Happy Halloween!!!

Last night we decided to carve pumpkins! It was snowing and we didn't feel like getting soaked in a corn maze. It was a lot of fun and I'm sure the pictures will show that :-) Oh yes- Jon did the pirate ship and I did the monster.

We decided it was time for aprons...

Comcast is now Big Brother....

I hope this story gives everyone a laugh.

I had a gentleman on the phone the other night at work and he was having problems getting his cable box working. He had a thick Asian accent and I could barely understand him- which can make things a little difficult when giving directions.

I started to ask him all the standard questions of "Is your box on?", "Have you checked all of your connections?" etc.... I sent a few signals to his box and still, nothing worked. I then asked him for a second time what he was seeing on his tv screen. This was his response:

"The tv is cloudy. I can't see anything. Wait! I can see myself!! What did you do!!??? Are you recording me!!???"

It then dawned on me that I would really have to ask him if his tv was actually on... something you shouldn't ever need to ask. I asked him to press the power button on his tv. As he did so I could hear the volume come on in the background and he was all excited and then said to me,

"I'm gone! What did you do? Did you stop recording me?"

I had to break it to him that he was seeing his reflection and that his tv just needed to be turned on and that we aren't recording him- the red light on his box is just the power light not a camera.

Things like this aren't always often at Comcast, but you do get a few a week that you really have to scratch your head and wonder. hehe.....


Anyways, nothing really new. We're looking forward to seeing Beth, Zak and Jak tomorrow or Sunday. We've been thinking about going to a corn maze but it may snow again and that would squash that plan. So, we're just going to post pone that one and probably carve a pumpkin this weekend!

99.9% of all techincal problems are UE's

Since our last blog- our schedule has changed- hurray! Instead of waking up at 4am we now get up around 6:45am- much better. I work from 1pm-10pm. This company doesn't believe in a half hour lunch... Oh well. However, in the last 3 1/2 months I have realized that the only thing that is constant at my job is change. For example, my schedule is about to change again at the end of this month. I will have an 8:30am-5:30pm schedule (not bad at all!!) however, they told me not to get too comfortable with that schedule... or my desk. That's the part that makes my job less "robotic".

You have to know- I was told that I was going to be in sales, but I seemed to have found myself in billing and technical support. I can get my way around on computers alright- but when it comes to plugging cables into tv's and adding different equipment other than a dvd/vcr player- forget it. Our Bishop said it best when he said "It's like they have to get a urim and thummin when you're asking them how to work all the technical stuff." Hey, if any one knows where I can get one- that would be greatly appreciated. hehe... In training they gave us a 2hr crash course on all the equipment- but during those 2 hours, the trainers were only there for 15 minutes- they had an "emergency"- so I feel completely inadequate. If only I could I could fit Jon in my purse so he could help me...

On a funny note- I did get a call on Friday night that made me laugh all the way home. A gentleman was transfered to me from internet support- they told me he was having problems with his DVR (kind've like tivo). I told her to transfer him and I started to talk with him and I pulled up his account and was looking at all of his services while asking what things he was having problems with. As he was talking I was looking all over his account and I didn't see that he had a DVR at all. Not wanting this gentleman to feel sheepish- I struggled to tell him that he didn't have one and that the box he had was a regular receiver and the only special feature about it was that it was HD compatible. After I did so, he went completely silent. I was afraid that it was the calm before the storm (as what usually happens). However, after a bit of venting from his side he agreed with me after looking at his bill and hung up the phone with an immense amount of bitterness in his voice.

Sorry if this is a bit long- but I do want to give an update on what Jon has been up to. This past week we were invited to a "pre-interview" dinner reception at a five-star restaurant. The food was amazing. There was a lot of sea food- I mean, it is rare to get good sea food in Utah compared to living on the coast (that's why it's rated 5-stars!). Jon and I didn't recognize most of it- seeing as it was decorated to be deceiving. For example, there was "bread" that ended up being made entirely of cheese- Jon was excited about that one. Don't ask me what I ate for desert. All I know is that it had apples and cinnamon in it.

The next day, Jon had his interview with UHY Advisors- and accounting and consulting firm. They are based out of Houston and they also have offices all around the country including New York, Chicago, and Boston. Jon wants me to add that they are currently the 11th largest accounting firm in the nation. This interview was for a summer internship doing digital forensics and litigation and we hope to hear back from them by the end of this week. Jon is really excited and really hopes to get it, however, we'll have more opportunities to see what is available during winter semester- he's just getting a head start.

Other than that, Jon stays really busy with his school work (individual and group work). His group members are great guys and they get along really well. It's lucky to find a group that actually work together well.