Hello Mac!

I've done it! I have bought my first computer!

Gee, Rebecca, what have you been writing all these blogs on if not a computer?

Well, that's a good question. I've always inherited computers. Or, my husband was responsible for acquiring the computer that he and I shared. But, usually, I've inherited computers from my father or one of my brothers. The same generally has gone for stereo equipment. As a result, mt computers tend to be a little wiggy. They have lots of weird programs taking up space that I'll never use and when I try to un-install them, they leave little bits behind to get in my way. Keys on the keyboards (they're usually laptops) stick and I end up signing off of my emails, "Goo Gently." They definitely do not accept new software because new software is totally uncompatible with the ancient operating system, so I have to limp along with whatever was already there and the internet appears to move in jerky slow-motion. The only plus side that I've seen to these old warhorses is that I don't seem to get viruses, because hackers blow their nose in my general direction but otherwise leave me alone. There is no challenge in creating a virus for Windows Millenium Edition. It crashes all by itself. It would be a little like knocking out Grandma's cane in order to feel like a real man. It's just pathetic.

The update on how I'm feeling can best be expressed in segments of an email conversation that I'm having with a friend:

"Today I woke up feeling like I'd finally stepped out
of the coffin of soul-tired that I've been trapped in.
No West Wing for me today. I'm screwing stuff into
the walls! I just got back from IKEA and I am ready
to organize, damnit. I'm amazed at how easily I've
given up trying to use salvaged materials and things
without packaging. Everything just felt so hard,
though. Making the rounds of the resale stores and
modifying stuff to fit my actual need paled in
comparison to the mega-convenience of IKEA, which has
the exact thing I need for every need I think I have.
I'm so f---ing American."

He responded, "Good luck on the walls. Ikea is the great evil convenience which lures us all in to their scandinavian goodness. Fortunately, they create and fill needs all over the planet, so it’s not just American culture."

I feel only the slightest bit better.