You're damned if you do and
damned if you don't have a cell-phone and/or the internet.
First technological snafu for the week..
For quite a few days now our satellite modem has not been giving a steady signal. No surprise there-- it has been cloudy (which is a whole other reason not to use that means, but- I'm stuck with it until December). Okay... so we steadily watched the skies and worked around impending squall systems.
Until... it just wouldn't pick up a signal at all- and the sun was shining, dagnabit! It finally occurred to me to go out and look to see just WHAT my satellite "sees" when it looks up into the great beyond.
It should see this:
But this is what is the actuality.
No WONDER there's not much reception!!
And, mind you... this picture was made after B managed to pull some of the limbs down with a ski-rope and a rock. It may not look it in the photo- but, those limbs are well over 30 feet off the ground and there's no way a tree-cutting service could get near without miring in the muck.
A sincere warning to anyone getting dish-tv or satellite internet installed in the late Fall or Winter season. Just because that's an old tree and those limbs look dead on the ends- they may not be! Don't let the just-out-of-high-school installer technician put it where there might just be some leaves growing out in a few short months!
Second technological snafu for the week and a really weird solution.
I washed my lovely red Motorola Razr phone. Yup. It was definitely not a "Cheer"ful event as the gravity of what I'd just done "Gain"ed momentum in the "Tide" of horror when I gazed down into the Maytag and saw its little lifeless body laying amongst the very clean laundry.
No kidding aside- but, I was almost sick and let out a very loud and unlady like euphemism when it hit me. I prayed forgiveness for every cuss word I've ever used over my air-time cuz it was obvious this phone had paid the price for those sins and had now been washed as clean as a whistle. I would say as white as snow, but it's still red!
After I very quickly remembered to take the battery out, B came to lend in giving it some CPR (clean-phone-resuscitation) maneuvers. He very carefully laid it on the counter and proceeded to toast it with the hair-dryer. In retrospect- probably not the best method, but it doesn't seem to have bothered it much. After a few minutes of this- he decided I should just go and replace the thing cuz it was a goner for sure.
Fast-forward to the Alltel store where Chad (yes, that is his REAL name!) gave me his technique for reviving drowned cell-phones.
Give it the big chill in the freezer. Huh??? Do WHAT?
Yup, you read that correctly. Pop it into the freezer for 30 minutes and then leave it to air-dry for 12-24 hours. Then, stick the battery back in and voilå! He didn't really know why (and the other clerk was pretty stunned, too!) but, he said it should work.
Well... it wasn't exactly voilå when we attempted it- but, after B had a moment of inspiration and plugged it into the wall-charger, it was up and sputtering. It flickered off and on a few times, but kept trying to live, 'er- I mean, work. At first it said no signal, no signal- but, eventually it found the mother ship, connected and I was talking to my MIL!
Who knew such primitive methods would be the solutions for such highly advanced electronic tools? A rock, a rope, and a freezer. I guess the old adage KISS *keep it simple, stupid* is right again!
Anywhoozie--I can communicate again... well- at least until it rains! And, I will really have to watch my verbiage! No more disrespectful, snippy, catty or disparaging gossip lest the evil cell-phone demons decide to punish me for good.
Blue skies and no roaming signals are my wish to you-- have a Happy!
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