What Every Freelance Writer Dreads Part II

OK, I've kept you in suspense long enough. Now, where was I? Oh yeah, wandering around the computer department at Best Buy.

I was confronted with two rows of desktops and row after row and table after table of laptops. I guess they don't call them laptops anymore. I have one but it hasn't worked in four years and its older than the electronic dinosaur I just fried.

Anyway, I walked up and down the aisles aimlessly tapping mice and punching buttons. 'When did these things get so complicated'. Of course, every blasted machine had Vista proudly displayed. I had XP and was completely content with it for your information. I felt myself becoming more annoyed as not a single salesman approached me. Maybe dressed in Capri jeans and a t-shirt didn't scream, "I'm about to plunk down a grand in this store, you may want to help me. " I'll move on. Once I walked down one particular aisle for the third time and spotted a cute little tower that was smaller than the others, a salesman finally approached.

It was definitely a cute computer. Just like me, it took up very little space. This is a very scientific way to buy a computer, let me tell you. Joe, (yes that was his name), the salesman asked if I needed any help. I explained my dilemma and told him that I was a freelance writer so that he'd know what characteristics the computer should have and he would understand how important it was for me to have a computer now rather than later. I pounded him with questions like,

Where's the floppy drive?
How come there's only one CD drive?
Oh, I can run CDs and DVDs from the same drive?
What's that media bay for?
Is this wireless enabled?
Will this computer last till the next industry upgrade?
What do you mean, I have to buy the MS Office software separately?
Based on what I've told you of my computer needs, what models do you suggest?
(I'm not sure why asked that last question, because I already knew I was going to buy the cute little HP space saver : ) )

After he answered all my questions and managed to hold the laughter at bay, I selected the cute little computer that had caught my eye earlier.

He retrieved my future electronic best friend from the overhead shelf and walked me to the Geek Squad to checkout.

We met Abdul (yes, that was his name), who was preparing my old hard drive for transfer. After more paperwork and sales pitches for software, antivirus, maintenance agreements and back-up disks, I was out the door with a receipt to pickup my computer the next day. I felt it better to let them work their magic so when I finally got it home, I could just plug and play as it were.

With a promise that I would be able to pickup my right arm the next morning, I spent the rest of the evening on pins and needles because as a new freelancer, I am always working. Gotta drum up that business you know. So with a high speed Internet connect but no computer, I was pretty much in the soup, as my favorite British humorist would say.

Now I had no excuse not to work on my second novel from my portable word processor. Stay tuned for the big event, the homecoming of my new partner in crime...the HP little baby (Abdul's little nickname for my computer) :)