Woody Cavenaugh

As I mentioned earlier, my humble abode had its phone system blown out by a lightning strike. I personally count myself as lucky that the place didn't burn down from all of the melted phone wires and exploded phones around.

So this week I have worked on the process of getting insurance involved in the repair process. Much of the slowness has been my own fault since I have never filed a claim before. I didn't even file a claim on the bullet holes. I made it through three tiers of insurance help desk and a plan was formed. I get the phone company to go ahead and repair their destroyed equipment and then the insurance adjustor can work on the rest.

What was really amazingly cool and I have to give much thanks for was I called the phone company yesterday just after lunch, and before five in the afternoon the blown out access pannel was repaired and they had dial tone there. Very cool! So today all I have to do is call the insurance guy back and let him know that I am ready for them. First thing this morning, at Sara's wise suggestion, I took a working handset and went out side to the access pannel, plugged in and checked to see if I had any messages on the answering service. It has been a week since there has been a dial tone anywhere near my house after all.

I had five messages.
1 hangup.
1 call about some film we had developed
1 call from the second tier insurance help desk to call them back about the claim on the lightning strike on my telephone system.
1 call from the telephone repair technician letting me know that my access panel had been repaired.
1 call from the telephone company letting me know that the repair technician had let them know that he had repaired the access panel.

So out of five calls three of them were calls from people who knew good and well that I would not be able to receive the call what with my internal wiring all melted and blown appart.

All of these people had alternative phone numbers, in fact all of them used my alternative phone number to call me at work to let me know what I needed to know.

A part of me wants to shake them and scream to the heavens "Why God why would this poor soul call me at this number knowing that it is the reason they had to call in the first place!"

Another part of me is taking a deep breath and realizing that I probably couldn't handle the truth, and should drop it. This is the reasonable voice that I am going to listen to.

Most of the other voices aren't interested in this problem at all and want to change the subject.