Oh, I got troubles....

... DSL troubles, that is.

At least, I had DSL troubles. And I had them all day. And most of the evening. And most of yesterday as well. In fact, I just now fixed the last of my troubles. I knew I was somewhat dependent on the 'net but I didn't realize exactly how dependent I was until I lost my connection. How apt. I lost my connection.

I've had the higher speed 3mbps service from Verizon for a few years now and I love it. It's definitely worth the extra couple of bucks per month over what they charge for the standard DSL connection speed (768 down/256 up, or something similar).

The most frustrating part of my ordeal was figuring out how to get past the abominable first layer "support" of the script readers in Bangladesh for whom English is not their primary language. I'm sure they meant well. They sure apologize sincerely enough. And they should for the lousy service they provide.

When I finally got through to the second layer of support, I received excellent service. I'm sure that had nothing to do with the fact that the second layer guys were in the U.S. I'm sure. Sure I'm sure. I am. Sure, that is.

blah ...

At any rate, I had to figure out the last bit for myself. My DSL modem/router/wireless station needed a firmware upgrade. As good as the guys from Verizon were, and they were very good, they couldn't be expected to know that some wireless cards in Dell laptops had connection problems with the version of router I owned with the specific version of firmware it was running. All it took was a 2.5mb download (quick, at 3mbps), a 2 minute install and reset of the modem, and I was back in the game. The big time waster was tracking the problem down.

And only one and a half days of study time lost.

Blast.

All during school I wasn't real keen on studying. Sure, I would study enough to get a decent grade. I was consistently in the top 15-20 percent of the class. But I could easily find other things to do and not feel guilty about a few hours missed here or there. Now, though, things are different. I get real irritated at stuff like this that pulls me away from the books. I find that fascinating, and encouraging. I'm sure it means something. I hope it means I get good news come November.