Now where did I put my ...

[hrj]

I am about to join the crowd of people who spend all their time wondering where they left their other pair of glasses. This was a week for getting caught up on some routine medical appointments (mammogram ... check) including an eye exam. Lately the fraction of my progressive-focal lenses that actually works for reading things at computer-screen distance has been getting narrow enough that I find myself doing a bird-like head bobbing to get the best focus. So I went into the exam planning to ask if maybe I weren't expecting my one set of glasses to do too much. And just about when I'd finished describing my problem, the optometrist asked if I'd be interested in considering dedicated single-focus computer glasses. (I was thinking in terms of getting separate pairs for driving/long-distance and computer/reading/close, but he convinced me that the most efficient would be keeping the progressives for driving and general use and getting specialty computer-use lenses.) So we'll see how it works out. I pretty much never misplace my glasses because they're either on my face or on the nightstand next to me. Now I'm going to figure out foolproof ways to have a carried pair as well as a worn pair, which will depend in part on which pair I end up wearing around the house. (I.e., will I have "driving" vs. "everything else" or "work" vs. "everything else"?)

On another note, I am impressed (not) with the ability of AT&T's automated phone routing system to spend nearly 20 minutes not only bouncing me around through requests for numeric and voice-recognition input, but connecting me to a human being (on some other continent) who dealt only with AT&T e-mail account questions ... when what I wanted was for them to move my living room wiring box 6" to the right and 3" up. The automated menu couldn't imagine a request of this type and only offered options for "phone line dead, wires damaged" or "new service". I did, however, discover that if you hit the pound key consecutively for at least 4 times, you will be offered a human being. (Responding to a voice-input request with "human being please" only returns "I'm sorry, I didn't understand what you wanted. Did you mean to say ...?" and offers an irrelevant option.) The problem is that it will offer you the human being specializing in what it thinks you've been looking for. But at any rate, they'll be out to move the wires this afternoon. I confirmed with the operator that, despite my paying monthly for wire service coverage, it only covers repairs to damaged wires. "And," I told her, "of course it would never occur to me to accidentally kick the wiring box so that it would need to be repaired for free." She laughed. And, of course, it wouldn't have occurred to me to do so -- just to joke about it.

Oh, and my first comment to the human operator was to note that I knew it wasn't her personal fault but I wanted to express my extreme frustration and dissatisfaction with their automated phone system. I wish I knew whether polite comments of this sort do any good.

Comments

[madbaker.livejournal.com]

I wish I knew whether polite comments of this sort do any good.

Do they make you feel better? That's about the only possible impact.

[aryanhwy.livejournal.com]

My mom solves the problem by wearing one pair on her nose and the other on a string around her neck.

[semy-of-pearls.livejournal.com]

Believe me, we like to get as many complaints forwarded about the voice recognition (failure) system as possible. Usually, I recommend people say 'Technical support' to get through the promts.

[klwilliams.livejournal.com]

Polite comments of that sort only work with managers, since run-of-the-mill employees don't ever get listened to.

[cellio]

I'll probably need to bite the bullet and do dedicated computer glasses before too much longer. My current thinking is to leave those glasses at work, next to the computer there, and just suck it up for home use. I don't carry a purse/backpack/fanny pack, so carrying around a second pair would be a real hassle.