Off the grid

[susandennis]

While I am very grateful to my neighbor for her internet access, it feels like I'm getting all of my light from a tiny candle. I know that it's totally in vogue to cherish being off the grid and away from screens and doing a byte cleanse but I have never been in vogue and sure am not now.

If I wanted to be away from screens, I would turn off my devices. If I wanted to be off the grid, I'd turn everything off or go hide out in a cabin in the woods. I love being connected by the internet. I love having access from phones and tablets and TV and screens of all kinds.

And it is exactly zero fun to be so restricted. And it's lonely.

But... I've had the same internet service for almost exactly 4 years. Their charge for 100Mps (which they delivery consistently) has been $60 a month since the beginning. Not even a penny more. This is the third time in 4 years that my service has been interrupted. They will be here before 3 pm today. I totally need to get over myself.

Also while I'm whining I'd like to make sure the record reflects that The Elf on the Shelf came after my time and I do not get it and I am, like years before, over it already. I'd love a computer that never ever showed me anything related to Pintrest of Elf on a Shelf. Maybe I should check Kickstarter.

On the brights side of things that are broken, the digital clock at the pool was broken again today - it seems that's a thing. There's an analog clock that is not nearly as easy to see. So I ended up swimming 5 minutes and 400 yards longer than normal this morning.

But, I did not swim in the suit I made yesterday. I discovered that the reason I had cut it out and now sewn it was that the fabric pattern was flawed right on what would be the front of the suit. I'm not sure why I didn't throw it away but I'm glad now that I didn't. The serger was perfect for sewing up the suit. But then I got wild and crazy and used it for sewing in the elastic. Not pretty. It is possible to do correctly but a major PIA. Much better, easier to sew the elastic on using the regular machine. Lots of good lessons there but the suit is trash.

Today is hot water heater day. The installer is a plumber I've used before and really like so it's stress free. I have already cleared out the area so he can get in and do his stuff. I'm not sure when he'll be here - maybe at the same time as the internet guy.

I think I'll go get dressed just in case.

Comments

[lostincandyrain.livejournal.com]

It's amazing how isolated you can suddenly feel when the internet is gone. Hopefully they get it back up for you quickly!

And I agree about the Elf on the Shelf thing... I don't get why people like this so much...

[solteronita.livejournal.com]

Hope your internet gets back up and running quickly!

I get that Elf on the Shelf is fun for people to do for their kids. But I really do not get why they feel the need to share it with other adults on social media. Bah humbug! :)

[sweetmeow]

Just FYI - I'm with you on the feelings when the internet goes out. The internet and all my "screens" have become a gateway to the world - a world I cannot get IRL. Life as I know it has come to depend upon it. When it goes out - your words describe it exactly: restricted and lonely. I have no desire to go off the grid to a cabin in the woods - at least not for any length of time. (Our two weeks in Maine are problematic because of this - I absolutely would love it otherwise.) And, during power outages during hurricanes, I think I miss the internet even more than power. (I can shower and cook top burner things since our gas usually works).

I admit these are first world problems, and not at all about "survival", but the internet is life changing, and feels like a rug has been snatched out from under me when it disappears. I really don't wish to apologize for my feelings when confronted with the judgmental "off the grid" types.

I hope you're being fixed....

[amw.livejournal.com]

I don't think this is just first world problems. I don't know if my experience is representative because i have spent very little time traveling in developing countries, but when i was in Namibia i did visit a village that was largely without electricity and running water. Almost everyone had a phone and (slow) net access - it was their primary connection to the outside world. The Graun has published several articles this year about the homeless and poverty stricken in America, and by and large they all have internet-enabled phones too. Being able to access the net has become a very basic necessity of modern life, for both the rich and extremely poor.

[amw.livejournal.com]

I feel your pain. I feel so hobbled when the internet is gone. I don't mind taking "internet breaks" on my own terms, but when it's gone and outside of my control i get extremely antsy and upset. I'm well aware that 30 years ago people lived perfectly fine lives without internet, but it's so fundamental to modern life i have no qualms about considering it a necessity. In my opinion net access should be considered as important an infrastructure priority as electricity and water. Hell, in parts of the third world people have internet access without electricity or water. I'll never forget the girls i met in Namibia watching videos on their phones that could only be charged by solar panels. It's truly changed everything.

[susandennis]

Fun to get your perspective. The instant it came back on, I felt whole again.

I think I would have lost my mind without my phone and my neighbor's internet.