Practicalmadness

I came home after a twelve-hour workday to find that — surprise, surprise — the red light on my DSL modem (signifying that the phone line has no DSL signal) is still blinking. Today is my install date, and (if it is true that the DSL is still not working) this would be the third prospective install date the fine people at SBC have missed.

But just so I can say I had done it before calling to yell at them, I decide to check the cables, make sure everything is plugged in. And sure enough, I had unplugged the DSL modem and microfilter weeks ago.

About thirty minutes later:

My internet first quit working in the early morning hours of May 2, and by the time I’m done typing this it will be June 3. Now, when I say I have been “without internet at home” for a whole month, I mean of course that I’ve been without broadband internet. Fast internet. Always-on internet. I’ve had a dialup connection to use in the interim, but that’s quite a lot of not the same. Several applications and services — including some I pay a monthly fee for, such as Unison and Backpack — became minimally accessible if accessible at all for a whole month.

Yes, nosy, I have had broadband internet at work, and so the disruption in my life has been minimal. You could even say that using the internet only at work has given my life a focus and balance that could not have been possible had I, like, planned for it.

Balls to that. I have my internet back.

I’ve got some downloading to do.