have you met the mother of virtue?

Do ADSL modems make little beep beep sounds while they are connecting to the internet?

I buckled and got broadband this past weekend, 1500k unlimited, which means that from Friday onwards, I will be tethered to the internet 24-7. Friday! It only kicks in on Friday! I keep trying my luck every evening to see if they've connected me early, but all I've been getting are errors:

Modem connection faulty. Please check your connection.

Username and password is incorrect. Please re-enter and click "Save and Restart".

Please check your calendar. It is only tuesday. Your connection will be activated only on FRIDAY, AFTER 5pm. Thank you.

The mother of virtue is patience.

That last saying was something my older boy cousin wrote in my autograph book when I was 12. Whatever possessed me to get my cousin to sign my pink autograph book I don't know. This was the boy cousin whom I played two-on-one football with in the corridor of my grandparents' flat, the cousin who made me cry when he beat me in chess, the cousin who teased me when I thought the sanitary pad advert on TV was about tissues, the cousin who later told me about how incredibly happy he was about getting married, AND the cousin I accidentally walked into while he and his wife were making love (I didn't see anything).

We go back a long way. You know, now that I'm thinking about it, his cryptic autograph entry may possibly be my only encounter of this obscure saying I've had in my life, ever. But it obviously stood out from the run of the mill roses is red violets are blue something something something and so are you variety that I can quote it to you lock stock and barrel to you sixteen and a half years later. Crud, all this patient living is making me old.

I don't have problems with patience. I am so patient I can compete with a sloth and win. I am so patient that I am contemplating naming my broadband connection Godot. I am so patient that on most days, I can't remember who or what I am waiting for. I am so patient that I can carry on with this train of reasoning forever.

Please excuse me while I go check on my modem again. Thanks.