[Tech Support? Yeah, Right]

I have fantasies of blowing up their main office. Can you tell I hate Comcast?

Maybe just a little

They tried the whole upping our bill thing...and then my roommate got a hold of them. They told her that we would be charged more because they were "a bigger company," to which she replied, "No, we won't be charged more, because I still have the original contract from Insight that I'm pretty sure you have to honor since our year isn't up yet." After that they, very nicely, told her that our bill would remain the same price.

Damn right. I was so sad that I missed being around for that phone call

I know the feeling about them telling you it's the wrong thing. If I had had one more person tell me my problem was my freakin' firewall, I was going to scream. I didn't pay anything for the tech guy to come out. And if I find a charge on the next bill for it...well, I'll let my roommate handle that (as long as I'm home so I can listen in ). After dealing with the both of us, I'm pretty sure they have some sort of flag on our account that says something to the effect of, "Just give the crazy bitches what they want." And if they don't, they should

[Tech Support? Yeah, Right]

So, my local cable/ISP just got bought out by Comcast who, as a bigger company, promises to provide more for less, better service, better browsing capabilities, yada, yada. Fine. Whatever. I don't care as long as I can get online and watch/record certain shows that I've become hopelessly addicted to.

When I got booted off the internet early Monday morning, I was a little annoyed, but just figured that my modem had decided to be difficult. I unplugged, rebooted, logged on to my IM and, lo and behold, I was online again.

Great. Fantastic.

Except for when I tried to open my browser, I got a "Server not found" message. Okay...weird.

I tried a variety of sites, got the same message. I even tried Internet Explorer (ew), which gave me the same message. So...I called Comcast. They told me that they were doing maintenance in my area, but everything should be up and running by 7:00. (Keep in mind that, during all of this, I never once lost connectivity with my IM program (except for that one time), which is the first thing to go when the internet goes down.)

Awesome.

Except that at 8:00, I was still getting the same message on my browser. So, I called Comcast again. The lady I talked to, after putting me on hold for ever, had me try to enter some .exe file in Start>Run. When the message popped up that the file wasn't found, she immediately told me I needed to call my computer manufacturer.

Okay, well, since I built my computer, my manufacturer is me and I obviously don't know what's going on. I called Comcast again later in the day and they told me to try to get a hold of someone at Windows -which had to wait until I got off work. At two in the morning, I called 411 to get an 800 number for Microsoft (because I forgot to look the number up while I was at work and I still didn't have internet access at home). They connected me to an 888 number that was really an area code 352 number that was disconnected...At this point, I'm starting to get annoyed since I've been dealing with this issue for over twenty-four hours. I finally got an 800 number that connected somewhere, listened to their menu and, since no one was available to help me at that technical support, I wrote down the number for Microsoft PC Safety. The lady there was very helpful (even though I got disconnected every time she put me on hold...and I'm sure my roommate wanted to strangle me when I was screaming, "NO! You can't disconnect me!" into my phone at three AM). She had me flush my DNS (which I had already done), had me ping DNS names(which came back as "no reply"), and then had me ping IP addresses...which came back with a 0% loss, meaning I had internet, there was nothing wrong with my computer, and I needed to call my ISP...again.

At Comcast, I got a hold of Chiana. Now, Chiana started off as a very nice customer service representative...who had the unfortunate luck to be placed at Tech Support. However, when I started telling her about pinging IP addresses and DNS names, about packets sent, received, and loss, she became very quiet (I should have known then. If I understand more than the "tech support" person, we're in trouble). Either we weren't communicating well, or she just didn't get it (I'm betting on the latter), because she kept telling me there were outages in my area. Being who I am, this wasn't a good enough explanation. I just couldn't wrap my brain around the fact that I was online, but not online (my IM program was still connected). I told her I wasn't trying to be difficult, I just didn't understand. I told her that I could connect to pages if I typed in their IP addresses, but not to DNS names, so I was online technically. After twenty minutes of talking to her, she doesn't transfer me to someone at Tech Support that actually knows something about tech support...oh, no...she goes, "That's because there are outages in your area."

Oh. No.

Yeah, I was done with Ms. Chiana.

I hung up, called back (because you never get the same person twice) and talked to Cheryl. Cheryl was very nice and actually understood what I was talking about. She went through a series of things, pinged my modem, was just as confused as I was because what she was getting was saying that my modem was online. She opened a ticket, set up an appointment for someone to come out (three days from the day I called her...all I could think was, "By then, I'm going to have the shakes because I'll be going through internet withdraw."). Still not satisfied, I called a more local number that Cheryl had given me. I got Deshana and immediately told her that I needed someone who was familiar with things like IP addresses, DNS names, and such. She transferred me...quickly.

