Internet Frustrations

On April 5, 2016, I turned on my computer and when I tried to get on the Internet, a message kept coming up that there was a problem and that I was not connected. What a helpless feeling when I can not get to my e-mail, Facebook, blog or google. I can't help but wonder if it is me, if it is my computer or maybe it is something in the atmosphere. How can it be working perfectly and in a moment, stop working?

"The Internet is so big,

so powerful and pointless

that for some people it is

a complete substitute for life!"

Andrew Brown

I called the Costco help line and after the technician tried a few things, her suggestion was to call my Internet provider. The next day I called Century Link and a fellow began to try different things to try to get me back on the Internet. "Make sure that all the connections are hooked up," he said. I told him they were.  "Unplug the router and wait about five minutes." I unplugged the router and waited. "Can you see the green lights on the router? Read them to me." I read,  "Power, DSL, and Wi-Fi."

"What about the Internet (Int)?"   "No, that light is not green." I replied.

"Is the DSL solid or flashing?"  "It's flashing."

"It should be a solid light. Okay, I will try something else. I am looking at connections near your home. All the connections are in a building, like a garage, and I can see if one of the lines is not connected."

"What would cause a line to become disconnected?" I asked.

"A number of things. A squirrel, age, corrosion, a bump, weather, things like that." I wondered if it was any of those things mentioned, how could I be so lucky!

"I saw a Century Link truck at my neighbor's house yesterday, could something have happened by a person working on the lines?"

"He could have jostled the wires. It looks as if I have to contact the repair team to go out and take a look at the connections. He should be out sometime tomorrow."

"You mean I will not have Internet for a whole day?" I could feel anger brewing in my body. "Maybe what I need to do is change my Internet provider!"

"I'm sorry," he said, "but I am doing everything I can to help you. You are getting the best customer service and I need to put an order in to have someone come out tomorrow to check the lines. I apologize for the inconvenience. Someone will call you tomorrow."

I was not happy when I hung up. This morning I received a call from a technician and he said he would come by around three in the afternoon. I told him I would be gone most of the day but secretly I hoped that when I returned, my Internet would be fixed. It was.

The feeling of losing an important part of my life is exaggerated when I lose my Internet service. It's as if part of me is lost. Yet, what a relief when all the lights on my router are green and I can get into the Internet!

"If television is a babysitter,

the Internet is a drunken

librarian who won't shut up!"

Dorothy Gambrell