Chatting with my ISP

This morning I opened a chat window with my internet service provider.  Throughout our typing conversation I was polite and thankful.  The issue I was having was with billing.  I asked why my service rate had suddenly jump.  The woman replied that I had had a special promotion that recently came to an end.  I firmly said that I would like my old rate reapplied as it seemed reasonable to me.  I didn't think that raising my monthly payment by 30% was warranted as there was nothing new to the service I was receiving.   I asked politely and I made my case.  It was not until I implied that I could leave them that I was told that they didn't want to loose me as a customer and my old rate would be reinstated for the next 12 months.  Why do we have to get to the point of threatening before anything can get done?  Why can't we have an adult conversation and conclude like two thinking people as to what the best thing to do is?  It just seemed like they had to wait until I said the magic words before they could yield to my requests.  I don't understand this.  Why not deal with the person on the other end of the computer like they are a real person who has limited funds who expects costs to be maintained.  I don't like having to use threats and I don't like trickery either.

Ringing in the ears

For the past couple of years I have experienced an ongoing ringing in the ears.  The medical term is tinnitus.  If I am remembering right, it started after taking a trip east.  We drove through the mountains of West Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee.  Being from flat Wisconsin, those places provide quite a bit of ascending and descending, as possible prelude to ringing of the ears.   I also remember having my ear buds in and playing my podcasts loud so that I could hear what was being said.  Shortly after that trip, I remember becoming conscience to the ringing.  I wonder if it has been there before than but I wasn't paying attention to it.  That is possible.  It maybe that it has just increased recently.  Over the last week or so, it seems to have picked up a level.  Now even while I am watching and listening to the television, the ringing will come through.  Sleep seems to be the only time I can shut it off completely.  It has me concerned as it may eventually become distracting or diminish my hearing ability if it hasn't already.  I have listened to loud music in the past and I have been around machinery that was loud.  However, I don't believe I have done either of these things especially long or loud but temporarily.  I have not used my ear buds in a while hoping that would lower the level of ringing.  I also wonder if using a Q-tip to clean my ear after showering was a cause of the problem.  Right now, I do not have a solution.  I usually listen to the radio and podcasts during the day.  Maybe I need to go over to almost no audio for a while just to experiment.  If I find a solution, I will definitely write about it.

Treasure hunting

Having a treasure hunt mentality I think would be a good frame of mind to have once in a while.  Being in tune to the possibility that there is something available out there for very little or even free that could be sold for much more could be very profitable.  It happens all the time and now and then there is a news article about it.  For instance, someone stumbles across a buried box that contains Roman coins worth millions of dollars.  It has been known to happen.  I have never been one to walk the beach with a metal detector and that is not really what I am referring to here.  There can be many things that are available out there that are undervalued.  Finding those things that can be brought to someone that will pay much more is sort of a treasure hunt.  People make their living off of purchasing land or cars and reselling them.  In some ways it is very basic and simple.  That appeals to me and I want to be open to it.

City pool

One thing I have added to my life this year is going to the city pool for exercise.  My wife is a city employee and a benefit that extends to any city employees immediate family is a free pass to the pool.  Well, I jumped on that.  I like water, swimming, and being warm.  I have gone a few times now and have sort of put together a routine.  I like to go when few children are present.  Most of the people there are older than I am and I am okay with that.  Older folks general stay in their lanes and talk among themselves.  What I do is change into my shorts and t-shirt and head to the gym.  I walk or jog on the treadmill for between 20 and 25 minutes.  Then I lift free weights for a while.  After that I change into my swimming trunks.  After showering I jump into the pool and do a few laps.  I like to mix up my swimming style.  When I am through there, I will get into the shower again, change, and go home.  I like the warm up that I experience by being in the pool and shower and I also like how I am toning my body.  So far, it has been a good time.  Hopefully, I will make some friends in the future.  I also hope to continue to have a far amount of flexibility in my schedule so that I can regularly work out at the city pool for free.

Winter

Winter is not my favorite season.  It is cold and dark which limits what I can do.  There is snow and ice that need to be cleared and scraped away.  The temperature drives me inside and my interest in being outside is severely limited.  Activities that are somewhat popular for this time of year are not ones that I engage in.  I do not snowmobile, ice fish, or ski.  Those things just do not have an appeal.  I have downhill skied in the past but have not gone for years.  So to me, it is a very limiting time of year, somewhat depressing, and a waiting game.  What I end up doing is spending more time on the computer, reading books, and watching more television.  At some point, I would like to be in a place that has shorter winters, where the hope of spring dawns sooner, and where I could get some relief from the painful cold.