curiouser and curiouser

So I'm practicing piano (and this week's exercise-book work is equally hateful: requiring a whole-octave stretch for 20+ bars. This will either make my hands stronger or it will give me arthritis; which remains to be seen).

Anyway. My phone rang. At first I was like "meh, let it ring" and then I was "WAIT MY PHONE IS RINGING THAT MEANS IT HAS TO BE WORKING AGAIN."

I got up to see who it was. Womp womp: that A T and T-inspired or -funded telemarketer from an alleged 918 area code (though everyone I've ever heard from that number doesn't exactly sound Tulsan, if you know what I mean). I picked up ANYWAY to see if I could hear anything. Could, immediately hung back up.

Tried calling myself from the cell phone (or, in the delightful German word for it: das Handy, possibly from the equally-delightful Handfunktelefon). Yup, that came through. Dialed "the number I know best*" to see if I can call out - I can. Connection still a little crackly, but I am at least connected to the world again.

(*My parents. Sadly, Nero Wolfe, if he ever had existed, would have long since gone on to his reward)

I am now wondering if the torrential rain we got yesterday (Seriously, we got like a month's worth of rain in about 15 minutes) screwed something up in either the outdoor box or the underground line (I have NO idea how well protected the line is; I'm betting it's pretty old, this house was built in the late '40s and it's entirely possible the phone line was put in then). But at least that tells me the wiring in the house is not shot, and it won't need to be rewired if I want a landline.

No, I haven't cancelled the A T and T service appointment; it's Their Job to take care of the outside equipment and I want the guy to have a look at the junction box (or whatever you call it). One of the connections in there looked rusty and even if it's working again it may need to be replaced.

but it's a relief to no longer be wondering if I'd need to get guys up in the attic to try to drop some fresh wiring. (If I had known, I would have had the house rewired - also for cable outlets - before I moved in. Now there's too much stuff in it for me to have that done easily)