Just a hunka hunka burning...waah!

My notebook is dead. My daughter dropped it, cracking the casing and causing the pin that the charger hooks up to, to loosen.

We've been using a pointy-screwdriver thing to straighten it out so we could put the charger-thingy in there (sorry for all these technical terms; I know they're confusing to the lay person, but really--learn the jargon, folks!) and charge the battery. We used duck tape to keep it in place because it would fall out.

The other night, I noticed the charger-thingy was hot. And then, there was a dreadful burning smell...the next morning, the charger-thingy had melted. (Hmm...does that mean you're not supposed to duck tape the charger in place?) I ordered a new one from Gateway. I'm not surprised to discover that it doesn't appear to be connecting properly with the pin in order to charge.

So I'm stuck with the desktop. I hate the desktop. I have to battle my family to use it. My son uses it to play games. My daughter uses it to write stories about nine-year-old girls who angst and the horses who love them. My husband uses it to update his sports whatever they are--rotisserie baseball, March Madness brackets, and the thing they do during football season. I can't remember. It doesn't matter.

I sit in the chair, wipe the fingerprints off the monitor, add more paper to the printer, clean up all the disks left by the boy, organize all the pages left by the girl, close the windows left open by the husband. I straighten the desk, put away the pens and pencils, take the cups, bowls, glasses and utensils left by the computer to the dishwasher. I sponge the sticky mouse buttons, wipe away the rings left by spilled milk from bowls of cereal. Finally, when I get the space clean enough for me to feel comfortable I can start to write. I open the wip. I poise my fingers over the keyboard--

The baby starts to cry because his nap is over.

#$!%!

I keep telling myself to--gasp!--use a pen. But...but then...a pen? Paper? Writer's cramp and paper cuts. Damn you!

Oh, notebook...I miss you...