Someone I’ve known for 26 years did something that has left me wondering if I ever really knew her. It’s something that’s so crazy that I’m starting to doubt her sanity.
Did she mess with a married man? Nope.
Did she rob a bank? Nope.
Did she drown a bunch of kittens? Nope.
It’s worse, much, much worse!
She got rid of her internet connection!
Now, she did have a dial-up connection, which I know from past experience can be 
excruciating. I had been trying to talk her into getting broadband, but she didn’t seem interested. It’s not a matter of money, because she’s got cable TV, just bought an RV and got satellite TV for it and she and her husband just bought a huge surround sound system for their big screen TV. So that’s not it.
She’s retired, so she doesn’t have access at work, nor does she go to the library. So she has, in essence, cut herself off from the worldwide web.
Now before you start going, “Star, what’s the big deal?” I want you to think about what this means. It means no email – nada. It means no reading blogs, articles, or perusing houses for sale. It means no shopping online, comparing prices, getting the best deal. No recipes. No beautiful photographs. No downloading coupons. No teaching yourself something new. It means no access to all the information in the world!
Just today I was running the vacuum and realized it was not picking up lint, despite the fact that it had suction. After examining it, I realized the brush bar wasn’t spinning, which meant the belt had broken. But, look as I might, I couldn’t figure out how to get it to, nor could I find the instruction book. So, what did I do? I did what you would do. I looked it up on the internet, downloaded the manual, and there, in step by step photographs, I saw how it was done! And I thought to myself, “What did I ever do before the internet?” I hope I don’t ever have to find out.
But I guess my friend, Suz, is going to find out. But for now, as far as I’m concerned, she’s off-line…and I do mean… totally off- line!
Star, Simplified 