Dude, Where's My Muse?

Or: Why YOU Don't Want To Have TELUS DSL, (unless you want to be screwed)

First off, I am currently writing this via the very short amount of time I have available on dial up, yes that's right. DIAL UP!!!

Why you might ask? Because the telus supplied ADSL D-link DSL-300G modem unceremoniously died sometime early Wednesday night, rendering me without internet.

First I thought it was just the wireless couldn't connect, so I went down, flicked the power off and on like they usually say. Still nothing. I check the phone line because in the last 3 months we've been without a phone/internet because of Telus (sizzling on the line) a whopping total of approximately five days. Not that either. So I use the few minutes of alloted dial up time to quickly google and hope I can email telus for customer service. No such luck there either. And the DSL light on the modem is clearly lit, not blinking, but lit.

But google turns up an interesting board comment from someone on May 26, who seems to have a similiar issue. The tech woman tells him it must be his network card on ALL THREE OF HIS COMPUTERS. I make a mental note of that, log off and proceed to unplug modem and router for the next 4 hours.

Reconnect fails. I use the telus software to try and get it to reconnect. It scans network settings - pass; proxy settings - pass; it won't even bother to scan the modem before it goes to the 'call telus for help' screen.

So I have to wait for dad to get home because its in his name, so he has to call. Fine.

I show him the same software scans, he goes through them, still the same. Calls telus. Finally gets someone on the phone. She makes him unplug the modem/router for thirty seconds. Fine. (Like that's really going to help when I had it all down for four hours that afternoon?) Reboot. Open internet explorer. Telus pop-up in corner says no connection.

She tells him to wait for yahoo to load.

Uh, lady... it clearly says no connection.

So she has him click on diagnose the problem. Then close that right back up before doing anything (WTF?) and then has him go to ipconfig. I'd all ready done that earlier too, so I knew what was coming.

So she says, give me the IP #.

Dad reads it to her.

Her response. "Oh its a 169. your card's fried. You need to get that fixed. Its not the modem."

To which she hangs up.

To which I said, NO WAY. I even went to device manager where it clearly states my network cards are all working properly. I even plugged the modem/ethernet straight into my laptop, not working either. Think both network cards suddenly crashed and burned on the same day?

NO!!!!!!!!!

So here I am, on a day when I needed to be connected via DSL without it. Without a working modem... oh and get this, no place actually sells the d-link modems here, because Telus forced them out of it. Yeah, ain't that nice??

So if you're looking for internet, do not go with Telus. When I can afford to, I will be oh so certainly changing internet providers to someone who can actually provide what their supposed to.

Well, the long weekend wasn't all that productive writing wise. Was having pain off and on for three days which meant I couldn't even sit at the computer for any length of time, which meant no work got done *sigh*

Did manage to watch the Pens game, go Pens go!! So glad they're moving on to the finals. I'm so tempted to buy my Sid jersey now, because I could get the stanley cup finals crest on it... decisions, decisions, decisions.

And I found out one of my favorite bands of all time is playing Edmonton in November. Sweet!! I never got to see them in person the one time they played here back in the 90s so cannot wait :o)
Add that to the Kid Rock concert in July and I am one very happy concert goer!!

Other then that, did some planting outside. Still haven't done my big pots yet, but did the one flower bed at the back of the house. Way too any ants outside lately. And they aren't little ones either, they are seriously huge in size. Yuck. Got a bit of a sunburn on my shoulders but the shea butter lotion seems to be working wonders for that :o)

Tuesday, May 20th Enchanting Reviews is chatting with Jessica Anderson in the chat room at 9 Eastern. Should be a great chat :o)

Twenty-seven-year-old Kristi Bentz is lucky to be alive. Not many people her age have nearly died twice at the hands of a serial killer, and lived to tell about it.

