Wilmette's Storm: A Two Week Update
It's been two weeks exactly since the Wilmette's Great Storm of August, 2007. Today I have an Internet connection and at the moment it's working. I am tired of calling the DSL service technicians seeking just a little connectivity, and having them want sympathy from me because of where they live they have dial-up. I suppose they tell me this to try to convince me that the super slow, on-and off again connection which I have is pretty darned good. These technicians are really chatty, and they take up a lot of my time.
I have a call into the local cable company which is supposed to set me up with Cable Internet, supposedly far better than DSL. We'll see. The cable company had fast talking women at the other end who also had some kind of southern accent. It was very hard to understand them, especially because I've had better phone connections half way around the world. Actually, the connection volume was so soft I thought I was suddenly becoming deaf. Besides talking fast, those women were not nice and I did not like them. They also wanted to sell me their telephone service. I didn't tell them that I didn't want a telephone service where I could barely hear and required fast talking for it to work.
Today I went shopping, not buying, for carpet to replace the carpet that flooded after the storm. I didn't like it at all. The sales people give you very little information. Gone are the days that one could toddle over to Marshall Field's or Carson's for carpeting; they don't sell it anymore. When they did, the prices were clearly marked; the way their merchandise was displayed was logical; and they had a good selection. At the carpet stores I went to, the prices were not clearly displayed, leaving one wondering why they don't do that. I imagine the truth is not good. Like car salesmen they want to get you on the lot. I felt relieved that I bought nothing, but my problem is not solved.
The house is a jumble from all the stuff we had to move when we pulled out the carpet. Everything is unplugged and has been moved. I can't find anything. Stuff from the family room has migrated to the living room, and the house is a mess. All this activity is taking a lot of time away from my work, and I don't like that.
There is more garbage on the streets and the fallen trees are lying everywhere--still. The mosquitoes are vicious.
Thank God things are going well enough that I have not lost the will to complain.
The more stories I hear about the storm and the more I drive around, I realize how very lucky we are to be alive and well. With trees snapped like toothpicks, it is amazing to me that almost all the damage from Wilmette's storm can be solved by time and money.
I have a call into the local cable company which is supposed to set me up with Cable Internet, supposedly far better than DSL. We'll see. The cable company had fast talking women at the other end who also had some kind of southern accent. It was very hard to understand them, especially because I've had better phone connections half way around the world. Actually, the connection volume was so soft I thought I was suddenly becoming deaf. Besides talking fast, those women were not nice and I did not like them. They also wanted to sell me their telephone service. I didn't tell them that I didn't want a telephone service where I could barely hear and required fast talking for it to work.
Today I went shopping, not buying, for carpet to replace the carpet that flooded after the storm. I didn't like it at all. The sales people give you very little information. Gone are the days that one could toddle over to Marshall Field's or Carson's for carpeting; they don't sell it anymore. When they did, the prices were clearly marked; the way their merchandise was displayed was logical; and they had a good selection. At the carpet stores I went to, the prices were not clearly displayed, leaving one wondering why they don't do that. I imagine the truth is not good. Like car salesmen they want to get you on the lot. I felt relieved that I bought nothing, but my problem is not solved.
The house is a jumble from all the stuff we had to move when we pulled out the carpet. Everything is unplugged and has been moved. I can't find anything. Stuff from the family room has migrated to the living room, and the house is a mess. All this activity is taking a lot of time away from my work, and I don't like that.
There is more garbage on the streets and the fallen trees are lying everywhere--still. The mosquitoes are vicious.
Thank God things are going well enough that I have not lost the will to complain.
The more stories I hear about the storm and the more I drive around, I realize how very lucky we are to be alive and well. With trees snapped like toothpicks, it is amazing to me that almost all the damage from Wilmette's storm can be solved by time and money.
posted by Publia at 9:54 PM
2 Comments:
Wow, you are still recovering? I hear you about the carpet stores, Feilds still sells exotic rugs on State St.
You folks really got hit hard, I haven't been up there for a week but it still looked somewhat like a war zone last week. I'm glad that you still have your wits about you and that you have some sort of connectivity. I have been using Comcast for 2+ years with only two short outages that I am aware of. Did you see the latest on Blago in this morning's Sun Times? The man is incredible. Good luck and try to have a great weekend.
Still looking bad, but not as bad as last week. Was on Hill Road today, looks very scary just West of Ridge/Church. Locust is pretty bad, but lots of clean-up going on,
Today I went over to Apelian on Central and ordered a rug, so I am feeling much better despite the disorder in my house. I decided to support the local merchant. They will disappear if we all go the el cheapo route.
I was so upset about what I saw on the Sun Times cover I haven't had the courage to read it. I think the mob is totally taking over this state and that upsets me no end. I am going to your blog, where I am sure you have a few choice words on that.
Of course, the DSL works fine now, but I think I will try redundancy for a period and see what I like better.
Thanks for the kind thoughts. Yesterday I was very, very crabby. It seems like there is no end to the work and nothing gets accomplished.
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