Nothing to Say and TIme to Say it in.

After covering the phones for 15 minutes with another hour to go, I have exhausted all forms of entertainment at the front desk. Yesterday, I discovered that something as simple as watching streaming video from ESPN.com can be detrimental to the computer systems here at Clothier & Head, PS. It all started back about two weeks ago.

The Olympics, as everyone should know, were held in Torino, or Turin, Italy this year. Time zones and the earths rotation as they are, most events of the Games took place while I was in bed. That, added to my not having regular access to a TV, meant I didn't see much of them. But the Internet is an amazing thing. You can, even now still, go there and watch all the Games, albeit, in short video clips. ESPN.com and NBC.com have combined to provide excellent coverage. This is what I had (past tense) been doing before now while I sat at the front desk and covered the phones. Now, not so much.

Yesterday, I was watching Apolo Anton Ohno slide victoriously after 500 meters on the short track, when the worst thing that can happen to a receptionist did. The computer reset, though I didn't know it at the time. At first it looked like I had killed the whole system. Both screens went black and there was nothing for a good four or five seconds. This is an even more tragic event at Clothier & Head, PS because the incoming switch board is tied directly to the computer and when it is off, so are the phones. Panic ensued. There was human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together - mass hysteria. I did the only thing I knew to do; I called Cait.

If I had waited that extra few seconds I would have known that the computers had, in fact, just reset and Cait was unnecessary, but as always I jumped the gun. When they started to come back on, I knew then that what I needed was Jen and her knowledge of her passwords to sign me back in. I sent Anjie on a mission. Jen came, crisis averted.

Now here is the funny part. I write today as if I knew then what had caused the initial shut down. Reality is much different. Yesterday, I didn't know what I had done; I just assumed the thing broke on its own without my being a contributor so understandably, I went right back to what I was trying to do in the first place, watch Apolo Anton Ohno slide victoriously after 500 meters on the short track. This time, however, Jen was at had and when the computer crashed for a second time, I knew it was me. This did not endear me towards Jen, luckily she is probably the nicest receptionist I have ever met, and she proceeded to inform me of the whole, phones not working when computer not working issue.

I took the hint and am no longer going to watch videos of the Olympics, or any other sporting event, even my beloved Huskies as they battle for the top spot in the Pac-10 and an automatic NCAA Tournament berth, not that they need it, at the reception desk, which is why I have nothing to do at this exact moment.

So once again, you have wasted another perfectly good hour listening to Car Talk. Oh, sorry, wrong ending.

Have a great day.

It is tomorrow.

Jason

Oh, BTW, Jen is back from her walk so I have managed to occupy this last hour, and it went by really fast. I hope it was as good for you as it was for me.