My internet went out yesterday. Well, not just mine. It seems someone cut a fiber-optic cable and wiped out the internet connection for at least half of the town. I phoned the company and, after dealing with the automated menu, I was finally put on hold to speak to a real person.
By the time that real person got on the line, however, he must have thought I was crazy. Or a bit tipsy. I couldn’t stop giggling.
Being on hold isn’t usually funny. I know that. Listening to the musick, which always seems to get stuck in my head for days. Then there’s the recorded voice repeating something like “your call is important to us, please stay on the line for the next available representative.” That isn’t funny either.
What was funny was the voice telling me that if I didn’t like the wait, I could go online for assistance. If I could have gotten online, I wouldn’t have been calling! And once I started giggling, I couldn’t make myself stop.
It made me think of all sorts of other crazy, ironic things in my life. Like how my husband can’t hear me ask a question when I’m in the same room, but can make out every word I mumble about him under my breath from the other side of the house. Or how my youngest daughter looked up from what she was doing to say “I love you, Mommy” right out of the blue. What she was doing was packing her room for college. Or how people use the phrase “the real world” as if the world where I pay bills and wash dishes isn’t real.
The more I thought about it, though, the life of a writer is complete irony. We hide out in the space we’ve created, plugging away on the computer trying to reach some magic number of words or until the clock reaches a point where we feel enough time has been spent on the project.
On the other hand, we write about people. And even if our people are fictional, they need to have a ring of realism. In order to make our writing as good as possible, we need to be with people. Yet, we write alone.
Ironic, isn’t it?
Blessings!
Nichole
Indigo Sea Press Blog 
I Enjoyed your blog, Nichole! Yes, very ironic.
So very true while being inspiring and disheartening all in the same blog… maybe I’m just in a mood but this post makes me wonder about a whole lot of conflicts and ironies.
Thank you, I think 😛
Irony is all over the place, and being English I always find it funny.
How ironic that Shania Twain (or whoever it was that wrote the song) never understood the meaning of irony.
I had a similar problem as you some time ago when trying to install a new modem. There I was trying to figure out what to do, when suddenly I decided to do what men never do, I decided to ask for help. The person on the end of the phone told me that it was very easy to install the modem, I just had to download the driver for my version of Windows from the website……..
On a totally different subject, if you do ever have trouble with online support (or a sales call), start saying things that won’t be in their script. It is entertaining to hear them just repeat what is in front of them, when it has nothing to do with what you are asking. or when they ask you how you are today, tell them that you feel terrible, have been having some back problems and think you should visit the doctor, ask them their advice on this.
I get the irony of being a writer. The biggest irony for me is that I dislike most people, I find them far too incompetent/self-centered/frustrating. And yet I write about them, and always with a sense of compassion and understanding. Irony bordering on fraud. Good thing I write fiction.
I love your post. I had the reverse happen with the telephone company. I reported a problem online and they told me to call them from my home phone to report it!
Ann
You kept your sense of humor in a humorless situation! Life is packed with ironies, that’s for sure. Thanks, Laura.