And now, wireless!

Yes, I’m sitting in the lounge, typing on the laptop, and connected to the internet completely without wires! (Ok, technically there is a wire, because the batteries on the laptop were running low so I’ve got it plugged into the wall, but no telephone wires are involved.) Yes, we finally got the wireless network up and running.

It turned out to be both more and less complicated than we’d anticipated. MrPloppy’s original plan of going into town yesterday to buy a modem that was compatible with the router fell down when nobody had the model he wanted in stock (well, at least not at a reasonable price). So plan B was going to be to order one on-line, but then this morning I had a brainwave – when we’d bought the router, they’d said we could return it if it didn’t work with our modem. And you can get modems with built-in routers. And seeing as we’d have to buy a new modem anyway, and the cost of modems with built in routers is about the same as the two components separately, why not just take the router back to the shop and exchange it for a combined modem/router?

So that’s, after a frantic hunt through the house for the various packing material, discs and useless bits of paper that belonged in the box with the router, exactly what we did. And it turned out to be an excellent decision, because setting up a wireless network when all the equipment is in one bit is a *very* simple process of just plugging everything in, running the software and, hey presto, everything works – a pleasant surprise after the week of frustration we’ve had trying to get the old modem and router to talk to each other.

While we were in Riccarton exchanging the router, I finally forced myself to go shoe shopping (yes, I know, I’m letting down the whole of womenkind, but I find shoe shopping utterly boring!). My work shoes have finally totally fallen apart, and I’ve had to wear my gym shoes to work this week. Which, while it’s been lovely and comfortable, hasn’t been exactly professional looking. So I couldn’t really put off buying new ones.

I’d intended to buy ankle boots, because I normally wear trousers rather than a skirt, and with boots I can get away with wearing socks instead of stockings (I’ve never particularly liked the feel of wearing stockings, plus I object to paying that much for an item of clothing that I’ll get a couple of uses out of before they get a run and I have to throw them away – a pair of socks doesn’t cost much more, and last for years!). So passing a shop that had a sale on their winter stock, I went in to look at the display of boots.

I saw one nice looking pair, but they were a bit too big, and they didn’t have them in the next size down. And most of the other ankle boots seemed to be either impossible pointy-toed, or went too far the other way and resembled gumboots. I was about to give up and try another shop, when the assistant pointed out a pair of knee-length boots of a very similar design to the ones I’d liked, and in my size.

I’ve never thought of myself as a sexy knee-length boots sort of person (and definitely don’t have the legs for them!), so I wasn’t all that enthusiastic about the idea, but I tried them on anyway. And to my surprise, they were incredibly comfortable! And they fit me perfectly (which is unusual – yet another of my many wonderful quirks is feet that are different sizes at the front and heel). And although I still don’t think I’m a sexy knee-length boots sort of person, underneath trousers boots of all lengths look the same anyway. And as they were on sale, they were going to cost about the same as I’d expected to pay for ankle boots. And I really couldn’t be bothered going round every shoe shop in the mall searching for a pair of ankle boots in my size that I liked… suddenly the idea of knee-length boots was looking pretty good…

So I am now the proud possessor of the first pair of knee-length boots I’ve ever worn since I was eight and mum let us have an old pair of hers for dress-ups. At this rate I might end up being fashionable if I’m not careful!

We had lunch at Browsers, and were sitting near the fish tank, so much to MrPloppy’s annoyance (you’d think he’d have got used to me embarrassing him by bookcrossing in public by now), I reached over and propped Animal Farm by George Orwell up against the tank. A while later, a woman at the table next to us wandered over to take a look, and took the book back to her table, reading out the bookcrossing label inside to her husband. They then discussed Orwell for a while, and when we left, I saw that she had started reading it, so I think I’ve got a catch there 🙂

Currently reading: The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson and the usual textbooks
Currently listening to: Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy