I've entered the electronic age!

I had someone PM me the other day and ask me why I had decided to stop writing in this blog. I thought, "I haven't decided to quit writing! It wasn't so long ago that I blogged last!" I decided to check and see when my last blog was put up, and it's been "only" 2 weeks since I was last on here. ::blush::

But in my defense, I have had some major going-ons during those two weeks. Mainly some huge computer problems (I broke the screen of my laptop by closing the lid of the laptop while one of my rings was inside, laying above the keyboard) and so I was out of commission there for a bit. I bought a new laptop and thought that meant all of my troubles were over, only to find out they had just begun. Does anyone else absolutely abhor transferring info over from one computer to another? Transferring document files isn't too bad, but programs are a pain in rear end, not to mention passwords for forums, etc etc--it is my worst nightmare. This time I decided I was going to do it the "easy" way, and through a series of major boo-boo's by the tech support team at Norton Ghost and then a local computer guy that I used to trust with my computer, my life got turned completely upside down. Many people probably think I'm exaggerating, but when you rely on your computer to do anything and everything (work, write, bank online, balance the checkbook, read forums, find recipes for dinner that night) then the lack of ability to do ANY of these items is the Hava version of Chinese Water Torture. I spent hundreds of dollars and countless hours getting back into the swing of things again, but I think I am finally getting there. Hallelujah.

So in the midst of these massive computer problems, I was talking to my bro about playing songs on your computer, of all things. He couldn't believe that I didn't have a single song loaded onto my computer. I told him that I had thought I was really doing good that I had 29 CDs in my music collection. Heck, half of my music collection is still on tape for heaven's sakes! LOL!! David, being the computer geek that he is (he has four 300 GB hard drives, and is adding another 300 GB drive here in the next little bit--obviously 1200 GB just isn't enough!) viewed this like I had just waved a red flag in front of his face. He would get me to join the electronic revolution, no matter how unsuited I seemed to be for it on the surface. I have been married about four and a half years, and this latest laptop registers in as the fourth one in that time frame. Believe it or not, this last laptop was the only one that I flat out broke by doing something stupid. The rest of them just seemed to slowly disintegrate until they got to the unusable stage and I had to go hit up Best Buy again. I know computers age fast, but honestly, a computer a year is a bit much. Especially since I didn't want a new computer every year. :-P But my bad luck with computers and pretty much all other electronic equipment is legendary, which is why it's such a shock that I chose a profession that has me on the computer every day. This poor new laptop has got 15 months, on the outside, before it too starts to slowly implode. I have just got The Touch.

David has faith though. He thinks that I can make the things do what I want them to do. Sure, bro, whatever you say. I won't burst your bubble too quickly. It is easier to nod and just go along with these wild ideas. Apparently, the first step on this new road to good relations with electronics is to have a music player installed on the laptop, and actually have something loaded to play in this music player. He walked me through downloading and installing iTunes (brainlessly easy, just FYI) and then ripping my first CD. I was in awe--this was great!!! Easy even for the electronically challenged (I like that term better than "truly computer retarded" for some unknown reason) and once I started, I was hooked. CD after CD was ripped. All of mine were done in short order (that's what happens when you only have 29 CDs!) and I was loving the fact that as I went through each CD, I could uncheck the songs that I have always hated. It seems like every CD I have, there is one or two songs that I just can't stand. Love the rest of them, but just that one drives me nuts. Now, I don't have to worry about it. I didn't even put them on my computer to play in the first place. Wow, what freedom!!! I was in love.

I started hunting the house for more. I went through the hubby's stash of music and ripped all of the good ones there. Tonight I ripped my last CD (I was actually sad when the last CD popped out, I'm embarrassed to say) but the wonderful news is that as I type this blog tonight, I have all of my country songs on tap, and they are playing quietly in the background. How can life get any better than this? All of my favorite songs right there, in any order I choose. No more listening to radio ads that grate on my nerves so badly I have to turn the radio off rather than listen to them...It's freedom, music freedom.

I may be a little late to the party, but at least I make up for it with enthusiasm! :-D

Hava
Who needs to figure out what to do with the now useless CDs laying around the house... ;-)