Liberated from the lure of the net

When I got back from the Conservative conference in Blackpool last week I discovered a fault with my home phone line. After I received a text from BT saying the problem wouldn't be fixed until October 17th (!), I rang the company and was told that thieves had raided the local exchange and stolen miles of copper cable. (See story HERE.)

Without a phone link I have been unable to send emails, access the Internet etc from home. It's amazing the impact this has had. Yesterday I found it so frustrating that I drove 20 miles to our office in Cambridge so I could spend some time catching up.

On the other hand it was quite liberating. The problem with taking your work home with you - as I do - is that you never really switch off. There is some inescapable force that draws me to my computer, whether it be six o'clock in the morning or eleven at night. Other people make a cup of tea or go to the loo during the TV ad breaks. I check my emails or surf the Internet for work-related news and gossip. It drives my family mad. Denied access to this ocean of information temporarily forced me to compartmentalise my day. Work. Home.

Anyway, the good (or bad) news is that BT has fixed the problem (ten days ahead of schedule!). Needless to say I'm back in the old routine, but it has made me think.