Date: Sun, 16 Feb 1997 Subject: The Saga of a Steel Magnolia in Silicon Valley

Hi All,

Sometimes you have to stop and wonder at the way the universe works. I have been without a net provider for three weeks and it has given me more than a few gray hairs. I got a national net provider when I arrived in California in order to have access no matter where I went. Well, the net provider wasn't so 'national' as I thought and access was never easy. The big crash happened the afore mentioned three weeks ago. The national provider expanded and promptly had all their servers crash due to the overwhelming response they received. (I asked them if they were affiliated with A.O.L.). Okay, I'm patient, after a few nanoseconds of pondering the vagaries of the universe, I got on the phone (you know...that thing you usually pull from your kids ear) and called my husband. I said "Honey...GET ME A NEW PROVIDER...NOW!!!!! Please sweetie. :-) And make it one of those real national providers so we only need one account for the both us us." No Problemmmooo the smart man said. He got on line and ordered the software for both of us, simple. Not so simple. His package arrived in two days and he was on line in hours. My package didn't arrive in the first week and the nice technician that I talked to said that they didn't support Trumpet winsock and he couldn't tell me how to configure mine so I could get on line, I asked him why I needed him or his service and just give me the dns numbers before I reached through the phone and did strange things to his body. By this time, my hair is standing on end (kinda funny considering how long mine is). So, I call their 800 number and ask them why it hasn't arrived. The nice man assures me that he will personally mail my package out in the morning. Okay. Not so okay. By the end of the second week I call again and ask why I need them at all. The nice lady personally assures me that she will Fed Ex my package out in the morning. Sounds familiar, but temper control is a full time activity by now. Well, by golly, the next day the U.S. mail delivers a software package. I am quivering with delight. Don't get happy yet. The software won't install. Disk five of seven is bad and it is a no go install. Now, if I hadn't mentioned before, I also had a close encounter with a delightful dentist here and I am in considerable pain on top of all this. Does a wounded water buffalo have anything in common with me at the moment? Yes! Okay, I'll be patient one more day and then have a tantrum. But, things aren't over yet. The Fed Ex package arrived as promised the next day. I'm withholding opinion on it. Set the way back machine to eight? sentences ago. 'Disk five of seven is bad and it is a no go install.' Where have we heard this before? I installed the stack part of the software and decided to try it anyway. Who cares if the .ini file is corrupt? It didn't work. Okay, I got on the phone (speaker mode this time) and called the help line and was told that a mere 21 people were in line in front of me. No problem, I've waited three weeks anyway. The technician who answered got three weeks of frustration in the first three seconds, he became very helpful soon there after. In no time, or actually about an hour, I has on line. Not only was I on line, but it is a 288 line, no foolin', no gimmicks. Can I stand it? Oh, did I tell you that in the middle of all this my older daughter came to visit for almost two weeks? It will take a month to recover I think.

My daughter Elizabeth arrived promptly at 3:06AM on Wednesday the ... oh well, it was very early and I still had to go to work. The mind fogs over at the thought. Well, Katherine and I made it to San Francisco Airport without mishap and Elizabeth arrived on time, amazing. We even found our way out of the airport and back to Sunnyvale without incident. I even made it to work and successfully simulated a productive person for the entire day. Amazing. Well actually it was a quiet day and I hid at my desk as much as possible.

We had a quiet few days before the weekend arrived. Elizabeth dealt with time warp (jet lag) rather well, but she was a tired puppy by the time evening arrived.

Saturday arrived with all the clear colors of a glorious day. We drove over to Santa Cruz and then took hwy. 1 north along the coast to Half Moon Bay. The waves along the beach were white capped and the wind crisp and clear. Elizabeth got her initiation in the Pacific Ocean as soon as I could park the truck. We didn't stay out on the beach too long though, the wind didn't permit a long visit. From Half Moon Bay we went north to San Francisco and crossed the Golden Gate Bridge. They have a park at either end of the bridge and it's really nice for the tourists, like moi.

So, here we are at the Golden Gate Bridge. The sky is clear and we have a good view of the entire bay area. Elizabeth got her picture taken with the bridge in the background and standing in front of the huge redwood tree/driftwood exhibit. Onward. Getting back into the city was easy. So was getting lost, but it was a nice day and we had fun. The trip inevitably lead us to China Town. I confess a fascination with the area, but both of the girls were equally fascinated with it, too. We went into shop till ya drop mode. Did a good job of it, if I do say so myself. The trip back to the apartment was quiet and we made an early evening of it. What happened on Sunday...can't remember. I'm having a synaptic breakdown at the moment.

We spent the evenings of the next week sampling as many different types of local cuisine as we could stand.

Saturday again! Once again we made the trek over the mountains to Santa Cruz, but we headed south this time. The drive the coast is equally impressive. The towering cliffs with storm waves crashing into the rocks were breathtaking. Needless to say, we stopped many times and took lots of pictures. Eventually we made our way to Big Sur. We saw surfers and para-sailers and all kind of wild life.

I have to say that I have come to love the massive Redwood trees as much as I love Aspens. They are almost indescribable, but I'll try anyway. Elizabeth stood in front of one and stretched her arms out wide, and still did not come close to either edge of the tree. Amazing. You can tell where the Redwoods are because it is always dark. They are so tall that they block out the sunlight. AAAAAAAAAmazing. Gracious, but the day passed in an unending array of vistas and panoramic views. Watching the sun go down over the ocean...wow.

I made a grand discovery!!! We stopped for gas and I bought chocolate covered cherry somethings. I'm in heaven. We decided that they could aptly be discribed as 'cherry colored, chocolate covered food substance'. Without a hint of food value of course. And, anything colored that shade of toxic waste red has got to be really good stuff. They probably glow in the dark, but I ate mine and they didn't last long enough to test.

Back to the story. We went inland to pick up a faster road. Actually, fast means doing 75MPH...+, bumper to bumper over a bumpy road for 75 miles after dark. Oh well, we made back. Both kids slept and I dealt with the road warriors in my own way. :-)))

Sunday was another beautiful day. Today's outing took us north into the mountains along skyline drive. As you drive along the road you are treated to views of dense Redwood groves and wonderful turnouts that give you a view of the valley and bay area. At several points you can see the Pacific on the left and the Bay on the right, wow. Too soon, we left the mountains and approached the city. San Francisco is very hilly. You don't really walk around as much as you hike up and down hills. Today's destination was Fisherman's Wharf. We found it mostly without incident. Talk about a tourist trap... No matter. The girls were in tourist mode and I kept up with them, to a point. The high point of the day was watching the seals in the harbor. They are absolutely delightful, if a trifle odoriferous. The wind came up in the late afternoon and the clouds rolled in, time to go. We had a quite evening and got Elizabeth on her plane later that night.

Now I will miss her and my kitties.

The days are pleasantly warm and the nights have been chilly and I have a hard time saying anything ill of the weather.

Other than that, not much is happening and we are ready for the weather to turn warmer. Then it will be camping weather again.

Until then, enjoy! Write when you can.

Jan Noble, steel_magnolia@mindspring.com

BTW...be sure to catch my latest offering in The Eclectic Lapidary.

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If you would like to trade stories, email me at steel_magnolia@mindspring.com

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