Thursday, February 15, 2007
Addictions
Like most addictions, this one began innocently enough. You know, just a little, out of curiosity, a couple of times a week, just to see what all the fuss was about. And we liked it - it really helped. Suddenly we could communicate easier, a whole new world of exotica opened up before us and my loved one even claimed it was helpful to his writing.
And then, in no time at all, we were hooked - happy to pay top prices for poor delivery just as long as our craving could be satisfied. And that´s when the big boys stepped in; recognising how many more potential addicts were out there, they delivered a purer drug - faster and cheaper. So now we´re officially registered Broadband addicts.
So what´s the problem you may wonder, if there´s a plentiful supply? Well, we´re on holiday and the island we´re staying on, though only partly a desert - a few dunes and some cantankerous camels - is miserly with its access points. And the withdrawal symptoms are awful. Yes, we´ve got sunshine, bougainvillia cascading everywhere and colourful birds, but I´m sorry this doesn´t cut it. We need our fix so we´re off on the prowl. "Psst, over there, am I imagining it, or does that say Cyber cafe"? We follow the signs, but they lead us back to where we started. The oasis has vanished - it was just a mirage.
And then the cavalry arrive - well the lost battalions of ageing Hitler Youth to be more exact. There are hoardes of them, striding purposefully around on sturdy legs, with walking sticks like Nordic ski poles, in and out of their holiday sites. And where there are Germans, there´s order. And an orderly German holiday development would have Internet, right? Into reception, where Heidi informs us "of course ve haf it. It vill cost 1 Euro for fifteen minutes, but you must not take more zan fifteen minutes ven someone is vaiting". No problem, plenty of time.
I pop my Euro into the slot and the screen springs to life. Now this won´t take a jiffy. Oh dear, I didn´t realise it would take so long to get my blog up only 6 minutes left and here we go just a short post today oh no screen´s flashing a warning that my time´s almost up and it will just cut out, so there´s just time to say
And then, in no time at all, we were hooked - happy to pay top prices for poor delivery just as long as our craving could be satisfied. And that´s when the big boys stepped in; recognising how many more potential addicts were out there, they delivered a purer drug - faster and cheaper. So now we´re officially registered Broadband addicts.
So what´s the problem you may wonder, if there´s a plentiful supply? Well, we´re on holiday and the island we´re staying on, though only partly a desert - a few dunes and some cantankerous camels - is miserly with its access points. And the withdrawal symptoms are awful. Yes, we´ve got sunshine, bougainvillia cascading everywhere and colourful birds, but I´m sorry this doesn´t cut it. We need our fix so we´re off on the prowl. "Psst, over there, am I imagining it, or does that say Cyber cafe"? We follow the signs, but they lead us back to where we started. The oasis has vanished - it was just a mirage.
And then the cavalry arrive - well the lost battalions of ageing Hitler Youth to be more exact. There are hoardes of them, striding purposefully around on sturdy legs, with walking sticks like Nordic ski poles, in and out of their holiday sites. And where there are Germans, there´s order. And an orderly German holiday development would have Internet, right? Into reception, where Heidi informs us "of course ve haf it. It vill cost 1 Euro for fifteen minutes, but you must not take more zan fifteen minutes ven someone is vaiting". No problem, plenty of time.
I pop my Euro into the slot and the screen springs to life. Now this won´t take a jiffy. Oh dear, I didn´t realise it would take so long to get my blog up only 6 minutes left and here we go just a short post today oh no screen´s flashing a warning that my time´s almost up and it will just cut out, so there´s just time to say
