inconsequential problems (lyn)

In the big scheme of what can go wrong, my concerns are negligible.  But today, many small things go awry.

The morning starts out fine.  I arise at 6:30, and Karen comes by at 6:45. It’s dark and cold, but we still venture out for our 3.6-mile walk.

I come home, shower, make tea, and plan to settle in with The New York Times, which is delivered each morning.  Except today.  I call and a recorded voice tells me that my paper is being held up due to “production delays.”  It never arrives.

The first thing on my to-do list is to set-up my new cordless phone; my old one died.  The direction book appears to be written by someone whose first language is not English.  It takes four separate calls and 50 minutes to get my questions answered.

I call Verizon to set up the light alert on the handsets so I know when I have new messages.  I call at 11am and am told that it will take 3-4 hours to be working.  I call again around 4pm and this time I’m told that it was initially set up incorrectly and because it is so late in the day, it will now take 24 hours to be set up. 

Replacement cushions for my Humanscale desk chair arrive (it's called the Freedom Task Chair and I absolutely love it).   The screws on the chair are all bent and the allen wrench I'm told to use ("oh it's so easy anyone can do it") won’t work.  Mike, the handyman, is out until next week with water on the knee, and the super has a broken hand.  So until everyone’s injuries heal, I will have a gigantic box of cushions sitting in my bedroom.

I emailed my landlord last week to complain of my 80-degree apartment.  I ask for a rent reduction to compensate for the significant amount I spend on air conditioning each winter.  Today I’m told that there is no remedy and my rent will not change.  Disappointed but not surprised.

And finally, I try to contact the President of Weight Watchers in follow up to the letter I sent him last week asking for a meeting.  I call WW headquarters, and am asked to press star and dial in the last name of the person I am trying to reach.  I do and the recorded voice says, "the keys entered do not spell a recognized name."  I then push O for operator and get a recording .  A recording for an Operator!  This has not been a great day for phone calls.

But I do have something good ahead.  An hour or so from now, I will have a turkey burger with my son, and watch more of the DVR’d first hour of 24.  Compared to Jack Bauer’s problems, mine don't even exist.