My frustrations have been mounting to the point where they are spilling over into what is good in my life. I am going to air them here in hopes that I can leave them here.

1. Our Boston office lost it's DSL service when the provider stopped providing in January. We were informed of this right after Christmas and immediately began the search for a replacement. The former provider estimated that we'd find new service in three to five weeks. Now I don't know what planet they fell from, but that has simply not been the case. I have spent over a thousand hours on the phone with various companies. I have sent at least twenty email requests. I have left my name, number and a brief message with every DSL provider on the eastern seaboard. We previously enjoyed speeds in excess of 256kb and now Verizon tells the ONE company we can get service through that we are only eligible for a max of 144kb. To qualify for the higher speeds we have to be within a 15,000 feet radius of the central phone office. For two years we have been less 14,000 feet from the C.O. and somehow we aren't anymore??? We have not moved. The C.O. has not moved. The incredibly frustrating part is that it is impossible to talk to an actual Verizon representative. They are at the top of the chain. We can only talk to the bottom of the chain. I managed to sneak about three levels up this chain and was promptly handed my head in my hands. The so called *customer service* representative sternly inquired, "How did you get this number?? I cannot talk to you about this! You will have to go back to (bottom of the chain)." All I want is an honest answer. Assuming the phone company took a different/longer route to our office, why did they do this?? Why couldn't they use the same line our previous provider used or provision a new one along the same route?? All I want are answers to these seemingly simple questions. I cannot get anything that remotely resembles an answer.
2. It seems like my mother is deliberately trying to undermine my authority with everything concerning child rearing. She may have more mother-type experience than I do but I'd like the chance to do things my way. It is my child after all. She constantly reminds me that I am a spoiled rotten brat. Why yes, I certainly am. How does she suppose I got that way? Luck of the draw?? I think not. I got that way because between her, my grandmother, my dad and my brother, I got everything my heart desired. When I became a full-fledged, card carryin' adult I had some rough lessons to learn. Reality is harsh when your protective cushion is gone and you have to actually work for things. While I certainly appreciated the lavish treatment I received as a child, I would trade it in for some self-discipline. I believe that is a quality that must be installed at an early age. If it's not, then you spend your entire adult life trying to grasp the concept and just when you think you've got it, you find yourself amazed that things aren't going exactly as you ordered. (See #1 for an example of this) The harsh reality sets in again and thus begins the cycle of "Oh hell yeah, I'm important!" / "I'm not any better than the next guy". I'd rather spare Christopher all of this and somehow strike that delicate balance between giving him what he needs and showing him that some things must be earned and that sometimes life just plain sucks but ya' gotta brush it off and move forward. I also don't want to hurt my mother anymore than I already have and it seems like I do whenever I try to correct this situation.
3. My engagement ring has been at the jewelers for almost two weeks. Due to inclement weather it took longer for them to resize it than they estimated and now inclement weather has prevented anyone from picking it up. I was a little hesitant to wear it when Todd first presented it to me. Now that I've worn it for weeks, I miss it. He thinks he is going after it tomorrow despite the icy forecast. Getting it back is important but I will NOT have him risking his life for it.
4. It is about impossible to get good customer service on any level anymore and I'm tired of it. I think the motto of the customer is always right still applies, it's just that the customer can no longer get through to voice their complaint. I've had instances of pressing numbers 1 thru 6 more than ten times and STILL not getting anywhere. This is just wrong.
5. I am sick of bad websites. I look at this thing called internet all day, every day. It varies from day to day depending on what I am working on but I'd guess I visit at least fifty sites a day. This figure does not include my friend's sites because they wouldn't publish crap then put their name on it. I'm talking business sites here. Sites that exist solely to sell me something, be it a product or an idea. Every day I find a dozen or so that just plain do not work. It's not that hard to design a site that functions. Trust me, I do it. If I can, anyone can and certainly the people get paid quite well can. I don't know if it's a side effect of everyone wanting everything done yesterday or budget constraints or what. The one thing I do know is that if a company's website is broken, I am not buying what they're selling no matter how much I want/need it.
6. I hate the fact that I might end up being critiqued by the folks at Blog You!³. This website doesn't meet any criteria other than my own. I don't do it for anyone but myself. I don't pretend to be anything other than what I am: a website designer who took too much NyQuil two years ago and registered a domain name while a 103° raged on. I intended to do great things with it but time is not my ally. This site doesn't pay my bills. My job does so that's where my effort goes. I have a giant problem with anyone criticizing someone's personal blog. There is no way to set a standard on work that comes from someone's heart and a lot of the blogs they've critiqued to date are just that.
7. As I said, time is not my ally. I can barely grab onto enough of it to do what absolutely has to be done. This has caused me to neglect my family and friends. I hate that worst of all. I have so many things I want to do like email Dan's wife Shelley and tell her how much I admire her strength. I vowed long ago to make time to email or chat with Kaycee every day and that vow has been broken. I want to spend more time with Christopher instead I find myself tuning him out more and more.
8. This is something I never thought I'd say: I am sick of winter. I am sick of snow. I want warm days and gentle breezes rather than wind chills and snow shovels.
9. I want to sleep.
10. I shall go do that now.