Not a fun diversion story - Run-in with Verizon Customer Service

Sometimes, we all waste time in activities that bear no relationship to fun. I have been fighting with Verizon Wireless for about two weeks - so far - in an attempt to purchase a wireless broadband USB device and service for my father-in-law who lives in a rural area in Florida where Verizon is the ONLY choice for reasonably high speed internet connectivity.

For some odd reason, Verizon does not seem to want my business, even though they spend tens of millions of dollars advertising their products and their network.

Today I spent more than 40 minutes on the phone with customer service to try to figure out why they cannot seem to understand that I am who I say I am despite my having gone to their local store with all of the identification needed and despite having sent that information via fax to the phone number they provided to me. For some odd reason, their internal communication procedures do not allow them to make contact with customers to tell them that there is a problem with their order, nor can they help the customer understand just what the problem is and what they can do to correct it.

In my case, the credit review department has demanded that I sent them a fax of my driver's license that they can read. I have a Florida driver's license - as anyone with such an identification knows, that state issues some very secure photo ID's with holograms that are not designed to be readily faxed to anyone. However, that is the only choice that Verizon's customer service representatives will give me in order to complete my purchase.

Today, I let the representatives know that I was recording the call. It is kind of boring, but there are some interesting exchanges. It is especially amusing to listen to the course of the call while paying careful attention to the marketing messages provided by the hold music.

If there is anyone at Verizon in marketing, I hope you listen and think about how much money is being wasted in the effort to attract customers while the people who are supposed to close the deal stubbornly refuse to offer any hope that there might be a way to actually pay to join into the network - at least in my case.

For your amusement, here is the audio that I captured during the call. The only edit I made was to remove the one or two seconds that it took to provide the last four digits of my SSN. The rest is exactly as it transpired on Saturday, February 7, 2009.

Verizon "Customer Service" Call February 7, 2009

Nothing like a cold, clear Sunday morning

Just a few minutes after sunrise, I put on a bunch of layers, plugged in my ear buds and covered my head with a baclava. Then I donned my helmet and was ready to roll. I got a wild hair, however, and decided that the look would make an interesting profile photo someday. What do you think?



For some odd reason, I had the road to myself for a while. As I road along the north shore of the mouth of the South River - inside my neighborhood - I heard a cacophony of geese calls, so I decided to take a little detour into the neighborhood beach park. I knew the geese liked to winter there; I had see signs stating that even kayaks are not welcome during the November through April season lest they disturb the birds. It has been below freezing for several days, so the shore is starting to build up some ice and frozen foam that looks a bit like snow. My hope is that these birds are smart enough to figure out that going to sleep with your feet in nearly frozen water can be dangerous if the freezing gets completed while you are asleep.





As I continued the ride, I enjoyed some great tunes from the Roadhouse #206, which included some historic blues cuts from the 20s and 30s. They felt right for our current times. As I kept pumping and watching familiar scenery and homes pass, the miles fell away, and all was right with the world. Endorphins and good music is a wonderful combination for the soul. After more than an hour I came around a bend in the road to one of my favorite views on the route - Annapolis Harbor.

With the sun low in the winter morning sky, the Naval Academy Chapel dome shone brightly almost in a direct line with a stirring American flag. As you can see from the calm water, there was not much wind, but there was a little puff just as I snapped the photo.



One of the reasons I was out riding and thinking - other than the fact that I do that as often as possible - was a renewed sense of mortality. You see, one of my heroes passed away on Thursday after a hard fight against cancer. Though the word hero is often applied to someone in a different generation, Jon and I were classmates and just a year apart in age. However, Jon was one of those bigger than life kind of guys who always had the most beautiful girlfriends, wore a letter sweater with the most stars on the Yard (he had 8 varsity letters by the time we graduated) and married a delightful woman. Jon was also the kind of guy that had a lot of true friends; he would look you in the eye and actually listen as you talked. He was in terrific physical shape - until he got sick.

