"Application not responding" - bite me.

Well, last week was very hectic and expensive.

Beyond the regular clients whining "where is my layout." and the children demanding "i need more juice" and "I don't like sloppy joes"... my computer died. Yup, the lifeline to my outside world. My means to make a living (or at least a part-time one) was blinked away from me with the simple phrase "applications not responding".... over and over and over... its staring its maker in the face now. Unfortunately, my 3-year Apple Extended Warranty EXPIRED last month. Shit.

mmm...

This has happened before. No prob Bob. So,I proceeded to back-up and Stuff my files onto 2GB jump drives (this takes me until 10:30 pm on Wed) I did try to burn some CDs, but the burner sounded like a lawn-mower (even Madeleine said "Mom, that sounds bad") and she's 8. And I begin to re-install my entire OS system from scratch, which pretty much means that you wipe the slate clean and re-load it all back on.

Then at 12:00 am, I begin to re-install my neccessary applications to function on a daily basis. All of my design programs, my fonts, my compression software blah, blah.... except there were disks missing. They just weren't where they were supposed to be. I'm writing it off that they were "lost in the move" - Just like my elf. - Except I can't wait three more years to find them, they need to appear NOW. So I start futzing with my computer, half-loaded with software, and it turns out that I'm still getting the "application not responding" error message. Shit. This is bad.

Then I begin to go through the files I backed up. And they were corrupt, about 20% of them were. Which leaves me not only with a broken computer, but worthless files that I need to re-create when I figure out the first dilemma.

I gave up and went to bed at 4 am.

In the morning, at 6:30, I awoke with Henry's usual "Mommmm!, Where are youuuu?" It occured to me that I couldn't work today. And when Maddie woke up she said her throat hurt and that she wanted to stay home from school. Fine. Whatever. Here's some scissors, run with them. I can't even see straight, and I'm up shit-creek without a paddle or lifejacket. Greg (bless his heart) takes Henry to daycare, screaming "mommy do it.", while I prop my head up and stare at my computer trying to figure out what my options are. Maddie is on the couch fake-coughing watching the Disney channel and playing her Nintendo.

Hey! (I realize) WE have an Apple Store here in Grand Rapids! Maybe I can take my computer there and they can do a funeral. Something nice perhaps. Ok, they open at 10am. Put that on the schedule.

So from 8:30-10:00, I called my boss and about 3 freelance clients with my sob-story, and I even sent out my corrupt files in hopes that someone would be able to recover them.

And then I call the Apple Store to set something up. Ironically, I need to do this online with a broken computer. Luckily, we have more computers in our house than most third-world countires. My reservation with the "Apple Genius" is at 12:15. I call Greg and give him the update. He says he'll meet us there - why? you ask- motives unknown at this point.

So I make eggs, and shower and get Maddie in the car. (she's miraculously healed, now that we're going to the mall). We take my computer in to see the Apple Genius, Dan. I tell Dan, my life-story, and he's very empathtic to my needs. He runs a diagnostic and says, "Well, it is 3-years old, perhaps you've outgrown it and need something faster" Okay Dan, I need something that works right now. Greg, meanwhile, is eyeing up the iPods... Hey, motives revealed!

In short (because if you've read this far, you know where my expensive week is heading), I leave with a new iMac computer (image above), updated software, a free printer and a new iPod for Greg. Maddie is excited that I'll let her surf the web on my old-dying laptop (which is about all it can do after Dan finished with it) and she asks if she can put stickers all over it. No, please let it die with dignity for god's-sake child!

And now, on Monday night, I have finally caught up with my work from last Wednesday. Some of my corrupt files were recovered, others were lost. Thankfully, my clients were understanding (like they had a choice) and my new computer is purrring along nicely. For now. Or at least for 3 more years.