Trying to unplug in a plugged in World

The last couple weeks have definitely been a bit of a learning curve.  Some of my typical conversations go something like this:

“Hi, my name is Jamyne Richardson and I was wondering if you could help me with……”, their response is something along the lines of “I will email you this document, your print it off, sign it and fax it back”  OR “Yes, we can send that to you what is your address?”  My response goes something like this “Well I live on a sailboat and we are anchored out in such and such bay.  I don’t have access to a printer or fax machine and I no longer have a physical address that is mine, is there a different way to accomplish this?”  Their response following a very long pause is “Well typically people….I don’t know how to do it any other way.  Can you drive to our office?”  “Um, no we live on a boat and have sold our vehicle”.  Another long pause.

Or here is another awesome experience.  Both Dave and I lost access to our smart phones, his went in the harbor and mine was held hostage because of the above address issue and billing and not having a physical address so Verizon was not going to continue service until I could confirm a physical address.  We were in the Hood Canal and our mast is too tall to go under the bridge so they have to open the bridge.  We used our VHF radio to call the bridge and low and behold, the people at the bridge that press the buttons to open the bridge don’t actually have the authority to open the bridge.  To actually open the bridge, one must call Tacoma via cell phone and request an opening then the person in Tacoma contacts the bridge to actually open it.  So circling the waters in front of the bridge trying to negotiate the Verizon automated menus just hoping to get to eventually talk to a real person in an effort to find a way around the whole address thing to get service to my phone to open the bridge you are stuck behind.  Sigh….eye roll and maybe a tear or two.  Verizon wanted me to go to the nearest Walmart and complete the address issue and change Dave’s phone number over to his old phone in person.  Again, I live on a boat and I have no vehicle.  We could go back to Brinnon (a 5 hour sail), catch the next day bus to Port Townsend then transfer to Poulsbo or Sequim to get to the nearest Walmart – hours on public transit and possible stranded in one of the above cities overnight because they don’t run after certain hours – last bus back to Brinnon is 5:45 at night.  Please let me do this over the phone……PLEASE.  I must’ve sounded pathetic enough and the lovely person on the other end tapped a couple keys on their keyboard and voila …. I had service and we were able to get through the bridge.  I have never been fond of technology and this little experience did nothing to endear it to me.

On a positive note with technology, I may soon be able to post a means that will allow all of you to track us at any given time anywhere in the world…Stay tuned!  It depends on how Dave’s day is going.  We started this project yesterday and it continues today with 3 separate trips to shore and 5 miles (literally as tracked on my phone which works) walked and nearly $300.00 of additional supplies in a system that I bought and the man on the other end guaranteed that this was a “plug and play” system….ahhhh not so much.  I was apprehensive about facing the Pacific Ocean but after these last couple adventures all I can say is “Bring it On!”