Technological Woes

Although, I use technology at work and am fairly proficient in troubleshooting problems, I never really thought that I was dependent on technology.  I don't even have cable TV or stream video for crying out loud.  I send maybe 20 texts a month, and I am not a huge e-mailer.  But then, I spent 6 days fairly painful days in near unconnectedness.  I can only imagine how I might have felt if I had been truly unconnected.  The problem here is that I expected to be connected.  I was in an urban setting staying at a hotel that provided complimentary wifi hookups each day.  And I reasoned if for some reason I couldn't hook up with my laptop, I have 4G on my phone.  I intended to download a book on my phone to occupy myself during down time so I didn't take one with me.
The first night, I tried to log on with my computer, but Safari wouldn't accept the connection.  We were able to get my travel companions logged on to their computer after a few tries.  I wondered aloud if I called down and asked for someone to help me if they would be able to.  Everyone cracked up laughing so I decided not to trouble the poor probably less savvy than me hotel employee.   All that I had my phone.
But then I couldn't get my phone to load in the hotel.  For the next 6 days, when we were off doing something, I became familiar with the pinging sound indicating that I had e-mail.  See here is where the near  unconnectedness comes in.  I got e-mails, text messages, and voicemail hours after they had been sent and generally when I received them I was either too busy to respond or had become irrelevant.
Text:  We are going down to eat.  Where are you?
When I received it 2 hours later:  I'm right next to you, hungry.  Was it good?  
Actually the entire vacation, not just the last 6 days, was a technology nightmare that resulted in me getting lost in Oakland, after dark, twice.  I was returning from wine country on my way back down to LA.  I had just crossed the Bay Bridge--a nightmare for anyone who doesn't particularly like crossing bridges (ME).  I needed to do three things, calm my nerves, get gas, and use the facilities.  I got off at an exit, gassed up, and asked the convenience  store attendant if I could use the restroom.  He indicated the bullet proof box he was in and said that there was no access from the outside to the restroom.  I asked if he had ice-cream and he held up 4 types for me to choose from.  Once I paid for and received my ice-cream via the plexiglass mechanical drawer, I returned to my car only to find that neither Google Maps nor Imaps were cooperating.  The entrance to the freeway was no where in sight.  I ended up driving south and/or east in Oakland with a pressing bladder until I found the freeway.  Back on the freeway, I realized that I would need to get off again and fairly soon. Hence getting lost in Oakland A SECOND TIME.  This from someone that has always felt that there is no real good reason to visit Oakland.  Prior to this, I had only been to Oakland twice.  Once to catch the train to take me to Dallas when I packed up my life in San Francisco for Slovakia.  And then again when I was living in Hawaii to turn down the opportunity to open my very own language school in Oakland.    I turned down the Oakland school opportunity, because I hadn't accomplished my goals in Hawaii and also because I had walked around both Oakland and San Francisco for the weekend mulling over the decision and realized that I was constantly wanting to get back to the safety of my friend's apartment before it got too dark. This compared to Hawaii where, with the exception of walking around in Chinatown, after dark held no real safety concerns.  Ok, not that I am going off tangent, I will close.