S.N.A.F.U.
This morning, I used my HAL to harness the power of the internet; I experienced no ill effects and noticed nothing at all out of the ordinary. A little while later, my father fired up his laptop HAL, which he only uses downstairs while watching TV, and which operates via the same wireless network as my HAL; the laptop is the reason there's even a wireless network in this house. Oddly enough, since Dad used his laptop HAL my HAL has been entirely unable to access ye olde internet. Now, who besides my father honestly believes that this is purely coincidental? I'm not blaming him, I don't think he did anything nefarious, but clearly by using his laptop for the first time in weeks or possibly months, he somehow inadvertantly barred my HAL from utilizing the house wireless. Of course, he thinks the problem must lie in my HAL; so, tomorrow I get to call AppleCare and try to troubleshoot the problem from my end... without any access to the Internet. Only after I've wasted my time doing this may I reasonably prevail upon him to seriously examine his wireless thingamajig. Huzzah!

The Secret Base will go silent until wireless internet access in my room has been restored. "The Explorers Club," "The Victors," and the all-new "The Wedding Album, Part 4" will be postponed until such restoration. Know that no one is more irked by this fiasco than me. Please pardon our dust and all that rot.