This is one of those times when recording the IP address is helpful...I can run a traceroute across the Valley and ping your computer. There's one node that didn't check in, but the packet got to you:

1 [ 192.168.0.1] 192.168.0.1 0 ms
2. *
3 [ 68.87.197.225] GE-2-20-ur03.sanjose.ca.sfba.comcast.net 7 ms
4 [ 68.87.192.37] 10g-9-1-ar01.sfsutro.ca.sfba.comcast.net 10 ms
5 [ 68.87.226.130] 68.87.226.130 4058 ms
6 [ 12.117.240.5] 12.117.240.5 10 ms
7 [ 12.123.12.49] tbr1012801.sffca.ip.att.net 15 ms
8 [ 12.122.82.57] ggr3-ge10.sffca.ip.att.net 9 ms
9 [ 192.205.33.78] att-gw.sanfran.level3.net 11 ms
10 [ 4.68.123.79] ae-11-53.car1.SanJose1.Level3.net 12 ms
11 [ 63.209.0.174] unknown.Level3.net 12 ms
12. *
13 [ 66.167.126.140] h-66-167-126-140.snvacaid.dynamic.covad.net 30 ms

Hmmm...check out the four second turnaround up in SF...bet that's a major hub, and probably the major chokepoint right now.

I'm on ComCast with cable broadband, no problems here. Yours looks like DSL. Covad's site doesn't have an online display of network status, so you may have to contact them and ask.