I Feel Like a Kid in a Candy, Um, Computer Store!

You know those days that start out all sunshine and roses. Days where everything is going along nicely and the kids are on spring break. This week I don’t have to do anything except some major organizing and finally doing our taxes. For many people I can imagine that doing taxes is not the most exciting thing, or even something to look forward to, but for me it is. I am usually ready to do my taxes by the first of the year. Everything ready, and just waiting for the tax forms to come in the mail. I love doing my taxes, because when I am done, I get a big chunk of money deposited into my checking account…and really who doesn’t love that?!

I decided to jump right into doing my taxes first thing. When I put my Turbo Tax disk into install it, it did nothing. OK, no biggie, so I go into My Computer to click on the icon. No Icon. OK, starting to get worried. I take the disk out, check it out, put it back in, still nothing. OK, reboot the computer with the disk in, maybe it will just start up when the computer restarts. Still nothing. OK, into the run menu, tried to autorun, still nothing. OK, now I am really worried. I think, wait, maybe it is the disk, so I try another disk. Nothing is working. Hhmm. I am trying not to cry at this point.

So then I start to panic. My computer is broken and I can’t figure it out. I tried putting different thing in different ports, some work, some don’t. So it is not just my disk drive, it is all sorts of other things too. All I really wanted to do was my taxes and now the clock is ticking and nothing is getting done. I had plans, Plans! Things were supposed to be getting done, motivation was behind me and I was ready to go. My computer didn’t get the memo though and the whole thing came to a grinding halt.

Off I went to walmart to buy an external disk drive. A simple set back, but one that I could recover from. Still trying to stay positive, but doing a terrible job at it, I get home ready to get to work. My computer doesn’t even try to recognize the new external disk drive at all and is a complete fail.

After finally breaking down and crying while trying to figure out what to do Wall Nut talks me into driving up to Costco to get a new computer. It was a bittersweet decision. I have been longing for a new computer, longing for a laptop that I can drag around with me. I can sit outside with my kids and do my work at home jobs, write articles, answer questions for ChaCha, um Blog! I spent a good amount of time wanting a fun phone like a blackberry or iphone, but really what I wanted was a nice laptop. A laptop has been on my Must Have List and has been moving up in priority for a while.

I was not happy about the fact that I had to go out and get a new computer ASAP. While I mumbled under my breath about how lame I was that I still had a big old desktop that always had issues and didn’t even have a webcam, I knew that eventually I would be able to go out and get an awesome computer that I would love. I just didn’t think it would come up when I wasn’t prepared for it.

I am the type of person who has to price everything, check every website, store and catalog looking for the best deal to find exactly what I want for the price that I want. I will look at Target and Walmart for months comparing prices for everything from car seats to socks just so I get what I want for just the right price. I have been casually looking at computers for months, I just didn’t think that I was going to have to jump right into make a decision. Of course when I went to wally world earlier in the day I checked out laptops, you know, for just in case. I knew that for what I wanted, walmart was way overpriced, I also know that I can get about twice as much computer as Costco for about the same price or just a little bit more. And for me that is so important.

So I took my pouting self to Costco to get a new computer. It was hard to enjoy shopping for a new computer, we are so unprepared for this expense, but I did need a new computer eventually, so I didn’t feel too bad. I am just counting is as my birthday present, even though my birthday is still 3 months away. It was after dinner by the time I got home, so that pretty much meant that nothing was getting done. The only thing I managed to do last night was turn my new laptop on and start getting it set up.

I did work on getting it set up today though, and I have had a great time doing it. I still have a few more things to figure out, but for now it is up and running. So I bet you are wondering, did I get my taxes done today? The answer would be no. I downloaded my internet security so I could safely get online and have managed to do nothing but personalize my new best friend awesome new computer that we really cant afford that was such an awesome deal at Costco. I looked at all the fun new backgrounds and screen savers. Customized my Windows 7, and downloaded firefox. I picked out a cute Theme from the new firefox that is of course Hearts. I have been digging through my password book and tracking down emails with passwords that I have forgotten to write down.

I can’t wait to use this laptop as a homeschool tool. We can set up our lessons on the laptop and head out to the park or go on a field trip and have everything we need for the day on the laptop. How much fun is that?!?

Before some of you start asking, yes my new laptop has a webcam. I have not even looked into trying to figure out how it works yet and don’t have the slightest idea what to do with it. So you might feel the need to bully me into posting a Vlog, but you will just have to wait.

Of course after a holiday weekend and a Monday without a computer, there was so much for me to catch up on. You know, blogs, twitter, facebook, theblogfrog. So. Very. Much. Of course I got nothing done today. I have been hanging out on the couch with the kids watching them play Wii, watching Shrek, eating Easter candy, you know, having fun over spring break. After yesterday, I needed another vacation. So I had fun with my new computer.

Yesterday was kind of a bummer, but really, I love my new computer. I feel so spoiled, I feel like I just got something really cool that I never thought I would get. Luckily my old computer still recognizes my portable hard drive so I can copy everything over to that and get all my important things like Quicken, last years taxes and all of my thousands of photos over to my new coolest evah computer that I love love love.

This is not quite the version that I got, Costco has a different processor and I think that is the biggest difference in the price. Mine is several hundred dollars cheaper, I think because both the different processor and the fact that it is from Costco.