I am missing the blog.  One reason is that my trusty PC has developed a small hardware problem.

I heard it coming for quite a while, in the grinding groan that emanated from it when I turned it on. I knew it had to be a fan going bad, but I kept playing the odds, hoping I would get by one more day.

Then one morning, it shocked me by making this most alarming noise that sounded like...well, an alarm.  At that point I decided to investigate and found that the CPU fan was clogged with dust and dirt. Aha! I said to myself, this is something I can fix without replacing anything.  I cleaned out the fan and vacuumed out the inside of the case and the first time I booted it up, it was golden.  The next morning: groan.. grind... whirr...lack of whirr... alarm.

There was nothing for it then but to buy a new fan.  These come fairly cheaply and so all the effort to avoid purchasing one seems excessive but I am Danish.  Stubborn and frugal, we will waste hours trying to fix something rather than spend a dime.  I went on-line and checked out the computer superstore nearest me to see what they had before I set out shopping.

I think these computer stores hire all the same people.  The sales staff is almost always completely made up of males in their twenties. I want to like them, I like the way their hair is a little too long and that it was a little too long even before it started to become fashionable again. They have the best job in the world, they get to do what what they like best. They like talking about computers.  They like that they know more about it than you do.  They like to look at your bemused gaze as they explain it to you in language they know you will not understand. They will spend endless hours talking to some guy who has no idea how he botched the networking of his systems so that when he puts one online, another goes offline - but, they will not wait on the blonde in the faux fur coat.

When I finally manage to get someone's attention, all I find out is they don't have what I want. I knew that already from looking at the stock on the shelves  but I hoped they had more in the back or something.  I explained that I had first confirmed they sold the right fan; I had seen it on their website and so ventured forth to purchase it. "We have more online than we carry in the store", he told me.  As I was already mentally categorized under "Female - Subsection Blonde" I asked him petulantly: "how can you be a superstore if you don't have what I want?" (I didn't stamp my foot, however, that would have been overkill).  I was going to walk out without the power supply that I found on 60% clearance but then I realized it was too good a deal to pass up and maybe I should have one on hand.

So off I went to the next store.  I saw a perfect parking spot that would have saved my tired legs from a long trek, only to have it stolen from me by some young kid.  I was tired and cranky so I rushed to the next aisle to park within a few cars of him, intending to scar his conscience but he was too quick for me and scurried into the store before I could catch up.  Youths always scurry, I wonder why.  They have more time than anyone, but they are always in a hurry. 

But I wasn't just demonstrating the slow movements brought on by, well let's not call it age, let's call it the absence of youth. By this time I was tired from standing in the other store, attempting to appear worthy of waiting on.  I walked around  this second superstore in circles without even finding any section where they had such things as CPU fans until finally I managed to catch the tiny attention span of a young male who told me they didn't carry fans. Turns out he thought I meant the kind you put in the window. What else would a blonde in a fur coat want in the computer section? I set him straight and he led me to them but knew nothing about them.  He suggested I go online because: "We carry more online than we do in the store".

I gave up then and didn't even look at the bargains on keyboards. I headed back out to retreat to the safety of the Internet, where no one steals your parking space.

I went online.  I found the fan I want that is the right size, doesn't come with a heat sink and has the TX3 connection I need.  It is $4.99.  The shipping is $5.00. I will have to pay more than twice its price to get it but the best part is that is will take more than a week to arrive. There was an option to get next day shipping for $18.00.  Then it would take only 4 days to arrive.

I decided that the way the computer "superstores" stay in business is by making it impossible for you to find even the smallest and simplest item that would allow you to keep your own unit running by yourself.  They want the average person to give up and in a state of confusion agree to buy an entire new package.  This is their real business, selling  computer packages and waiting for them to break down so you will come buy another computer system package.

All of this is only to say that I haven't been blogging with any regularity and here is one reason why.  And since I didn't pay for the four-day express shipping,  it will be a while yet.