Well well well. I did it! Last night I dragged the bf (Andy) along to Best Buy and bought the computer. It’s funny: after all the rebates for everything, the entire system (CPU, printer, monitor) was a bit less than $500 and then I spent an additional $300 for a complete 3-year warranty on everything. But you know, I think it was smart. My last system I also bought from Best Buy with the warranty and ended up getting a new monitor and hard drive by the end of it. So yes, I settled on the E-machines T2682 2.6 gHz. It’s so disarming that I just bought a whole system for less than HALF of what my old one cost and yet it’s at least 7x MORE powerful.

Got plugged in and set up last night, pretty up & running with everything. Earthlink reinstalled, Instant Messenger, Yahoo, my scanner, etc. We watched some streaming porn to get the full effect of the fast processor. Sadly though it didn’t come with MS Word. And the copy on my old PC was fliched … I will have to locate someone again to filch it from ‘cause I sure don’t wanna shell out big bucks on software. Okay, another tech question for y’all: what’s the easiest way to get all my email/settings from my old Outlook Express to my new one? Shall I go & buy that IntelliMover program or something or is there an easier way?

Andy was excited by the whole process but also depressed. It’s really tough for him free-floating right now without a job or definite plan. Of course I told him that he can use my computer any time he wants, but he’s down because me buying it makes him think about his own circumstances. Still, I think the next month will bring some good decisions from him in his life and then he won’t feel so burdened by the future.

On a thrilling note however he finsihed the 1st draft of his new manuscript, “Getting To Yes.” It’s a sort of post-modern tell-all expose about working at Barnes & Noble and how he was rudely fired. It’s gonna blow the lid off the soul-sucking secret corporate bookstore culture. Started reading it this morning on the bus and I’m really into it. We’ve been joking that RandomCha Press ought to pick it up as their second title.