Aug. 15, 2003 ~ Seven days
Has this week really only had seven days? Sure seemed longer. Our friend's motorcycle accident was a week ago today. He certainly feels better than he did then, and in some ways he looks better, but he also has huge bruises and a black eye which were slow to develop. It would be easier for me if he stayed with us, but then he would not have the comforts of home... his music, his videos, all the little things that make life easier. Considering his level of pain, I'm all for anything which makes life easier. The hard thing is remembering to pace myself. I tire easily under the best of circumstances, and have found myself exhuasted, these past few days. The trips to his house, and all the extra little errands and chores... I'm happy to do them all. But it's tiring.
College Boy is such a happy camper. You have no idea! It was in June that his computer died. You can read about that in this entry. You might think that when a computer is hit by lightning and has black charred parts on the inside, it would obviously need to be replaced. You would be wrong! Because someone at the computer store's service department decided that maybe it could be fixed, even though this meant replacing just about every part except the outer case. At least that was the story we were told -- that they were waiting on parts. Our original estimated return date was June 22. Ha ha! Silly us, falling for that. Honestly, I think the computer just got lost in the shuffle, stuck on a shelf somewhere and forgotten. At one point they couldn't even tell us where it was... if it was at their repair facility or at the manufacturer's. Son was patient, extremely so.
Eventually, Husband called the store and ranted a bit, which probably made him feel better, and the "rantee" feel worse. But no computer appeared. I made a couple of calls to the store manager, who promised to check into it. Finally, Son and I made a trip to the store and had a nice visit with the manager, who spent at least an hour (no kidding) on the phone, in our presence, trying to track down the missing computer. He wound up calling his company's headquarters, who then called the manufacturer, and magically, a few days later, they found the computer.
Actually, they gave Son a NEW computer -- surprise, surprise. Mr. Manager had said it would be at the local store on Thursday (yesterday), and they would call us just as soon as they unloaded it from the truck. But did that happen? It did not. Son called the store, twice, and was told by a service tech that they were too busy to check to see if his computer had shown up. They were having huge problems, because of this nasty virus, and had 14 or 15 computers to repair. Gosh! While I certainly sympathize with someone who has been without their computer since MONDAY -- three entire days -- this did not really go over well with me -- the being too busy to even check. Another polite call to the store manager was in order. He did the checking, called us back and told us that the computer was there and ready to pick up. I asked if they could please turn it on to be sure it worked. He promised to do that. Son was practically jumping for joy when he called from the store (whose initials are BB), saying they had given him a new computer.
He was without a computer for two months. Two months. The only thing that made it tolerable is that we do have this computer (the one I am using now) in the house, so he wasn't comnpletely without one. And school was out, or almost out. (Frankly, I can't remember, and am too lazy to look it up.)
We have talked to Soldier Boy three times since he left to head home. He visited friends for awhile, and now he's back at the post.
He brought back some amazing pictures from Afghanistan, and I asked if I could post one of him, here or elsewhere. He thought about it, but decided it wasn't wise. Security risks. That I understand. He sure had some stories to tell. Good thing I heard about them after the fact.
Husband is taking a cow and calf to auction tonight. The auction is tomorrow; he's just taking them to the sale barn tonight, provided he gets home from work in time. If the weather is good, we plan to buy and move some hay on Saturday. These are square bales, which means they're really rectangular, but they are called "square." I feel sorry for Husband, having to move them. Originally, the guy was going to deliver them and stack them in our barn, but he has back problems. He still said he'd do it; I declined. He can barely get around. So Husband is going to pick up the hay, bring it home, and stack it in our barns. 350 bales, weighing at least 50 pounds each. It will take him 4 or 5 trips to get all the hay, and he probably will need to get part of it next weekend.
I sure am sorry for those who were without power last night, and may be without power or water for some time to come.
This is such a long, rambling entry. That's what happens when I don't post often!
Have a nice weekend, everyone.
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