It never rains but...

I am EXHAUSTED.  What a week! 

Monday (Feb. 8th) was the 23rd "anniversary" of my LMP (last menstrual period) before my pregnancy with Katie -- the beginning of the cycle that created her, and that forever changed my life.. 

Tuesday night,  my laptop -- an ASUS, just 2 & 1/2 years old -- died without warning. It's frozen up on me a couple of times, usually because there was a new Windows update downloading, and sometimes it seemed to take forever to shut down, but otherwise it was working all right. I saw a brief Windows message that there was a problem and then a screen popped up that I'd never seen before with all kinds of options. 

Once I got over the "uh oh!!" shock, I called my sister's boyfriend/partner of the last 40 (!!) years (basically my brother-in-law, although they're not married), who sets up & fixes computers for a living in Manitoba.  We tried a couple of things and... no matter what we did, I could not get the computer to reboot/restart. He suggested I could call the Geek Squad and see what they'd charge to diagnose & (try to) fix the issue -- but he warned me it would cost at least $300 and it was quite likely they might not be able to fix it. And if the cost was going to be half or more of what a new laptop would cost, he didn't think it was worth trying to fix.  He also checked the flyers and found what he thought was a good deal on an HP laptop at BestBuy.  

I've always been a bit addicted to my home computer since I got my first desktop model in 1996 ;) -- but of course, during this pandemic, it's been a lifeline and a connection to the "outside" world, as well as a source of entertainment and information.  Dh is happy just using his smartphone, but I do a lot of writing -- on this blog, emails, etc. -- and need something with a keyboard. (I know a few of you who actually blog ON your cellphones, and I am in awe!! -- pecking away at my phone with one finger is an exercise in frustration for me for anything more than a couple of sentences!) 

Long story short, by the time I woke up the next (Wednesday) morning, I decided to go for the new laptop at BestBuy. Ordering it online from my cellphone was another exercise in frustration...!  (carts that said "empty" when I know I'd "added to cart,"  links for store pickup that refused to work...) but I eventually managed to submit an order before noon. The website said next-day pickup, but I got my notification email and was able to pick it up just a few short hours later.  That was also a seemingly simple process that became an exercise in frustration -- we pulled into the designated parking spot & I tried to send them a notification that we were there, via the email I'd been sent -- and the button simply would NOT "click"!!  I wound up walking over to the front door, where a young guy was speaking to another customer from behind a table, showed him the email and some ID (all while squinting in the sunlight and trying to deal with the fog on my glasses, because, masks...!) and finally claimed my new  laptop!  (This was, by the way, the first time I'd left the condo since my birthday -- which was Jan. 12th!!  A full MONTH!  :p  ) 

I spent several more hours later that afternoon & evening, and again last night, setting things up remotely over the phone and computer with BIL. I hadn't backed up my previous laptop in... WAY too long (insert red-faced icon here), but we were able to use that last backup to restore the vast majority of my photos, videos and documents. We were able to download several years' worth of emails from my ISP's server, and Google had saved all my favourites, startup tabs and passwords! There are still some things I'm missing (my genealogy software, for one), and some kinks to work out -- but!! -- I have a computer again!!   The next time we head west (which, granted, will probably still be several months down the road...), I will bring both laptops, and BIL will see what data he can retrieve and transfer over from the old one. 

Thursday/yesterday afternoon, I was back at the dentist to have my old crown removed, the tooth below it filled and a new temporary crown placed.  I will be near the end of the month to have the temporary crown removed and the permanent placed.  My jaw & neck are still feeling sore. No doubt being all tensed up didn't help matters... 

As with our January visit, the outdoor escalator to the second level of the building (where our dentist's office is) was out of commission, which necessitated climbing a semi-long flight of stairs (after a brisk walk from the parking lot -- dh is a fast walker, and it was COLD outside! -- and I was wearing a mask...) -- which left me huffing & puffing in a way that rather alarmed dh (as well as me).  (I actually had to remove my mask for a moment until I caught my breath -- I was feeling rather claustrophobic with it on.)  An entire year spent mostly in couch potato mode has obviously done absolutely nothing for my physical fitness or stamina (which, granted, was not that great to begin with...!). :(   I REALLY need to get walking again, once the weather gets a bit milder... 

That said -- today we did the housecleaning, which gave me a mild workout and a moderate sweat. :) 

I am ready for the weekend. (Even if there's nowhere to go and nothing fun to do... even though it's Valentine's Day on Sunday. I haven't been able to get even a card for dh.  To be honest, I only just remembered it was this weekend! -- guess I will have to check my card stash for something Valentine-ish...  Also, it's Family Day on Monday... not one of my favourite holidays, as I've vented in the past...!) 

How about you?