25 January 2010 So simple, like the jitterbug, it plum evaded me

25 January 2010 So simple, like the jitterbug, it plum evaded me


It occurred to me this morning as I waited for class to begin, that I had yet to log my laptop onto the ETSU Wi-Fi network. Says I, “That should be a quick task to accomplish.” And I immediately undertook the process. My laptop quickly found the network but repeated attempts to actually log onto it were rebuffed. Repeatedly rebuffed! Not to be outdone by a logical network I tried every log-on ID and password I had been assigned or had chosen for myself since beginning to deal with ETSU. No combination worked.

I decided that I would humble myself and ask my fellow students for assistance.

The only other older male in the class walked in. I asked if he had logged onto the Wi-Fi net yet.

That drew a, “No.” Then he sat down, opened his newspaper and began to read it.

I’m not that talkative either so I thought little of the brevity of the encounter. The room was beginning to fill up so I looked for another potential source of help.

A tall, (I’m short and was sitting down) thin, blonde dressed in all in black except for flip-flops (after all, it is only January 25th with snow predicted – why wear real shoes?) wandered by. I asked her for help. “I don’t live on campus.” Was all I got for that effort. By now I was determined that I’d find someone who could actually help me log on. Two males wandered in, one perhaps 25, the other barely 18 in appearance. Neither of them had the ghost of an idea about how to access the University Wi-Fi network.

Class began so I shelved the project and listened to a lecture that advanced by small increments along the link between Social Darwinism, Eugenics, and the Holocaust. When the concept of anger at “Jewish financial houses” as a source of anti-Semitism in Europe finally crawled to the surface it was explained that the habitual prohibitions against Jews filling most professional and agricultural jobs separated them from Europeans I managed to bring up another major reason that Jews were ideally suited for professions, crafts, and financial matters beyond the usury law prohibitions. Even at the time of WWI Illiteracy was still widespread among adult males in the Western world. Jews, however, have a long continuing demand that they educate their selves and their children. This literacy gap was as important a divisive factor as many other factors given more weight by those seeking to blame most of the Holocaust upon religious separation. I don’t know if my thoughts made any real impact. I saw a couple people jot something down during the exchange but they could well have been doodling.

Finally, I managed to introduce myself to the instructor for the CSI course. In explaining my background and letting her know that I was auditing the course, it I mentioned my 30years in clinical lab. She began as an MLT, so we have quite a lot of common ground. Hopefully she’ll be able to pick up the level of instruction beyond the film strip/power point level but that remains to be seen.

She did, however, answer my question about logging on by directing me to a student help desk in the Culp center. I wandered that way, had just entered the building when my cell notified me of voice mail. Gloria was on campus and wanted to let me know. I headed off for the wrong building, my fault, not hers, didn’t see her car until I turned a corner and noticed her license plate from about 100 meters. I also noticed her tail lights were on. I called her back, asked her to turn off her lights, and confirmed her location. A few more steps and I was out of the wind and in her car.

She’d had lunch, didn’t want to walk back to the Culp center and then back to her car, and I wasn’t sure how long I needed to wait for help. I gave her my ear warmer to use today. We, hopefully, scandalized the campus a bit, and I headed back to Culp center to finish the process I began at 1000. The student running the help window told me the fix was simple. Well, it wasn’t. He couldn’t log me on either. Perhaps the mainframe is undergoing maintenance. He indicated other people have had trouble connecting to the Wi-Fi network today. Suggested trying another day. So I will try again Wednesday.

In the meantime, leftover Cioppino for dinner. Gloria will face winds and maybe snow on her way home. I had rain and some stiff winds to deal with. The stove is putting out a good amount of heat, the turkeys have come and gone, and I’m looking forward to sleeping later tomorrow morning.