preparing, shopping and getting hacked

      Time is passing too quickly. Even though I made head way with my "to do" list I added a few things and guess I'm almost back to the number of items I started with. At least I'm trying. The things that are being left undone are domestic chores... washing clothes, cooking, loading the dishwasher, changing the sheets, the list keeps growing.

     Preparations for being away for six weeks is involved....much more so than I thought. And I'll be in a country whose customs and dress code are quite different....in fact most things are different form Doylestown standards. 
         Modesty...long, loose pants, long skirts, tops/shirts with long sleeves, modest neckline
         Clothing: linen or cotton to beat the heat..if not beat it at least make life a bit more comfortable.
         Long skirts they aren't a problem because I wear them most of the time any way though I did purchase two new ones...end of summer sale and a thrift shop.
        Tops and shirts long (maybe 3/4) sleeves and discrete neckline required, there have been a few shopping trips for these. I prefer linen and inexpensive; which calls for bargain shopping. I made the mistake of purchasing cotton knit tops which didn't seem heavy in the store; but in my bedroom they were way to heavy and I was burning up. Necklines are a bit tricky...I'm constructing little fabric triangles with lace or ribbon trim that I'll be able to fit inside those "revealing" necklines and bring them up to modesty standards.
         Pants: long, preferably baggy....not tight or almost tight. Well I'll make do with what I have that fit the requirements though they are actually "cropped" I'll wear skirts.
        Shoes required sorting through my meager collection and picking ones for comfort. That's something I have to have all the time so it boiled down to  picking ones that looked like fun!

     I started this yesterday, now it's August 12....I hate to think what Friday the 13th will bring! Today has been awful When I tried to access my yhoo email this morning my password wouldn't work and I had to keep trying to decipher those rotten little combinations of letters and numbers...they don't take into consideration that some of us wear trifocals.Finally a notice popped up saying my email account was frozen because it may have been compromised. Then the phone calls began: "Susan, I just got a strange email saying you were in Wales, had been robbed and needed $1,500" Yes, my account had been hacked into and everyone on my contacts list received the same email. Naturally, I couldn't send an email saying it was a fake...the account and access was frozen and the hacker had changed the password. There was nothing I could do but answer the phone...say yes, I know and apologize.

     I decided to contact Yahoo...lots of luck....expect no help....expect long waits and lots of frustration. While waiting my turn in the 25 minute wait phone line I read the comments written about Yahoo's customer service. There were over 300 comments and I doubt 10 were positive. Almost no one, no customer, receives service at customer service.

     Finally Rachel answered and began quizzing me about my use of the help features Yahoo offers....well Rachel, they weren't helpful which is why I've called. Round and round we went,,,when she asked if Id filled in the form about "pishing" and emailed it in...I unglued...Rachel, tell me how I can email something when my account's frozen??I would like to speak to your supervisor. Can you believe they were all busy . OK we went round and round some more. I explained the I would stay on the phone all night if necessary (I was quite serious and I'm certain she believed me) And I explained she best not hang up on me; she assured me she wouldn't
  
      I tried in my calmest, sweetest voice to explain I knew she was only doing what she was told; using the script supervisors had given her....adding that I felt badly that her bosses and Yahoo were using and abusing  her, which was not fair to her or the customers. silence! Rachel, your supervisors are mistreating you badly by not talking to me. I don't want to talk to one any more... I want to speak to their Manager. Guess what the Managers don't answer the phone. They don't take any calls...I'm ready to scream...Managers don't answer their phones? You have got to be kidding!!  How could any one be expected to believe that. The audacity of them to direct Rachel to make that statement.
  
      So I decided I was going to sue yahoo...contact the police. the FBI...darn, I forgot homeland security ... someone would have to speak to them. Oh yes says Rachel have someone from the police department call and we will transfer them to the legal department. I'm about to hyper ventilate...transfer a call, transfer a call, amazing. Rachel, I'm delighted there's a legal department to be transfered to...I am an attorney and would like to be transfered....Can't be done...you must be from a police department. Finally I asked her if she would expect her police department to spend any where from 25 to 60 minutes waiting for their call to reach a live person? Well that's what they have to do to be transfered to the legal department. I flipped back into my attorney role. Much to my surprise she finally agreed to transfer my call to the legal department...I suspected a trick. I guess I received half a trick I reached the legal department and there was a person only she wasn't there at the moment and had left a recording. I left my message. Do I expect my call to be returned? Not really!!