#2: Fifty-Six Point Six Kilobits Per Second

It was last night. Specifically, November 9, but I'm sure you figured that out. It was 8:30 p.m. on a Saturday night and I was about to log into the Internet, through my 56K dial-up modem. I attempted to dial up to my Internet service provider...and recieved an error message saying there was no dial tone.

I spent two hours trying to get the computer and the modem to cooperate properly so that they would acknowledge the dial tone. I tried everything. I deleted my cookies and temporary Internet files, which is something I do all the time anyway, and I tried uninstalling my modem and my dial-up network adapter...thing...whatever that was...and then restarting my computer so they would reinstall...but nothing seemed to work...and I was getting rather frustrated. Still, I told myself I was absolutely NOT going to let myself go to sleep that evening without going online!!

Two hours had passed. It was now 10:30 p.m. or somewhere around then...and I finally decided to try something else. I went to the phone to see if I could get a dial tone there, because, obviously, if I couldn't, then that meant that the problem was not with my computer.

As it turned out, the phone was off the hook and that was why I wasn't able to connect to the Internet...-_-;; I smacked myself on the forehead and then promptly returned to my computer and dialed up again.

I clicked "Connect" and recieved the familiar dialing-up noise. Then...I was greeted by yet another error message: "Unable to connect to remote computer." Well...this got me frustrated...but still, I did not give up! I tried everything I knew to do, even going so far as to reinstall my ISP's software and set up all my Internet settings again and reinstall my modem about 50 more times...sometimes even taking it out of its socket and blowing canned air on the connecting thingies and then putting it back. I even examined my phone cable very closely...a cable made to connect a 56K modem to a telephone jack in a way that is somehow more efficient than your regular phone cable...but I don't remember how because I don't remember what it said on the box.

Anyway...it was then 12:30 when I was out of ideas. I prayed to God for some sort of insight into what I was doing wrong...and regardless of what you may or may not believe in, I find that such a course of action has been very effective when I have a problem. Well...I suddenly recieved a sort of insight...and I decided to go and pick up a phone and call my phone company that is also my ISP. It was half past midnight and it was a Saturday night, so I had sort of figured there would be no one there...and I wasn't even sure that the number on my ISP's software would be the right number to call.

However, it was the right number...and I did get through to somebody. He tried to help me out, but couldn't...so he sent me through to someone else who was apparently a specialist in issues involving dial-up connection problems. After trying some things, this guy explained to me that uninstalling my network adapter was a bad idea...and so, he showed me how to set up a new network connection for my Internet service...and so...by 1:30 a.m., I was able to dial up again!!!

Yep...well...it took me five hours to get myself connected to the Internet....but it was worth it...and I realized...that despite everything I had to go through, it was a positive experience overall because I did not give up and I kept trying to overcome what was keeping me away from my goal, which in this case was the Internet! I decided I would not allow myself to give up...so I eventually figured out where I screwed up...and after some effort I finally got my Internet connection working slightly better than before!

I think a lot of times in life, we as people look at what's going on...and we see the problems around us and the problems that are keeping us away from our goals...and we get discouraged and give up. Sometimes, we try to do things our own way and we forget that there are times when we don't know exactly what we're doing...and we forget to ask for help even when we need it.

I think that the worst thing a person can ever do is to give up. When you give up on what you're trying to do, then there is a guarantee that your goal will not be accomplished.

The important thing to remember is...no matter what we go through and what stands in our way...as long as we never give up, we will make it through the difficult times...and things will be better. No matter what problems we might go through, there is always a solution and these problems never last forever. In the end, things will work out fine if we don't give up.

At least...that's how I see things. So...how does spending five hours trying to connect to the Internet make me think of something like what I've just written? Well...actually, I'm not sure. Maybe that's just part of what makes me unique.

Well...a heartfelt thank you to everyone who's read this...and also to BellSouth! Until next time...see ya!