Her dad, New Orleans detective, Rick Bentz, wants Kristi to stay in New Orleans and out of danger. But if anything, Kristi’s experiences have made her even more fascinated by the mind of the serial killer. She hasn’t given up her dream of being a true-crime writer–of exploring the darkest recesses of evil–and now she just may bet her chance.

Three girls have disappeared at All Saints College in less than two years. All three were “lost souls”–troubled, vulnerable girls with no one to care about them, no one to come looking if they disappeared. The police think they’re runaways, but Kristi senses there’s something that links them, something terrifying.

She decides to enroll, following their same steps. All Saints has changed a lot since Kristi was an undergraduate. The stodgy Catholic university has lured edgy new professor to its campus and gained a reputation for envelope-pushing, with classes like the very popular “The Influence of Vampirism in English Literature” and elaborately staged morality plays that feel more like the titillating entertainment of some underground club than religious spectacles. And there are whispers of a dark cult on campus whose members wear vials of blood around their necks and meet in secret chambers–rituals to which only the elite have access.

To find the truth, Kristi will need to become part of the cult’s inner circle, to learn their secrets, and play the part of the lost soul without losing herself in the process. It’s a dangerous path, and Kristi is skating on it’s knife-thin edge. The deeper she goes, the more Kristi begins to wonder if she is the hunter or the prey. She’s certain she’s being watched and followed–studied, even–as yet another girl disappears, and another. And when the bodies finally begin to surface–in ways that bring fear to the campus and terror to the hearts of even hardened cops like Detective Bentz and his partner Reuben Montoya–Kristi realizes with chilling clarity that she has underestimated her foe. She is playing a game with a killer more cunning and blood-thirsty than anyone can imagine, one who has personally selected her for membership in a cult of death from which there will be no escape.

You can visit Lisa online at http://www.lisajackson.com and learn more about LOST SOULS at http://lisajackson.com/book.cfm?bookid=111

It is SO nice to finally see blue sky. Even though the wind on the weekend made it feel freezing cold at times, blue sky was up above. And I can easily admit I can't wait for the first thunderstorm of the year :o) Did a little planting on the weekend. 3 pots worth. Couldn't remember where I'd put my sweet pea seeds, so I did a little mixing and matching, godetia with gelato ice daisy in one; petunia and snapdragons in another and one pot all the flowers that look like butterflies.

Since I couldn't concentrate most of the weekend, I didn't get a word of 'actual' writing done. Worked on some reviews. Tackled 2 review books; TOO PRETTY TO DIE by Susan McBride (great mystery read!) and an arc of AIRHEAD by Meg Cabot (loved it!) and can't wait to start in on Stephenie Meyer's THE HOST. Looks so, so good.

This week I get to host chat again, Wednesday at Enchanting Reviews with the YA author of the Month, Robin Benway. If you like YA, you totally should read her book, Audrey, Wait! One of my faves of the year.

So how was everyone else's weekend? Do anything fun? :o)

Oh and I want to shout out 'hey' to the lurkers. I've noticed a few new visitors on the stat page, so say hey if you feel like it.

Labels: Spring

I just noticed how long its been since I posted on here. Eeks. Sorry for the silence. But the flu stayed around longer than expected. Add that to the desktop that likes to randomly freeze up and yeah, blogging hasn't exactly been #1 on my to-do list.

Moderated the YA chat at Enchanting Reviews last night. Was fun, we chatted with Lauren Henderson, who's first YA came out in January. I have one more chat next Wednesday with Robin Benway then none until the 27th I think.

Other then that, still busy editing/aditing to various ms/wip.

It looks like spring might actually be here (watch, I'll have just jinxed it) so I might try and start two of my flower pots this weekend. Actually went through and put all the seed packs that I want together in a pot in separate ziplocs last week when I was sick so I should be good to go. Just grab a bag, throw in the seeds and voila, pretty flowers in 45 or more days *g*

Totally looking forward to the start of the conference finals tonight, though the east I think should be more exciting than the west and Pittsburgh isn't playing till tomorrow.