days of anan

i'm reminded this morning (or hey, i guess it's afternoon) of the good old days of the internet. ok, i'm saying that facetiously. it really wasn't the good old days. it was the time of wanting to put your head through a wall.

do you remember back when you waited anxiously to dial up, praying that that screely noise would turn into success. and it sometimes taking all dang day literally to get a connection? do you remember when you'd finally achieve that success only to be booted off for some aggravating, unknown reason?

do you remember being tethered to a chair and position at your computer desk that likely was not comfortable and convenient or conducive to using the bathroom or getting a blanket or getting ready for work or getting a snack or looking up something in a book? do you remember all that? you were stuck right there. right where you were. unless you were a fast typist and a fast runner.

well, i'm reminded of it all this morning because apparently, i forgot to leave my ipad plugged in last night, and the battery was depleted this morning. and i sit now, tethered to this chair. and it's annoying as all get out to me. it brought back the not so good old days.

it's amazing how spoiled one can get in just a few short years. things we take for granted now, seem almost unbearable. i get the same feeling when i forget my smart phone now. i used to not even want a cell phone. it felt so intrusive. but now, if i'm without it, i feel unconnected to everything. i can't look up directions or ingredients for a recipe when i'm at the store. i can't text a friend to make sure of the place or time that we are meeting or just to share something funny that i see or think of. it's hell.

and vividly, all this reminds me of that time when i was in love. when most of my communication with that love was through internet chat. and i remember, although i don't believe he ever knew it, that it would usually take me hours to get that precious connection to him. i never wanted him to know that to talk to him for 30 minutes or so, it would take me on average about 3 hours of effort to get through. i never wanted him to know that i tried that hard.

i did try that hard.

and then, often times this entity named anan would break in and cut off our conversations. cursed anan. often, i wanted to kill old anan, whoever that was. i did not know who anan was. but oh, how i despised anan. (ironically, i now think i know who anan was. cursed anan.)

anyway, it is amazing to me how easy it is, most days to hop right on the old interwebs and make a connection with people. these days, however, i no longer talk to strangers. and i no longer am plagued by the likes of anan. i'm only plagued by my own silly mistakes of not seeing that i didn't plug in the charger. or something as silly as that. and my discomfort is relatively short-lived. these crazy devices charge up at almost lightening speed. already i am now able to move about the room freely after charging a few short minutes.

all is well again. but for the thought of cursed anan.