I apologize for my absence - software, hardware and ISP problems have occurred in a cascading series of events that border on ridiculous.

I think standing in the driveway at 2:30 in the morning using the junction box to get hold of the provider was the kicker. It was one of those aha moments. Talking to a tech who asks me to plug the modem into to the junction box without realizing he’ll get hung up on is hilarious in a pathetic sort of way. I didn’t mind plugging it in, but when I’ve said four times I’m connecting from the outside junction box, what part of the conversation will end, the connection broken, eludes him? What part of it’s 2:30 am, I’m standing on the driveway in the rain at a junction box, and this exercise is going to wake the neighbours, isn’t ridiculous on my part?

The ISP has been spectacularly unhelpful, they tried to sell me more services. I’d just like to have the ones I pay for work, thank you.
A friend in the same boat managed to get a private line tech to stop by here today; the contractor put in another new connector box and was honest with me - it may or may not hold until I can call him Monday to re-book him to rewire the place. The phone burped out again about an hour after he left, the DSL isn’t holding well at all and the computer is still as damaged as it was when I grit my teeth and trotted out to the junction box a few days ago.

I’m tackling one issue at a time, until the lines are fixed, and I know the infrastructure is functioning there is no point in getting a computer tech.

I’m missing the internet to be honest - I’m missing my computer doing what it has faithfully done for five years. I miss not calling up information when I want to or expect to, I miss the immediacy and the how.
I’m not an information junkie.
I’m an information addict and I’m missing my fix.
Most of all I’m missing blogs and bloggers, I’m missing familar voices and a loss of the happy routine of online community. This has been a forced exile, not chosen.

I’ll be back. Blog on!