Finally, at three-thirty in the morning, I got an answer that satisfied me. Because all of the information from my old ISP was being transferred to Comcast, my modem wasn't recognizing that my ISP had a valid IP address. I was told that everything should be good by 7:00.

But it wasn't...

So, a tech came out that evening, looked over my connection, looked at my computer and realized that my modem was still trying to connect to the old IP address. He changed it and, just like that, I was connected again.

...You mean, after 36 hours of BS, that's all it took?

Here's my thing: If I'm calling tech support, I really need tech support. I can usually figure things out on my own and, if I can't, then I can find out how to fix it from a friend or online. I understand that there are a lot of people out there who call tech support because they can't figure out how to open their browser. I'm not bashing them (my mother is one of them), and I'm not saying that every single person at a tech support number should be a computer wiz (although, that would be helpful). But if I call and the person on the other end has no idea what I'm talking about, please, for the love of God, transfer me to someone who does, don't get snarky with me. I work in customer service, I know that sometimes people just don't understand what you're saying, that you have to word it a different way (especially when dealing with people whose first language isn't English), or you have to refer them to someone who can help them. But I do it nicely, stay patient, keep smiling -even if they're being particularly difficult or dense.

Calling 800 numbers is already a pain in the ass since you can't get a hold of anyone without going through fifty different menus, all of which have eighty options where the one you want is usually last. When I finally get someone to talk to, I just don't want the added headache of them being rude or uninformed.

[You Know What Feels Really Awkward?]

There's also the chance that my kids would become extremely materialistic and starstruck, especially with shows like Hanna Montana, Dora the Explorer and all of that crap. The one thing I hate about little kids shows is the marketing aspect; if Bob the Builder's on that lunch box, little Billy simply must have that lunchbox. It's a risk that any parent takes, I suppose, and hopefully you're kids will grow out of it, but there's also the chance that they may not and will forever be interested in what Paris Hilton is doing with her life.

Yeah, but don't you think that's just a part of growing up? And, as individuals, their choice? I mean, sure, some kids are more materialistic than others and, sure, it has something do with parenting. I think, though, that most of it has to do with peers. You can raise little Susie to be the least starstruck kid in the world, but her peers will have a say in who she idolizes and what she wants.

Comparing kids who want things to kids who just snap is like comparing apples and oranges. I don't think, in all cases, that it has to do with the parenting of the kids who lose it. Most of the time, it's the parenting of the other kids that should be questioned.

On the flip side of it all, if your kid is that other kid, then the most you can hope for is that he/she won't be that kid who teases/torments the kid that decides to come into their classroom and reenact Rambo.

[Things That Annoy]

One theory I have is that they do it because they write like they talk. If you're giving an oral narrative, sometimes you add little things in -along with facial expressions- as you speak to embellish the story. This, really, is the only reason I can think for people writing like that. Unless they think it's cute, or funny...which it's really just not.

[You Know What Feels Really Awkward?]

I love the fact that my brother is so much younger than me because I was the one to buy him his first skateboard, his first video game console, and introduced him to the wonderful world of manga and anime (we just got out of the D.N. Angel stage ). Besides, I hate acting like a grown-up unless it's absolutely necessary.

I just thought of a new reason I don't want to have kids. I remember having a conversation with my mother just before my brother was going into middle school, and she was talking about maybe home schooling him. It stemmed from the middle schools around here having a reputation for having vicious kids in them. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've seen my mother cry, but sending my brother to a public school terrified her.

And then you hear about the shootings and kids just completely losing it (although, statistically, you're more likely to be hurt by someone in your own home than at school...), and I think to myself, it's kind of a terrifying thing to have kids these days. When I was a kid, we had tornado and fire drills. My brother has those, plus lockdown drills, just in case a kid comes to school and shoots the place up. And, while I'm glad that the schools take the precaution, the fact that they're necessary is really kind of scary.

[Vocabulary Turn-offs]

And from a writers perspective... What do you people want!? Someone said they don't mind the word "cock" as long as it isn't used over and over again. But one by one all of you have eliminated pretty much every other word out there. So what words are we supposed to use exactly? Am I supposed to just sit down and invent words?

Ha! No, you can always go with Joandoe's suggestion and use celebrity names Hilarious, by the way.

I got a review once that told me that my descriptions in my sex scenes were too technical...which I didn't really get, because it's not like I was using anatomy text book terms. It is frustrating to think of how to word things sometimes, but I wouldn't necessarily worry about people completely hating a story because of one word.

