And My Life for that matter, with some very upsetting, disturbing, and devastating news.
***THE REVISED EDITION***
It seemed to me as if ‘The Love Of My Life’ was going to be shipped out for some serious ‘service’ repairs.
[insert fingernail biting]
For the first time in two years, the very thought of being separated from My Apple Computer made me sick to my stomach.
[insert vomiting]
The idea of possibly leaving my computer at the Apple Store, and coming home empty handed, felt almost as painful as the first time I had to put my son on the bus for his first day of school.
[insert uncontrollable sobbing]
Was I freaking out?
Yeah. Um. That is the only the biggest understatement of the year.
[insert throwing things]
After my computer froze for the millionth time, and I could not fix it, and the Apple store could not fit me in until Sunday, I began my downward spiral into every single Worst Case Scenario.
Not only would I be forced to deal with ‘separation anxiety’ from the computer itself, but that also would have meant very limited access to The Internet, or checking / sending My Emails.
[insert panic attack]
In the event The Apple Store had to ship my computer out for repairs, the only access to a computer that I would have is located in my 12 year old son’s room. Which smells like teen spirit. And, it’s a Dell. Not an Apple. And I would have been forced to use the crappiest browser of all times Internet Explorer rather than my beloved Firefox.
I have no idea what all of my bookmarks are. I can’t remember some of my passwords and log-ins (all of which are stored on my computer). Therefore I would not have been able to get into half of the social networks I belong to and participate in.
I began to worry about my iPhoto, or the fact that I wouldn’t even be taking pictures since I would have no where to download them. I started freaking out about loosing my iMovie 07. I can’t very well begin ‘Part Two’ of my video trilogy tribute to All Things Apple without my Mac! And, this morning when I woke up, like every other morning, I ran over to my desk to check my emails, only to be reminded that my computer does not work.
[insert temper-tantrum]
I was also afraid that it would have been very difficult to write outside of my normal settings?
I was all set to spend Saturday and Sunday diligently working on my re-write of Chapter One thanks to the incredible notes, suggestions, and direction I’ve been provided by my totally super awesome ‘Writing Buddy’ Random Chick. I was all set to read HER ‘shitty rough draft’ and return the favor of notes, comments, thoughts, feelings, and suggestions that she so graciously extended me.
I was all set to write a blog post about how wonderful it is to HAVE a writing buddy, but that is exactly when my computer went on the fritz.
Instead of accomplishing any of the goals I set for myself this weekend, I spent all of Saturday pacing around my house, pulling out my hair, not knowing what to do with myself, and alienating my entire family. They don’t understand why ‘A Computer’ is so important to me.
All of my drafts and all of my notes are on my Apple. All of my ideas are in neat little folders in the Word and Entourage programs on my Mac. And I had no access to them. I couldn’t even forward those items to another computer in my house.
[insert feeling lost and slightly hyperventilating]
I thought I could eventually deal with using a PC. But if my computer had to be shipped out for repairs I would no longer be afforded the privacy of being able to write from the comforts of my own bedroom.
[insert feeling out of my element]
I’ve mentioned before that I already feel everyone in this house is on top of each other to the point where I feel like I can’t breathe. My tiny 4×4 purple bedroom is my personal sanctuary. And, it’s the only obsessively clean room in the house. It’s a little hard to get into ‘The Zone’ with the sound of annoying video games raping my ear drums. And with toy bionicle parts stuck to the bottoms of my feet. But, I don’t think it would have been fair of me to kick my son out of his bedroom either.
Therefore, the ‘FIRE UNDER MY ASS’ my writing buddy Random Chick lit for me, was temporarily snuffed out. I ceased all of my efforts towards writing my book, until I resolved the issues with my Apple.
However, I did manage to accomplish one task. I dug out all of the journals I’ve kept since I was nine years old and started to get them into chronological order. The 10 year span when I worked in the bar has been very well documented. I used my computer free ‘down time’ to get them out of the closet, and organized. That way at least I was still doing important leg work required for my book project.
Fortunately for everyone I came back from The Apple Store. With My Mac In Hand.
