Well, I'm finally back online after a long wait to have my phone/DSL situation fixed. Ten days without phone service is intolerable when you are running a business. And most of that time without email as well.
My advice: Never switch phone service providers when you are making a move. You are then at the mercy of your previous phone service provider, who can hold up transferring your line for days, if not weeks. That's what Iowa Telecom did to me. They'll have all sorts of technical reasons why they can't move faster. And, the deal is, if you have phone service with them, that is normally sufficient until the other service picks up. BUT, when you move like I did, I no longer had Iowa Telecom and could not hook up with my new provider until Iowa Telecom did their thing.
So I learned a lesson. Only switch telecom providers when you are in a stable situation. Don't switch during a move unless, of course, you are moving to a new city and will be getting new phone numbers anyway. Since I needed to retain my current numbers (they are listed everywhere on my web site, in my books, etc.), I was at the mercy of Iowa Telecom.
My phone number is now active at 641-472-6130.
In one way, of course, it's been nice not having lots of phone calls to answer and/or return. But it also means lost business, unhappy customers, etc.
This has been one of the toughest moves I've made. I'm still waiting for complete electric service. I need more outlets in my office before I can go back to multitasking at high efficiency.
The good thing is that now we live in a smoke-free area where the neighbors are not burning wood and smoking us out of our home. The dogs love the fresh air as much as Gail and I do.
