reason #2 for blogging: free internet

I also thought it’d be a good idea to blog because back in August 2008 when I set up this thing, I had free Internet.  By free I mean I was stealing from a neighbor.  And by neighbor I mean the church across the street.

Yes, I stole from THE CHURCH.

Lord, have mercy.

Unsecured Wifi leads to one of those “maybe it's not so bad” justifications for what seems like a slight sin.  It's not like I was embezzling, for Pete's sake; I was simply borrowing bits of communication.  That's all.  And I would think that the church would want me to keep up with my friends and family.

But yes, I am aware of the eighth commandment.

I just didn't feel like adhering to it when I figured out that Our Lady of Internet Generosity across the street didn't require a password.  It began with quick email checks and quickly devolved into setting up a blog.

In between, I'd like to point out that I used the stolen Interwebs to set up automatic withdrawals to support two of my friends who are missionaries.

{It's always nice when stories of sin have a spot of redemptive hope.}

So back when I had free (except for the cost of stealing on my soul) Internet, a blog seemed do-able.  I could update daily!  From the comfort of my bed, aka the only place in my apartment where the Internet worked!  What a plan!

Then I moved.

No more sweet and generous church across the street.

And more importantly:  I had a mortgage.

I entered what I now fondly refer to as The Time I Freaked Out about Every Penny Because I'd Just Written the Biggest Check in My Life and Signed a Bajillion Papers about How I WOULD NOT DEFAULT ON MY MORTGAGE.

Coming up with catchy names for eras is not a strength of mine.

But I am really good at Freaking Out about Every Penny.  That's pretty much a lifelong trait, not just a post-mortgage trait.  The mortgage simply heightened it, and things like creating and sticking to a budget help control it.

Suddenly—in that late summer 2008—if it wasn't building equity, I wasn't paying for it.*

{* Notable exceptions included:  food, new furniture, books, my cell phone bill, and my vacation plans.}

The Internet, wonderfully connective as it is, did not make it through the first round of budget cuts.  And when its line item disappeared, this blog disappeared.

{Please note:  I do not blame the church and how it made me so reliant on its free Internet for my inability to blog.  Like many in America right now, I'm blaming the mortgage crisis for my problems.}