My desktop had been dying for some time.  The fan was running 90% of the time. The screen would go blank in the middle of working.

We went to Best Buy on the first Sunday of March.  I bought a Dell Inspiron.  I use a PC 8 hours a day every day of the week and a laptop doesn’t work for me. I have a surface I use when traveling and when I have work to do in the evening  I always shut off my computer @ 7 pm – after cooking and eating supper—and try never to work after I cook.

The machine had to be ordered and wouldn’t be ready until this last week.  On Tuesday the computer arrived with a woman from the Geek Squad, whose services I had paid for.  For three hours she set up the computer then had it backing up—she said it would take until sometime the next day after running all night and that I couldn’t use the computer.

When I sat down to write, I found that I was locked out of all my files – my books, my poetry, my schedule, everything!  It was all ‘read only.’  I couldn’t edit, write or print.  I called Geek squad.  Over the next day and a half I went through four techies, none of whom fixed the problem and one of whom made it even worse. 

The Geek Squad had erased the service My Computer Help saying I wouldn’t need it any more.  It took a while to find who to get in touch.  The first guy fixed half my files. I called on Saturday as soon as they opened.  Then he had me get on my old computer and transfer all my folders and files onto Carbonite.  That took all night. 

I now could use half my files.  But the other half were still blocked and the computer said I wasn’t authorized to write anything and save it.  I’d written a whole new blog and it vanished.  I called again.  This time I think I have all my folders and files usable.  It’ll be clearer tomorrow.  But I seem to be able to write and save now.  I have been incredibly stressed all week.  Slept little, some nights not at all.  I want my money back that I paid for Geek Squad and want no part of them. I know some Geek Squads are excellent, but many of them are only as good as the people they hire.

My birthday, Jay and Melenie were here.  Melenie and I cooked from 11 a.m. till people came @ 6:30.  (This is great fun for us; laughing, talking, catching up in the kitchen.) We had 12 friends here.  Woody made a cheesecake the day before (his grandmother’s recipe) as my birthday cake.  Strawberries on top that I froze last June.  Many people made delicious dishes and brought wine.  Saturday morning Woody gave me my presents and Jay and Melenie came over for a leftover lunch at noon.

I’m worn out.  This week has taken a lot out of me and out of Woody, who obviously gets stressed when I do.