It could always be worse.

Last night I went to bed at 9:30pm.

Would you like to know why I went to bed at 9:30 when I usually go to bed at 10:30 or 11:00 or even 11:30?

I went to bed so early because my laptop broke and I was so depressed there was nothing else to do but go to sleep or keep Logan on the edge of the sofa listening to me rage about Apple and the STUPID LOGIC BOARD issue I already had repaired in MARCH! Remember?

Honey? Don't you remember? When I sent it back then? Remember how I was so upset and forlorn without my lovely waste of your hard earned money...the iBook? Remember how I wasted all that hard earned money but I was 'smart' enough not to waste even more money on a cd burner!

Hey! And remember how I haven't actually gotten around to printing ANY of the last 6 months of photos I've taken with my digital camera?

Believe me I tried to stay awake running through these scenes but pretty quickly Logan ran out of anything to say other than, 'This is your punishment for buying this behind my back.'

This infuriated me further, so I just went to sleep. Excellent coping mechanism of mine.

Listen, I love Apple. I love everything about the apple. Suggesting I buy a pc is like suggesting I vote for Bush.

But I am so pissed about this Logic Board issue.

While the 'Genius' at the 'Genius Bar' was making sure I actually knew that my screen was black he said, "It looks like you have the Logic Board Failure...."

I said, "I know, I already had the Logic Board failure in March."

He said, "Really? I've never had a repeat Logic Board failure."

And I said, "It appears I suck the life out of computers AND men."

He said, "It's my break, I'll get someone else to help you."

Final thoughts: SO HELP ME! If this repair takes 2 weeks like last time.....I guess I'll just be really really pissed and everyone, yes...even you Internet....will pay right along with me!!!!!

Other thoughts from today!

*Does everyone have children who talk ALL THE TIME? I ask because HOLY SHIT my kids talk all the time. Madison is as I type, on this OS 8.6 G3 Power PC MONSTROSITY, talking herself to sleep. They talk and they talk and they talk and they talk and HOLY SHIT thank you LEXIPRO! Because by 8:00pm I haven't killed anyone!

*Today on our way to a playdate and errands Max kept asking me, "Why do we have to buy apples at the store today." and I kept responding, "We're not buying apples today."
Then I realized he thought we were going to the Store Which Sells Apples, As In Braeburn. Isn't that cute? Instead we were going to the store which taunts me with beautiful new machines while it carts away mine.

*Out of my first 5K this past weekend I've gotten, so far, a breakfast, a dinner, extra beer, undying adulation, tiny 3 year old cries of, 'I knew you could do it Mommy!' I'm working on new shoes, a haircut (I haven't been since the last iBook debacle!), highlights.
It's amusing how I can milk these types of things.

*Fireman Uncle Scott is something like 80 today. Happy Birthday brother and fellow Leftie.
My brother and I always sat next to each other at the dinner table because our odd use of the left hand and arm while cutting my mother's Rubberized Pork Chops wasn't disturbing to either of us. We understood one another.

*Also, many get well wishes coming to my Nicer Funnier Sister In Law who had surgery last week to repair a detached retina. Ouch. She's been incapacitated for 10 days. Laying with her face looking at the ground. Jesus.
Now that sucks and everything....but did her Logic Board Fail!? I don't think so!

Okay, enough. God I feel like I just sent out a long distance dedication and that ain't right. I gave you all a lot to think about.

Feel free to print this out and write notes in the margins and color code where necessary.

I've got time. My computer is gone you know.

Comments

[e]

Ahhh! My iBook had to go in a few weeks ago, so I know your pain. I love my iBook, but it has had issues with the plug in power thingy (I'm on my third now?) AND iBook + kids = lots of tape to hold my CD drive closed. The last time it went in I was out of town and before DH came to fetch me to bring me home he went to the Braeburn store to pick it up and have it charged for me. I never even noticed that he failed to cook or clean or do any parenting at all while I was away because I was so happy to have my computer back.

[Michael]

I once had a logic board go on me in a desktop system. On a work computer, no less.

It turned out that my cell phone had had its antenna pointing straight at the computer and then rang. This is what fried the board.

I keep telling people about my experience, and suggesting that they avoid this particular orientation. (Also keeping cell phones on top of 'Books.) It's either a terrific coincedence, or my experience has helped a great deal of other people.

[Sarah]

I so totally know your pain. We (hubby and I) are die-hard Mac fans, but I have to say on an Apple-related note, their "customer service" sucks. Hard. I have a 12" powerbook and their stupid power supply broke apart and I bought Apple Care (my ass!) and they wouldn't replace the power supply because it broke, after less than a year I might add, from "normal use" (the damn thing splintered apart). But I was kindly invited to buy another one for $70! Woo! Yay! ARRRRRRRRG.

Also, *never* order your prints off of iPhoto. If anything goes wrong, there is absolutely NO customer support. They will keep sending you form letters in hopes that you will get so frustrated that you go away. And god help you if you need a refund...

So yeah, we love Apple. Yay Steve Jobs! *sigh* Try to keep from crying while using the OS 8.6, our thoughts are with you and your logic board.

[Melissa]

So far, everybody is feeling your Apple pain. I feel your kids-who-never-stop-talking pain! My son will be 4 in January, and he talks non-stop about everything in the whole world. Last Sunday, my parents took him out of town to a family reunion. They staggered back in the door looking shell-shocked, and my mom's first questions was "Does he ever stop talking?!" Um, that'd be no.

And so far, no Apple pain for me - but our brand new super cool iMac arrived last night, so our household is in the throes of a new passion. I told my fiance last night, "I think I have a crush on our new computer!"

