Jen: UNPLUGGED

So, five weeks ago my computer died. Trying to save my precious files between flashes of a blue screen and automatic shutdowns....it was terrible. It became painfully clear that time was short for my Toshiba harddrive. I knew I had to do what no computer user ever wants to have to do: decide what would be saved before the last flash of digital life. I had to choose between Writing Files, Graphic Files, and Music Files and which were going to make it onto my 1 G memory stick as the time between shutdowns grew shorter and shorter: it was the Sophie's choice of 'ones and zeros' files. In the end, what was lost was some of my newer music files. They simply could not be saved in time and the summer mix I started for my faithful subscribers will have to wait a bit longer while I collect these works...again.

But, alas, my plays and poems and novel draft remain in tact, my graphic portfolio is in good form, and from this, a lesson for us all: back your shit up as soon as you possibly can. I am not kidding.

I am told the computer may be ready as soon as tomorrow. (The one I am using now is my old rusty desktop that I finally dug out of storage to get my virtual fix.) Why has it taken this long to repair my laptop? Microcenter took a week to even look at it, then they had to ship it to a Toshiba authorized repair center for the warranty work which involved having a new hard drive shipped in. Then, I am told, it still didn't work. They discovered another part was needed and the part also had to be ordered, perhaps directly from Japan on a slow boat. Now they have the second mysterious 'part' and maybe they will get around to it tomorrow. Maybe. But, hey, it's all covered under the 1 year warranty,right? So, why rush it.

Aside from this, I have had ridiculously low battery life in both my cell and home (cordlesss) phones. And just when I think it couldn't get much worse...My television tube burns out. Twenty-year old machine finally kicks it. And today, at work, the copy machine started getting paper jams in ways and places I never thought possible that could not be cleared without having someone take the machine apart. Funny, worked like a dream for the guy in front of my in line to use it. Then I stepped in to make one copy of one page and that's all she copied folks...So, I'm technologically jinxed right now. I probably shouldn't touch anything. In fact, I probably shouldn't even be t