*wipes sweat off brows*
The people at The Apple Store were able to replace my entire keyboard. Without having to send my baby out to the manufacturer. They fixed it Right In The Store!!!
[insert happy dance]
I have a whole new keyboard and whole new mouse-pad thingy!!!
So far…NOTHING IS ‘STICKING’ and NOTHING IS ‘FREEZING’
(please see the comments section for further ‘freezing’ details.)
And!! They fixed / replaced it…FOR FREE!! They said IF my computer starts to freeze / stick again, then I will have to send my baby out for internal repairs.
Lets all pray THAT doesn’t happen.
In the meantime, I will be spending the rest of my day apologizing to my family members for acting like a complete a$$hole to them, and for being forced to sit as witness to my fits of hysteria.
Um. What was wrong with it? You should have called me before taking it in – I would have given you some advice on how to deal with Apple to make sure they save your hard drive stuff, etc. 🙂 did you remember to ask them to back up yo shiz just in case?
Aw sweetie….I’m sorry!…..try to relax and not worry….I’m sure your Apple in is good hands (I think)….
…..just take a deep breath….in…out…in….out…. feeling better?….
NO???….
OK, then take a shot of vodka….and another…..NOW are you feeling better?
Leslie:
Oh…Just wait until I tell you what the f*ck was wrong. The whole keyboard and mouse pad and even the external wireless mouse would NOT work. I think my whole HARD DRIVE is FUCKED. I can’t save or access jack shit. I will explain everything in detail when I get back from the store. My cell phone is BROKEN too. We have to get that fixed today as well. I cant even.
*smoke comes out of my ears*
Olga:
I want to die. I am miserable. I dont know what will happen. I am FLIPPING OUT. Completely flipping out.
The only thing keeping me CALM-ISH is that my parents have promised to buy me a NEW Apple if my Apple cannot be fixed. But, thats not helping me write, or blog TODAY!!!
wow, hon. i feel your pain. i can feel the sob that would be lodged in my throat if my lap top conked out on me. but you’re doing the right thing by working on another aspect of your book. i have a zillion journals that could use organizing too. thanks for the tip! hang in there, i hope your apple gets fixed soon!
OMG does that stink! Well, allow me to get all metaphysical on you and say that maybe it happened just so you would be forced to read through your journals again. Maybe some unexpected inspiration will well up that would not have otherwise. You never know…
I hope you’re up and running again soon, sweetie. I know how discombobulated you must feel. xoxo
Oh dear this is terrible!!!! I hope the love of your life will be able to make a complete recovery. Your love will bring it back.
And a Dell? Eeek! I’m a big Mac guy and I would not be happy with the dell but in a pinch it will do.
When I was your sons age and they remarked on the smell of my room I would say, “the room smells like a young man!”
“The whole keyboard and mouse pad and even the external wireless mouse would NOT work.”
Might just be the motherboard. If so, then the data on your hard drive should be ok. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for you.
This sucks indeed, but I’m sure they will be able to fix it.
Meanwhile, download some great naked men pictures into your mom’s laptop and pretend to have found it oh so accidentally 🙂
Maria:
Thanks. Me too
Epiphany:
I guess everything happens for a reason.
Ricardo:
Yeah. Um. I am NOT liking the PC thing at all
BobG:
Please keep everything crossed.
RMH:
Yeah. My mom would really go for that!
LESLIE:
My computer kept freezing…. for the millionth time.
By freezing I mean I could NOT click on ANYTHING, I could NOT use my external wireless mouse, or the built-in mouse pad thingy, I could NOT save what I was working on, I could NOT fix the problem, and I could NOT access ANYTHING whatsoever without having to shut it all down.
I had to Shut Down The Computer all together.
And loose whatever I was in the middle of.
When I restarted my computer, I only to get another few moments until it froze AGAIN. The keyboard and all of its features / contents locked up, and I proceeded to loose my mind.
This started about 4 months ago.
I would be in the middle of typing a blog comment or typing anything when suddenly the keyboard wouldn’t work.
Sometimes the keyboard would appear to be holding down a letter and not stop.