[Things That Annoy]

Just shut up and keep going with the story. Because to be honest, reader's don't give a shit what the author feels about that line; they're just in it for the story.

I agree. Don't put little asides in your prose. If there's something an author particularly likes about a chapter, it should be in their author's notes -beginning or end, I don't really care, just don't put it in the freakin' story. I read a story that had this in it one time and, as much as I tried to ignore it, it irritated me so much that I just gave up. I was sorely tempted to leave a review telling the author that it was annoying, but nothing I would have said would have been nice...

[Kiss This!]

Sorry... .if I'm not good enough for you, well, your loss.

Well, I think this is the perfect response to all those people who have left you -damn right! Their loss!

I noticed people like this a lot when I was younger (like, six years younger...not a lot of time, I know, but sometimes it makes a difference). I didn't get it either. If you don't want to hang out with me, talk to me, whatever, then just freakin' tell me! Don't play these stupid games where you ignore my phone calls, or look the other way when I enter the same bar/store/restaurant that you're at. That just makes me so...so...GRRR!!! It's so childish.

I don't try very hard to make friends -mostly because I'm really shy- and I'm pretty selective these days about those that I keep. That sounds so...snobby, I guess, but I just can't deal with that stupid crap anymore. My whole thought on it is, I graduated from high school for a reason -one, being that I could have a diploma, go to college, etc, and two, so I could stop playing those stupid, childish games!

So, I agree with you. These people that are acting like kids, they should grow up. And you should stop sitting by the phone! Those people aren't worth your time or energy, so don't give it to them. A true friend will like you for who you are, no matter what.

[Let's Take The Fandom Back! ><]

I'd help you take the fandom back, since I will only write Inu/Kag fics, but I only come up with stories for them once every other year

I agree with you about the readers probably being fangirls for Sess. Like I said, I see the attraction, but I'm not so much a fan. I don't feel quite as...passionate? about it as you seem to I'll take a peak every once in awhile, but I'm not really curious about Sess/Kag pairings usually. But, that's mostly because his character is already set, for the most part, and he's too...polished. For me, writing him just isn't as fun, so reading about him (especially with strange pairings...and, yeah, I consider him with Kags a strange pairing), just doesn't interest me.

Inuyasha has way more potential for exploration as far as his character is concerned, just because, in the anime and manga, he's younger. Writing him older, to me anyway, is fun because I can pull on the things from the anime/manga to build on.

Also, Inu/Kag fics just plain do it for me...so there's that

[Wal-mart Pisses Me Off.]

Actually, they don't card everyone, just those people who look under the age of 21.

I don't know how it works in other cities, but I do know that here, if you look like you're under forty, you're supposed to get carded -no matter if you're not the one buying.

This might have something to do with being a small college town, too. Whatever the reason, they're pretty strict about people showing ID.

[Lost In The Dark]

The mess she got herself into is more than I can handle. I continued to try, but eventually I had to just say screw it. She doesn't want help. She continues to lie to me and tell me what I want to hear, then goes out and does whatever she wants to anyway. She justifies it by saying she's an adult and can do what she wants.

Unfortunately, sometimes that's all you can do. It sucks, but if they're not willing to take the steps to help themselves, then, really, what can you do? When I was younger, I thought I could fix everyone's problems and make them okay again. As I got older, I realized that, unless they're willing to meet me half-way and at least attempt to help themselves, there wasn't any way I could help them. I had to realize that I couldn't be everyone's guardian angel

While my friend was using, she did the same thing -lied to me about everything or, when I busted her out, she would justify her actions. I was really close to just throwing my hands up in the air and walking away. But the throwing herself out of the car, I think, kind of woke her up. I think that's when she realized that she really needed help.

[Lost In The Dark]

And yeah, having anxieties can be a bitch. DX I had it really really bad towards the end of last year, thankfully I have it under control... for now... >_<; I hope you are able to overcome them, it's not healthy to be in fear all the time you know. I hate it! DX<

For the most part I've got a handle on it. There are only certain things that cause it now -usually seeing people that I really don't want to see. I spent a few years in therapy, which worked for me. No meds -I refused. I don't even take Tylenol or Advil for headaches.

It was difficult, at first, understanding what addiction was (I was pretty sheltered from stuff like that). But the more I understood it, the easier it was to understand why my friend would do the things she did. It was scary at times and hard -especially when she was still using- but I just couldn't walk away from her -especially after everyone else just kind of disappeared -which I think is bull. Also...I just can't help caring about people who are close to me (well...anyone, really. Especially if they just want me to listen). It's easier, now, to point out when she's trying to justify actions...or trying to get me to co-sign for something -which she does...a lot *sigh* Can't help but love her, though

[Review Etiquette]

That just depends on how fast your beta is I can usually get mine back to the author within a day, sometimes less.

