My day began by having an argument with the clock. Clocks speak a highly tonal language which, since I couldn't possibly begin to mimic the inflections even with all neurons on duty, I am forced to respond to in a regressive caveman dialect which mostly consists of subtly distinct grunts and oafish swatting.

I'm still not sure who won the argument, but I did get up.

I never know where to start after having not posted for so long, so I think a description of something really immediate and inane is a good place to start.

The day our internet got properly hooked up, as I was finishing the setup on Spudnik, the wireless network, the lappy's seizure disorder started acting up again after several weeks of total remission, only worse this time as none of the tricks that had seemed to work before did. After over a month of opening it up maybe once a week to see if there was anything I could do or even if the problem had magically cleared itself up and using Maria's computer (which, among other things, lacks a CD burner), I decided it was time to at least research the possibilities for a new machine.

Last weekend, I bought a brand spankin' shiny new laptop. The rest have all been hand-me-downs with quirks. The last one, for example, had the screen edge held together with an auspiciously placed strip of electrical tape.

The computer itself is a Gateway M-6823 (detailed specs here). While looking at various models online, I also danced coquettishly around a very similar model during totally gratuitous trips to BestBuy. I finally decided to go in and buy it, after giving the old computer one last chance to boot up and not be fritzy. I walked straight up to that section of display to find it...empty. After poking at a couple other models and feeling really disappointed at the prospect of walking out of there without a computer, I explain to a salesguy what happened and ask about something similar. I realize about 10 seconds into explaining my dilemma of processor vs. RAM between two other models I'd looked up that were in the same range that he's as glazed as a yam on Easter and isn't really following. It's a good thing I happen to like glazed yams, because this one says, "let's just see what's in stock, maybe one's hiding." I don't find the exact same model, but I find something very similar, only it has a bigger hard drive. And it turns out to be cheaper by about $35. I throw the extra $35 into another gig of RAM and skip off home with my new toys.

It's interesting being in a financial place where I can make the decision to simply go buy a computer. I had been looking into options that would allow me to finance a computer, but then I realized that there were reasonable computers available such that I could simply buy one without decimating my savings. I'm presented with all of the things I said I would do when I had more than simply the bare minimum (the last two years really put "paycheck to paycheck" into perspective) - things like the IRA that I've talked about starting, the CDs I've said I would go in on (for both interpretations of CD). I could even do something really crazy like pay off my car all in one go, since that's that close to being paid off (was it really almost five years ago I bought that thing?), as I'm really looking forward to that time after it's all paid off but before it craps out, if for no other reason than it's one less thing to think about.

I always go into these things with an outline in my head of what I want to write about, often with little turns of phrase that amuse me. They always get lost, eddied on some other topic. Just like everything else I try to translate from my brain to reality. I never even got to the joyous banging-on of things with sticks alluded to in the subject line. Normal posting resumes tomorrow now that I've gotten over the initial "OMG - I haven't posted since the age of the conceptual dinosaur"*

*Some species of conceptual dinosaur have been reported to have been seen as recently as two Thursdays ago, but the reporters are reported to have been hitting the snozzberries pretty hard, and have since been deported. Yes, I do amuse myself.