Kryptonite

August 26, 2007

I took the leap this week, and ordered myself a laptop computer, before the latest advance check is even on the horizon. I’ll be doing a little traveling, in the next two months and don’t want to leave the house un-wired.

The family laptop was a used model, a corporate discard, wiped clean and given to us for free. At its best, it was twice as heavy as a normal laptop, since it had a docking station (snap on brick that contained battery, A Drive, and USB). It was like dragging a dead cow through airport security. It also had low battery life.

But now, it has the blue screen of death. A core dump? Not going to see another trip, I think.

And the other computers around here are dying left, right and center. We haven’t had a working CD burner in quite a while. Of the two desktop models, one flatly refuses to admit that it ever had a writer, and the other swallowed a CD and refuses to let go.

This is also the computer with the mysterious gaslighting monitor. It gets flickery lines on it, that makes me think I’m going blind, since I’m the only one who can see them. And without warning, it will go black for a few seconds, only to come back when you flip the on/off button. Or when anyone else uses it. Then they look at me funny and claim that there is nothing wrong.

This can’t be good.

So it is time to get my own computer, before everything kicks at once, and I find myself on deadline, and writing the next story in charcoal on the back of a shovel.

But I don’t want my new computer to be co-opted for homework, flash games, or texting girlfriends.

So, I found a solution. My husband just got a free sample of a wireless flexible keyboard, which I am stealing, to make up for the fact that I hate the smaller keyboard you get with a laptop. This is the sort of thing that you can take in the bath with you if you need to, since the workings are sealed in soft plastic and totally waterproof.

Since I dump, on average, two sodas a day, all over the desk, this thing is a dream come true.

And for the computer, we got a terrific deal from Dell on one of their fancy new laptops.

I chose it in Flamingo pink.

I am not a girly girl. My favorite color, for clothing, and everything else, is basic black. It would have been $20 cheaper, if I had gone for the black computer.

Pink makes me gag.

But I am in a house full of men. They might have been tempted to steal the new computer. But if it is shocking pink, they will not touch it, even in a life and death situation (which seems to occur every few hours around here. #1 son gets lightheaded, if he can’t check My-space several times a day).

But no one will dare to touch a pink laptop.

If they build up a tolerance to the color, I’ll add rhinestones. Marabou, if I have to. I’m writing romance novels on it, after all. Feather boas are part of the process.

6 responses to “Kryptonite”

  1. Anonymous says:

    You are too funny. I had to go to the Dell site just to see what the pink notebook looked like. Smart lady.

    Egads

    • Anonymous says:

      Hilarious. Maybe I should decorate my computer so that it has vegatables hanging from it. My kids may not want to touch. EVER.

      Stressed Out Cherry

  2. Anonymous says:

    You are too funny. I had to go to the Dell site just to see what the pink notebook looked like. Smart lady.

    Egads

    • Anonymous says:

      Hilarious. Maybe I should decorate my computer so that it has vegatables hanging from it. My kids may not want to touch. EVER.

      Stressed Out Cherry

  3. Anonymous says:

    Perhaps storing ‘feminine hygiene products’ in the laptop carrier will help?

    hollygee

  4. Anonymous says:

    Perhaps storing ‘feminine hygiene products’ in the laptop carrier will help?

    hollygee

Leave a Reply to Anonymous Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *