It's all good so far

It has been a tech support morning. I appreciate the effort my nephew has done in greeting my dad a new computer and to get it up and running. Still some bugs to work out. Finding old passwords, user id’s and account settings t re-establish programs.

It has gone about was smoothly as one could expect. Finally got his current email account installed and the machine is downloading 2 gigs worth of mail. He is a little miffed that he has to review and delete a bunch of stuff that has been handled once but was also stored on the server.

I can sympathize. Since the bug grabbed my address book under my old email and spammed the universe, I have been changing account information and creating longer passwords. Somewhere in this mix, Quicken cloud backup and Chase have stops talking. I can do my offline backup and I can copy same to Dropbox. I just can’t get the Quicken Cloud to communicate and the error code seems to be hidden from searches.

There is bound to be some karmic justice for those that write code but don’t participate in the aftermarket support. I can only speculate and such visions of evisceration and torment probably should not be shared.

Anyway, it is new week. There are new opportunities to explore in the job hunt. There is still accounting work to slog through, and then there is the job of helping get the in-laws relocated. Sandra and I will do some measurements and get them a floor plan of their new suite so they can look at arranging furniture prior to me having to move it.

A quiet Sunday morning. Dogs have been walked twice, breakfast had, and now a cup of coffee and a chance to catch up for a few minutes before I need to get ready for Church.

Today is Scout Sunday. I don’t have a role other than being a visible member of the Church’s scouting leadership. It will be a full uniform with all the ribbons and bling showing that I have been there and done that.

It is a ministerial commitment that I have enjoyed for almost 19 years as an adult scouter which added to the 11 as a youth bring me to a 30 year involvement in the program. I received my Eagle 40 years ago this September. I was called out into the OA 42 years ago.

Does this commitment conflict with goals and ambitions for my career? I don’t think so. I actually believe it has a built some synergies, required me to grow. Teaching servant leadership, embracing challenges. Learning to communicate better across multiple generations. Building friendships as I go. I am pretty sure that it is has been an overall win win sum game.

I have moved on from some roles and others have stepped up. I will continue to work in roles that I have been asked to take. I will graciously move on to the next challenge when it is time. It makes a difference.

Blogging at breakfast. This routine has been disrupted for quite some time between scouts, travel, and eldercare, but we are finally here for a breakfast date.

Today is another adventure and preview of what life may hold in store. We will be making site visits to a couple of nearby assisted living centers to see where the in-laws will land. Seeing the available space that one would have to live in, it is a good thing to start paring down early.

Image returning to a dorm room of rest of your life. Sharing a small space with someone that knows every sin you have committed and every button to push. Someone that has kept quiet about loathing nonstop televised sports or house shows but now, when you are in this confined space, feels free to frequently inform you about your limited viewing habits. If you haven’t learned to minimize or compromise, this till death do you part part of the contract will really hit home.

Now I am not worried about the in-laws adapting. I could see this being more of a challenge for my father with the dominate pack rat gene. I hope the time I have spent living out of a suitcase with a laptop will help offset this issue for me when the time comes.

I need to remember that every new day is a blessing and a chance to continue the adventure.

One of the challenges I continue to face is the loss of patience and I will admit civility on my part when dealing with the support systems for large bureaucratic companies that I have to deal with.Two instances yesterday.

The first was underway because we received a notice of service termination from our electrical provider. I checked our data. We paid the bill on the 28th. It had to travel from Houston to Dallas. I saw that it was deducted from the bank account on the 4th. I called to inquire and it took 16 minutes of my time to get through to someone and discuss the issue. It appears that they farm the payment services out and the subcontractor got behind on payment entry. I told them that I did not ever want to see another notice like this and set their bill up on auto payment. Now I have to go in monthly to my credit card and schedule the bill payment. Power to choosenincludesnthenpower to change.

The second has been the dragon slaying with the insurance company. The severance package included 2 months of subsidized insurance before I had to purchase the COBRA at full weight. The insurance company would not tell me what the subsided rate would be. First you have to accept the agreement then they will send you the revised cost. Nothing wrong with that picture is there?

Finally got the agreement that the subsidy was available and what it was. Still they have no way to send you a payment schedule etc. Someone had planned my departure from the company, but somewhere in the communication, the ball was dropped and I was provided with two different sets of information. Their poor communication left and continues to leave us without coverage until they actually get the account credited which even with electronic bank draft (which I pay a surcharge for) will take another week.

It doesn’t take long when you first have to work the touch tone computer operator to get access to a human for the frustration to build. You are calling for a reason and the Corporation fobs you off to computer assisted purgatory. You are on neglect waiting to talk to a human and are being reminded that you can also access the website. This might be acceptable if there was a decent FAQ or help index, but no, more often than not you are the first one with this problem ( or at least so you will be told by a human).

When you finally get to a human, located in some third world call center, you find them limited to a flow chart or script and have to argue about getting the issue accelerate/elevated to the next level(s) until you find one empowered enough to be able to help. Then you discover that the solution will not be completely satisfactory, but it is as good as it gets. At this point I am very less than pleasant. I am that very very rude fellow. I ask for they programmers thumbs so they cannot be on the keyboard again. I declare war and do not take prisoners from the front ranks. I want my hand on the throat of the decision maker.

Then occasionally you find the right person who understands the level of frustration foisted on you by the poor design, documentation, or unilateral decision of the parent company and is willing to help you resolve the issue. More than once in conversation with these few, you actually hear sympathy. You realize that they too would man the barricades and put the petty tyrants in the upper.1% up against the wall. They too fight the dragon.