Where my phone goes dead

A Saga

SUNDAY:  Verizon's new Fiber Optic wires are on fire.  I go home to get my camera, but fire truck is now there and they shoo me away.  I watch the firemen throw snowballs at the fire (I am not making that up). I  call Verizon and say, ''Hey your phone wires are on fire ..." (This takes approx 20 minutes to accomplish - automated phone call Hell) On closer inspection it appears that firemen  may also have peed on the burning insulation? MONDAY - Maybe 12 different  follow-up calls to Verizon, each taking 20 minutes, I will not elaborate, because you've been there (if not, call your phone company and stay with it until you can tell a human being, "''Have a nice day.''  Log the time).   2PM Marion acknowledges that there is a problem with the FIOS  line, and promises to call me back at 4PM with a prognosis.  She never does. TUESDAY - 7AM, Am told that there is a wire problem and ETR (Est Time Repair) is 4PM. TUESDAY - 4PM Been there all day, nobody in sight I look in the window of the front truck and some guy is leaning on a bench doing something.  I am encouraged to see that he is not eating donuts in a hammock. Still, no voice contact. Around the corner this guy is on his cellphone . When he sees me he jumps out of the truck (which means he was talking to his girl friend) and tells me there was a fire on the wire and it should be repaired  sometime today. I think one problem is that only fiber optic (FIOS) customers are affected, and I am the only FIOS customer at this point in time.  It's Hell being a pioneer. WED: 1:33 AM CONNECTION! I enjoyed the vacation, but am immediately horrified at amount of e-mail.  The last mail I actually downloaded was Jan 16th as it is.  Yikes.