Thursday, April 30, 2009

In The Immortal Words of Jack Nicholson...


Jack-Nicholson-Photograph-C12148072


I’m B-a-a-a-a-a-a-ck….

Oh, peeps… I’ve never been so happy to get a FedEx delivery in my entire life! If I would have gone one more day without my own laptop I was going to so closely resemble Jack in that photo that someone would have insisted on doing a remake just to utilize the expression.

From here on out, anytime I let myself get a little down about being homebound I’m going to remember how much more confining it would really be if I didn’t have this amazing technology that lets me be a part of the world while not being out in the world.

I’m lucky to live in the age of technology, people.

And while I’m blessed with technology, I also happen to be the person that causes technology to self-destruct. There have been times I have actually wondered if I give off some sort of electrical vibe that wreaks havoc on appliances.

This time it was the computer… which I knew was dying a slow death, but I was trying to live in denial for as long as humanly possible. The cd/dvd burner had died off awhile ago, prompting me to get an external dvd drive. I had also been using an external hard drive for awhile [photos take up a lot of room] but even with that, the computer kept running slower and slower… sometimes taking up to 20 minutes to restart. Not a good sign. But when the monitor went black, I closed the curtain on this production and went in search of a better alternative.

The craziness happened when I borrowed a friend’s monitor to hook up to the laptop so I could make sure I saved all the important documents. I was working away when I heard a ‘POP!’ and then saw and smelled smoke coming out of the electrical cord. I grabbed the cord to unplug it and – dude – it was HOT. So even though I had already closed the curtain, I still got to see the death scene, and it definitely had my heart racing!

But even that excitement is nothing compared to the worst technology month in history I had a few years ago. It was May, my birthday month. A time when all should be sunshine and flowers, and it was instead full of swear words you’d rather not have me repeat here...

It all began with me being cooped up for months, dealing with pneumonia. I was finally starting to get up and around, and decided I was going to try leaving the house [this was back in the day when I was still driving]. I showered, put on makeup and cute clothes, and was ready to go… only to get to my garage and discover a car that wouldn’t start. A few winter months in the garage led to a dead battery and a seriously disappointed me. But I was determined… I got the car jumped the next day and went out for attempt number two.

Only to get to the end of the parking lot and realize that my tire was nearly flat. Which means my first fun outing in months was to sit in the waiting room at the tire place right after I paid to replace the tire. I was off to a great start…

Until I threw my comforter in the washing machine the next week, and it got caught in some mechanism that caused the rim of the tub to break. I was feeling like a winner at that point. So I had the repair man come fix it, only when he did the repair he failed to hook one of the hoses back on correctly. After he left I put in a load of laundry, went in the other room to work on the computer, and didn’t realize until the water had seeped through the walls and into the room I was in that my house was being flooded.

I’m not talking about a little bit of water here, people. I’m saying when my friend Meg and her son Ben came over to check it out he was having a ball because he could jump in the puddles on my carpet and watch the water splash all about. We waivered between panic and laughter about the ridiculousness of the situation… but mostly we panicked. So, I spent four days at a hotel [days which included my birthday, thankyouverymuch] while a cleaning service set up huge machines to dry out my walls and carpet.

You think that’s the end of it, right? If you do, then you haven’t known me long enough. :) No, after that I got back home, went to use the bathroom and the handle to flush literally broke off in my hands. That prompted me to send out an email to everyone I knew, stating: “My life is seriously going down the toilet. I just wish I had a handle so I could flush it.” 

And here’s where we come to the moral of the story… the good thing about having gone through such craziness is that a little computer meltdown suddenly seems like a day at the beach.
  
It’s good to be back, peeps.

***** ***** *****

You all didn’t think I forgot about the drawing, did you?!?!?!?

[make your own drum roll noise here...]

And the winner of yesterday's canvas, according to random.org, is:

Breezy’s Mom!

The most recent kindness done to me was just last night at our small group potluck. One of the men held our 13 mo. old daughter while my husband & I ate.

Congratulations! Email me at gitzengirl@gmail.com with your mailing address and I'll get it shipped out to you!

27 comments:

  1. freaking
    hilarious
    :-P

    Recent blog post: The Birthday Boy

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  2. i am so glad you're back.

    last week in seattle, my friend and i were snuggled up on the bed talking. we'd been looking at pics on my laptop and it was just sitting open on the bed. we both started smelling this horrible burning smell, and wondered what it was. when i leaned over in the direction of the laptop, sure enough i realized the smell was coming from there! i think the blankets were blocking the ventilation and it was majorly overheating. i was wondering how fried it actually was so i picked it up, turned it upside down, and smelled the fan. my friend about peed her pants with laughter and said it was my computer-version of sniffing a baby's backside to check for a dirty diaper.

    thankfully my "baby" has fully recovered. PHEW!

