Lenternet

I'm not religious in any way, its purely coincidental that I had to go without Internet for a fortnight during Lent - not exactly forty days I know! Actually I had to go without broadband, which may as well have meant no Internet. Believe me, Dial-up is Hell! On a bit of a raw deal with our old provider we decided to switch. Problem being our old guys didn't have a migration package and it took two whole nightmare weeks to set up the new one. You'd think it be easy to last two weeks without the Internet, but it seems I have a closer relationship with the web than I do with some of my friends. Its sad to say, but its such an entwined part of my daily life.

I gave up shopping in real life shops ages ago and have saved a fortune since doing it all on-line. I used to pop in to Tesco for a loaf of bread and come out with a trolley full of nice things that I could of done without. Greedy gluttonous purchases that more often than not would end up in the bin because of best before dates. Now I make a strict shopping list and order it all on line to be delivered at my convenience. Obviously my shopping bill was sky high during my 'fast'...but at least the kids were happy with the goodies in the cupboards that aren't usually there.
I didn't realise how reliant I had become on using the web as a research tool. I have a home full of books, that I used (past tense) to reference...but now just sit gathering dust. “What are peas made of Mammy?” said my daughter. Ordinarily I would have replied “lets find out on Mammy's computer”. The poor thing looked highly perplexed with my rather embarrassingly inaccurate confusion of Chlorophyll and Chloroform. I trip to the library revealed the truth.......and now we both know about plant cells and photosynthesis. My lap top is usually used as a portable world reference. It sits on a table downstairs and is constantly on, ready and waiting for the array of questions thrown at it by all members of the family from how to make paper aeroplanes to the recipe for fennel au gratin.
I recycled our Yellow pages and any other local directory we had during a mad cleaning and de-cluttering session at the beginning of the year. I never use them. In fact they usually get stored in a highly inappropriate place and just scream fire hazard at me. I always look up numbers on the web, and didn't realise (yet again) how often this is the case. I must have spent a small fortune on 118 numbers during that fortnight. Maybe I should pop along to the recycling centre and pick up a local directory, just in case we have a power cut. While I'm there Ill buy an A-Z because finding places is a nightmare without web access. The first thing I usually do when I have to visit a new place is get the directions from streetmap or some other map site. I found myself just wandering aimlessly through unfamiliar streets relying on passers by to point me in the right direction. I'm not sure, but this would probably work fine in other areas of the UK, but I live in the South Wales valleys where some young people find it highly amusing to point you in the opposite direction – just for a laugh..........Ooooooo those pesky kids!
One of the more serious and important uses of the web in our house is the paying of bills. Everything from paying crèche fees, shopping bills, TV licence and car tax is done on-line. Everyone seemed to be needing paying at the same time. I remember a time (vaguely) when I wouldn't leave the house without cash and a cheque book. OBSOLETE. I just cant remember the last time I used a personal cheque book. In fact I had to order one pretty quickly just to get the bills paid, the old fashion way. Although this does also have its advantages; your money stays in your account a little bit longer, and they have to wait a little bit longer (Hee, Hee)
I suppose one of the more surprising elements born from having no Internet is the total lack of distraction in my life. I have spent more time productively working, playing with the children, getting fresh air than I have in years, and my house is certainly cleaner/tidier now that it has been in a while, but I don't think there's any shame in saying that the Internet and what it is used for is such an important and useful tool in our lives that it has become a part of the fabric of communication....well at least, it has for me anyway. Thankfully every thing is back to normal now though and we have our broad band back. Although, I have taken to switching off my lap top for several hours a day to explore other avenues of research and time filling......and to save on electricity!