Computer Glitch

Here I am again, dealing with my recurring nightmare: hard drive failure. No email. No internet. No games. The kids have had to stay late do their homework on the computers in the school library. No calendar. Oops, missed an important appointment this morning. No contact list. I have to reenter my contact list because I couldn't get it to back up the other day?!! Aaaaaaaagh! No fun.

So, what's the problem? We have a non-descript disk read error that balks at our efforts at rehabilitation. We tried everything we know and a few things we didn't (thanks to a few kind and merciful computer geniuses we know) to make it work, but nothing helped. I have had four days of moody pre-teens and teenagers mucking about the house with complaints of boredom and endless misery. I've been without email and internet for four days and I've read two 500 page novels just to keep busy.

My husband and I have installed two hard drives in the past six months. Last night, he installed a third. We are officially back up today thanks to that wonderful man! So today I am setting up accounts, upgrading the browser, installing and configuring programs and trying to salvage anything I can get off of the old hard drive. I am hurriedly trying to catch back up with my email and am oh so happy to be in touch with the world again.

In Response to a News Article About Telemarketers

I work as a telemarketer and fundraiser for a local non-profit organization. I love my job because I can go to work part time, spend time with my kids, pick my own schedule, and still make good money. I talk to the nicest people every day. Some of them even buy what I am offering. Most of them are polite when they answer the phone and assertive enough to say what they want or don't want. For the rest of you, here are a few tips:

1. Say no if you mean no.
No, thank you. No, I'm not interested. No, I don't like your product. No way, no how. If you say maybe or if you say yes, I'm calling you back. Soon. Until you finally pick up the phone and say "no."

2. Get on the National and State Do Not Call lists.
It doesn't help right away, but after a month or so, most the people you don't want to hear from stop calling. Don't forget that there are some exemptions. You can still get calls from companies with which you have done business, non-profit organizations and a few others. If you don't want these calls, ask to be put on the company's own Do Not Call List.

3. All you have to do is ask.
If you do not ask me to put you on our Do Not Call List, I won't. If you hang up on me, your name will go back into our rotation and I will be calling you again for our next campaign. Neither one of us is looking forward to that.

4. Choose when you are available or unavailable.
If you answer your phone in the middle of a meeting, dinner or an important project, I am not the one who is responsible for interrupting you. Really, I couldn't tell as I was dialing that this was a "bad time to call." Don't answer the phone if you don't want to be interrupted.

I hope some of these tips work for you. You can practice them on me next time I call you. I promise I won't yell.

A link to the article: http://www.katu.com/news/28588599.html