12.12.2007

Here today. Poof! Gone tomorrow.

Exactly how bad is it to jump on an open, wireless connection when your own isn’t working? Would it matter to you that the connection is named “default”--a label that in my estimation screams for people to come trolling it broadband ways?

I’m not sure how I found ‘default’ today because it certainly wasn’t there when I went scanning yesterday. But regardless of how I located it or how unethical my usage is, I choose to see this as a small miracle. I feel so out of sorts when I’m not one with the World Wide Web, especially these days. It’s how I stay close with friends and family. It’s my primary source of information and entertainment. The WWW isn’t merely and expansive array of networks bridged by one common protocol, it’s how I live.

You think I’m joking? Folks, I would rank connectivity as a necessity right up there with food, water, oxygen, and a really strong cup of morning coffee.

Which is another thing I lack this morning—coffee. I dropped the pot last night and it shattered into a million pieces.

I will most certainly have to replace it before I leave temporary shelter. Not just because I couldn’t stand to miss my caffeine fix, but also because there is a sign posted in the kitchen that reads

“Wir bitten Sie, die Wohnungseinrichtung, das Inventar und das sonstige Wohnungszubehör sorgfältig zu behandeln!!!

Sollte bei Auszug etwas kaput sein oder fehlen, wird es Ihnen in Rechnung gestellt.”

Anybody out there read German? My guess is that the sign is a “you break it, you buy it” warning.

Which, if it is, chuckles me because everything supplied to us in our apartment from the dishes, mugs, right down to the dish rags features Max’s company logo on it. What can I say? They spared no expense in furnishing the temporary apartment! At least, it’s free. And temporary. Have I mentioned this already?

Despite a lack of Internet and a broken coffee pot, yesterday brought some good news. We learned we’ll be moving in to our beautiful house on the vineyard on December 27—one day before Jules comes to visit!

8 comments:

egan said...

It's not a bad thing to borrow the internet. If they didn't want visitors they would have it protected with a WEP key. That's my thought.

I agree 100% with you on the necessity of the net. I'm so lost without it when it happens. I get so hard up I start browsing with my cell phone.

Me said...

Yup. It says treat stuff with care and if something breaks or goes missing, they will charge you.

I can't WAIT to see more photos of your beautiful new home.

And I borrow wireless all the time, but my wirless is also unsecured,so I give back. ;)

Anonymous said...

borrowing is fine. i've certainly done it but the unsecured part of it scares me ... so until i can figure out what is wrong with my wireless modem, it shall indeed have a wire coming out of it and into my laptop.

i know i dont know you, like met you know you...but its weird knowing you arent here. here as in America.

*sigh*

AmyB said...

I used the trusty google language tool (found here: http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=en) to decifer what that said, and you are right:

"We ask you, the housing facility, the inventory and other housing accessories to be handled with care! Should extract something kaput or missing, it will be billed."

BOOOOO to that! ;o) CONGRATS on being able to move in before the new year, though. So exciting (and timely)!

megabrooke said...

I can go about five days to a week sans internet, then I get a bit antsy. Sometimes I welcome the break, shut down my computer and just say screw it for a while. But more often than not, I miss it after not too long. At least you want to know it's THERE if you want to use it, right?
Hope you get another coffee pot quick! And congrats on the good house news!

kenju said...

Ah, now I see that someone beat me to it. I sent that line in German to my German neighbor, and asked her to decipher it for me.

Anonymous said...

I think borrowing the net is OK. If it's an open connection and you aren't downloading massive amounts of stuff that's clogging their bandwidth, I don't see the big deal. (And of course not using it to do something illegal hah).

Hey I know what you mean about internet necessity. That's why I have internet access anywhere anytime now in my purse! :)

ms chica said...

Think of the wireless as a consolation prize from the evil minions that fractured gravity as we know it and caused the pot to slip from your hands.