This afternoon I attempted to check my email and open Firefox to make my daily blog rounds. Notice the “attempted.” I couldn’t get an Internet connection. We have cable Internet with Sudden Link (formerly Cox Communications) and I connect via Airport, Apple’s wireless Internet technology. Sometimes I drop my Airport connection, so I tried turning Airport off, then turning it back on.
Nothing.
Sometimes I have to reset the base station, so I went into the other room, unplugged it, and plugged it back in.
More nothing.
To make a very frustrating story short, I spent the next TWO hours attempting to beat my Airport connection into submission, constantly reopening Firefox, and getting no Internet! aggggh! It drove me crazy. I even thought fleetingly, “Did I get a virus??” Not likely on a Mac, but still. I could NOT figure out the problem. My PowerBook was communicating with my Airport connection, but for some reason my Internet connection was dead. No sites would load, no email connection in my Mail application.
Firewall? Turned it off…still no ‘net.
Ran Airport Admin Utility…Airport is still fine, check your network settings. Checked them, all settings were correct.
Finally, two hours later, I got the good sense to call Sudden Link and see if the problem could possibly be on their end, not mine. If nothing else, I was going to beg them for troubleshooting support, pitifully. I dialed their customer service number and got an automated system. Great. Press 1 for this, press 2 for that, etc. When I pressed 1 to speak to someone from high-speed Internet support, I got the following recorded message:
We are currently experiencing problems with high-speed Internet in your area. We are aware of the problem and are working hard to resolve the issue. Thank you for your patience.
doh.
First of all, I was kicking myself because I could have called them straightaway. A sensible person would do that, right? Second, I was smacking myself because I know better. I have an Associate’s degree in computers, for pete’s sake!!! Call it a moment of…brain flatulence. Immediately after I heard the message, I thought: duh. duh. Duh! Flashback to web server management class, oh, circa 2002:
Internet problems?
#1 Check your cables. Sometimes they do come unplugged.
#2 Check your network settings. Make sure they’re set correctly.
#3 Check your server–in this case, the ISP, dummy!
Why do I feel like I constantly ebb between flashes of brilliance and moments of utter stupidity?
Anyhow. As you can see, Sudden Link fixed the problem and I now have Internet again. And next time I will know to check with them first, instead of spending another hour and 55 minutes confusing myself. lol. I’m such a dumbarse sometimes, for real.
In other things! As you can see, I’ve progressed on my Debbie Bliss “Frieda” sweater. I’m about halfway through the front and the cables look really cool. 
But I had to study the pattern instructions several times before attempting the cables because Debbie Bliss writes CRAZY. ok, not crazy, just confusing, I guess. And actually, I started the first cable repeat wrong and had to tink that row–rip back those stitches and put the lower stitches back on the needle–successfully, without dropping any! Phew. I’m about to start the armhole shaping.
I’m just hoping that when I’ve finished knitting/seaming/trying it on, it doesn’t make me look like a big, cabled house. The girl in the pattern book looks awfully skinny…I really don’t want to look like a cabled house, but even if I do, at least I’ll be warm. 
