Ruminations on the Day

     I got up early this morning to see if I could solve a computer problem that took up an afternoon and early evening yesterday.  Since we are subscribers to Ancestry.com, we decided to update our genealogy software to a program called Family Tree Maker, which works with Ancestry.  In fact, if I cash ever get this program up and running, it is supposed to allow me to download our family trees into its pages.  However, the motto must be "no pain, no gain", because that hasn't happened yet.  It took several phone calls to various places to get the program downloaded (my new IMac doesn't have a CD/DVD slot, and I haven't yet purchased the device to attach to play those items), so I had to learn the routine with this new computer to even download and find the program when it was downloaded.  I was finally able to get the program installed, but the next barrier to using it is the little box that tells me that I am not connected to the internet, even though every other program that uses the internet on this computer functions nicely.  I even checked the internet speed, and it far exceeds the required internet speed for the program.  The upshot is that I can't even register the program and get to work.
    To backtrack a little bit, when I called Ancestry about problems, I was told that I would need to go to their source for the program, a company called Nova (I don't remember the rest of the company name So, I did that, and did talk to a person to get the first problem sorted out (the serial number  they had given me to install the program wouldn't work.  Another phone call, another serial number, and that finally worked.  So, after ages, I finally began the installation process - it took over an hour to download the program.
     Voila! There in the dock was the icon for Family Tree Maker.  I thought I was home free.  NOT!  When I clicked on the icon, the program opened, but I was informed that I was not connected to the internet.  I again called Nova, and was put on hold, being informed that "we are receiving an unusually large number of calls and your wait may be longer than 10 minutes."  I just laid the speaker phone on the desk, turned the volume down and waited …and waited…and waited.  Now I really had a problem.  The Seahawks Monday night football game was scheduled to begin at 6:00, (yes, even though we have lived here for 18 years, we are still Seahawks fans), and I had been holding for a while.  However, I now had time invested in getting an answer, so thought I'd just wait a while longer……I was about to give up, the game had begun (about 6:30), when there was no longer the irritating New Age music.  I had flat-lined, because the next voice I heard was that magical voice that says, "If you want to make a call, hang up."  I had been cut off - the phone says that I was on the line for an hour and eight minutes.  What a waste of time.  Exasperation was pretty high. And, to top it all off, the game was a dud, even though Seattle managed to squeak through and win.  Why does St. Louis have their number?  It's like BYU and Utah playing.  Fortunately, my blood pressure was back to normal by bedtime, and I did get some sleep without nightmares.
     This morning, I came downstairs early, thinking I could get an answer early, but I've exceeded office hours, so patience again reigns.  We'll see how the day goes today.  As it is, my $39 investment is just going to waste.  So much for the simplification of life with a computer.
    On with the day.