Baby steps

It's absurd, really. For an ISP, the easiest task in the world is creating a new email account. And yet my ISP - oz.net - is still struggling with the concept some 3 months later.

And wouldn't you know it, they finally start to take little tiny baby steps after I've reached that state of Nirvana where I no longer give a rat's ass. I've decided, hopefully sooner rather than later in the year 2006, I'm going to switch to cable internet - sure, it's more expensive - but it's also speedier, more reliable, and I can network my house wirelessly and enjoy some of the grown-up internet pleasures it would seem everyone BUT me has been enjoying for several years now.

Sure, I don't surf much. I mostly write and think about writing, and blog about ridiculous things that are floating around in the flotsam and jetsam that is my brain.

But at least I'll have the 2 emails.

So I get this phone call, on Christmas Eve, no less - from the head (yeah, right) of the parent company that has long ago swallowed up what is known as oz.net, asking me if my new email address is working properly yet. I laughed (in a sort of hacking way since I'd been woken straight out of bed by this call and I still had a cold) and informed said "head" that not only has it NEVER once worked, but that I'd grown weary of calling and complaining about it.

Not to Fear ! said "head" tells me. He's on it, and will deligate this problem immediately. And in fact, since his working slobs are working the holiday weekend, I should get a call no later than Monday informing me it's all up and running and perfect.

Right.

Well I didn't bother to believe him. But on Tuesday, just for shits and grins as they say, I logged on and found - much to my mild surprise and shallow caring - that it is indeed there.

It doesn't WORK, but hell, it's there. It can send email, it just can't receive same.

In fact, it can't receive ANYTHING. But hell, I must not have specified that I wanted an email address that functions - surely. And who am I to complain? After all, it's got 50% useability, eh?

You know - I visited an orthopedic surgeon last week who gave me a cortisone shot in my elbow - and that was more fun than dealing with oz.net

In fact, I'd rather go have surgery on my elbow than deal with my ISP again. But, just so I'll have something to compare it to when I schedule the procedure, I went ahead and emailed them - From the account that sends and doesn't receive - applauding them for finally figuring out half the problem in just over 3 months, and asking how many more months I'll have to wait for the other 50% to fully function.

Yeah, I'm holding my breath on that one.

Now it's a contest - what's less feasible . . . My getting published, or Oz.net getting their collective CRAP together?

And the race is on !