I usually encourage people in A/Ns to point out mistakes. I'm a spelling and grammar nazi at heart, but even I miss things. Recently, I've been having problems with "lose" and "loose" -I don't even know what that's about.

I kinda agree with YuriChampion -if they're willing to post it for everyone to read, then they had better expect someone to critique it. The good with the bad only makes us better.

[Lost In The Dark]

That was a lot to read, so my reply might be kinda all over the place

First, I voted "Yes, I know someone who suffers and is diagnosed with depression, but they do not cut (that I am aware of)." My personal experience with depression isn't serious (the one time I got really depressed, I scared the shit out of myself and refused to ever feel that way again...and I'm stubborn enough to do it, damn it), so I'm not going to say anything about being able to "relate," because I just can't.

The people I know that suffer from depression aren't cutters, but they are addicts. I can't even begin to empathize with the feelings/thoughts that go through people that suffer from these things, but I've been around them for long enough that I've grown to have a certain understanding (one of my friends calls me an addict wannabe because I hang out with the group, go to NA meetings, and go to coffee with them afterwards...and date them -I'm a functioning addict magnet ). One of my closest friends, whom I've known for ten years, is a recovering addict. I'm one of the only people left that knew her before she went through treatment (for the third time). Her family wasn't really there for her either, I think, mostly, because they just didn't understand what was happening (no excuse, I know). I was witness to all the fucked up shit she did (this is probably why nothing really shocks me anymore), was there when she tried to throw herself out of a moving car in an attempt to kill herself. And I made sure I was there for her after she got out of rehab. I don't think she's psycho (the crazy part is still up for debate ), but I've also watched her struggle with her addiction and depression for a very long time.

I, too, get annoyed (well, pretty pissed, actually) with people who believe that they should just leave depressed people alone, or are unwilling to be there for people who are depressed. Occasionally (usually about once a year, now), I get a call from the aforementioned friend that I know is serious and I drop everything for her -and I do mean everything. Sometimes she wants me to "fix" everything, even though she knows I can't, but, mostly, she just needs someone to listen -which is actually one of my specialties

I know that most people don't like taking meds for depression. The same friend stopped taking hers because she said they made everything too "foggy" and she never really felt like herself while she was taking them (I've heard that from a few of mine friends that suffer from depression, actually).

I can, however, relate with you on panic attacks. I have high anxiety. My attacks used to be so bad that I would blackout because of them. For me, there's nothing worse than having one (just thinking about it makes me anxious ). I know how you feel, on this aspect at least, about people not understanding. They just don't get how, at that moment, you just feel like you're going to die. I got to the point where I wouldn't even go anywhere (anywhere -trips to the gas station or the store became torturous affairs) because I was afraid of something triggering one -which just made me anxious because I can't stand being afraid of things. Even now, if I go somewhere like the movies, a play, the ballet, I have to make sure I have an aisle seat, because, for whatever reason, the though of being stuck in the middle of a row with no easy escape route heightens my anxiety.

So, while I can't exactly empathize with what you deal with on a day to day basis, I can, at least, understand it a little. Congrats on being three years clean (sorry, I can't think of what else to call it without reverting to NA vocabulary...but I'm sure you get the gist). You and Tom make a loverly couple If you didn't have someone, I probably would have been slightly alarmed when reading this post. But I'm glad you've found someone to, if not make it better, at least listen and be there when you need it. It's really all anyone can ask for -and, sometimes, it's enough.

[So Tired Of This Cr@p!]

I heard last night that the Chicago and Rockford areas were supposed to get 10 and 16 inches, respectively. So, if anyone was in that, I can see why they would declare snow emergencies.

We're still under a flood warning here. *sigh* Is it just me, or has this winter been freakin' weird?

[Chihuahuas Are Fucking Evil.]

Actually, that's not true of cats. If they're attached, they can and will grieve themselves to death.

I think, sometime after I heard that, I was told the same thing...but every time a cat looks at me now, I get creeped out.

A friend of mine has a Black Lab that thinks she belongs in your lap at all times. There's nothing like 35-40 pounds of dog in your lap And she's totally a Pavlov dog -crack open a beer and she starts drooling uncontrollably.

[Review Etiquette]

I guess it depends on what the author is asking for. If they ask for con-crit, give it to them -you're not being nitpicky, you're helping them out. If they don't...well, if it's something that they do constantly, then I would be inclined to point it out, since they're obviously unaware of the fact that it should be "one and the same" (although, I can kind of see how people would write it out wrong, since they probably tend to say "one 'n the same").

