Today is the summer solstice - should this be a time of joy and light? If so, I deeply regret that I am in the wrong place. It may be the longest day of the year - which is nice. Here in the East Bay it is also the hottest day of the year - up in the 90's, which is the norm for many other places, but not here - it is very hot and dry, and we all know what that portends .....
And I have just experienced yet another odd event. I logged in to my bank account online, clicked on the transaction I wanted to make only to see a totally blank screen - nothing, nada, no matter that I followed the appropriate steps. I called support and the woman who answered was, indeed, supportive. Apparently I have pop ups blocked - she helped me unblock them. I logged into the account again while she was on the line, clicked on the correct link, only to see a message that they are experiencing technical difficulties. Yes, she told me, they are, and they have been working on it all day. I must try later or tomorrow.
On Saturday I received a new iPad. I could get online help - which I arranged and spoke to Adel. I had indicated that I wanted to learn more about the use of the ipencil which I had received several weeks earlier. I hadn't yet removed it from its mail package. Adel was excited to help and waited while I opened the ipencil and began to follow his verbal instructions. No matter what I did - and I did EXACTLY as he told me, the fully charged brand new pencil did not do anything - that is, I wrote, tried to draw, paint, etc. with it, and the screen remained blank. As blank and as virginally white as a plot of land after the first snowfall.
Adel instructed me on other digital wonders and promised to send an email with all the instructions in a written format, so I could refer to them easily at any time. As our session was ending he said he would put me through to tech support. They would help with the pencil.
On came Jeff from tech support. We spent at least 30 minutes, if not more, tapping the pencil, charging the pencil, hitting the pencil, dropping the pencil, eating the pencil. His helpful conclusion was to immediately take the pencil in its packaging to the nearest Apple Store. They would give me a working pencil. Off I went to Fourth Street (Saturday afternoon means lack of parking, and a crowded Apple Store.). Eventually I found a parking space, and entered the store. All these smiling young people in T-shirts and an ipad in their hand were helping customers. At last a really helpful young lady asks what is wrong. I explained the situation. No problem, she assured me.. I followed her to the vicinity of the Genius Bar where she unpacked the pencil, puts it to a screen, and. ........ on the white screen
Script appears. Typed words appear. A drawing appears.
"Why was the tip removed," she asks me. I told her this was what Adel and Jeff had instructed me to do.
So the 2 supposed genii helpers had given me the wrong advice. AND - Adel never emailed me the other instructions.
Two days previously I called social security - I waited half an hour for my call, that was really important to them, to be answered. Of course they were experiencing an unusually high volume of callers. But after it was answered - the woman helped me with my questions. She explained to me what I need to do after my move to Israel, and said she was immediately emailing two forms I would need. I thanked her profusely and told her how much she had helped, we hung up after wishing each other good days, or evening, in her case.
No emails followed.
I called again - this time I waited almost an hour. I waited because I need this information. It is essential for my upcoming change of country. When the call was answered it took a minute to explain what I needed and this woman immediately sent the emails.
So ---- all of the above is to explain why I am not experiencing unabated joy and light on this longest, hottest day of 2022.
