“Remoted – Hybrid” – Day 757 (Tuesday) – grrrrumpy

Grumpy seemed to be the dominant mood of the day. It didn’t start that way, but it didn’t take long for the seeds to be planted and blossom.

It started with Winston and his desire to be outside. And inside. Over and over. After being outside for barely five minutes, he was barking to come in. After not even five minutes inside, he was scratching the kitchen door to be back outside. This went on for most of the morning. There was a lot of GRRRRRR coming from the area of my desk.

When there was a noise at the front door, I ventured from the office, expecting to see a box from Verizon with the new phone. Instead, it was a much larger, heavier box and I couldn’t remember what it was. Surprise! It was the cast iron fry pan I already forgot I ordered from Kohl’s on Sunday before the Kohl’s Cash expired. This was a good de-grumpifier, especially when considering its potential for both good (make food) and stress relief (smash!).

When the phone finally arrived, it was opened with excitement. Digging through the box, under the phone, was a thin cardboard sleeve with instructions and a very fancy paperclip to pop the SIM card tray slot open. Below that was a neatly wrapped cord, and nothing else. There was no thingamabob to allow the cord to connect to an outlet. The GRRRRR grump factor increased greatly. But hey, there was a fancy paper clip, which did nothing to minimize the mood, and will likely be lost before the end of the week.

I learned from a Verizon rep that phones don’t come with adapters anymore. THAT would have been excellent and helpful information to have on Saturday while ordering the phone. The grump factor was approaching the red zone.

Thanks for the block.

An adapter was ordered for in-store pickup. At 5:00, Winston had his supper and I scarfed down a chicken sandwich and shortly thereafter, headed for the car. A pickup truck was parked in the middle of the street with the nose angled towards the nose of my car and blocking my driveway. A motorcycle of some sort was being offloaded from the bed of the truck. I started to exit the driveway, but the angle required to clear the fencepost and not sideswipe the truck was harsh and unreasonable. I put it in reverse and returned to the driveway. The grump meter was maxed out at this point.

While sitting in the driveway listening to the radio and waiting for the unloading task to be completed and the truck to be moved, the grump factor approached cartoon character ready to blow status. 

One of the guys, assuming some miraculous turning radius in the Jeep and excessive skill level on my part, gestured to the space between the corner of my fence and the angled truck and yelled that he guaranteed that I could make it. I yelled back that I guaranteed it wasn’t being tried again. The truck was finally moved and I could leave.

At the Verizon store in Pheasant Lane Mall, the only Verizon store on Daniel Webster Highway of which I was aware, two guys in logo shirts chatted at a counter. My mission to pick up an order was announced. One guy went out back and came back empty handed. He said I needed the "Corporate Store” for my online order. I had no idea what that meant and said so.

The "Corporate Store."

Phone guy started rambling about “this is a satellite store” and there are “corporate stores” and it was all foreign to me because it sure didn’t say “Satellite Store” under the Verizon logo over the door. I flashed the order pickup message on the phone screen that just said "Nashua," and said “Can you decode this?” I’m sure the grumpiness was dripping off me like sweat.

The “Corporate Store” was a half mile down Daniel Webster. When I entered, a clerk said something about system problems and not being able to process upgrades. Luckily, my order was prepaid and in a bag in the back room and I was in and out quickly.

In the car, it was time to try the new cable with the tiny thing at one end and the regular USB thing at the other. Unfortunately, the industrial strength tape in the factory seal could not be breached, producing another GRRRRR moment. It was tossed back into the bag for the ride home.

The ride home provided ample time to de-grump before I opened the kitchen door to see Winston good boy tapping his front paws. The welcoming attendant provided an instant cure. The best thing about being grumpy and being greeted at the door by an adorable doggy face is that the grump usually passes immediately. Thank goodness.