*#&&@(*&#$(*@&#$!!!

Hello, everyone!

Sorry for the obscene greeting above, but it's warranted -- I am currently sitting at the library, typing up a quick post to let everyone know why I've been a.w.o.l. No post today, no reading/commenting on my friends' posts, no obsessive checking of The New York Times ... nothin'. I am virtually cut off from the rest of the universe, for awhile.

Our internet service at work got shut down accidentally yesterday -- still not fixed, and boy! You don't realize how addicted you are -- or how dependent you are for a variety of responsibilities -- until you don't have it. Comcast claims to be working on the problem, which was their error ... we shall see if we have access on Monday. You know it's bad when you have to resort to filing, and when slapping address labels on the monthly newsletter suddenly sounds like a good diversion!

So I went home last night, ready to catch up on what I couldn't check on during the day. I signed on to HootSuite.com, checked Facebook and Twitter, then went into the kitchen to make a phone call. I came back out to my laptop to see the "BSOD" as the tech guy at Staples put it: Blue Screen of Death.

Sooooo, Tom and I took the laptop to Staples last night to see what they could do; they seem to think it's fairly straightforward, and they 're having a 50% sale on repairs, so at least I'm getting a bit of a break. Six times or so, the very helpful Ryan tried to enter a work order ... and six times or so, the computer wouldn't accept it. So I had to take my laptop home, 'cause they can't take it without documenting that it's in their inventory; I took it over after work today and everything seemed to go smoothly ... oy.

God, I believe, is sending a LOUD, CLEAR message about my internet usage ... why, I don't know -- I meet my responsibilities, I feed people, I do my job, I keep up with my friends (both in the real world and the cyber ones). This could be about my New York Times addiction, but I think not ... I hope not! And I had so many posts to write about -- Faygo cupcakes, my prize-winning Thanksgiving stuffing (read all about it right here), a big announcement ... sigh.

So, I can't use photos 'til I get my laptop back, though I can at least check in with all of my friends if I have internet access at work next week.

Here's hoping everyone has a fabulous weekend!!! Tomorrow, Tom and I are celebrating the one-year anniversary of when he first contacted me ... awwww. Holiday shopping and a lovely lunch await us ... :)