After years of wondering to sit or get off the pot, I dreamt that I got off the pot and it felt really good. I dreamt we were cleaning out our house and my husband brought up a box containing our disconnected telephone.

We will disconnect our landline. Apparently there is at least one miscreant who enters names and phone numbers from the phone book in online surveys with throwaway e-mail addresses, so people who are on the Do Not Call list get solicited by Education Authority, Education Experts, all these online education places. Garnering and following leads that can't be verified is the new American business plan. I called the marketing company last month to ask that his listing be removed, and they complied. We were all polite and sweet about it -- I mentioned a subsidiary of theirs had a web page with an opt-out link that didn't work. I asked about the legality of that. The women removed his entry but another online education company didn't get the memo, I guess.

Another business model that is in use, but is likely from outside the U.S. is using an autodialer to dial everybody with a US phone number with a canned opening like "This is Rachel/Heather from Account Services. This is a courtesy call about your credit card -- there is no problem now, but if you want to consolidate your balances, press '1'. This is your final message. Press '2' if you don't want any more calls from us." Gee, if it's a final message I shouldn't be getting any more calls. But why is a scam so important that it can't obey the Do Not Call restrictions? And why does the company never mention its name, headquarters, or anything that would legitimate its business?

I pay for my phone. I pay telecommunications taxes, use of the line, and it's abused. It would cost me extra money to get rid of these abusers who spoof their phone numbers and disregard the Do not call list. The telecommunications companies are not offering me value. My cell phone gets Spanish recorded messages from time to time from a variety of spoofed numbers. I don't understand Spanish. I doubt it's worth picking up just so I can understand a recorded sales/marketing/possible scam message.

I am glad I finally have the energy, now that the awful heat (40C/104F no air-conditioning) has broken, to pack up and investigate what I can to put the house up for sale. I don't have what it takes to put up with banks switching from fixed to variable rates, telecommunications/online identity fraud, or neighbours who abuse their dogs. The dog next door is inside, but yelping like it's distressed. I don't know what it is about our neighborhood that attracts the "I am going to acquire an animal breed that is large enough to require acres to roam in and confine it, or chain a puppy outside for ten hours in triple-digit-F heat and then be affronted when neighbors complain" kind. They weren't here when I moved in ten years ago. Is there some neurotoxin in processed food or television programming that makes some people stupid? Has it affected me, because I haven't gotten off my duff and left?