Spatter

Open Wide

I came upon this turtle while on my first visit to Green Cay Wetlands this season.  I'm not sure if he was welcoming me or chasing me off...

 

 

Way To Go Miami-Dade County

I just found out Miami-Dade County replaced nearly all of its traffic signal bulbs...about 75,000 of them...with LED modules.  The old bulbs used 135 watts of electricity and the new ones use 10 watts.  In addition to the ecological benefits, their projected annual savings:  $2 million! 

Restored & Happy Again

Finally, our phone and internet service is restored.  I'm celebrating at last!  Here's the rest of the story:

The ATT repairman that came out today must have been part of their "A" team because...unlike the first guy who came on Friday...this guy knew what he was doing.  The first thing he did was replace our "ini" box...where the phone line comes into the house.  It had corroded.  When that didn't fix the problem, he went on a search mission and ultimately found a short in one of our jack outlets. When that got corrected, phone service happened.  He then proceeded to restore my internet service...saving me about $80 for a new modem AND having to call tech support.  And oh yeah...he said his print out showed we have the maintenance plan, so there would be no charge for either visit.  I didn't know that...nice surprise!

To ATT's credit, a quality control representative came to the door later to see if all was now OK.  She seemed empathetic as she listened to my tale of woe and she acknowledged the problems that seem to be inherent in their being "big" and "complex".  Having worked for Miami-Dade County, I recognized the look in her eye and the tone of her voice as she apologized.  

I don't know if I'm going to keep local phone service with ATT or not, but today's team has at least left them in a viable position.  

Another Day Without

Still without phone line, and so...still without internet.  I called ATT again this morning from a friend's house and was able to get the repair order moved to tomorrow morning.  Tuesday is a far cry from Saturday!  I've got my fingers crossed that all will be restored by this time tomorrow.  In the meantime, I'm having dinner at Whole Foods again...

The Aggravation Continues

My restored phone service was short lived.  Woke up to find my phone line dead again.  Now  it will be a week before ATT sends someone out.  A week!  They didn't seem to care about 911 emergencies that could happen in the interim.  Pointing out our possibly leaving ATT didn't seem to phase them either.  There's definitely something wrong with this picture! 

While here at Whole Foods I've looked at Verizon plans that would have enough minutes to use as a way to replace ATT service.  I never had wanted to give up phone service with a line before because of tower outages during hurricanes.  But now that we're not here during hurricanes, it's something I might now consider.  

It'll be interesting to see if I get DSL/internet Monday with the new modem that I've purchased.  Sure hope so...a week without phone service is one thing, but a week without internet...oh noooooooooo! 

Off Line

Just wanted to check in to advise that I've made it to Florida safe and sound but  I've no internet service at home.  I spent my 24 hours here dealing with AT&T...trying to get both phone and internet service restored.

After many calls, much frustration, and $95, our phones are working again.  Internet service is another matter.  Coincidentally...conveniently...my modem has died.  At least that's what they told me.  After what I've gone through, I'm not sure I believe them, but it seems I have to since I'm not going back to Comcast internet service. So, I paid for a new modem and it's supposed to arrive Monday.  More money. 

In the meantime, I'm checking in via Panera's or Whole Foods when I can. 

Camera Critters - Sipping Gull

bydamanti

More Camera Critters found here

Wordless Wednesday - Tranquility

bydamanti 

More Wordless Wednesday participants found here

Wordless Wednesday - Green Cay Wetlands

bydamanti 



More Wordless Wednesday participants found here

Wordless Wednesday - Loxahatchee Road

bydamanti

More Wordless Wednesday participants found here