Monday, July 17, 2006

The Long Road to Free Broadband

Mood: relieved

As you know from recent posts, I've been making use of the TMobile HotSpot at Borders. But now that my free DayPass is long gone, I can't see paying $6 per hour for broadband. The reason for my needing to use the HotSpot--which I failed to mention previously--is because the free access Bella and I were getting at home has become increasingly sporadic. Not just sporadic, actually, but rare.

So today, after another nice lunch with Bella--on this, our ONE-MONTH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!--I went on a mission to find free broadband. Thanks to JiWire, I found that Say What?, a coffee shop in my old neighborhood, offered free access. So I drove the eight or so miles, content that I would soon be surfing for free. But Say What? apparently no longer exists.

Feeling rather silly for not calling ahead before making the trip, I drove perhaps 20 miles in the other direction to make use of Downtown Riverside's free WiFi access in the pedestrian mall. Now, here I sit at the Mission Inn Coffee Company, having nearly completed my Chai Tea over ice. I'm happy. The drive was worth it.

As the first part of our one-month celebration, I bought Bella the Deal Or No Deal Card Game. We will continue the celebration after Bella gets off work. Plans include dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory and some smooching.

Meanwhile, the wait continues. I haven't heard anything from the Press Enterprise since my second interview. But there's still time; no need to lose hope.

After a little more surfing and some secret shopping for Bella, it's time for the long road to $10 dialup. That is, home.

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