CUT OFF

 

I wanted to scream and claw my face in frustration! Shortly after, gloom set in followed by depression. I ached for my normal life back. Everything suddenly felt strange and abnormal. My internet connection abruptly had vanished and wouldn't be back anytime soon. I'd lost all hope as to anything resembling a solution.

This happened around 9:30 AM on a Thursday. I'd just logged on a half hour before and was in the middle of a Dear Abby column when this tragedy occurred sending me into a major funk.

However I was sure it would come back, it had disappeared before and always did, but not this time.

I was on the phone with an ATT technician for what felt like hours performing all manner of maneuvers but to no avail. I needed a new modem; he said and would send one out. I told him that I was unqualified to install it. He insisted it was easy if I just read the instructions and I'd save $99. -- Seems not so long ago a visit was only $20. But I was onboard for saving money!

This should be interesting I thought, given my age, lack of technical skills, and impaired vision.

But in the meantime, I faced a miserable weekend.

What happened to me? I am someone who loves and enjoys my own company. This was so unlike me! I recall days, even weeks alone before I owned a computer and had only a handful of cable TV channels, yet I was so elated to be alone and set my own schedule, life felt like paradise on earth. -- But then, I had to go and get addicted to the internet!

I kept reminding myself that everything else was still there. Thankfully this time I didn't lose my landline or television which is rare under the circumstances, usually when one goes kaput the others follow. And I could still work offline on my latest novel, which I did and made strides there.

Without internet I was glad that I didn't cut my newspaper subscription back to Wednesday & Sunday only, which I had seriously been considering to save money. Sadly, a daily newspaper has become a luxury. However there is not a feeling to compare with spreading its pages out on the floor beneath a window and reading it there. Even well into my 80's and beyond (if I live that long) I plan on doing it that way. 

But I missed the stories online, I missed Google Search, and I missed Facebook! Also I wasn't looking forward to ferreting thru 500,000 emails when I got back online! That's a major chore, plus it's annoying! Spam doesn't catch everything.

The modem arrived sometime Saturday. I don't know exactly when, there was no knock and no one rang my bell. I discovered it in the early evening. Thank goodness some porch-pirate didn't get there first!

Sunday AM I opened the box and started reading the directions. The first thing it said was to take a photo with a cellphone of your existing modem to remember where everything goes. -- I DON'T OWN A CELLPHONE!!!

The rest of the directions may as well have been written in Mandarin Chinese.

I called ATT back and made an appointment to have a technician come out here. The earliest time I could get was Monday between 2:00 - 4:00 PM.  That's also the time I eat my lunner  (lunch & dinner combo) however I was desperate to get back online.

The ATT tech said the problem was with my computer and the modem they sent was useless. I told him to take it back with him. He replied that he couldn't, I would have to make a special trip to the UPS store.

To make a long story short, he changed the setting on my computer and told me to cross my fingers. Like a miracle everything came back, but I don't know for how long. Like me, my computer is old.