Last night was the first time Garry saw me throw away a couple of drawings. He seemed shocked. I’m not sure exactly why. Waste of very good paper? Waste of all that work? But the thing is, not every drawing or painting or any piece of artwork is going to come out the way you want it — or at least, not the way I want it. I make mistakes and some of them are not fixable. Or I just don’t like whatever I was doing. The sketch was okay, but the final result wasn’t. So I toss it. I’m pretty sure that’s normal.

Today’s plans went awry when the snow started falling heavier than it was supposed to, so I moved the appointment to next Wednesday. Also, the power supply for Garry’s computer died. Of all the things that can go wrong with a computer, that was one that’s easy to fix after we were able to find a magnifying glass to read all those teeny tiny numbers. Can anyone read white print on a black plastic power supply that can’t be more than 4 points in size?

Since the original power supply made by Lenovo who also made the computer was only $5 more that the other no-name version (most of which were between $16 and $21), I went wild and spend $24.50 to get the “original.” Of course they are all made in China, as was the computer, so I’m not sure there is any meaningful difference between Lenovo’s version and anyone else’s, but I figured at least it would fit properly. Some of the less expensive versions looked better made than the original.

Still, the difference in price was minimal and they could guarantee delivery tomorrow. I know there are lots of issues with Jeff Bezos and Amazon, but at times like this, Amazon is a life-saver. Meanwhile, Garry can use his iPad which does pretty much everything his computer does and has more memory.

My computer is beginning to show its age. It’s 5-1/2 years old and these have been heavy duty years. I’m online every day. I do the best I can to keep it in good shape, but five years is about what you can reasonably expect from a hard-working computer. My Mac is three years newer and it hasn’t seen nearly as much hard use, but it also doesn’t have the power to run Photoshop. So I need to think about getting another computer. I can’t upgrade this one. With lighter use, it will last a while. It’s not broken, just tired. Meanwhile, graphics cards have come a long way. What was top of the line when I bought this one isn’t.

I want things to last forever, but of course, they won’t. Nothing does.

You’d think I’d be eager for a new computer, but I hate changing them. I like when I know where everything i on the computer. It’s comfortable and homey. I guess I have to start thinking about a replacement and how to afford what I need. If I just needed any old laptop, no problem, but I need a lot of memory and storage and most of all, I need a high-end graphics card.

Graphics cards are expensive. Very. Probably the most expensive part of the entire computer. If I can get another year out of this one, I’ll might have save enough money to pay for a new one without using credit — which I would prefer.

JUST when I was beginning to see light at the end of our long, financial tunnel instead of light I see a new computer that I’d just as soon not buy. Drat!

Categories: Anecdote, Computers, Operating System, Technology

Tags: anecdote, computers, humor, Marilyn Armstrong, replacing and repairing computers, technology