Again as Dave Gentry often says, "I told you that so I could tell you this".
We have been at Georgia's sister's helping care for their mother. The first couple of days we were here, I had some time and she asked me about the wire from her house to her shed. Before she bought the place someone had strung an indoor wire which now had lost it's outer covering and was looking pretty scary. On the house it was hooked to a porceline insulator similar to the one pictured here. Along with that wire was another wire which was attached with a makeshift partial hook (also pictured here after it fell to the ground). Trust me this is going somewhere. Later we had a heavy wet snow and the next morning we noticed that the "other" wire was on the ground. Apparently the weight of the snow pulled enough on the wire to straighten the "hook" enough to cause it to release and fall to the ground. It didn't affect the function of anything in the house, but was lying on the ground and needed to be put back up. Aside from the power line this was the only wire we could find coming into the house to serve the telephone, the satillite, and the internet modem. So not knowing which, she started by calling "Bright House" her internet provider. She called and told the person that the modem worked, but the wire was down and needed to be put back up. I will make a long story short by saying that while her phone guru was asking her questions, I was pulling out the couch (the modem was behind the couch) first to tell him that yes some lights were working, then specifically which lights were working, then reading him the very small print number from the back of the modem. When he asked for the operating system of the computer, I went ballistic. In fact, at this point, I couldn't even think of what an operating system was. I asked for the phone and said, "look, the systems are working fine, we're old and don't know what the operating system is, but the wire is down and someone needs to come out and put the wire up; that's all". He said in his severely broken english, I'm just trying to do my job and diagnose your problem". This really set me off. I said, "Look, dammit! The problem is diagnosed, the systems work, the wire is lying on the ground and needs to be put up. Your diagnostic job is finished, just send us a technician.". I know nearly abusive!!!! The phone went silent. He didn't hang up, but there was no one there. I hope he didn't rip off his headset and go crying to the bathroom. However that episode was over. So a few days later, I was going near the Bright House office, so I stopped in and talked with Florence who apologized for our telephone woes and said a technician would be out the next day. I had explained that we didn't know who the wire belonged to and she said they could at least see if it was theirs and we could go from there if not. I nearly hugged her, walked out the door with my chest out and head held high. I had accomplished something. This morning Scott came by and checked it out. We had started with the wrong people. Their wire was buried and the wire in question was for the telephone. He explained that their wires were always round and the flat wire had to be telephone. I had learned something. I have to admit that my confusion came from past when TV antenna wires were flat. We called the telephone company and we think someone will be out in a day or 2 to put the wire back up. Maybe another problem solved. Oh, the telephone company person accepted the fact that the things were working and didn't feel the need to diagnose our problem.
So Andy, if you're looking down. though I would never consider myself as wise or witty as you, I do share your concern for the wonderful technical advances that make our life so much better. Here are the pictures to show that it is amazing that the wire didn't come down long ago. It will be interesting to see if the just stick it back up and rebend the wire or actually put a functional holder on it. Maybe I'll give an update after it happens.
