drive-by internet

Right now I am sitting silently in a parked car in the dark. I am with my sister and brother, and we are each intently staring at our individual laptop screens. It just so happens that this stretch of the road has wireless signals from VARIOUS hotels, so we are taking advantage of their generosity to maintain contact with the world. It just so happens the house we are staying at doesn't have any internet, and we all have this need to stay in contact with the world through internet. (Besides the fact that I got 23 emails in the short span of 24 hours. Craziness.)

Just imagine: you're walking down the road, taking a nice walk with your dog at, oh 9:30. It's dark, you pass a few hotels, and there, in the parking lot, is a parked car with three heads intent on lighted screens. So intent on connecting with the "world," they aren't even connecting with each other. Or the person walking the dog.