When Bad Things Happen To Good Computers

When Bad Things Happen To Good Computers

or, to put it another way

Pennies From Heaven

Bob from 21st Century Computers did a good job on my PC. It works, we (more he than I) saved as much as could be salvaged from the virus-ridden and riddled hard drive. A bunch of programs need to be re-installed, and others have missing DLL problems, but the rebuild and repair process are underway.

This is pretty much what the virus did to my computer. bang, bang, thump, thump, blomp, blomp Imagine the hits going right smack dab onto the sectors of the hard drive containing the Office and Norton Suites! Yep, that's the deal. Concurrently, the server hosting my company's website and e-mail server managed to have a spam-related snafu of epic proportion. Any and all e-mail sent to any of the addresses associated with the domain ended up bouncing back to the sender. Imagine that, silenced and cut off, electronically. For a guy like me, a fate tantamount to solitary confinement. For a crime not committed, no less.

In life there can be balance and even good fortune. All was not lost last week.

I was bemoaning the situation with good friend and business associate, who solved some of the problems in less than 24 hours. He arranged to move my accounts to his ISP, to host my domain, and, as part of our business relationship, to get DSL to the office. Funny thing, I was at the Post Office taking care of some weekly business (divorced, non-custodial fathers immediately decoded that phrase), and found penny while I was waiting for good old Nick at the Post Office to transact my weekly business. Hey, I said to Nick, this is supposed to mean Good Luck, right? Nick was more concerned about whether it was "heads up" or not. He thinks if it is "tails up" you shouldn't even touch it.

I took it as a good omen. And when I returned to the office from the Post Office, the very first call that came in was from my friend with the ISP/Server/Domain hosting news.

The people I work with heard of my computer woes, and took it to heart. Given the fact that a good, working computer is essential to my productivity, they arranged for a new system to be sent to me. Now you understand why this day's blog is entitled, When Bad Things Happen to Good Computers!

This afternoon I found another penny as I was walking to my car. Given the storm the alarmist newscasters and weathercasters are predicting, I think the good luck from that penny was in my being able to drive to various destinations with no problems, and to manage to get certain supplies and goods without encountering difficulty or crowds.

As I drove to the nearby grocery store (which is in the same small mall as a newly opened Wal-Mart, which means the parking lot has become way to small!), I immediately got a great space. Everything I was looking for at the grocery was in stock, no hassle. Good thing I wasn't shopping for milk, though, as those shelves were bare.

The lines were short, the checkout kid actually knew how to do his job, and I was done in a flash. Across the street from there is a beverage place (with cigars, good selection, very good prices!) where we kid around with the owner about politics, local commerce, and the meaning of life. He had just the sugar-free goodies I was looking for (Stewart's Sugar-free Orange Cream Soda and Sugar-Free Root Beer...yummy!) He also had the 20 oz. size Pepsi One bottles I like, and scrounged around in the back to get them for me.

At the grocery I'd gotten the local area Sunday paper, but they were out of the Sunday Times. Since it was late in the day for getting the paper, I went down the road to a 7-11, and got their v-e-r-y l-a-s-t copy of the Times.

This penny must have been heads up, huh!?!

Good luck if you find one - be it heads or tails up!

A bunch more errands, including picking up Susan so she could weather the storm (groan, pun) with me in suburbia, getting gas for the car, and such.

We ate a late brunch (so late that to many it might have qualified as Sunday Dinner) at Barney Greengrass, which has the best lox & eggs in the city. We drove home and had no traffic problems. The snow was coming down heavier and heavier, so we got home just in time.

Of course, as I look out the window now, there's no snow falling. Maybe those two pennies (currently sitting one on top of the other) combined forces to ward off the storm.

Either that, or the "worst storm in 30 years" the local media is threatening (promising, hoping for?) will come true, and Susan and I will watch tv, read the papers, and enjoy the serenity of being here with computers that work!