Late last week, Microsoft decided to suspend my hot mail account, telling me that I had broken their terms of service agreement. This is not something that the Geek Squad can help with, as I found out last time I got into a Microsoft problem, a couple of years ago. Trying to get any help or information through Microsoft is usually a disasterous journey through loop after loop, until one is driven mad, or decides to say "to heck with it". I went through 6 unsuccessful password changes, before getting into a "how can we help" screen, which pretends to be helpful, but is just a series of prepared answers in response to specific per-programmed questions. There is no talk to a person option, until one stumbles onto a different screen by accident. Then they say they will have someone get back to you via e-mail within 8 hours. Sure glad I had an e-mail account other than the one they froze. Of course it was almost 24 hours before I had a response which channeled me into another couple of e-mail password changes before telling me that I was doing well and I would receive another e-mail with further instructions within 24 hours. This response arrived about 6 hours later, and had me work through a couple of more password changes, before telling me that they would text me the way to get into my account. There was no other option given me, including there not being any way of me letting them know that I didn't own a Smart phone, and couldn't receive a text message. Finally I got yet another e-mail asking for yet another password change. Once that was done, suddenly I was told that my account was set up . Not believing a word of it, I tried to sign in to my hot mail account, and damned if it didn't open for me, with no problem. That was about 3:40 this afternoon. I think I must have spent about 4-6 hours, on and off, over the weekend trying to get this sorted out. I sure hope this is the end of it.
Today we went shopping. I think every other person in Winnipeg went shopping as well. The streets were busier than we've seen in months. We started with dropping off my sewing machine over on route 90. The store was very busy, and had reached their occupancy limit, so we had to wait out on the street until someone left. Ladies do not rush when buying fabric. It can take a long time to serve one customer. When I got to the service dept there were two technicians working at benches surrounded with machines. I had been told that there was a long waiting list for servicing, and that it would take at least two weeks before the machine was fixed. When I had phoned about 25 minutes after they opened, I had been told that they had already taken in 6 machines this morning. We managed to get out of their parking lot, despite the heavy traffic, and then it was back to our side of town, where we stopped at a thrift store, so that I could look for cotton Damask tablecloths. There were none but, I did find a very heavy cotton tablecloth in white, with machine embroidery, that appeared to be only in the corners. I figured there would be enough fabric free of embroidery in the center that I could cut it up and use it to make the books for my internet workshop. Bought that and it was off to Tim Horton's for lunch. We actually got to sit at a table inside for the first time in 5 1/2 months. Then to Michael's. Unfortunately David slipped and fell while he was crossing the parking lot into the store. He says he's okay, but I'm going to keep an eye on him, anyway. We found some stuff to buy, some of what I wanted and some that might work out with a bit of ingenuity. At the checkout, the fellow told me that the 20% off coupon I had taken off the internet was American and couldn't be used, but he could give me 30% off. Okay with me! Then he asked if I was a senior, and gave me another 10% off. I had picked up a small, very expensive bottle of special gesso that the instructor on my internet workshop had told us we needed. When I had checked it out last week it was $34.95 of 250ml, but after my discounts I paid $19.00 for it.
Since Staples was in the same area, we stopped there, and then headed for the grocery store. Finally we were off home. Both of us more of less collapsed after putting the groceries away. Supper was a very casual affair. Then I headed downstairs to wash the tablecloth, as everything coming in from the thrift store is washed before anything further is done with it. Discovered that the center of the tablecloth is covered with embroidery as well. It will take some creative cutting to get enough fabric free of the embroidery to work with, but I feel up to the challenge. We haven't had a shopping trip like that for awhile and I don look forward to doing it again.
But now it's time to relax and maybe time for the bar to be open. I know I'm ready.
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