Example: I am in the middle of typing and aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa would happen. But I wasn’t the one holding the letter a down.
I would see the num-lock light turn green.
I had to press my fingers down hard on the built in mouse pad and in rapid motion make quick circles with my fingertips to ‘free up’ my keyboard, and then things would be okay again. But, that issue started happening more and more.
So… I went out and bought myself a wireless mouse instead of ‘fighting’ with the built-in mouse pad thingy.
Having an external wireless mouse kept me confined to a desk. I was no longer free to wander with my computer unless I brought the wireless mouse with me. Not exactly ideal, but I was willing to deal with that. sort of.
Sometimes when I went out, and brought my Apple with me, I was not able to always bring the external wireless mouse, so, I had to use the built-in pad.
Alas, Saturday was The Worst Day EVER. My computer was completely FUCKED. Not even restarting helped the problem.
this is the first time in my life i heard that a MAC computer has needed a repair. people swear by them. you must’ve put a hurtn’ on that thing
i’m sorry about your MAC (( hugs )). ask for a replacement. no wait, demand a replacement if yours needs to be shipped out.
oh wait, i just read your update, but i’m submitting this comment anyway. do you know how hard it is to type with 9 inch nails?
glad you have your baby….gotta come up for some air girlfriend
I feel your pain and will keep my fingers crossed. I would hate to be without my baby for even a day. You’ve earned combat pay for using that Dell. 😀
Valerie:
I don’t know what happened, or how it happened.
I am just REALLY HAPPY that it is working now. And that I did NOT have to send her in for service. Using that Dell was totally awful to write the first draft of this post.
Tree:
“Combat Pay”
ha ha ha ha
Thats funny!
Thank you!!
Well, I’m so glad your Mac got fixed up nice and quick and easy, because if you’re that freaked at the possibility of losing him – I mean, it – I’d hate to see how you’d be in a serious breakdown situation. ROFL!
OH MY GOSH!!! At first when I read this I thought I was reading a post I forgot I had written at the end of hockey season! NOW you know how obsessed I am with the game. 😉
Glad things are going well for you now.
Jay:
You have no idea. I was a basket case. I think my whole family hates me right about now.
CMK:
Woman.
I could NOT even handle this.
I went on some whole long winded tirade about how I cant even eat a sandwich. How much I hate my job, how I have no man, how my son is too cool now to spend any time with me, And how I have nothing since I gave up my condo. I went on and on about how all I have is my Apple.
Yeah. Um. Not. Pretty.
i do not have a mac,, but i had to have my laptop in the shop for nearly a month,, and was banished back to my old desktop,, and i was way out of the zone the whole time,, so i know to what you are referring… god i hope they fixed it,, because it is hell to get back in the swing after something like that……
I’m so glad to hear that a major crisis was averted!
Oh Honey I’d have lent you a laptop to use if I was home, I have 4. Sorry to hear the bad news. Hopefully you’re all backed up (data lol)
Take some shots and and a few beers and we’ll get past this together. Our friend will help you. Yes, you’ll get by with a little help from your friends…..
Paisley:
Thank god you said that.
I was beginning to think I might really be a crazy person with a legitimate addiction issue with respects to my computer. I feel totally relived that YOU understand where I am coming from.
xxoo
Terri:
You got that right!
My poor family had to deal with me through all of this and there was NO TALKING to me.
Oscar On Vacation:
You have FOUR laptops? Are they Apples? Macs?
Oh wait…never mind, I saw a ‘photo’.
🙂
All is right in my computer world again. But, I will take you up on that offer if something else happend to my Apple!
xxoo
Firefox stinks!!!!
just only kidding 🙂
I sometimes use a computer in my complex at the office center. They work fine, but nothing is saved, and you need to type in every line of every comment form. AHHHH!! I type with two finger chicken poke … so archaic comes to mind.
Imagine if you will, a few wekks back I was still using win 98 and dial up. No more.
An Apple a day keeps Meleah Hap-pay 😉
I almost said OH SHIT.
Then I rejoiced when I saw the happy dance!
The happy dance is the best dance.
