Last night, quite unexpectedly, my cable modem started working again. Just like that. No more blinking lights, no more refused connections, no more error messages to prompt a wasted hour on the phone with AT&T. After seventeen days without an internet connection (minus what I have at work and the dial-up that arrived sometime Friday afternoon), I can wash my hands of them. My account is now owned by Adelphia. AT&T never told me this of course, would not even admit they were negotiating a deal, but the local paper reported it yesterday, and someone told me about it at lunch. And when I got home, my modem was working. AT&T’s phone number no longer worked, and Adelphia’s phone number welcomed their new custormers in State College, Pennsylvania. I should receive a check from AT&T in about eight weeks paying me two days credit for each day of interrupted service.

And, as an added bonus, my plush Rabbit with Big Pointy Teeth arrived at my door yesterday. It’s a wonderfully silly thing. I am quite pleased.