Trying to find the pattern in things

Like, for instance, the silent vanishing of my internet connection.

Well every day, between 2 minutes and half an hour after I start looking at blogs.

Just before I post a comment – between the first attempt and the sixth. (usually one I’ve forgotten to copy before hitting publish)

And that would be between and ten minutes and an hour after I get up (except on days when I get up very early – by my standards - when that would be between ten minutes and an hour after I get back and the camera card is uploading).

It would also be some time during the late night when I’ve decided I must go to bed now but I’ll just do a quick round of visiting blogs. It’ll only take ten minutes right ?

About ten seconds before the little picture of two televisions with a tiny world attached becomes two worldless tiny televisions. (why have the icon if it only tells me stuff after it’s happened? Like “I KNOW THE CONNECTION’S GONE AGAIN YOU USELESS PIECE OF PROGRAMMING!)*

I am learning patience. And new words for ‘bother’. Also new words for some words I won’t print here since I am not at this moment seething with impotent rage but typing in word so later when the machine has sneakily reconnected itself I can post it.

Anyway this morning I thought “why do we say the computer ‘crashes’”. When what it usually does is more like flatlining. Somewhere out in the virtual world is there a huge virtual noise with bangs and clangs and crunching? Do bits of programming fly out from a point of impact hitting surrounding bits of virtual scenery and groggily stagger around saying “where am I? What happened? Oh I’ve crashed the computer!” Do they know which computer they’ve crashed?

Meanwhile "Could not connect to Blogger.com. Saving and publishing may fail. Test connection now" WHAT connection? Yes, we were momentarily, virtually in contact there for a few seconds. It says a lot for human adaptability that I can quite forget that the next thing that may happen when I hit publish is - nothing. Or maybe it just says a lot about my single brain cell :)

Well, while doing this, I've been following instructions from the people who haven't fixed my printer. I've taken the printhead to be cleaned twice, rinsed the jets under warm water, dried gently, nay, tenderly with kitchen paper, executed cleaning two or three times and then executed 'deep cleaning' twice. The nozzles remain unchanged. Well the check results do anyway. It's time to go and see the boys at Cartridge World again and possibly trot out that nice phrase about not being born yesterday - young man! Well at least they haven't charged me for soaking the printhead though the cost in petrol and advance planning in between early gettings up and disconnections of the internet and daily life stuff like cooking and eating and sunsets as well as shopping are causing severe brain strain.

Oh well. I'm off to get the printer fixed, walk the dog, buy a hard drive (one day I will, really will, have all my photos backed up properly) get some curry meat (Barney Bear has to be fed sometimes), and this will have to wait till later. If Blogger will save now? No? Ok. Back to word and yet more brainstrain.

*Equally (nothing if not even handed) it only reacquires its little world after I’ve randomly attempted to connect again. “Oh you’ve noticed you’re back have you? Huh!”