Friday, May 02, 2003

Technical update: I got a

Technical update: I got a new home computer last night.  I was working with a Compaq Presario 4140, a pentium-1 machine from 1997.  It was slow and bulky and severly limited in its capacities.  Not unlike myself.  BUT.  Saint Genius Brain C. (name changed to embarass the innocent) keeps a dozen or so machines at home, running a little model network and quietly plotting the overthrow of various entities.  He considered his old pentium-III windows machine obsolete so he gave it to me.  Just like that.  Plus an external modem, which I’ll return because I got mine to work finally; and also a CD writer which like hell I’m ever going to give up.  He and our mutual friend, college cohort and Brain’s boss, Sha were ready to give me a monitor too if I needed it, but I didn’t.  I don’t want to offend the fates.  They’ve been too good to me lately. 

Now everything is different.  (At home, on my computer.  But that’s a damn good start.) Colors are brighter.  Sounds are clearer.  User-id’s are more virile.  (I recall in a recent software class that we were instructed to “turn on our extensions” - I was the only one who giggled so I had to cover it with a cough.  Dude - I NEVER TURN IT OFF.  Luck favors the prepared extension.) My new cpu looks like a black pizza box (it’s a back-office model, meant to be rack mounted); it’s plain and sturdy, but quick and powerful - not unlike myself.  Today I managed to get on line and now the world is my cyber-plaything.  Yeah, I’m talking to you, planet.  Amuse me.

The purpose of this paean is recognize, for my own psychic well-being, that Brian is the kind of friend that I need to be thankful for, explicitally and intentionally, every day.  He’s not just the nicest, most open person you could ever hope to meet - he’s also whipsmart, generous and has a great sense of humor.  I’m grateful for his help and moreso for his friendship.  When I sometimes feel down, as I did yesterday for a lot of the day, people like Brian give me perspective.  I’m one lucky guy. 

So, for you who have made my life so much more meaningful, fun and fulfilling, whether by throwing hardware at me or by dint of other acts of decency and kindness, you are appreciated.  And anyone who wants to check out my hardware, well, terms are negotiable.