Monday

[ksmith]

I gave Comcast cable a few days to settle, and waited until today to cancel AT&T DSL. I tried earlier today, sat on various forms of hold for an hour, and wound up getting bumped over to DSL Tech Support even though I hadn't called DSL Tech Support. That was one of the more annoying aspects of dealing with AT&T--no matter which customer service number I called, I have always wound up being bumped to DSL Tech Support or Customer Service, who would then proceed to tell me that they couldn't help me and I needed to call another number...which was more often than not the number I called...except that I got bumped because AT&T kicks all their DSL customers into the DSL phone maze even if they've called about phone service.

So DSL Tech Support kicked me over to the department that handles cancellations...at which point I was disconnected. I just called now, and after 15 minutes on hold, got through. I even let the email address go, even though I could've kept it for $4.95/month. Hell with it. I'll need to change my contact info with a few places...but I'll also eliminate a lot of spam.

I will be soo glad to have AT&T out of my life.


After giving the utensil drawer a thorough going-over, I finally broke down and bought some decent knives. JA Henckels. Decent German stainless, with the blades that go the the end of the triple bolted handles. I noticed the difference.

Dinner. I cut up some chicken breasts and added them to a fry pan, along with some olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano. After the chicken cooked, I added some of it to the leftover marinara/artichoke/mushroom sauce, and served it over bowtie pasta. Plenty of leftovers. I'm doing my best to stay away from junk food/fast food/Lean Cuisine 7 nights a week. The stuff you make yourself really does taste better. I just need to get out of the habit of using every pot and pan I own to make one meal. My hands are already dry from washing dishes.

Revised page proofs arrived Friday. I haven't dug into them to any great extent. Here's hoping...

Comments

[hoosier-red.livejournal.com]

Decent knives are a revelation -- I bought a starter set of Chicago Cutlery when a visiting friend said she wanted to cook for us, and I was astounded at how easier it was to slice, chop and generally cut up food.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

I bought the Henckels knives at Target--the Chicago Cutlery stuff was there, as well.

I've read articles about how to choose quality knives. I don't think the ones I have are The Best, but the tangs go all the way to the ends of handles, and the handles are triple-riveted. I think they'll last a while.

I guess Wusthof has a great rep, but no way was I going to pay $1000 for a set of knives.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

We still have a Henckels quartet of sewing scissors, in nesting holster, that belonged to my great aunt. Vintage 1900, Wife loves them...

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Good scissors are another good investment.

My Mom had a pair of nail scissors that were part of a manicure set she received as a gift back in the 50s. Fifty years later, those scissors were still sharp, still cutting well. Newer scissors couldn't touch them.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

Just thought you might be interested that the company has been around for a while.

As an aside, I consider those scissors a counterpoint to all the Evil Mother-In-Law jokes floating around. Mom gave Wife the ancestral Good Scissors as a welcome to the family gift...

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Thanks--it's good to know. I think that with care, these knives will last a while.

I wonder which company made Mom's scissors...?

[ellorac.livejournal.com]

I have had such hell the last month and a half trying to get the account screw-ups untangled from *installing* AT&T DSL, that I am very much considering scrapping it all and going with someone else for landline phone as well as internet. I'll pay attention to whether or not Comcast works for you.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Um...yeah.

Because initially, I was supposed to get a price break for the first 12 months. IIRC, 29.95/mo instead of 39.95/mo. Except that never went through, and when I called to ask about it, I was told that I would have to disconnect the service and reconnect in order to get the lower price. I needed internet at the time, so I never pursued it.

Then there are the nine million different phone plans, which always seem to wind up costing more than the advertised price.

I will see how Comcast goes. So far, they remain connected even during storms, and the connection is faster. TV-wise, the picture seems to be better. Phone is apparently a one-size-fits-all price for local and long distance. Given that I've made several long phone calls this month, we'll see how the pricing shakes out.