So day one of my vacation was uneventful, except that I am bothered by not being able to access the internet.  I guess it has so become a part of my life to be deeply connected with various remote sources of information that it is positively annoying to be cut off.

I'd like to be able to check my e-mail just in case a customer places an order on my photography business website, but I can't.  I'd like to be able to check my friend's blogs and find out what is going on with them, but I can't.  I'd like to be able to catch up on my discussion fora on flickr, but I can't.  I'd like to check my twitter and my GoogleReader, but I can't.

*sigh* This sucks.

I woke up at 3:30 AM (so really this is day two of my vacation) and remembered that my Verizon LG phone is supposed to have some kind of web service (which I have never used).  I tried it and found that I needed to pay $1.99 for 24 hours of web access.  I figured it was worth $2 to find out exactly what I could do, so I opted to sign up for 24 hours.  I was promptly informed that my order could not be placed at this time, and told to try again later.

So I repeated this process a few times, and eventually (FINALLY) managed to get to a page which said my order had been accepted.  I was instructed to shut off my phone, turn it back on, and then wait “a few minutes” before using the service.  I was further told that if I saw the “Verizon Web 2.0″ signup page on my next access attempt, then my order was still processing and I would have to wait a little longer.

That was 45 minutes ago and I still don't have web access.  So I gave up and started writing this… using notepad… knowing it would probably be 7 days before I could post it.  How annoying.  I think one of my missions today is to try and find someplace in New Hampshire where I can get internet access.  Either a library or an internet cafe (if they have such things here) or something.  I can try asking at the office here, but I don't expect much luck.

I seem to recall asking them last year and getting a mystified “why would you want to get on the internet–you're on vacation” sort of response.  I can't really buy into that silliness… I'm sitting in a cabin with electricity, beds, a kitchen including a stove, sink, refrigerator, and microwave, hot water, fans, and a television with built in DVD player.  Hell I even still have my annoyingly-web-useless cell phone!  I'm on vacation?  From what?  Beyond a far less comfortable bed, how is this any different from being at my house?  I suppose the fact that I'm maybe 100 yards from the highway here and can listen to cars zooming by all through the night is a little different.  Ready access to a swimming pool is also a little different, but other than that all I can see is that I've traded a living space with far more entertainment value for a much smaller living space with far less, at considerable expense.

My main reason for being here is to be with Patty.  She doesn't see our house as a place of comfort or pleasure, but instead as a long list of chores that need to be done.  It's true that there is always something that needs to be done, and she seems far more acutely aware of that than I.  When she's here she's on vacation from the house.  I have to respect that.  Somehow, the exact state of things that drives me crazy, is precisely what relaxes her, and vice versa.  Oh well… that's what marriage is like sometimes… doing things you don't enjoy in order to make your spouse happy, finding the enjoyment in the happiness of your spouse.  Methinks I need to work on that a little.  Maybe a little cabin off the highway in New Hampshire is the right place to do it.