I Didn't Fall Off the Face of the Earth

But I sure felt like I did. Early yesterday morning, I lost internet connection that was not restored until a little while ago. I checked my connections (made sure the yellow dog had not torn out the wiring), checked my computer setup, and disconnected power to reset. When none of this worked, I called the service provider and found out that they had a wide spread outage. The nice customer service representative informed me that while the service had been out an hour and a half, which was a long time for them, he thought service would be reinstated very soon. Wrong! I waited and waited and waited.

Eventually, I gave up and took my traveling show to work. I packed the children, my papers, and a computer. While I borrowed internet connection from one of my employers, Princess roller skated around the big rectangle that encloses their office space. The Pink Panther played on a spare computer. I toiled, trying to finish before other employees ceased to find my children amusing and cute. After I finished everything that needed immediate attention, I went to the city to do some basics shopping and to help my nephew find direction for an assignment that is due when they start school in a couple of weeks. Truth is . . I was looking for productive things to do.

I was completely amazed that the unplanned outage left me at such loose ends. Feeling disconnected with pieces of my life dangling dangerously, I wondered if a proposal had been accepted, if anyone had visited my blog and left comments, if last minute changes had been made to another project that needed my attention, what was happening in the news, etc. etc. What I realized was how addicted I have become to my routines. I am not one to browse the internet for long hours (though I do occasionally), but I do check news, blogs, and e-mail frequently throughout the day. I cannot be fully functional at work without the connection, BUT there are things I can do without a connection. Why, then, did I feel the need to check the connection (wasting much time) over and over and over? Is this addiction?