connection woes

If anyone has any advice for me, I would love you--my home computer (pc frankenstein, windows xp) is constantly losing its internet connection.  RCN confirmed that the modem is communicating properly with the outside world, and all the little lights on the modem are behaving normally, so the problem must be somewhere on my end.  Connection can be restored by shutting down the computer, turning off the modem, unplugging the ethernet cable and letting it all sit for at least five minutes before restarting, but eventually the connection quits again.  Customer service at RCN suggested that I try a new ethernet cable or update the network card drivers.  I did both of those things, as well as power cycling the modem and resetting it god knows how many times, but the problem is persisting.  Typically, I get about three page loads and then the connection stops working.  Sometimes however it will work properly for hours.  Is there anything else that springs to mind that would cause intermittant connectivity?  According to the hardware profiles, everything involved with networking is working properly. 

I'm not sure if it is a coincidence or not, but this problem did start after I dropped a curtain rod on the modem.  It wasn't very heavy though.  I also upgraded my Norton systemworks and firewall about a month ago, but this problem is only about a week old.

This is exactly the sort of frustration one does not need when it is a million degrees out.  My celtic-teutonic body was not designed for these conditions.

(no subject)

I really feel like I am falling apart in this heat--even in air conditioning, my body can tell that it's fake and that the real heat is oppressively out there pushing at the edges of sensation.  I made a point of drinking a lot of water and little alcohol all weekend in an attempt to stave this kind of feeling off, but to not much avail.  I haven't slept well in days, and took a couple hours of sick time this morning to try to get some extra rest--I woke up after five hours of sleep, and between the sleep deprivation and the heat I thought I was going to throw up.  The nausea went away after a little more sleep, but the weakness remains.  I have class tonight, but I'll have to take it very easy.  I think I overdid things on Sunday without realizing it.

Yesterday's yoga class was excellent, focused on twists to help us wring summer stagnation out of our bodies.  It did actually help for a while, but then having to dry my hair last night put me right back where I had been.  I had a good show at the Middle East, I thought, but in talking with a more experienced dancer there I confirmed my gut level feeling that the highly classical stuff I tend to dance to is not really appropriate for the venue--as she said, you've got to dumb it down for that crowd.  I could tell while I was dancing to Ya Msafer Whadak that the music was losing people--they would start trying to clap along, and then the music would do a 180 in some other direction.  That makes it great to dance to, but I should keep that kind of thing for more of a concert or recital setting, not a restaurant.  If only I didn't love it so much... but there's always baladi and shaabi, that makes people happy. 

Saturday was a fun evening of board games--I've never played Cranium before, I liked it--and a semi-productive afternoon of shopping for sundry stuff.  I'm trying to find some machine washable runners for use as rugs in the bedroom, but most of the color palattes out there now are hideous.  I guess 70s colors like avocado and harvest are the in thing.  I could always dye some all cotton ones black, if it comes down to it.  Friday M took me out for a sushi dinner since I had had a very trying week.  I have a very good man.

Bleh.  Nausea's not entirely gone after all.