The Daily Growler Shut Down by Verizon

Foto by tgw, New York City 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DUE TO THE TOTAL UNRELIABILITY OF VERIZON HIGH-SPEED INTERNET SERVICE, A LOUSY SERVICE, THE DAILY GROWLER WILL BE DOWN UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. WE LOST OUR INTERNET CONNECTION 15 DAYS AGO AND VERIZON HAS YET TO RESTORE THE SERVICE. WARNING: WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT USE VERIZON FOR YOUR INTERNET CONNECTING. I'M TOLD IT'S ALL RUN OUT OF INDIA.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


To just start writing. As I start writing I think of William Saroyan writing. Sitting in a chair in the window of his house watching the people in the neighborhood. Spotting on one. Focusing. Then beginning to write about that person. Characterizing what he thought that person was like alive. Thinking of William Saroyan saying in the introduction to that book of short stories that a writer had to write at the appointed time they'd set to write. Sit down in front of the typewriter, put a sheet of paper in it, and, BOOM, write. Even, Saroyan said, if all you wrote was gibberish. You know like: "I flew into a charming rage this morning as I gulp the winds from the primary bulb that firmed in terra firma for a foreign number of calliope strains...." or even, "Brrrrr. Guzimond peedo impdkline=de90 dillicuss t8i marge eetlk...." At least you are writing. Writing being the demon that keeps you living. Living being our most valuable source of pleasure. Pleasure the only reason we're living. Pleasure that will take our minds off the fact that being alive means we're on death row. The planet's death row. That's why we human beings are so angry at Mother Nature--the jungle from which we sprang--though, just think, since the originals of us sprang from the sea, there's a little saltiness in all of our instincts.

And all writers are writing about and of themselves. All writers, especially those of great success, are egomaniacal to the point if they peter out they'd rather be dead than living.

thegrowlingwolf
for The Daily Growler


ONLY THE GODS KNOW WHEN WE WILL BE BACK ON LINE AGAIN.
Back in late November, we signed up for Verizon DSL high-speed Internet service. From Day 1 the service started falling apart. The first thing that happened was our phone was shut off and we were told there was a cable break in our neighborhood and that the break would be fixed on December 5, almost two weeks away. Turned out we didn't have phone service for 8 days--and then it came back on. Everything was fine then and we were high-flying in high gear for a week or so when one fine morning, ZAP, the phone line went dead and the Internet connection service went dead, too. Since then, for two weeks now, we have had neither phone or Internet connection. This time Verizon says the problem is the line into our building, which they said a service person would be coming to our building on December 30th. This person never showed so as we enter this new year, the only way we'll be able to get on line is to go to our favorite Irish Pub and use their WiFi or to the public library. In the meantime, we are referring this matter to the NY Public Utilities Commission--and also we are currently searching for a replacement connection service. Rumor has it that this DSL service is run out of India. Enough said.

thestaff
for The Daily Growler--until further notice.

HAPPY NEW YEAR anyway!