REMEMBERING

 

Florida does get chilly, it's rare but it does happen. And you feel it more intensely if you're a native. We're unused to cold.

This is one of those winters. Evenings I'm attired in my heavy robe & nightgown, along with warm snuggy boots, plus a big wool turban on my head. To top it off I'm bundled up in a blanket with the TV remote underneath. -- But I prefer this to the hellish heat and humidity that will be arriving all too soon.

I vividly recall the autumn before the lockdown that came the following March. It's memorable because my friend Irene and I went to lunch together. At that time, we couldn't have envisioned what was just ahead. We believed the pandemic would be over soon. And the very thought of any shortage of tissue, or other paper products along with numerous items was unimaginable! After all the United Sates is not a third world country.

The day before, I saw one person wearing a mask at the supermarket, a rarity at the time. The idea of everyone masking up and social distancing would have seemed bizarre back then.

Irene and I were out to enjoy ourselves despite the weather. Florida was experiencing a rare, early, cold spell that day.

A Greek café was chosen because we both love spanakopita. The place was small with no heat. And inexplicably the overhead fans were on. We were seated under one and moved. In fact we changed our seat several times, but were still cold. And whenever the door opened it felt as if an Arctic blast of air shot thru the room. We ordered coffee to warm us up, however the coffee was cold. We shivered all throughout the meal.

Irene's company was the only pleasant thing about that lunch. She was well into her nineties but possessed a sharp mind and wit worthy of Betty White.

Unfortunately her health continued to decline.

However Irene was blessed to find a dedicated caregiver who became like a son to her. When the lockdown came, he took her and her beloved cat, Millie to his home up in Sebastian to give her the special care she needed.

We kept in touch thru email.

A year ago this month my friend Irene passed away right before Valentine's Day. I sent her a card with a kitten on the cover that she never lived to see.

I mask-up regularly now whenever I'm out. But often I don't leave my house for two weeks. When the pandemic finally ends I fear many of the changes it wrought will remain.

This chilly morning for breakfast I had leftover spanakopita from Publix along with grapes & pitted dates. I thought of Irene.

Someday, on the other side of the veil I hope to see her again along with my other close and treasured friends Pat and Margaret who preceded her in death. I miss them all.

SUPERANNUATED

Superannuated, the first time I came across this word was during my 20s while reading a steamy novel set in the old south. I had to look it up. According to my 1947 issue dictionary it means; obsolete & outdated. This describes everything I own today including myself!

However the internet is no longer a luxury but a necessity! Imagine being without it for three & a half days along with phone & TV as I was not long ago.

I have a landline only, no cell for several reasons. ONE: I'm retired, home most of the time and the supermarket is right around the corner. TWO: I just don't like them! They're dinky and have no mouthpiece or place to rest my ear. They suck!

Also I still have cable, U-verse in fact. I'm happy with it -- when everything is working properly, that is! I was informed by a tech that it's no longer offered new because they're trying to phase it out. But if you currently have it, they won't take it away. In other words, it's an old folk's product and they're waiting for us to die off.

Unfortunately for them, we're not doing it fast enough! As much as they would like, they can't round us up and kill us. So I think they're trying to give us strokes and heart attacks thru sheer aggravation.

During the repair to my outage I mentioned to all three ATT techs that I was having problems with my DVR. It kept freezing and jumping ahead, also the sound would cut out at times. They listened, but offered no advice. So I assumed that after they unconstipated my TV the issue would be solved! --WRONG!!!

The DVR worked fine for a week and then started freezing and jumping ahead like crazy again! I enjoy Comics Unleashed but was missing half the punch lines and 45 minutes into a Lifetime movie I had to give up and delete because I couldn't follow the story!

The next morning I called ATT. After a long wait I got someone with a heavy accent. While I was explaining the problem I suddenly found myself disconnected. I kept shouting, hello, hello, but no answer!

I called back. After another lengthy wait I got a woman with only a slight accent. Again, while I was explaining the exact thing happened! I literally screamed into the phone in desperation with only dead air on the other end.

I called back yet again! Another long wait ensued. Finally I got a woman in billing who assured that she would connect me with a tech who would stay on the line. Yet another person with an accent, but this one actually listened. He explained that he was going to run some tests, we'd lose our connection, but he'd call me right back.

He never did!!!

I got on the internet attempting to contact someone that way. However I kept going round & round with an ATT robot informing me they did a trouble shoot and my TV was fine. I kept repeating that the problem was with my DVR and NOT the TV!

In 2009 when I got U-verse I was given a faulty DVR. They came out and replaced it. Now they don't even want to hear about it!

Frustrated, I told a friend about this. She said to reboot the DVR which I'd done before. It got rid of the problem temporarily, but I couldn't rewind or pause for long periods or it would return. And the freezing, jumping and sound loss always came back eventually!

However there was a bright spot! After my modem was replaced I stopped losing my internet connection which had been an ongoing problem. Not long ago I was issued a new modem after complaining about this to ATT.

The tech they sent out (costing me $100) told me I didn't need it. He claimed the problem was with my outdated computer. I asked him to take the modem back with him. He stated that I was required to send it back via UPS.

I drove over there and stood in a long socially distanced line that stretched out the door. -- Had the tech just installed the damn thing in the first place I would never have experienced that lengthy outage!

I've had this DVR for over a decade without any issues until recently! I've been told electronics have a short life.

Yes, I know that streaming is the in thing now. But my older TV (which works fine) cannot be converted. Also it may as well be space alien technology to me. I can't afford to pay a tech person to come out here every time I have a problem. And worse, everything seems to go out of date almost as fast as it's installed!

Just recently my bill jumped $12. After complaining I was informed that it was the yearly ATT increase. Hot cat pee! A yearly increase should be only a couple dollars! This is pure corporate greed and gouging at the worst possible time! This practice has gotten worse since ATT merged with Time Warner.

And I must say customer service has declined dramatically during my 71 years alive. Every time I think it has struck rock bottom it always manages to hit a newer low.