Greetings From My New Mac Book!

Sorry, but I've been incommunicado for the last several days. For over three good years, my I-Mac served me well, never giving me a moment's trouble. Then last week, I kept getting the spinning color wheel of doom. Restarting it seemed to take care of the problem, but a few hours later, the spinning wheel would return. Restarting always took care of the problem until a few days ago. Then suddenly, the spinning color wheel of doom came up, and the only way to shut it off was to shut the computer down, but this time when the computer was started back up, it refused to reboot. Instead I just kept just kept getting messages to restart my computer. Repeated attempts at doing that failed though. I didn't know what else to do.

So, I hopped in the Dakota today, and trekked on into the west end of Richmond this afternoon. Since I wanted another I-Machine, I was immediately drawn to the place where I bought my I-Mac over three years ago, but when I pulled into the parking lot, the store was no longer there, having been replaced with an Office Max. Nevertheless, I went inside to see if they sold Mac's. A dear sweet young woman met me, and asked if she could help. I asked her if they sold Mac's and sadly, she said no. Then I asked her if she knew the nearest location of an Apple store, and happily she said, yes! How sweet of her. She told me there was one in the Short Pump Town Center Mall, just a couple of miles to the west.

So, off I drove, and when I arrived at the huge open air mall, I began to search for a parking space. I haven't been there in several years, so I couldn't believe it! There wasn't a parking space to be had within a quarter of a mile of where I needed to go. I weaved back and forth through one lot and the next, before lucking out and encountering someone leaving in a distant lot. As soon as they pulled out, I immediately dove into the vacant space, before anyone coming in the opposite direction could claim it. Yes, unfortunately it's dog eat dog when it comes to shopping center parking! Spaces were filled up, all the way to the outer fringes.

Once out of the Dakota, finding the store was another experience. I had only been there once before, about six years ago, and then only to go to a specific restaurant. The place was so huge that even after looking at the posted directory, it took me another ten to fifteen minutes to find the Apple Store. In fact I walked right passed it once, but eventually I found it, and waked in. Immediately my heart sank, There must have been a gazillion people in the store! I thought I would have to wait an eternity to be served. I slithered through the maddening crowd, which for some odd reason or another, seemed to consist of a large number of young Chinese males in cadet uniforms, totally enamored of the display of I-Phones. There were also a lot of middle class white Americans surrounding the Mac Books. To my surprise, when I wasn't looking at them for more than two minutes, a somewhat geeky guy approached me, and asked if he could help me. Was I just lucky, or did he have the power to discern a serious customer from a tire kicker? Or did he think I was a fellow geek as well? Hey don't laugh! I have not doubt how geeky I come off in boy mode! I'll never know for sure, I'm just glad that he picked me out of the multitudes! At least it's good for something!

At any rate, he was great! He asked all the right questions, and gave all the right answers! A far cry from some of the completely clueless tech sales people I have had to deal with in other stores. Within 20 minutes, I was out of there with a brand new Mac Book Pro, sold to me for a $100+ corporate discount, because he saw my retiree ID Card from my former employer, when I opened my wallet to take out my debit card. Good thing I worked for a major international corporation, instead of for Joe Schmoe's corner store. Why is it that Government and corporate employees, and their retirees get a break, when Joe Schmoe's employees, who only make minimum wage have to pay full price??? Something is very screwy, and frankly quite rotten about our American capitalistic system, when the the well off get $100 discounts, and the indigent have bear the full cost! What's up with that? It galls me, but I suppose in the overall unfair scheme of things, I should just consider myself lucky to be able to go out and buy a new computer at will. There was a day when I wouldn't have been able to either, discounts or not.

But that's neither here, nor there. I just got back on line, where I can keep up with all of you! And that brings me to a somber note. Veronica, from Right Side Up, appears to be putting an end to her lovely blog. I sincerely hope she invites some of us at least, to view her new writings. Surely, we should now be thinking of this lovely sweet post-op woman, in terms that transcend transsexualism .

Well........as much as I love Autumn, we are creeping past peak color here in the Virginia Piedmont. Don't get me wrong, it's sill quite beautiful around here, but probably half of the leaves have turned and fallen. It seems that the most colorful trees right now, are the hickories. They are a deep orangey yellow, and really stand out in the late evening sun. Very beautiful indeed! Some of the Gums didn't turn their blazing red this year, simply turning yellow instead. Hot dry summer? Who knows? But the Maples never seem to fail us, and most of them were absolutely shameless! Deep red- orange in color, they certainly seemed to be ablaze!

Yesterday saw my bi-weekly supplication to the Goddess of Epilation. As High Priestess of the Church of the Immaculate Epilation, it is my solemn duty to keep my body from being defiled by unwanted hair, so I had no choice but to submit to the cleansing ritual. 45 minutes later, all was smooth and silky, and the deity was once again pleased. I am now at peace!

Melissa XX