PC

My first day of using the new comp. Ah. Joy. Even if by ‘using’ I mean clicking arbitrarily on stuff which I’d never use, just to make sure they exist. Opening folders at random, browsing through the usual preinstalled stuff. It’s awesome. This screen is beyond description. For one, it’s HUGE and FLAT, especially in comparison with my old one- which looked like something out of those late-eighties movies- small, dusty white, box-like, with a giant backside that protruded way out. The screen itself bulged importantly like part of a hemisphere at the front. Yes, it was an ancient, pompous old thing, but I give credit where it’s due. Though physically worn out (and here I should add the following: the mouse was held with tape at the back to prevent the ‘rubber ball’ from falling out, half the keyboard’s keys were stuck or extremely inconsistent with their functioning-resulting in several frustrating sessions at Word or Chat, the CPU was dust-ridden and would would decide to loudly whirr and splutter and hurl abuses at random, the remedy of which was to stick in a bit of cardboard at the back where the fan was, upon which it would give a frightening creak, and be subdued into silence again, the hard disk crashed once, the USB ports were unreliable and virus-contagions, the system itself was cranky), it was still a loving companion. And despite all I said, it’s still working tolerably fine, and is in fact now used by my sister, who I think won’t be too pleased to read this.

But of course I exaggerate. It is actually a robust, resilient thing. And it continues to work.

This one gave me quite a scare on first being switched it on. It registered a blank. Monitor wanted to sleep, or something. There was only a shrill, resolute beep emerging from the CPU which wouldn’t stop. After I pulled all the stops (well, yeah) I managed to get it fixed, and it’s fine now. And I’m petrified that it’ll go bonkers again. So I’m taking extra care, and am having difficulty typing because of this plastic sheet which I don’t want removed for fear of dust settling in between the keys (what help that could possibly give to the afore-said I don’t know). Also covering the monitor with two layers of protection- the sheet of paper it came in, and my own curtain-turned tablecloth-turned monitor cloth. And I’ve left the speakers in their little polythene covers. They look repressed, but I couldn’t care. The dust in this place wages war every single day. It’s the least I can do.

More on this later.