I have the same problem, though, with seeing errors and trying to decide whether to point them out or not. A few typos I understand...a plethora of them sets my teeth on edge. My thing is "then" and "than" Ooooo that just makes me cringe every time someone mixes those up! If I gave into the urge to point out people's mistakes ("all of the sudden" is another one that I see wrong all the time), my reviews would be ridiculous.

[Vocabulary Turn-offs]

Schlong

Twat

Tits

Melons (why compare breasts to fruit? I just don't get it)

Those are all I can think of right now without repeating previous lists.

Tail -- sometimes I'm reading a sex fic with no warning that the person is in fact half-cat and I go...whoa!

That happened to me once and I just stared at the screen for a minute, trying to figure out what was going on, and then said, "OH NO!" and closed the tab on my browser.

[Wal-mart Pisses Me Off.]

Oh, I agree. When I worked at a gas station years ago, we were supposed to card everyone no matter how old they were or looked. The registers force you to enter a birthday before you can ring them out. 'Course, for regulars, or people that were so obviously over 21 it was painful, we would just enter a random b-day. But company policy was that we card everyone, no matter what.

[Chihuahuas Are Fucking Evil.]

Yeah...my Dachshund, little ankle-biter that she is, can be pretty vicious when new people are around -especially guys...don't know what that's about. Anyway, I really think that she thinks she's this humongous animal that could rip your throat out...if only she could reach it

[[rant] Differences In Men And Women.]

Nothing against the women in your life, but if this is the response your getting...well...I wouldn't ever tell a guy that having stomach problems, or having food poisoning, is anything like having cramps. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain, but my cramps kick my ass. There's nothing like 'em. The only time I've ever felt anything similar was when I had my appendix removed and I had air bubbles stuck in my intestines -ouchie.

Not to get all cu-kid M.D. on you, but if your throwing up a lot, you really should at least try to eat something -crackers, dry toast (no butter! I know it sounds gross, but milk products tend to just make things worse). Having something in your stomach when you do puke will at least keep the stomach acid from eating up your esophagus. And keep hydrated -water, tea...not those energy drinks you're so fond of No juice either since they're acidic and just upset your stomach more.

I tend to turn into Florence-freakin-Nightingale when my friends or boyfriend get sick -I can't help it. But, when I'm sick, I just want everyone to leave me alone and let me get my own chicken noodle soup, damn it!

Hope you feel better soon!

[Chihuahuas Are Fucking Evil.]

She's very smart, acts like a BIG dog

That's because dogs have no concept of size -big dogs think they're lap dogs, and small dogs thing they're 500 lbs with teeth like lawnmowers, a fact, which, I find hysterical.

I just can't find Chihuahuas cute...something about the way their head is shaped, or the way their eyes bug out of their heads...maybe not that, because I love Pugs...I dunno...but Chihuahuas kinda creep me out. I think I had my fill of them with those stupid Taco Bell commercials The high-pitched barking of small dogs -especially when I'm trying to sleep- really annoys me, too.

I can't be a cat person, though, because I heard somewhere that, if you die, a dog -being loyal- will starve himself to death, but a cat will eat you...*shudders* Unfortunately, cats seem to know I don't like them and decide to adopt me (yeah...not the other way around...it just doesn't happen like that).

[Wal-mart Pisses Me Off.]

No one is going to like this response, but her asking you for your ID and refusing to sell the alcohol to your stepmom was pretty legit...I've been in her position (not at WalMart *shudders*) and I can understand her reasoning. Technically, I think, they're supposed to ask everyone with the person purchasing whatever for their IDs. I've noticed that some gas stations, even, have signs up that say if you're under 60 they'll card you.

Now...the reason for her heckling you, that was bogus. I would agree with her if you looked like you're under 21, but if she was just profiling you, then, yeah, I would have asked for a manager.

I had to show my ID when my roommate bought an R rated movie But I get carded for everything...

[Let's Take The Fandom Back! ><]

I'm rough around the edges ;3

Bad guys in anime are usually just freakin' cool. They always get the neat outfits and the badass weapons...

I think having been a fan means you can have an opinion. I stopped watching the Inuyasha Saga after episode forty or so, just because I got bored. And you're right -it is like Dragon Ball Z for girls...ugh, couldn't stand DBZ

[The Wondrous Art Of Clothes Folding]

I did laundry tonight and complained the whole time I did it. My trick to folding my clothes -dumping them on my unmade bed so that I have to fold them...or at least put them away (because I refuse to have clean clothes on the floor).