Time starts to tick by. The owner is trying everything he can. He has a second line on the phone, right there by the computer, so he calls the Golden Apple Comic Store in California where Matt is. He talks to the store owner in California, who confirms what room this private conference is in. My store owner tells him he will keep trying, but we are having trouble with CompuServe.
More time goes by.
Of course, he has to call 800 directory service to get a phone number. After retrieving some paperwork from the back office, we get over that hurdle. The owner starts discussing the problem with the CompuServe techie, so the rest of us decide to go to the front of the store so that he will be able to hear on the phone. I am frustrated and tormented, but I realize there is nothing I can do, so I try to relax. As we wait, some of us recall funny bits from the Simpsons show.