“Fer cryin’ out loud!”

It was 10 a.m. this morning. I had 45 minutes before getting ready for a dental cleaning.
The appointment was at noon in a suburb of Rochester.
Getting to it takes about a half-hour — I try to allow 40-45 minutes.
To do it I had to daycare my dog. Doing so takes maybe 15 minutes.
Just driving to doggy-daycare is about eight minutes. Then there’s waiting inside for a clerk, plus possible jawing. Perhaps another eight minutes.
I should be heading to the dentist by 11:10.
45 minutes should be enough time to order two things online: -1) an ink-cartridge for my wife’s old copier, and -2) a new flag.
I fired up this laptop. Froogle-Search for Hewlett-Packard “21” ink-cartridges.
I clicked on one but they wanted $9.95 to ship a single $17.50 cartridge. (Actually its was two for $34.99.)
PASS! That’s ridiculous.
My second hit was much less per cartridge, and only $3.39 shipping.
In the cart it went. Next was checkout.
I could use PayPal, so I set that up.
“Complete order.”
NYET! Alarums-alarums! “You forgot your phone-number.”
Crank in phone-number.
Again, NYET! Alarums-alarums! “You forgot ‘method-of-shipping.’”
I thought I set that up: $3.39 via Post-Office. You told me.
I tabbed that again, or so it seemed.
NYET! “You forgot ‘method-of-payment.’”
“I did not!” I screamed. “I already set up PayPal.”
Fast approaching 10:45; so far at least a half-hour trying to order a simple ink-cartridge.
Another attempt at designating PayPal, but into the ozone this time.
“Do a ‘chat,’” it suggested, so I fired up chat. I also fired up my word-processor, since I do my chat-entries at first in that.
I should know better. At 79 words I already exceeded the attention-span of the average reader by 74 words.
Okay, call the seller’s 800-number. “Please hold.”
It was 10:45, my alarm was sounding.
So much for ordering a simple ink-cartridge online, plus a new flag is beyond-the-pale.
“Time-saving technology,” they tell us. But ordering an ink-cartridge shouldn’t take an hour. —That is, I never was able to order it.

• My beloved wife of over 44 years died of cancer April 17th, 2012. I miss her immensely. Best friend I ever had, and after my childhood I sure needed one. She actually liked me.