    Recent blog post: spiritual visine

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  3. Robin~All Things Heart and HomeApril 30, 2009 at 5:40 AM

    Heyyyyy Sweet Pea!!! I'm so happy you have that brand new Dell! Woo Hoo!
    This post sounds seriously like the definition of Murphy's Law. You can't make this stuff up! The only bright spot in that week was that you get to write about it and we get to giggle!
    (I didn't comment yesterday 'cause I was reading while holding this squirmy little 6 1/2 lb. smoochable snookums, but I love the quote on the canvas!
    How about a picture of that Dell? Isn't is Spring Green? (Did I dream that?) Are you in mad love with it? When I got my new one in Jan. I was immediately smitten :)

    Recent blog post: Living My Legacy~8~Leaving A Legacy of Prayer

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  4. Perseverance. Tenacity. Craziness. Wow! That was some turbulent time. -- So glad you finally got your new laptop and will be back to teaching us on a regular basis. Blessings, SusanD

    Recent blog post: Thankful Thursday - 4/30/09

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  5. Wow, I can't belive I'm the winner. I feel SO honored! I've just sent you 2 emails...hopefully you'll get at least one of them. Ha! So glad you received your new computer!

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  6. Glad your back and doing well. Hang in there, good days ahead for all. Sometimes we think they are too long arriving.

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  7. So happy for you!!! Hope your shiny new confuser (as I call them) kicks the migraines to the curb and keeps you dancin today! ~Cynthia

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  8. WOOOO HOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 8-)

    Recent blog post: 34. You’ll Miss Me (Back to my style)

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  9. story of my life... :-D

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  10. whew! you can be sure I'll be careful with this one... :)

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  11. Aww... I want to be holding a little Elliot instead of typing, too!!! [it is spring green... maybe I'll post photos tomorrow!]

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  12. I don't know about teaching anything, but I'll definitely be pestering you :)

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  13. I did get your emails... you're so funny!

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  14. good days or bad, it'll be fine either way.

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  15. confuser... that's hilarious!

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  16. 8-) You know, now that I'm a fan club president I need to have computer access...

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  17. Memories - I can still picture Ben jumping in the water and the huge smile on his face. I'm soooo glad you finally got your computer and are up and running again!

    Hope you're feeling better!
    Meg

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  18. Right now it seems as if everyone I know is having computer issues! Mine is fairly new so I pray that mine stays trouble free!

    Doesn't it seem like when it rains, it pours? (I think literally in your home a few years ago!)

    Recent blog post: My Great Depression -- Part 1

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  19. I know! He was so cute, he made that much more handleable!!!

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  20. It really does... I've just tried to convince myself I enjoy walking in the rain :)

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  21. Mary Grace McNamaraApril 30, 2009 at 3:43 PM

    Once again, some great stories! Thanks for sharing your life. I think everyone has phases in life where nothing seems to go right. Persevere, that's all you can do. My dad always says this...Press on regardless, there's an eternity of rest ahead! Good advice to all!

    MGM

    Recent blog post: Giveaway Prize Ready to Go!

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  22. Oh my goodness, you aren't trying to tell me you have a birthday jinx going, are you? You know I've been subject to some biggies in the past. Just think about the day John Kennedy Jr. and wife and her sister went down in the plane, yep thats my birthday!

    So glad to hear the computer arrived and you're back in business!! So heres to know more big disasters what with birthday week arriving so soon between your house and mine ;)

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  23. Oh my gosh, it feels so good to have company in the world of bad luck!! That was hilarious! It is good to laugh now...just not as it was happening!

    Recent blog post: A Home and a Gala

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  24. So glad you're back! I just got a new computer a couple of months ago...NOT a laptop like I wanted, but I'm happy. Anyhow, the fan was (and is) making a really loud noise sort of like a jet taking off in my living room. Two repairmen later and completely replacing almost everything inside the computer brain, it still sounds like a jet taking off and the last repairman just said...I think it's supposed to sound like that!!!! Of course, he also said, well it is a refurbished computer! *DONT_KNOW*

    Recent blog post: They say there's one born every minute....

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  25. I am glad that you are back.....now you need an ambien dream to doodle on your new computer :)

    Recent blog post: Going Nowhere

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  26. glad you are back! just getting caught up on your posts, friend!

    Recent blog post: Bats and Butterflies

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  27. If there is a "wreck havoc" virus we may both have it.

    Being diabetic I have to restrict the carbs I eat. Once a week I treat myself. Tonight I decided to treat myself with a Freschetta Spinach & Mushroom Pizza. As I was taking the pizza out of the oven the phone rang. I turned and dropped the pizza on the floor. Bending over I strained my back.

    A few weeks ago the lock on my mail box broke. A simple 5 minute job. Thirty minutes later I broke the new lock trying to fit it into the mail box slot.

    A few years ago I had to buy a new TV. I had to order a new, bigger, stand to put it on, online. When it came I was thrilled at how easy it was to put together. When I placed my TV on the stand the whole thing fell apart and broke the screen on my new TV.

    For some reason my friends never call me for help in moving or fixing anything.


    Recent blog post: Bible Study Thursday - Luke 12:8-10

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