After thinking, riding and coming across the view of the chapel dome, I decided to do something I used to do every week, but now only do on occasion. I went to chapel and prayed some thanksgiving for having known Jon and some prayers of blessing for his lovely bride. Jon - many of us will miss you.

Sign of the Economy - Ships Stacking up in the Chesapeake Bay South of Baltimore

I have been riding my bike along the Bay Ridge shore of the Chesapeake Bay for at least the past six years, and I have never seen as many ships anchored in the Bay as I have during the past few weeks. Three of the ships are obviously car carriers, the other six are general cargo ships or container vessels. Though I cannot be completely sure, it appears to me that the very same ships have been visible for at least the last 5 days.

This is a troubling development that reinforces all of the bad economic news that I keep hearing on the radio. Normally ship owners try to keep them moving with cargos. Ocean going ships are expensive capital investments that do not make any money unless they are moving materials from point A to point B. If there are a bunch of ships hanging out near a major port like Baltimore, MD, I wonder if the same sights can be seen around the country?

The included photos are a bit foggy; that was the weather on Tuesday when I took them. I saw the ships more clearly during today's ride, but neglected to bring my camera along. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day for capturing pictures. In the meantime I think you might enjoy the below photo of a couple of the ships with an interesting cloud pattern above them.

Beach fun with family

Not all of my diversions are solitary, though when you wake up as early as I do on most mornings you have to develop ways to be comfortable by yourself. In the past couple of days, I have been enjoying spending time with in-laws, wife, daughter, daughter's boyfriend, and daughter's dog - aka Raven the grandpuppy.

Though never owning a dog during adult life, I have enjoyed the company of well behaved dogs that readily adapt to family life and help make things fun. Here are a couple of photos of some recent play opportunities on the beach.


Raven with his flying disk and "dad"

Raven with his "mom"

Raven

Sunrise beach bike ride

Fellow early morning risers:





My family and I are staying on St. Augustine Beach for the New Year. The beach is beautiful and allows cars to drive and park. Because of the occasional traffic the sand is packed tight enough to allow for a good biking surface. Here is a photo I took this morning of my trusty High Sierra. Unlike my family members, it does not mind getting up at dawn for a scenic ride on the beach.

Kayaking on Spa Creek

It has been a very long time since I last shared some thoughts and photos about my diversions like biking and kayaking. So many of my trips are pretty routine bits of exercise, but I live in a terribly beautiful place that really deserves to be shared on occasion. This morning I put in at Truxton Park and paddled out the Spa Creek, across the Annapolis Harbor, and across the Severn River. It was a beautifully calm day, and I was out early enough to avoid the churned up water left behind by some of my more massive fellow boaters.

Here is a view of Spa Creek from water level.



The creek is surrounded by beautiful waterfront homes but it still retains some working marinas where one can get a boat repaired. I have actually been inside the shop at Sarles - one of the most well organized mechanic's shops I have ever seen. Here is a photo from water level of their marina.



One last image to leave with you. When people around the bay talk about alternative energy, those who have never done much sailing say things like - why don't we just do like the Germans and build some windmills. Here is a visual that I want you to remember when people make that kind of comment. I took this photo yesterday while biking on Bay Ridge. It is looking from the point back into Annapolis Harbor. If you look closely, you can see the Naval Academy Chapel dome.

Notice how little motion you see in the foreground. Translation - no wind, no power.

Fall Hike - no bike this time

It has been nearly a year since I last posted on this space. It is amazing how fast time flies. Sharing thoughts about outdoor diversions continues to fall near the bottom of a long to-do list.

This morning, my bride and I took advantage of one of the first weekends that really feels like fall and did a brisk 5 mile hike in the McKeldin section of the Patapsco Valley State Park. We took some photos that captured the day and thought it would be fun to share them.

There is a shallow stream running through the park. We love the sound of the water making its way through the rocks and around the bends.



Near the end of our route along the white blazed trail there is a steep climb that brings a rewarding view of the Liberty Reservoir near Baltimore. If you look closely, you can see it through the trees.



Here is another view that provides a bit more color and less reservoir.