Transcript of a subsequent instant message chat:
Mike: I'll bet some antitrust law would make you feel better.Me: Don't get me started on how evil companies are
Mike: Wouldn't outlining the relevant law make you feel better?
Mike: mmmm?
Me: nope
Me: Well,
Me: I. Companies are evil
Me: That's all you need
Mike: Shouldn't there at least be an "II."?
Me: II. No, really. They are!
Mike: ok, good. I'll put that on my exam and see how that works.
Me: You wouldn't be wrong
OK, to be fair, not every vendor I talked to today was horrible. Verizon and Blue Shield, for instance, were actually quite reasonable, employing people who were able to think outside the box, so to speak. However, everything was still a headache to deal with. And, incidentally, there's not a moment that goes by that Fidelity Investments doesn't think up some way to screw up my life.
Modernity's hard...