So, I was really planning to catch that Chet Holmgren vs Heat game the other night. You know, I’d been hearing a lot about Chet, this super tall, skinny guy doing amazing things for OKC. Seeing how he’d handle the Heat’s toughness, that physical defense they always bring, sounded like some must-see TV for me.
I got everything ready. Cleared my schedule, grabbed some snacks, settled onto the couch. Game time was approaching. Then, my phone rang. It was Mrs. Henderson from next door. She sounded pretty distressed, said her internet wasn’t working. Now, Mrs. Henderson, she’s maybe in her late 70s, sweet lady, mostly keeps to herself, but she lives for those video calls with her grandkids who live out of state.
My Troubleshooting Adventure
Right then, watching Chet battle the Heat suddenly seemed less important. I told her I’d be right over. Grabbed my coat, walked next door. Sure enough, her computer screen showed that little ‘no connection’ icon. Okay, first things first.
Here’s what I did:
- Checked the modem and router: Went straight to the little boxes. Looked for the usual blinking lights. The modem seemed okay, but the router had this angry orange light instead of the friendly green or blue one. Power cycled it – unplugged it, waited like 30 seconds, plugged it back in. Still orange.
- Checked the cables: Made sure everything was plugged in tight. The cable from the wall to the modem, the one from the modem to the router, the router to her old desktop computer. Everything seemed snug.
- Tried the direct connection: Unplugged the router completely and connected the modem directly to her computer with the ethernet cable. Still nothing. Okay, maybe it wasn’t her router.
- The dreaded ISP call: This is the part I hate. Navigated the phone tree (“Press 1 for… Press 2 for…”). Finally got put on hold. Listened to some truly awful hold music for what felt like forever. Mrs. Henderson kept offering me tea, looking worried.
- Talked to support: Eventually, a person! Went through all the steps I’d already done. They ran some tests on their end. Said the signal to the modem looked fine. Suggested it might be something with her computer or the cable again. Ugh.
- One last look: After hanging up, feeling a bit defeated, I decided to check the cables one more time, really thoroughly. Got down on my hands and knees behind her desk, flashlight from my phone out. And there it was. The ethernet cable going into the back of her computer tower looked like it was in, but it was just slightly loose, barely hanging on. I pushed it in firmly. Click!
Went back to the computer. Bingo. The ‘no connection’ icon vanished. Opened up her browser, loaded a page. It worked! Mrs. Henderson’s face lit up. She immediately wanted to call her grandkids.
By the time I got back home, the game was long over. Checked the box score on my phone. Looks like Chet did okay, but OKC lost. Felt a slight pang of disappointment about missing the game I’d looked forward to. But honestly, seeing how happy Mrs. Henderson was, knowing she could connect with her family again? That felt way better than watching any basketball game. Sometimes the unplanned stuff, the little helping-hand moments, end up being the most worthwhile part of the day.