Hey, I can totally relate. Our power went out for 5 hours a few days ago, I didn’t know what to do with myself not being able to log onto my computer. I actually thought I was so clever, could use the battery backup power to use the computer, began turning it on all smug that I still had the computer to entertain me while the rest of my family struggled to find something to do only to be gently reminded by my husband that without power, there is no internet connection! Back to square one. I can only imagine what it feels like to lose your one and only computer for hours or even days!
Ok, I’d go a little insane if my PC conked out on me cos I wouldn’t be able to remember a single password that I have saved on my system/ My life as I know it would be ruined! LOL!
I’m glad you got your’s fixed and at no cost even 😀
Speedy:
An Apple A Day – Everyday – All Day : Makes For A Happy Meleah
Diva:
It was a most traumatizing experience.
Thank God it ended with a Happy Dance!
🙂
Hey BETH!
Long time no see!
🙂
The thought of my computer being shipped off to some remote warehouse waiting for service was more than I could bare.
Nick:
It was AWFUL. I am so glad that’s over. So far all is well, and it didn’t cost me a penny.
Whew!!
You discovered another key to my Apple Luv – quick repair service which I only needed to use once in 24 years (knock on wood?)!
Welcome back!
I feel your pain…totally. Except mine’s a Dell and I hug and pet her daily so that she’s a good girl. 🙂
First of all: PHEW!!! You had me getting extremely nervous there for a sec! So glad it was just the keyboard and trackpad. It could have been SO MUCH WORSE! Like a year and a half ago? When my Mac wouldn’t boot up? And it turned out that my hard drive was all shot to hell? And I had to send it to New Jersey to have a Mac Specialist try to recover as much data as possible from my hard drive before replacing it? And how I lost about 80% of the movies I had of infant Boog in all his glorious cuteness and chubbiness? Talk about a pulling-out-hair-temper-tantrum! I am so glad to hear all is well. I wouldn’t wish that drama on anyone! p.s. If you haven’t backed up your files onto an external hard drive yet, DO IT RIGHT NOW!
I always say to myself in troubled times: “It’s only 1s and 0s”. I’m glad to hear your woes with the laptop have been put to rest 🙂
Miss Money Penny:
Apple has The Best customer service EVER. They were soooo awesome. And sooooo amazing. I love them even MORE
Courtney:
Petting and Hugging your computer makes me feel so normal!
Xxoo
Eva:
Woman, I spent all day Sunday backing up EVERYTHING to HARD DRIVES.
Hey…your computer was shipped to Jersey? That’s where I live. It’s good to know specialists like that live right here in my home state. I would have DIED if I lost my movies. Oh My Movies and My Photos are my own personal treasures.
I am SO GLAD my computer is fixed, and I am glad your Apple Is All Better Now too!
Rog:
That makes two of us.
I’m so glad they fixed it. If it had been me I would have been foaming at the mouth. Now you can breath.
Awww, I’m so sorry to hear this happened to you. I had no idea what you were going through this weekend. I saw your email last night about being in tears all weekend and I knew I needed to check the blog to see what happened.
At least I’m coming in on the tail end to see that there was silver lining to your cloudy weekend. 🙂
I don’t know what what I would do without my computer. 🙁
Glad it was fixed!
Selma:
Oh I was foaming at the moth all right! Im glad to hear that I am NOT the only one addicted to my computer and the internet.
xxoo
JenR:
It was awful.
Awful.
Awful.
I am soooooooooooooooo happy my Apple is fixed.
I know YOU cant live without yours either!
See…MOM & DAD? I AM TOO NORMAL!
What A Huge Sigh Of Relief!
xxoo
Ingrid:
I really DO NOT know what I would do with out my Apple!
xxoo
Congrats! Nothing like a new keyboard — or a clean one. I just took off my keys and did a big cleaning. I won’t go into what was stuck under there, but it was definitely colorful. Okay, backwards reading paid off today. Happy Ending, and all is well.
KellyPea:
It IS so awesome. My mac is working better than it ever has!!
Whew!
Your thought processing is
wonderful. The way you tell the thing is awesome. You are really a master. Great Blog!! That was amazing
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