Saturday, August 20, 2005

From Mexico to Port Elgin

By Tuesday, I'll probably be in Port Elgin and I'm looking forward to my mini-escape, once I get everything ready. This morning, I was reminded of the plans I had three years ago. At that time, I was planning to get away to Mexico for a week. It didn't happen and I was disappointed that I couldn't afford it. These days, I'm happy to be able to get as far away as Port Elgin.

It's a good thing my imagination can take me anywhere I want to go, even if it takes me to some places I don't want to see.

I'll be unplugged again while I'm away and that could a bonus. Maybe I'll get an outline done, maybe I won't. But it's unlikely there will be any inerruptions from outside the self, that is. If the weather is perfect, I'll spend lots of time outside and even have a camp-fire; and if it isn't - I'll have books and the radio. I'm hoping for clear nights so I can see the stars and maybe see the way ahead too.

Thursday, August 04, 2005

Unplugged

Yesterday was hot, humid and smoggy, so at about 3 p.m. after checking my e-mails I went for a swim. It was a 'free transit' day since the local bus company is trying to promote using its services to save the environment. That was a bonus and when I returned home, I was cool and relaxed and I didn't use the computer or try to use the phone until after 10 p.m. That's when I discovered the phone line was dead.

I was unplugged. Unable to communicate by phone or by internet, and that upset me. What if I missed an urgent call - I wasn't expecting one, but what if? Or what if there was an urgent freelance work e-mail message - I wasn't expecting one, but what if? It took a while to shut off the worry machine, a long while.

This morning, I was out by 7 a.m. and used the closest pay phone to call Bell Canada. Their representative was minimally helpful - someone would come over by Monday at the latest. I think at this point I yelled - "what do you mean Monday? This is Thursday morning!" There had to be a better response because I was pretty sure this was Ma Bell's fault. At 8 a.m. I found our building superintendant and asked if a Bell technician had been in yesterday.

"Sure" she said. "He was hooking up unit 503."

Well since unit 503 is right across the hall from me my suspicions were well-founded. Another trip to the pay phone and another call to Ma Bell to give the technical people more information and to state that I was 99-and-a-half percent sure that this "service interruption" was their fault.

Service was "restored." That's how they refer to it, by 9.15 a.m. But if I hadn't followed-up I'd still be waiting and waiting.

I'm thinking about getting a cell phone, but I probably won't. I'll just hope that my neighbour doesn't move out in the near future.

I wonder if my dependence on technology is a good thing but I'm stuck on it and stuck with it too.