Chasing Data

            On Wednesday after midnight, I did my usual search for bedbugs and found none. That makes it six days since the last sighting, but the record since the first one appeared in early June is one month. 

            I memorized the first chorus of "Arthur, où t'as mis le corps" (Arthur, Where'd You Put The Corpse?) by Boris Vian. That makes two verses and a chorus nailed down so far. 

            I wanted to work out the chords for the chorus of “Le vieux rocker” (The Old Rocker) by Serge Gainsbourg but my connection was too weak to listen to the recording on YouTube. Shankar's network was still absent and so all I had was the dlink network, which is sometimes strong enough for YouTube but not this time.

            I weighed 89.1 kilos before breakfast. 

            At 8:30 I started trying to get onto Zoom for the Shakespeare lecture. I almost made it in at 9:20 but I lost it and was still trying to reconnect when the lecture was over at 10:00. This was the first time I'd ever missed a lecture and so it was pretty frustrating. I decided that my project for today was going to somehow get an internet connection. 

            I went to Freedom Mobile at 10:00 but they were closed, even though that's when they were supposed to be open. I went home and had breakfast and then I called at 10:20 to find they were open. I went there and told the clerk I wanted wifi but he told me Freedom doesn't deal in wifi. I could get the internet on my phone and then tether but he said it would be cheaper for me to go with Rogers or Bell for wifi. I really don't want to go back to Rogers and Bell. Even if I did I wouldn't be able to instantly get an account. He told me I have to first call Freedom customer service. 

            So I went home and called them. The person I spoke with said that Freedom does have home internet with a router but to order it I would have to go to their website and talk to an agent through messaging. With my weak connection, it took 45 minutes to get through to an agent and another 15 to find out that home internet is not an option in Toronto. 

            I called customer service again to ask about prepaid plans with data so I could tether and get internet on my computer. I was told I could get 20 gigs of data for $90 but that I could go to a Freedom store and arrange for that. 

            The landlord was in the building and I reminded him about the leaks in my living room when it rains. He said he's aware of it and knows why the problem is happening. Water is running from the roof down the inside of the front wall of Caesar's place above me. In order to fix it, he has to put metal over the holes and he has put in an application to the city for a permit to put up scaffolding in front of the building so he can do the work, but it's a long process getting approval. 

            I went back to the store where I was told that new plans have to be ordered through customer service. I went home and called customer service and was told I could get 20 gigs for $70 and that what I have already paid toward my November phone plan would count as credit for the new plan and so all I would have to pay for this month would be an extra $32.76. But the plan could not be activated until the money was in my account and so I went back to the store to pay that. 

            Then I went home and called customer service again where I was told that the 20 gig plan is $90 but she said she still saw an old special deal of 20 gigs for $65 that had not been removed from the system and so she activated that. So now I was connected and had paid for the internet for the first time in almost ten years. 

            The first thing I did was email my Shakespeare professor about getting notes for his lecture. He later sent me a link to the student-run chat group for the course and so I went there and started a thread asking for notes. 

            I also accessed my mark for my first US Lit assignment. I was disappointed because I only got a 78%, which is a B+. Plus the actual mark for the assignment was 75% but I got 3% for handing it in on time. That means my TA considered my submission to be only a B. I feel the same about Sarah's assessment. Another TA might have given me an A. Teaching assistants are a crapshoot. One can't control whether they are going to be limited or aware. 

            I had saltines with cream cheese and paprika with a glass of lemonade. 

            In the afternoon I took a bike ride to Yonge and Bloor. I weighed 88.6 kilos when I got home. 

            I spent the rest of the evening trying to get caught up on my blogs and my journal. 

            I made pizza on a slice of Bavarian sandwich bread with Roman sauce and extra old cheddar. I had it with a beer while watching an episode of Gomer Pyle. 

            This story featured the return of General Manuel Cortes. He stops off to see Gomer and Carter on his way to a diplomatic meeting in Washington. He wants to take Gomer and Carter out on the town and when he hears Carter broke a date with Bunny he insists that he bring her along. Manuel is very charming with Bunny and they dance all night. When Manuel pays the bill he gives the waiter 150,000 peseros and then leaves but before Gomer and Carter can leave the waiter tells them that 150,000 peseros is only worth seven dollars and change. The next day Manuel reveals to Gomer he is in love with Bunny. Gomer tells him she's Carter's girl but when Manuel finds they aren't engaged he feels he has a right to pursue her. Gomer gives Bunny a warning that Manuel plans to ask her to marry him. They go out on a date with Gomer as a chaperone. When Manuel pops the question he tells Bunny that she will have her clothes picked out for her and someone will cook all her meals. But Bunny says she likes to pick her own clothes and sometimes go wild. She likes to cook for herself and make wieners and sauerkraut. She also likes to vacation on the beach while Manuel's country is landlocked. Manuel suddenly doesn't want to marry her. He's with another woman the next day.