Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Had a Bad Day?

It's 12:45 pm and I already know that today is going to be a bad day. There is no need for a photo, I'm too angry to go looking for one to make this post "pretty".

After a full day in a classroom that still doesn't have AC, I wasted 5 hours last night, didn't go to the gym, to work on a short story that is just crap. Literally, it stinks. I went to bed disgusted. I woke up this morning cheery as I knew what I needed to do to fix my writing. But then when I tried to log on, the internet wasn't working. I have no wireless at all. The building has wireless but for some reason my computer doesn't want to hook into it.

So here I am, at some disgusting internet shop on Allenby Street using an archaic PC that feels grimy underneath my fingers while trying to figure out why everything I've tried to do today has gone wrong.

Case in point:
1) I called the furniture store I ordered my bed from to let them know that they can deliver my bed on Friday and I got no answer. I called back a few times and kept getting the answering machine. Now, it ain't siesta time, so why aren't they answering the phone? And, what's worse, is that last Friday night I heard stories about stores on Herzl street charging people for furniture and then closing up shop and hightailing it outta country with the money in tow. I spent a little fortune on my bed and will have an utter fit if that's what happened to me. For now, I'm trying to relax and give them some time to call me back before I get into a cab and head down there myself.

2) Bezeq - I called bezeq to find out about my modem. They needed me to go down to the bezeq store in Tel Aviv with my landlord's Teudat Zehut card to pick up the box. My landlord is busy trying to get hot water into my apartment, install a kitchen, put a roof on my enclosed balcony, put on the doors, pick up my closet, and doesn't have time to stop working to take care of this. So I called and asked them to deliver the box. Turns out, that IS any option, for an extra 30 shekels. Fine, go for it. But it was a whole production and I had to conference call my landlord so he could give them his ID number. He wanted to save me money and said he would be happy to take me to pick up the box "one of these days". He doesn't GET it. I don't have time for "one of these days", I need to get this stuff done before I get into the apartment. I need a working internet so I can start working! Between my school schedule, and him trying to put my toilet bowl in, I need to do things that are easy for the both of us. So fine, the box is being messengered now and should be there by Friday. That means that I'll be on the phone ALL day on Sunday with the various internet providers trying to figure out how to hook everything up and then deal with my VOIP.

3) My internet at home - I am spending 13 shekel an hour at this dump of an internet hovel that has the old PC's, NO airconditioning and a bitchy Russian woman behind the counter who was mad at me because I accidentally shut down one of the computers. I'm sorry, I don't do PC's and couldn't find the num lock button and accidentally hit poweroff. Sue me. I'm still paying you for a full freaking hour. The last person who used this computer never bothered to shut off his MSN and I keep seeing Greman the "muso-terrorist" pop up that he's online and ready to chat. That's reassuring, Mr. Muso-terrorist, I'd sure love to chat with ya. I want my internet in my apartment to work! I wish my current landlord was anywhere to be found, or that his cell phone number was working, but it's not. So I can't even call him to see if it's his problem, or if it's my computer issue. Either way, I have to wait until 4:00 pm Israel time before I can call Apple care to find out what the problem is. This 10 hour time difference between Israel and the West Coast is a big issue.

Man, I'm really melting in here. Where is the AC they advertise?? Some guy walked in 15 minutes ago and is still in the bathroom. That's just great, I can't wait for the stench to hit me when he walks out. I'm sure he won't close the door behind him.

So now it's just one big waiting game: I'm waiting for the Apple store in Israel to call me back, for the furniture store to call me back about my bed, for anyone over at isramac to call me and try to help me with my computer problem, for my landlord's phone to start working again so he can reboot the internet in the apartment, etc. I need to go to the gym this afternoon to cool off, I think an hour workout will do me some good.

Yuck, some guy is coughing up a lung on the opposite side of this computer. Maybe I'll just go to Jerusalem tonight and meet up with Ari at some big beer fest by the old Tachanah Merkazit. How ironic, I still haven't gotten around to going to the kotel, but I'm going to go to Jerusalem again for beer?

Fine, I'll admit it, I'm avoiding the Kotel. I have no good reason why, I just am. I'll be over this by the time Hannah and Liora get here in a few weeks, but it would be nice to get there at least once beforehand. We'll see. Right now, I've got too much logistical junk to deal with.

Editorial note to my Dad - notice the lack of expletive deletives in this blog posting, which should be RIDDLED with four-letter-words that I would be more than happy to unleash as a torrent on the next person who contacts me with not so good news. Clearly I listened when you spoke as I've abstained from including any offensive language in this blog.

I'm NOT happy about that either.

Song of the day is The Way by Fastball because I heard it on the radio this morning and using Bad Day by Daniel Powter would just be cliche

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hey Shira,

I know this may seem nit picky but seeing how I'm from Miami I can honestly call you a wimpy pathetic football fan who knows nothing about everything? The Super Bowl (or as we call it in Miami - The grande bowl) will in fact be played in sunny South Florida this year.