“Hello, My name is Jan and I am an net-aholic…” - May 17, 2020
(Note: I wrote this four weeks ago. I just didn’t get around to posting it. Keeping motivated during this stay-at-home mandate is truly a challenge for me. The more time I have, the less I do.)
Oh my glory! My life has done a 180 degree turn! OK, maybe less than a 45 degree change. But it has changed! Why, you ask? Did we finally buy a lottery ticket, win, and buy that property in Northern Ontario? Nah! We got internet!!!
If you are reading this, you have internet and are wondering, “How hard can this be!?” Well, let me tell you…
We cancel our service with ABC internet when we go to our trailer in Arizona for the winter because ABC doesn’t have a cheap “away” fee. When we come back for a visit in January, we just go our seniors’ apartment’s library and use the free internet. Laur contacts our provider a week before we return to Canada in April, and voila! We usually have it the day after we get back.
Not this year! A number of things conspired against us. Actually, it was one thing – Covid 19.
We came back a week earlier than our internet appointment because, well, our government and our extended health insurer said to. Immediately! These are not organizations I’m inclined to disregard. A health care emergency would bankrupt us.
OK, so one week without internet… But it was more complicated than that. Because of Covid 19, no one in our building is allowed to use the library – which is where I “borrow” the net. In theory, I could use my cell phone for much of my checking in and postings but four things worked against me.
1. I think of my cell phone as a camera and phone. I cannot make the jump to see it as my small computer.
2. My fingers are too fat to use the miniature keypad.
3. Text to type is not terribly accurate. “Laur” becomes “Laura” or “lore” or “lure.” I’m sure there is a joke to be made there, but I’m not going to try it.
4. With both of us using the cell phone for streaming and downloading, we blew through our data in very short order.
So, every day for about an hour, I parked our van at the local Tim Hortons and stole their internet. I find sitting in a fast food place parking lot – right next to the drive through – depressing for so many reasons. Now I had a new reason. Very unreliably internet. Yes, I know it is “free.” (A small price to pay – in my mind – for all those non-recyclable Tim cups.) But it was a garbage experience AND I was unable to add things to our church’s website or my website because of the ups and downs of the signal.
The week passed very slowly and finally it was the day for the “hooker upper” from Bell to work his magic. What we didn’t factor in was that we were still in two weeks of quarantine from being in the United States, so he was not allowed to go into our apartment. Gah! Earliest next appointment was in two weeks. TWO MORE WEEKS!?
OK, I thought, we can limp through this using our cell phone and the internet at the Tim Hortons. Not like we had any choice – or so we thought. This next date our Bell guy was supposed to come, Laur didn’t leave the corner chair in our living room. From there he could see any truck or van pulling in. And he kept the cell phone clenched in his hand – just waiting to the lad to phone and say, “I’m in the lobby!” He waited for seven hours… I delicately suggested he phone our provider to find out what was up, and he did, only to be told, “You’re marked down here as quarantined.” Now the earliest appointment we could get was SIX WEEKS AWAY! NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
My friend of close to 40 years said, “Why don’t you try XYZ internet?” I responded, as had my hubs, “The wait is very likely as long with them.” Also, they were likely super expensive and my hubs is a Scot. On the other hand, what did it cost me to ask? Other than knowing I’d be on hold for hours.
So I called, was on hold very briefly, and talked to a chirpy lad who assured me that they had a good promotion on XYZ internet, and they could have us up and running in two days.
TWO DAYS! WHAT!
We ordered Tuesday morning. By Wednesday afternoon a black box was sitting outside of our apartment door. Hubs plugged it in and EUREKA! Internet. Really good internet. Why had we not done this earlier?! (Mom, don’t say a thing! 😊)
*****
Now if this was to be an inspiring meditation, I would tell you that it really hasn’t changed our lives that much after all. But I would be lying. I can now…
The problem is, I am a minimalist – which is another word for lazy and cheap. Shopping is too much work. There was one thing that I wanted, however, and that was a low-priced Sunny spin bike like the one I have in our trailer in AZ. (Good Life gym is closed as is the exercise room in our building due to Covid 19.)
I popped on to the Amazon website. Not one to be had in all of Canada or the USA. Nor any other model that is less than a thousand dollars and is similar to the ones they have at Good Life.
Laurence is getting so tired of hearing me moan about what next winter could be like if we are still in lockdown – and knowing that we will save some money by not traveling to AZ and back – said, “Fine! Get whatever bike you want! JUST DON’T GET TWO OF THEM!!!”
But it is not in my nature to spend top dollar on anything. I’m a “reduced rack” kind of gal.
However, my very sweet cousin Kelly – not her real name – has offered me an older spin bike. She lives in Belleville as does my Mom. When travel restrictions are lifted and we make a trip to Belleville, I can go and try them out. Oops! I mean “it” out.
Don’t tell Laur, but SHE ACTUALLY HAS TWO OF THEM. Hee hee hee!!!
PS Pic is of me with my new best friend – Hitron the Modem aka “Mod-Ami!”
