My company picks one unlucky fellow of each department to take care of weekend chores every week - guess who was picked this time...
I am trying to get used to this, but this one has been, by far, the worst experience I had doing this. First, on friday night, my Internet connection at home stops working. Great. I spend three hours talking to tech support (who makes me uninstall Service Pack 2 as the unlikely culprit) only to figure out it still doesn´t work. They say they will call me again with their "top level support" in the next 24 hours - but most probably early in the morning, after I explain that if they don´t, I will only have time again next week. Well, they called at 3pm, when I was already at work. I got pissed, and respectfully (but very annoyed) told them that I no longer wanted their service.
Of course, I have not told about the odissey of actually GETTING to UOL. Seeing as I needed an Internet connection, I went over to my mom´s to get her laptop and my brother´s wireless modem. I tell her I need a bag or a ride home, because I´m not just gonna carry a laptop under my arm. She tell my bro NOT to give me a ride even though he offered one, and gives me a flimsy paper bag - which, sure enough, rips on the way home, sending the computer crashing down to the ground. I decide to tell her, even though I´m pretty sure the computer is okay - but still she treats me like I did something terrible. And that´s because it´s HER fault.
I manage to do some of my work after figuring Fernão modem won´t work on my computer, but will on Vivi´s. Seeing as she doesn´t have all the programs and shortcuts I need (and I don´t feel like messing her configuration), I just drive to work. Now, how would I guess I´d get one hour worth of traffic? Better yet, I get stuck in a tunnel, my radio not working, side by side with a car with loud-speakers blaring political campaign stuff?
Once at UOL, I order lunch (have a few problem with paying and change, but nothing major) and start trying to get a new Internet connection. I go for the new Speedy (used to have their old one), which is a lot faster and just marginally more expensive than my old connection (and will be cheaper for the first few months). I register at their website, order the modem online from the company they offer a discount with, and then I have to pick an ISP (crazy Brazilian law/anti-law, don´t try to understand). I call the ISP I work with and ask about the employee discount. They say there isn´t one. I not only read her out loud the e-mail we received, but also the information presently online in our intranet. "No, we´re not doing that anymore - stopped a while ago". They just started offering this not even six months ago. I decide to call our own competitor. Figures.
Well, at least talking to them was smooth - but they offer to undo the registration I did on the Speedy website (they say it takes a lot longer) and offer me their cheaper modem. I tell her I already ordered one, but she tell me I´m better off cancelling that one (and I agree, I´d only get it CHEAPER and SOONER). Except the company that sold me it keeps giving me a telephone number to talk to their representatives that doesn´t exist. After much discussion, I figure out that they are moving their number MONDAY, and I guess that they simply won´t operate this saturday.
Other small things happened, but those events about alone have made me pretty nervous. I´m finally home, using my brother´s Internet on Vivi´s computer. The new connection is supposed to arrive sometime around the 23rd. I will still have my connection at work, and I might use Vivi's computer if Fernão can let me have his modem a tad longer.
Think happy thoughts... think happy thoughts... at least Dorival Caimmy, famous musician who is in the hospital, didn´t die - that would make my weekend shift pure hell.
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