It’s here! It’s here! After about ten months of eager anticipation, my new computer (Mr. Chips) arrived. I kind of half-expected it to be ready last September, even though I was doubtful. The end of summer came and went and no computer. No problem, I’ll probably have one by the end of the year. Well, the holidays passed us by and still no computer. I was beginning to get a little nervous. After all, the old one (General Lee) was 5 years old at least because we bought it used – it could kick the bucket any day and then I’d be in a world of hurt. Fast forward seven months (Where does the time go?) and I finally got my grubby little hands on it.

Needless to say, transitioning to a new system has been challenging. For starters, Mr. Chips (the new one) runs Windows 8 and it is very foreign to me. The tech support guy for the company that provided us with the system talked us through the procedure for getting back to the regular old ‘Windows 7-style’ desktop. He’s awesome, but more on him later*. He explained to us that Windows 8 is geared more towards tablets, smartphones and other touchscreen devices. People with regular desktop computers and laptops, like me, complained to Microsoft so much about it that we’re all promised Windows 9 free of charge when it’s ready in about a year. It’s supposed to be more all-device-inclusive. We’ll see.

Moving to a whole new computer can be uncomfortable at best. It’s like slipping out of your favorite pair of old, broken in, well-worn and faded blue jeans and changing into a pair of stiff, crackly corduroys or Dockers that are still a little damp in the cro- um, inseam because they were left to drip-dry on the clothesline right after they were taken out of the washing machine. You know it’s the right thing to do and besides, you can’t wear blue jeans to work or school (pre-1985, anyway).

There are a few outstanding issues with Mr. Chips so I’m still using General Lee until they get worked out. For example, the ECU (Environmental Control Unit), a.k.a the TV Remote, doesn’t work and you know that’s a big time dealbreaker! They’ll get it all worked out, though. The important thing is that I’m a lot better off than I was last fall.

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Shawn, the tech support guy for Words+ (the company that developed EZKeys, the software I use to control my computer, and provided me with the actual system), is really a great guy. Not only is he very knowledgeable about the software he supports and computers in general, he’s also super patient with us and makes us feel like we’re the only customers he needs to help that day. We really can’t say enough about him. I almost don’t mind computer problems!