The internet is down

Admit it, folks. Your internet has gone down, and you've had a temporary moment of panic, followed by thoughts of, "Now what am I going to do?". Our society has become totally and entirely dependent on the internet. As an example, I will tell you I attended a Professional Development meeting on Wednesday. Midway through the seminar, the internet went down. All the participants in attendance were using laptops and the presenter was using one as well. The whole workshop came to a grinding halt when the internet went down. It was clear the presenter was at a loss as she admitted that 90% of her presentation was dependent upon the internet. Throughout the day the internet would come back on for a little while and then would go back down again. This happened several times before the towel was thrown in. It was frustrating, but we were dismissed 75 minutes early, which was a very nice surprise.

We use the internet for everything. News, shopping, weather reports, traffic reports, banking, bill paying, research, communication, entertainment, navigation, and a million other things. Personally, I have a love/hate relationship with the internet. I love everything it does (like the stuff listed above), but I also hate being so dependent upon it. I hate that everything we do hinges on the operation of an electrical signal transmitted through phone lines, fiber optic cables, and satellites. I miss good old fashioned maps, newspapers, books, phone books, and writing letters. The world is a different place. I accept it, but I do not necessarily love everything about it. I can't imagine my forefathers freaking out because the internet went down. The old ways are not always bad ways.

Tami: Honey, the internet is down.

Me: Ok. I'll go reset the router.

Tami: That didn't work.

Me: I'll e-mail our internet provider and tell them we have a problem... oh wait, I can't. The BLASTED internet is down! Ok. I'll call them instead. What's the number? I'll have to look it up on the internet... oh wait, I can't do that either. (Dials phone after laborious search for the phone number)

Recorded Voice: Thank you for calling XYZ internet company. Your call is very important to us. We will answer calls in the order we receive them. One of our customer service representatives will answer your call in approximately 6 hours and 47 minutes. Please hold (cruddy music plays)

Me: (Screams and throws phone out the window)