Good luck with the logic board issue!

[Caroline]

I am oh so much of a pissed off but loyal Mac fan myself. I too had the logic board issue with my beloved iBook---the week we moved into our new house and a few weeks before our wedding...AND YES OF COURSE EVERY BIT OF INFORMATION IN THE WHOLE WHOLE WHOLE WHOLE WORLD was on the machine and of course I did not back it up because why would I ever back it up given that I work in I.T. and say that all day long. No.

At any rate, it sounds like you have handed over your machine already, but the thing is even with the Logic Board issue, you should still be able to get the data off the machine----if you have 1 firewire cable and 1 willing friend/neighbor/acquaintance with a Mac. Attach the 2 w/ a firewire cable (with yours turned off, well, like there's a choice there) and then start yours while holding down the "T" key. (the other machine should be on.)

That basically makes your logic board dead machine a hard drive, and w/ the other machine you could drag and drop things over.

Of course, that all relies on your machine actually being willing to even start (the display doesn't have to work, but it does have to boot.)

Good luck with it. And may the Gods of Apple bless us all with a new freaking laptop.

[shane]

Dude. My iBook has been in to applecare 4 times for a replacement logic board. and this may seem completely unbelievable, but each time they have to put a new little sticker under the keyboard with the "ethernet id #" on it, and they just stick the new ones over the old ones, so it's to the point where my keyboard doesn't click in right anymore because there are so many stickers there. and though I haven't had any serious issues in the past few months, every now and then I'll get a weird flicker, and I just know, that it is only a matter of time before it happens a again.

[emily]

I so feel your pain.About the non-stop chatting.Hannah drives me insane.Sometimes I just can not take anymore and I will say "Please...just be quiet for two minutes",then of course this hurts her feelings and we have to deal with the pouting that little girls do so well.

[Holly]

My son Ryan is about the same age as Max, and he was a late talker. He had lots of ear infections. He got ear tubes last March, and has not shut up since. He talks CONSTANTLY! He pops into my bedroom at 3am to have a chat. EVERY NIGHT!! And all day! With the talking! Nonstop! I think he needs an imaginary friend. That might be the solution.

[Liz]

You should've seen the looks I got at the grocery store the other day, when I told my 3 year old, "Can you pleeeze stop talking for a minute? Mommy's ears hurt!" I mean, phew!

[minty]

Hello, fellow leftie. I *always* had to sit at the far end of the breakfast bar so I wouldn't jab anyone with my elbow whilst eating or cutting. When I go out for lunch with another leftie, if there are also others present, the leftie and I sit together so we won't bother anyone else with our leftieness. I am proud to have given birth to a leftie, and I always notice people on TV or movies who are left-handed. Southpaws unite!

Oh, and ditto to all the Apple condolences.

Oh, and just wait about ten years: when they're teenagers they may not talk to you AT ALL.

[Mir]

I totally think Lexapro's marketing tagline should be "Your children will thank you for letting them live." I'm just sayin'.

[Phil]

You know that expression, "you're beautiful when you're angry"? I realized that it was true back in '85 when my first serious girlfriend got really pissed and wow did she look hot. And of course I didn't tell her. If I did, I wouldn't be typing this today.

Point being, "you're hilarious when you're angry"! Sorry that it creates some kind of alt-schadenfreude, but thanks for the great post.

I have aunts who talk all the time. And a cousin. They sometimes drive me nuts. Oh, and my Dad's computer almost sent me into a complete rage earlier today. But then I took a nap. And all was better. Right up until my Mom woke me up. Two hours after I explicitly said DO NOT WAKE ME UP NO MATTER WHAT. Grrrr....

Then again, my logic board seems to be just fine.

'net-hugs to you. And your cute family.

[jilbur]

talk-all-the-time wears me done like 0000 grit sandpaper,and i've only got one. I've perfected the art of pretending to fall asleep in the car to escape questioning, and the results are so pleasing to me that I'm trying to figure out how to adapt the method for household use. Pseudo-narcolepsy, perhaps?

Having one's 'puter in the hospital has become like having the four smaller toes amputated ... Technically, not critical to life, yet more substantial a loss than one wants to sustain.

[Ninotchka]

Take your memory disks to Walmart and have them print the pics out for you. I've retired not one but two photo printers due to the fact that I never got around to it. They're only used for onesies and twosies, not the hundreds I sat around printing as if I had all the time in the world. Nowadays my pictures sit in a drawer encased in neat little vinyl photo-lab envelopes but hey, at least they're printed. :)

My sympathies on your laptop.

[Karen]

Yesterday, I went to visit this woman in her office to interview her for a possible opening in my department.

There, right there next to one of her desk legs, on the floor, was a giant TOENAIL.

I couldn't stop staring at it. It was just lying there, looking up at me, mocking me and my heebie-jeebies.

So see? It really *could* be worse.

[Sherry]

Application for Mother of The Year Award ... I took my four year old son to the doctor because he had a fever. Turns out, the child had step-throat! He never slowed down! I get strep, I'm down for days. Him, not so much. When the doctor asked me if I had any questions, I said, "Could you give him something to make him stop talking?" The doctor kinda went, "Errr...heheheheh." and tried to leave the room. I say tried because MY SON WOULDN'T STOP TALKING TO HIM! The doctor is inching his was out the door nodding and smiling and trying to leave and my sweet child is "Blah, blah, blahing" like nobody's business. The doctor shot a glance at me and I just had to smile at him. Gotta love 'em.

[forth]

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