Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Internet Dependence

When we moved to rural Montana in the winter and "finally" got internet after a week, I said to myself that it really didn't matter how small the town or how removed I was from my family--with the internet, I have the whole world at my fingertips, right?

So you can imagine my dismay when after talking with Alaska Communications Services at least 6 times in the last 2 weeks, I was informed that although our house is all set up for DSL and the previous occupants had it, they are not allowed to sell it to us because demand exceeds supply in our little town; they oversold and it is affecting the speed of DSL for those lucky enough to have gotten in on it. No soup for you! They have a device that lets your PC get Wireless Internet like smart phones have, but they said that in our particular area, that would probably be about as slow as dial-up. So there's satellite internet we could get, but the equipment and installation cost is $775. Are you kidding me? Thus, we are continuing to limp along with Aaron's smart phone and the library.

Oh, how I miss internet at home. Blogging after the kids go to bed, or at least while Hazel is taking a nap and not crawling all over my lap here at the library. Apparently, it's making me feel rather disconnected from my family. I had a dream the other night that I was visiting my sister Marliese and she had had a little baby boy. I was shocked--"you never told me you had a baby?!" "Yeah I did, he was born last November. We named him Mitchell." "No, seriously, I never heard a thing about it." I'm just saying, that better not happen!!

I want to skype and blog and do all those things to minimize the miles. The fact that this feels like such a trial for me makes me realize just how internet dependent I've become. Kinda pathetic, huh? Millions of people have led perfectly happy lives without it. I guess I'm just supposed to enjoy the simplicity of life up here and the quality time with our nuclear family. Maybe I'll be able to be a much better mom without that distraction. Maybe it'll be refreshing to be kinda disconnected. Maybe?

10 comments:

Jan and Colleen said...

Might even have to resort to snail mail and photos. Hard to imagine.

merathon said...

you are one tough cookie. that would be a tough adjustment for me for sure!

P.S. emery wants to call you every time she does a poop in the toilet.

Rachel Sorber said...

Aww! That is rough! I'm so sorry. Internet has really meant a lot to me out here--being able to talk to my family via Skype and stuff has kept me happy enough to live so many miles away. I'm sure if you complained enough to the council they'd consider upgrading the bandwidth for your town so you can have internet. It's your civic duty, right? :)

Karey said...

Yikes! How's the phone service? I would love to use this as an excuse to catch up via phone :) I'll email you my phone numbers!

Ana Chang said...

Sounds very hard. What about a cable internet connection? Comcast claims to offer high-speed internet in Delta Junction.

Johnson Family said...

I hope you are still able to keep up with your blog...it is great knowing what you are up to and all the adventures that you find in Alaska

Beckie Smith said...

I can totally relate! There is a feeling of isolation when you can't send or receive news when you want to. I always appreciate your awesome perspectives so I hope we continue to get your blog updates often.

Mirien said...

I'm internet dependent right along with you. I hope you can figure out a solution one of these days! Yes, maybe you'll come to love the simplicity of life without it, but we'll miss you! And you better call Marliese and see if she has an announcement for all of us! She never told me about her new baby either!

Patti said...

Hi Monette! I'm so glad to hear that you're there safe and well. Speaking of internet we finally decided to upgrade to high speed internet just yesterday! After 4 years of dial-up, it is a welcome change! So, I can definitely empathize with what you are feeling right now (except we are not quite so far away from our families :) ) With that said, I hope that you get to be one of the lucky ones who can get it soon!! Check our blog, I posted some new pics tonight! Keep us posted. It's so good to be back in contact with you again! Enjoy your Alaskan adventure!

Marliese said...

You are so funny! I missed this post...and no, I have no baby boy in the works. I wouldn't mind that scenario, but no, not yet.

Love you! Don't forget about all of us in the lower 48!