Growl, Grumble....

Stupid DSL

I lost my Internet connection entirely...again....after some technician switched me over to a new router on their end. I was on the phone trouble shooting for hours yesterday and again this morning. Now their solution is to downgrade my service.

My solution is to switch service providers. On Saturday next week, the cable company is coming to connect me to cable Internet and also switch my phone service. I have been with Verizon since day 1, but I am fed up with talking to service technicians half way across the globe. Even the guy who fixed it today was in Canada! When I called Comcast cable, I asked and the guy said all their technicians were in the US and, as a matter of fact, the local technical department was only about 4 miles away from me. So there.

I've gone through three weeks of erratic DSL service and I have had it.

Now that you know how I spent yesterday afternoon, I'll report on the morning with the saddle demos. My client and her husband are adult beginners. Lovely people with a nifty horse--mixed breeding--and a not quite up to my dressage standards trainer. But they do ride more hunter/jumper style, so that's probably OK.

However, the woman has found bareback so much better for her that she decided she'd like to try a treeless saddle. We swapped all three models of the Ansur with her saddle several times as she tried to decide what to do. If she intends on riding in a more dressage saddle as opposed to the forward seat, she really does need to work on her own riding position, and she realizes that. So, in essence, she is going to borrow the trainer's dressage saddle for a while and then reconsider either the Carlton or the Classic.

I got on her horse for just a few minutes, and he really is a good natured fellow. Not as forward as he could be, but he trotted nicely for me and, with some gentle persuasion, did start to put his head down to look for some contact. He gave me the feel he'd be easy to school into a nice little dressage mount with the right kind of work.

The barn is where I used to trailer for lessons some years back and I met my friend Celia there, saw her horse, and had a nice chat before we both had to head back home.

By the time I finished up with the Internet techs, it had started to rain, and I never did get out to do anything with the Boys.

It's now after 1 PM, and a bit warm out there. I wasted the morning with going to the bank--as I couldn't do it online--and the hours on the phone with tech support.

Again, perhaps more later after it cools down. So far the day has not been one of my best.