Berck called our cable company Adelphia as soon as we discovered that the server in our apartment was inaccessible. We have a dynamic IP address (which means it moves around) with our cable plan, because to get a static IP address would have cost a ridiculous amount of money. However, our IP address hadn’t changed since we moved into the apartment.

That all changed when Comcast aquired Adelphia sometime last week. When Berck call up Adelphia and asked for our new IP address, they told him, “Just a moment, sir; I’ll look that right up for you,” followed by, “Uh, it appears I can’t access it.” Berck kept calling until he got someone who explained it. Our IP address information was stuck in a netherworld between Adelphia and Comcast, and customer service reps from each couldn’t access it. BUT… one day the transition would be complete, and someone at Comcast should be able to figure it out. In the meantime, we would keep calling each day.

Berck decided that I should perform this task. I called on Thursday night and got the same response. “I’ll be happy to look that up for you, ma’am. Uh, it looks like I can’t access it.” I pressed my luck and asked the fellow helping me if there was anyone there who might be able to. He put me on hold for while and then came back and assured me that he had asked everyone.

Yesterday, Berck said, “Well, is it time to call Adelphia again?” This time there was a different greeting that said a name other than Adelphia. I waited while different hold music played until a chipper young lady answered with the same strange name that I couldn’t quite catch. I wondered if I had selected the wrong 800 number out of Berck’s call history. I asked her if this was Adelphia.

“Well, this is the number for several companies, including Adelphia and Comcast.” I explained what I needed, and she said she would transfer me to the proper department. More hold music and then a fellow answered and said I had been transfered to sales and he would transfer me to technical support. I then ended up talking to someone in Birmingham, who said I needed to be transfered to someone who dealt with Colorado subscribers. Transfered yet again, I was talking to a young lady who sounded East Indian and who I could barely understand. I told her I needed my IP address. She asked me what kind of Windows I used and told me I could access it from my computer. I explained again that I was on the other side of the country and I didn’t even use Windows. She put me on hold for a while and then came back with a number. Berck punched it into a browswer window, and Our Dumb Blog popped up! It was no longer stuck in its netherworld.

And so here we are.