And Now, For Our Next Challenge

Geez, it’s always something.

In September I was complaining about the heat. In October I couldn’t stand the migraines. November had NaNoWriMo. For December, you’ll get to read all about my computer situation.

Back when I was trapped in the gigantic corporate maze I was part of a “team” and we had a “mission” and were so very “proactive” about meeting our “personal improvement plans.” Gag. We learned that there were no problems, only “growth opportunities.” There were no disasters, only “challenges.” Also we used “finger quotes” all the time. LOL

So I present to you my challenge of the month: both of my computers are about to quit. I have a patchwork system made up of a 12-year old desktop computer with a slightly newer monitor, a 5-year old laptop, and an array of antique printers, scanners, etc, all linked to my wireless network installed 4 years ago. The laptop was a lemon from the start and has had so many parts replaced there’s nothing original left. It’s been getting slower and slower and sometimes the screen just never comes on at all. The desktop has been reliable all these years except for being overwhelmed by the vast amounts of data weighing it down. Now it freezes up when I turn it on. So far this week I've spent hours just trying to get one or both of the things to boot up. I’ve done defrags and virus scans and system checks on both, and there is no noticeable improvement.

You’ve guessed where this is going – I need a whole new system. The idea of going to computer stores strikes even more terror into my heart than dealing with auto mechanics. At least with cars, I can bring the Piemaker along for a reasonableness check on what they tell me. With computers, I’m at a complete loss. All I know is I want something that can hold a lot of pictures and that travels fast on the great information highway. That type of naiveté is likely to net me a system twelve times the size, complexity, and cost of what I actually need.

So I have to try to force myself to buckle down and start researching computers. Yuck! Then once I have a better idea of what I need, I have to start comparing prices, which may involve going into actual stores. Bigger yuck! Of course at some point I will have to spend a huge sum of money on the whole business, which is the biggest YUCK of all!

As Roseanne Roseannadanna used to say, “it’s always something.” (I miss you, Gilda!)

I do see the bright side, which is less frustration in my daily computer activities (once the whole mess is installed).

In closing, if this blog goes dormant for the next few days or weeks, at least you'll know why.

Katrina