The Computer Formerly Known as Sami

I had a nice laptop, it was silver, with nice silver and gray keys, and that should have been my first warning. It was slick, with lots of bells and whistles (yes, the second warning), and it hated me. That should always be a signal. We as writers develop relationships with our computers and get to know them fairly well. They have good days and bad days, but if it’s a nice, well-working system. most of those days are good. Not so my late, departed lappie. Yes, she was a 2-year-old lappie, a sweet little–well, never mind.

The Warnings. The first one I mentioned was the keypad, gray on silver. Within a week, I couldn’t read those backlit little–um, keys, to save me. So I bought a nice, pink keyboard skin and that helped until the keys started sticking. I swear I could pound on them before they’d magically advance–8 keys at a time. The second issue–it was simply too much computer for me. I didn’t need all that memory and speed, there wasn’t even a game on it that I used. I wrote on it. That’s it. So when it started kicking me off the Internet, or completely off the thing, I didn’t know where to turn. I took it to a popular store with a popular “Squad” and they mulled it over a while, and finally told me something to the effect that there was a conflict with the network manager. So each time I started the computer, I would right mouse click the main button down there in the lower left corner, go to Device Manager, down to Network Connections, and delete a whole bunch of drivers, then restart the system so it could find my WiFi. You can’t make this stuff up. That’s how I knew it hated me.  So, sadly, I began looking for another system.  I found a basic one that Google assures me is good for writers. I sent my old faithful to my brother for him to happily take apart and revamp. I don’t care what he does with it, as long as he doesn’t sleep in the same room with it.

As I write this, I am having to resave everything at least three times. Nothing works. But earlier today, we decided that our current Internet company was to blame for a lot of our problems and next week we’re changing companies, after over 15 years with the current one. I don’t know what they changed, but it was a BAD decision.

So, if not for the sticky keys, the fact that I couldn’t see the keyboard, and that it kicked me off for no reason, I guess I could have kept the other one and saved myself $350. Or maybe it was cursed. The gods know I cursed at it enough for it to get an attitude.