I've been on hold with first Microsoft and now Dell trying to resolve what would seem to be a simple problem with this home network and that is how to synchronize Outlook Express so that my mom can use it on both of her computers.

I can't figure out how to do it. The guys at her ISP didn't know. The people who sell the networking hardware didn't know. Microsoft probably knows but wants to charge you for the pleasure of releasing that information. Dell has got me on hold waiting for the third time for someone who probably either won't know the answer or won't be able to tell me for some arcane reason. Before there was music, but now there's just this sterile female voice saying, "please wait" at periodic intervals. It's creeping me out.

I wasn't on hold once for the year I was in Samoa and it was a great, I mean fantastic treat. I hardly made any phone calls. I didn't even get a phone in my place until the end of June and then most of the calls I made were to my ISP. How long can a person stay on hold before the desire to rip the cord out of the wall and smash something with the phone overcomes my patience and my need to get at important and valuable information?