Information Highway: Gravel and Potholes
We have internet. It's this fabulous new plan, providing wireless internet to the city of Madison! It's such a great idea--you just sign up, and they allow you to jump on from your house, with no modem to deal with, no leasing of a livebox, no wires, no cables. It covers our area of town, and is spreading to the rest of the city in the future.
Fabulous except for one thing.
It's really, really, r e a l l y s l o w ......................
After the blazing speed fiber-optics of Paris, I have lost my patience. Not when it comes to waiting in line, which is an art in the city of light. Not when it comes to taking the time to walk 6 blocks to the hardware store, chat with the owner, and pet the resident dog before buying the 6 screws and one sink aerator we needed and walking home, rather than hopping in my car and driving miles to the outskirts of town to wander around a big box store, picking up many things I now 'have to have' and not being able to find what I needed anyway. Not when it comes to hanging my jeans to dry (though it may take four days) because I like them better when they are not tight when I put them on. (With towels and sheets, however, I will be wasteful and spoiled. It is such a joy to dry off with a soft, absorbent towel rather than a big piece of sandpaper.)
Paris has taught me patience. But when it comes to my internet patience? Gone. Gone with the Wind. Looooooong gone.
So for now, I am composing on TextEdit, and hoping and praying that the site eventually loads. In the meantime, thank you for your patience. We are shopping around for Blazing Internet, and just may have to sign up also for the dreaded American necessity, cable television, as a part of the deal. (No, I didn't miss it in France, and I do want to limit our TV watching, but there are some things that I really do enjoy zoning out in front of on occasion. I shouldn't have to feel guilty--I recycle, I compost, I use compact flourescent bulbs! Please don't begrudge me a little boob tube time--I promise to knit or fold laundry while I watch. Really. I'm a good girl!)
PS: Welcome to Louise! Happy Birthday! (Numéro Zéro!!!)
4 Comments:
We can get cable internet w/o the tv part. Maybe you can too?
I wish I could help with a new name for you blog but my brain is mush lately.
My husband and I signed up for cable internet only, not TV. When we moved into our house and he called the cable service they offered cable TV to us also, but my husband just said "No thank you" and voila! we pay for cable internet only. So try calling your local cable company!
OK, people--you're not getting it! I want cable. I hate to admit it, but I do. Plus, where we are situated, we get nothing-nada-ziperooni for TV, meaning no local news, etc. unless we do the cable thing.
So quit telling me to not get it--I am going to sin! I've already decided! (And I am trying to not feel guilty about it. Hint hint.)
Welcome back! Go ahead and sin...sit and watch all the cable TV you want....life is too short not to have any guilty pleasures. We have satellite and love it....local channels have been available through satelite for several yrs now. It is great! We have cable for computer and it is really speedy. Remember when I first started to email etc about 10yrs ago and we had phone modem hookup......sllllooooowwwww! Drove me nuts! Your new rental sounds great....roomy and freshly painted....how nice! And isn't it great to be able to sit out at night and have no muzzies to speak of??? We have had a muzzie free summer at the lake....love it! Seems we have a cold front moving through tonight so our hot weather is coming to an end it seems...what a terrific "at the lake" summer. Know Jeanne and Dick are happy to have you two home again....take care Auntie B
Post a Comment
<< Home