My dearest blogosphere,
In the words of a pen pal from my elementary days, how are you? I am fine. Mostly. I know that it has been ages since I’ve written, but I promise that there are reasons, many of which are even valid.
For one thing, blogging minus the internet doesn’t work so well. It’s been nearly a week since my (former) phone company, a bottomless reservoir of brilliant communicators, interpreted a clear request for ditching our land line as an order to disconnect all service, including our internet and every one of our well-established email accounts. ((That means that if you wrote to me in the past week, I may not have gotten it. And since I’m not about to post my shiny new gmail address online, you can use my contact form to try again.)) It’s possible it was an act of spite, brought about by their jealousy at our choosing somebody else’s cell service over their land line offerings. I, however, prefer to think of it as an honest mistake somehow perpetuated by, well, no fewer than six different customer service reps, four technical support gurus, and two managers. ((This is no exaggeration. I actually counted how many people couldn’t help me. I had to do something with all that time on hold.)) In an act of breathtaking incompetence, they managed to make the problem worse every time I called. While their communication skills may be lacking, their determination to screw things up is admirable.
Whatever the cause, this incident, as you may imagine, has not exactly filled my days with sunshine and rainbows. The good news is that I have now developed an exciting new hobby: unsuccessfully battling the company that ate my internet. Which is excuse number two for not having written. You know how hobbies can be, so all-consuming that at times they almost cease to be fun.
The public library, with its abundance of light, foliage, and wireless internet, is perhaps an obvious choice for those who find themselves marooned in a house without a workable way to surf the web. If only I hadn’t also been battling something mean and contagious, a fight I plan to win tomorrow, or maybe Friday.
Then there was the possibility of writing from work, with its many doors to all things online. Let’s just rule that option out now, though, shall we? I don’t typically blog about work, and I definitely don’t blog at work. The two entities go together like plaid and stripes.
I would like to think that my remaining time has been spent well, however. For example, I’ve attacked my new cell phone, associating different ring tones and photos with almost all of my contacts, a crucial first step in breaking in a new device. And then there are the book revisions. It’s astonishing how much less painful they can be without the worldly web tempting me at every turn.
All of this is to say that there is more coming soon, when I am less annoyed and more coherent. And to apologize for my lack of communication. A new company swooped in a few hours ago to hook us up to the rest of the world, which means I’ll be touring the blogosphere – and adding to it – in no time.
More soon,
Caryn
P.S. I think everyone should probably be without the internet for a while. At the very least they can rewnew their relationships with the dictionary and the phone book, two worthy publications that don’t see a lot of use these days.
One of the things about being at my best girlfriend’s house that I enjoy is that I have very limited internet access. She is pretty anti-internet and so I check my email maybe once every few days and then let it go. Which is where I’m at now. It’s a little bit refreshing to not be tied to the computer 24/7 even if the ties are completely voluntary.
That said, I’m really glad to have you back. The internet just isn’t the same without you.
I felt the same way the last time our power went out. Glad you’re back!
@Dru – I’m getting better at going for a while with the computer off. Funny how a few days of cold turkey internet withdrawal makes it easier to stay unplugged.
@Keri & Mari – Thanks! I’m glad, too!
@Courtney – That sounds like a good way to be. Even when I was without the internet I still hunted up ways to check my email most days. At least I wasn’t getting as much because I wasn’t sending as much!
I’m shuddering as I read this 🙂 Even when we go on vacation I usually find a coffee shop to check my email (I have an addiction).
You have been missed! But a few ‘unconnected’ days every now and then is definitely a good thing.
Oh dear, Caryn. I’m sooo dependent on the Internet. And not just for blogging, or writing, I conduct some of my exercise business via the net. Ugh. When I first started I thought, “Who wants to use this?” Boy, that was a while ago…
@Katie – I do that, too! Public libraries are good for that, too. In fact, I can find the library in every one of our most-visited towns and cities. I even have my favorite places to set up shop in each of them.
@Alyssa – Thanks! And, yeah, the unconnected days were rather refreshing, I have to say.
@Conda – Had to laugh at your “Who wants to use this?” I was introduced to the internet in college, and while I thought it was kind of neat I certainly didn’t feel a need to have it at home. Now I not only must have it, but it has to be high speed, wireless, and handy at all hours of the day and night!
So good you are back. I’ve been taking a little break from the blogosphere myself, and I owe all my pen pals a letter. Why is it so hard to start up again?! But I am inspired by having you back, and so I shall go back as well. Loved your flower pictures!
“And then there are the book revisions. It’s astonishing how much less painful they can be without the worldly web tempting me at every turn.”
I hate my wireless because of this tendency. I just have to know (every three seconds it seems) if someone has posted, writtten me or commented on my blog.
Sorry to hear about the massive screwups you’ve been dealing with. What a painful process. And it sounds rather like my mother dealing with her medigap insurance coverage change this year.