Oh my glory! My life has done a 180 degree turn! OK, maybe less than a 45 degree change. But it has changed! Why, you ask? Did we finally buy a lottery ticket, win, and buy that property in Northern Ontario? Nah! We got internet!!!
If you are reading this, you have internet and are wondering, “How hard can this be!?” Well, let me tell you…
We cancel our service with ABC internet when we go to our trailer in Arizona for the winter because ABC doesn’t have a cheap “away” fee. When we come back for a visit in January, we just go our seniors’ apartment’s library and use the free internet. Laur contacts our provider a week before we return to Canada in April, and voila! We usually have it the day after we get back.
Not this year! A number of things conspired against us. Actually, it was one thing – Covid 19.
We came back a week earlier than our internet appointment because, well, our government and our extended health insurer said to. Immediately! These are not organizations I’m inclined to disregard. A health care emergency would bankrupt us.
OK, so one week without internet… But it was more complicated than that. Because of Covid 19, no one in our building is allowed to use the library – which is where I “borrow” the net. In theory, I could use my cell phone for much of my checking in and postings but four things worked against me.
1. I think of my cell phone as a camera and phone. I cannot make the jump to see it as my small computer.
2. My fingers are too fat to use the miniature keypad.
3. Text to type is not terribly accurate. “Laur” becomes “Laura” or “lore” or “lure.” I’m sure there is a joke to be made there, but I’m not going to try it.
4. With both of us using the cell phone for streaming and downloading, we blew through our data in very short order.
So, every day for about an hour, I parked our van at the local Tim Hortons and stole their internet. I find sitting in a fast food place parking lot – right next to the drive through – depressing for so many reasons. Now I had a new reason. Very unreliably internet. Yes, I know it is “free.” (A small price to pay – in my mind – for all those non-recyclable Tim cups.) But it was a garbage experience AND I was unable to add things to our church’s website or my website because of the ups and downs of the signal.
The week passed very slowly and finally it was the day for the “hooker upper” from Bell to work his magic. What we didn’t factor in was that we were still in two weeks of quarantine from being in the United States, so he was not allowed to go into our apartment. Gah! Earliest next appointment was in two weeks. TWO MORE WEEKS!?
OK, I thought, we can limp through this using our cell phone and the internet at the Tim Hortons. Not like we had any choice – or so we thought. This next date our Bell guy was supposed to come, Laur didn’t leave the corner chair in our living room. From there he could see any truck or van pulling in. And he kept the cell phone clenched in his hand – just waiting to the lad to phone and say, “I’m in the lobby!” He waited for seven hours… I delicately suggested he phone our provider to find out what was up, and he did, only to be told, “You’re marked down here as quarantined.” Now the earliest appointment we could get was SIX WEEKS AWAY! NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
My friend of close to 40 years said, “Why don’t you try XYZ internet?” I responded, as had my hubs, “The wait is very likely as long with them.” Also, they were likely super expensive and my hubs is a Scot. On the other hand, what did it cost me to ask? Other than knowing I’d be on hold for hours.
So I called, was on hold very briefly, and talked to a chirpy lad who assured me that they had a good promotion on XYZ internet, and they could have us up and running in two days.
TWO DAYS! WHAT!
We ordered Tuesday morning. By Wednesday afternoon a black box was sitting outside of our apartment door. Hubs plugged it in and EUREKA! Internet. Really good internet. Why had we not done this earlier?! (Mom, don’t say a thing! 😊)
*****
Now if this was to be an inspiring meditation, I would tell you that it really hasn’t changed our lives that much after all. But I would be lying. I can now…
- Download eBooks
- Check my internet without wrestling the cell phone out of Laur’s clamped hand
- Watch shows and movies
- Listen to my piano music – which just about everyone finds depressing but we don’t have any company these days.
- AND order stuff from Amazon. At least I though I could…
The problem is, I am a minimalist – which is another word for lazy and cheap. Shopping is too much work. There was one thing that I wanted, however, and that was a low-priced Sunny spin bike like the one I have in our trailer in AZ. (Good Life gym is closed as is the exercise room in our building due to Covid 19.)
I popped on to the Amazon website. Not one to be had in all of Canada or the USA. Nor any other model that is less than a thousand dollars and is similar to the ones they have at Good Life.
Laurence is getting so tired of hearing me moan about what next winter could be like if we are still in lockdown – and knowing that we will save some money by not traveling to AZ and back – said, “Fine! Get whatever bike you want! JUST DON’T GET TWO OF THEM!!!”
But it is not in my nature to spend top dollar on anything. I’m a “reduced rack” kind of gal.
However, my very sweet cousin Kelly – not her real name – has offered me an older spin bike. She lives in Belleville as does my Mom. When travel restrictions are lifted and we make a trip to Belleville, I can go and try them out. Oops! I mean “it” out.
Don’t tell Laur, but SHE ACTUALLY HAS TWO OF THEM. Hee hee hee!!!
PS Pic is of me with my new best friend – Hitron the Modem aka “Mod-Ami!”