Computer Issues...

My computer has been in the shop for a week. I can't begin to tell you how painful that was! It felt like I was missing a limb and feeling phantom pains. I kept wandering around feeling like I was forgetting to do something. So strange.

The worst part about the whole thing was that I intentionally scheduled the service during the time I was going to be on vacation for a long weekend. My husband and I went to Calistoga for a short vacation last weekend. We left first thing Saturday morning, and returned late Tuesday evening. I took my computer in to the Apple store Friday morning, knowing I would be leaving it, anticipating that four days would be plenty of time for them to do whatever it is they needed to do.

Friday without the computer was weird, but as I was out running errands all morning, it was only weird once I got home. I thought about this blog, and the people I chat with daily, and remembered that I had forgotten to let anyone know I was going to be incognito for a while. Oops.

Saturday was great. We drove to Calistoga, which is approximately a two hour drive, checked into the room at the bed & breakfast, and commenced with our plan of relaxing by the pool for four days. I pulled out the first of the five books I had brought to read and set out to soak up the sun.

By Sunday I was definitely feeling an itch in an unknown location. There was nothing I NEEDED to see online, but I was definitely feeling distanced. I borrowed my husband's laptop, which he had faithfully brought with him on vacation, and quickly checked Facebook. It didn't appear that I was missing too terribly much, so I logged off and went back to sunning. Later in the day I snuck back in to write a little piece in my personal journal that I will publish here later.

Monday was distracting. We had met two very nice couples who were also staying there for the pleasure of laying by the pool, and we had great conversations. I had finished two and a half books and had actually been loaned one by one of our new friends. My tan was progressing nicely, and the weather was divine. The pool felt great, just the right temperature to cool off from the blistering sun, but not warm enough to stay in for long. This was bliss, but I was restless. Shouldn't I be doing something? I mean, it's Monday. There should be work. It's month-end, that always means paperwork.

Whatever. I let it go. I was on vacation. I thought about a friend I recently reconnected with on Facebook that commented that I was cool, except that I spent too much time on the computer. (I may be paraphrasing there.) I went back to reading and sunning.

Tuesday was our last day. We had planned to check out after breakfast but then hang out by the pool until early afternoon. The owners of this B&B are really relaxed, and have no problem with the guests staying as long as they want to the day of checkout as long as they can clean the room for the next guests. I ask them when we need to be out of the room, and they told me they didn't have anyone coming into that room until the following day, so we had all day. It's easy to keep coming back here.

By Tuesday I'd definitely gotten enough sun. My skin was pink and tender, and I had progressed to being under the umbrella with sunscreen. I had finished four of the five books I'd brought, as well as the one borrowed. I started the final book, and it wasn't nearly as interesting as the previous ones. I've begun to think about all the things I need to have completed by the end of the week, since Tuesday was the last day of June.

I finally gave up trying to read and went inside to start packing. We had planned to leave by 3pm to get home in time to pick up our son and give the grandparents a break. However, just about then my husband got hit with a stomach bug and spent the next few hours within feet of the toilet. At this point I was beginning to think we might have to stay another night and leave early the next morning, but after a few hours he felt like he could make it home. We only had to stop a couple of times for bathroom breaks on the way, but luckily we missed most of the rush hour traffic.

Wednesday was a light work day and I had time and opportunity to pick up my computer. I called the Apple store as soon as they opened, but when they checked the status, it wasn't done. They had received the necessary parts, and hoped to have it completed by the end of the day, but they would definitely call me. At that point I started panicking. It was the first of the month. I had a short window of time to get month-end paperwork submitted, time cards turned into the accountant, and the calendar of invoices prepared for clients that pay at the beginning of the month. I decided that if I pick it up after work, I would still have lots of time in the evening to get all of that done. I spent the day updating all of the children's files. This is all manual work that I've been putting off for a year because I have always had the computer as a distraction. I got through all of the completely handwritten paperwork that is required by the state.

I called again at the end of the day. It still wasn't done. Maybe Thursday. Ugh!

Thursday I HAVE to have it back. It's the second day of the month, and everything was due by the third. However, I also had a full house and couldn't leave. I called the Apple store when they opened, and sure enough, it was done and ready to be picked up. Go figure. I asked my husband to pick it up at lunch, but then he wouldn't get home until 6pm.

When he handed it over that evening, I was like an alcoholic getting a long, sweet taste after a drought. I'm a junkie.

I can't begin to tell you how good it feels to be back online! I'm terribly sorry you have to be a part of my problem, but I have to admit to missing you terribly. Even when I'm not writing I read your blogs, I check your status, I feel connected. What did we ever do before the internet?!?