so I just canceled my order for the second line and enjoyed the day off from work. Now for some more stupidity on my part and dealing with Public Utilities' I took another day off (I had one comp day left) and rented a truck to haul the big stuff. The plan, somewhat spontaneously initiated the night before, was to get the stuff we wanted / needed so we could start "living" in the new place. After the day of packing, loading and unloading the truck we "tried" to settle in... I shut off the furnace while we had the doors wide open and the place had cooled down a bit. I turned the furnace back on and Alison tried to take a bath. After about 10 minutes she told me there was no hot water. She let the water run for another 10 minutes and I started to wonder why the apartment wasn't warming up either. I then tried to light a burner on the gas stove. Realizing there was no gas I called ComEd. I didn't know who the gas company was and I thought there was an outside chance they may also be the gas company. Keep in mind, it's around midnight at this point. We had also returned the truck and were limited to public transportation. I was informed the gas company was "People's Gas" and got their phone numbers from the phone book while I gave the person from ComEd my info to put the electricity in my name. My call to People's Gas's emergency line was fruitless. They told me I would have to wait until 6 AM and call customer service. Well, I called when I woke up and was told that the gas was shut off on March 3, and I would have to wait until Tuesday, March 9, before a tech could come out and turn the gas back on and light the appliances. It also means I need to take another day off... So, I borrowed a space heater from a friend and bought another in an attempt to establish a comfort level where this place will be livable for me and my cats. I also bought a camp stove so I can make some meals for the next few daze. I'll go out tonight and get some pots and pans from the old place as well as some groceries. So I'm off on my next trek to the old apartment.... ... I'm back ... I made dinner on the camp stove I bought yesterday and am comfortably full. Now it's time to dial up, print and put this in the (e)mail. BTW NEW ADDRESS 1534 N. Leavitt Chicago, IL 60622 NEW PHONE: (773) 782-9756 |
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