Being online 247

Though I may moan a bit about Mac hardware (obviously it's the machine's fault I can't always get it to work... not the operator's!), I am quite addicted to being online 247. My main partner in crime is my iPhone which I've owned for over a year so it's starting to look a bit sorry for myself.

My partner, family and friends make jokes about how I have to be constantly plugged in and to some extent they're right.. but I have been known to leave technology behind (occasionally, with some disgruntlement). Though, the internet has also been my salvation.

At the end of January I made the mistake of going ice-skating... a whole fifteen minutes in I fell over and fractured my tibia and fibula. The break is what Plymouthians would call 'a proper job'. Originally it had been expected I'd be in hospital for only a few days, before coming home with a cast and on crutches. But, what is known as 'Michelle luck' kicked in even more and I ended up being in hospital for four weeks, on a ward that was closed to visitors for three of those weeks. Life was not fun.

My salvation, and I really do mean this, was the internet on my iPhone and later on my Mac. Luckily, at the start of my stay, my mum had brought in my Mac with tv programmes and films loaded onto it (thanks awesome bro). As my hospital television did not work, it's all I had entertainment wise.

My iPhone was used by doctors to take photos of my leg (to see how the skin was progressing), people sent me pictures of the outside world, I emailed people tales of woe, updated the world on my progress via Facebook and received encouragement and support. And, I even made phonecalls. Luckily my iPhone contract had unlimited data (though recent news reports suggest this is all about to change), but frustratingly I could see numerous wireless networks no-one had the password to!

After two weeks - with no obvious 'escape' date scheduled, my mum posted me my broadband dongle. I loaded it up with credit and soon could chat with and see (hurrah!) friends and family via Skype, browse the web and generally keep in touch with the world.

I really believe that if I'd not had the internet the ordeal would have been far worse. Having technology and the internet to hand, be it accessed over 02's 3G network on my phone, or the Vodaphone's 2G network on my internet dongle, meant I could stay in touch with the people that mattered.