Back To Normal

Well, my computer is home. For the time being. Before we all have a "welcome home" party for this unreliable peice of technology, let me break this to you softly: I'm afraid to get too attached to this laptop and I'm fantasizing thoughts that maybe my computer is a scientific experiment that computer geeks will dub "Disposable Computer." Which really isn't a bad thing because just think about what you CAN'T buy that isn't disposable? Everything you buy, you have the option of getting it disposable or indisposable. I meant to buy an indisposable laptop but apparently they had the packaging messed up when I bought this one.

It's like a sick patient that needs hospice care. Only you can't set up hospice for a computer.

I've had this laptop just a month over a year (ie., 13 months). The hardrive (or is it hard drive?) was replaced once and wiped another time. The bottom of the laptop heats to a temperature comparable to your iron. My skirts are always nice and smooth at the top because of this added feature on my laptop computer.

So anyway. I thought my trouble would be over but apparently not. Even getting this thing "fixed" was an ordeal.

Like the day I called Best Buy three days after they told me this would be done. I found the number in the phone book and called. No big deal but I had heard horror stories about how hard it was to actually talk to a computer rep.

The phone rang and rang and rang and rang. And continued to ring. I didn't know a phone could ring so many times without going hoarse. But, I had been warned so shrugged it off. Finally, somebody answered and asked if they could help me.

"Hi! I'm calling to check on my computer that was supposed to be fixed 3 days ago. Just wondering if I can come in and pick it up," I said.

The receptionist acted like she knew who I was, what computer I was talking about and simply needed to look in the "Ready For Pick-up" bin. "Let me check. Hold on please," she said.

Wow! They actually knew me without asking for my name, telephone number, social security number, serial number on my computer and order number on the sheet of paper they gave when I brought my computer in for repair.

I waited for several minutes. Finally, another person got on the line. They needed my name and number. My hopes for personal ties with the first receptionist were dashed when I realized I was just another number. Just another phone call. Just another person with a broken computer.

So, I gave them my number.

About 47 seconds later, they needed my number again.

35 seconds later, they asked again for my number.

In a 4 minute phone call, they asked for my phone number 4 times. FOUR times in a FOUR minute phone call. Okay folks, that's on average once a minute.

They couldn't help me very speedily so they took my number down that last time, told me they'd call back later since their (okay, get this): computer wasn't working right.

It took all my self control, personal dignity and an intense measure of patience to not blurt out that I knew the place where they should send their computer to get fixed.

I got a call a few days later that my computer was ready for pick up. Last night I went into town and got it. There was nothing dangerous, scary or impressive about picking it up. I checked my email after I got home and felt good that maybe my computer was back to normal. This morning I realized that it is back to normal. But, normal doesn't always mean predictable or reliable or good. Normal in this case means: just the way it was when you sent it in for repair.

Not to dash your hopes or oust the good luck I'm sure you all have been sending me but I need to be honest and tell you right now that this computer has been blinking weirdly and crashed TWICE since starting this blog. I've seen the "configuring updates" and "please wait" signs more often than not since I attempted a blog today. And that blue screen... ugh. It's shown it's face too. Only this time it has white, vertical stripes with it. So, I guess it's a little fancier than it was before.

I think we're back to normal one again and before my computer goes into it's perpetual "disposable" mode, I'm dashing my mouse to the "publish post" button just so cyber space will know that I'm still out there somewhere, floating around trying to connect with the blog world while dealing with that disgusting Code Blue screen that cuts me off entirely from the life-line found in the twenty-first century called: The Internet.