five years was enough!!!!!

and so i report the very sad news that after five very faithful and productive years, my modem at home has called it quits.

such a sad state of affairs, when one is unable to attach to the internet, or send an e-mail -- all because modem has taken it's last technological breath! what to do; what to do?!
well, if you are me, and perhaps many of you ARE me in this situation . . . . you call at&t and have them walk you through the checking it out and the sorting through. then you hear the words you long NOT to hear . . . i think your modem has failed.

so, off to the store i go, with great hopes that i can just put this new modem on my at&t account. silly me. ok, i got over that one! and my spirit perked up when i was told that 5 years with the same modem was really good! sometimes, it is only 3 years. sometimes within one year!

so, i now hold the new world's record for the shortest time that a modem could survive in my home. from 5 years to less than an hour. defective modem? defective installer? just plain defective? so, back to the store i go . . . three phone techs and the last harry potter movie later, i am on line again. i'll pass up a lot when i want to get the job done, but never miss an evening with friends and harry potter!

my advice this summer? skip the modem, and go see harry potter. oh, alright . . . plan to spend an entire day dealing with your computer, and reward yourself with a movie!

i have to admire the techs. they were super! and, of course, i was reminded to fill out their evaluations on line. but, they were very patient, waited while i figured out what they were saying, and then tired to follow directions . . . does anyone else have difficulty following directions?

among other things, i got to move my den around! it seemed one tech asked if i had another computer to check on. as it turns out, a net book serves as a computer. but, i had to find an empty outlet, and so i moved my desk, and i moved my couch, and then i moved around my surge protector, which i've wanted to do for ages, and i found things that had dropped behind the desk, and decided that dust bunnies were better left outside, and now my room is all re-arranged, and i can't find a thing! BUT, i'm connected again. and it only took 3 tries and 2 modems.

i wonder if modems come in colors? my last one was grey. this one is white. maybe i'll find out next time! here's hoping that another 5 years will be enough!