Jacked
by Scott Hardie on November 20, 2009
It's good to be back online. We lost our Internet connection at home on Tuesday, and it has only come back on for a few minutes sporadically ever since then, just enough time to send a quick email before it vanishes again. Making sure goos got published in time wasn't easy.
It's no fun feeling dumb when you call tech support. The first thing we did when we lost the Internet connection was to turn off the cable modem, wait for it to reset, and try it again, then repeat with the router. No luck after several tries. So of course when I finally get tech support on the line, they tell me to do just that, and I do, and the connection comes right back up, and I get a short educational lecture about how that helps. Five minutes after I hang up, the connection disappears again. Thanks.
The technician today finally determined that the jack in the wall was failing, so we switched to another and it's fine now... just in time for us to spend the evening and all day tomorrow out with friends. I need to spend less time online anyway. I thought Internet addiction was a joke until I had to face it for a few days.
Four Replies to Jacked
Justin Conner | November 21, 2009
I have had the same feeling when disconnected from my video games. I think it is because I use them as an escapism technique to destress myself. After using this escapism for a long time I came to depend on it. It got to the point where I was addicted to video games and didn't know how to destress without them.
Amy Austin | November 21, 2009
Internet addiction... it's no joke!!!
Jackie Mason | November 21, 2009
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Logical Operator
The creator of Funeratic, Scott Hardie, blogs about running this site, losing weight, and other passions including his wife Kelly, his friends, movies, gaming, and Florida. Read more »
Sinners and Losers
Last week, Katherine Harris publicly denounced the first amendment, calling it "a lie" and said that we were supposed to be a nation of religious law. She also said that not to vote for a Christian is to vote for sin. (link) Apparently in Florida that gets you elected: Yesterday she enjoyed a landslide 50% victory over her competitors in the Senate Republican primary despite a bumbling campaign. Go »Ten Things I Learned While Kelly's Parents Pat & Russ Spent a Week Visiting Us
• Florida reminds me of Dave Barry's quip that vacationing in Britain is great because you meet people from entirely different states. We stopped a woman to take our picture; she was visiting from New Jersey and her daughter beside her was from California. The only local we met warned us what bridge not to jump off for swimming because the water is shark-infested. Go »#FFFFFF
I love how MSNBC.com's new slogan is "A Fuller Spectrum of News," complete with online ads featuring brilliant rainbows, and yet their entire site design is plain white except for one strip of blue across the top. (link) If I didn't give up reading it years ago because the entertainment section is spoiler city, I'd give it up today because I can't stand to look at it. Go »Over and Out
"How's the week treating you?" "Like I slept with its wife." I've had better weeks. Go »Mayhem
Last night I saw Killswitch Engage, Slayer, and Marilyn Manson. This morning I discovered that Walgreens sells a pretty good neck brace for $11.99. Aaron Shurtleff bought my Mayhem Festival ticket in May as a gift, and I'm grateful to have another generous friend. Go »
Scott Hardie | November 21, 2009
This ended abruptly. I should explain that Internet withdrawal made me very cranky, very stressed out, unable to relax for days. I didn't feel liberated; I felt like my nerves were frayed and my patience was gone. I need to cultivate more offline hobbies, and by extension I mean hobbies that don't require sitting in front of any kind of screen.