I did not know that the local Apple Store was having a tax-free sale this weekend, so imagine my surprise when I drove there after work and had to stand in line to get in.
Yep, I've been lusting for a new desktop. My previous desktop computer pretty much died several years ago. When the laptop I had been using also died, I returned from my years on the dark side and got a MacBook Pro (home to Apple!). It is the only computer I have used now for some time. I have also chewed up most of its memory, which slows it down, of course.
Decided there were shekels enow to do the deed, so after work I headed straight to that occasion of sin in ABQ Uptown, the Apple Store. Walked out with a new iMac (see illustration above - I am sure they will allow use of their trademarked image in such a shameless spot as this), a new printer (the previous one has some problems), a new backup device (the old one is not big enough as I keep expanding my files), an updated version of Office for Mac. All of this is sittiing unopened as I did not want to spend all night setting up. I will be in Bernalillo and Santa Fe tomorrow, returning Sunday. So you all know what I will be up to Sunday afternoon and evening.
The tax-free deal involves only certain items under $1000, so it applied to my printer and my backup device only. I got the "biggest" version of the 24" iMac, i.e., lots of memory. When it comes to computer memory I am a total size queen. More is more. And I need lots.
I am looking forward to two things: a bigger screen and speed. And not worrying about how much memory my photos take (my pics are 8MB each, so you can imagine). I suspect this may make the process of writing the remaining novels more pleasurable too.
Apple really needs to make keyboards for large-handed people. They have an extended keyboard with the numeric keypad but you have to buy it extra (I already have one, trust me). Don't they sell anything to accountants? I type by touch EXCEPT for numerals, which I almost always input with the keypad. I worked in accounting too many years (and practiced learning ten key by touch for too many hours) to go back to hunting and pecking. Do NOT get me started on the topic of typing on laptops or my blazing heat of a thousand white-hot suns hatred of trackpads.
Btw, retail therapy works. I feel much more chipper than I have in weeks.
Tomorrow I breakfast with friends from the Bay Area, then off to Santa Fe to enjoy the city, chill with the BFF, dine out, and catch Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Santa Fe Opera.
--the BB
6 comments:
Mazel Tov!
And have a great time tomorrow.
Good luck with your new apparatus!
Well good luck with the new system! For my money, this is the best keyboard, bar none. I'm old school, but the old spring load buckling keyboard is a true classic, satisfying in it's click-click (although they have a softer model). It's made in the US by a company that actually pays it's employees well and gives them benefits, if I remember correctly from and NPR story. I believe I got the USB Spacesaver model at $69.00. Worth every penny. And built to be used for years and years!
Go back next month and see if you can talk them into a free copy of Snow Leopard though, as rumor has it that it will be out in September, along with (you probably knew this was coming) new iMacs...
I've gone the other direction, with a Lenovo S10, but running Windows XP and an early copy of SnowLeopard. It takes a while to get happy with a small keyboard and screen, and I'm getting a small SSD to speed up I/O as much as possible and reduce heat. But then I'm not doing much writing anymore!
Good luck with the new box!
woof!
Oh, and the Spacesaver keyboard was chosen because it has the "Mac" key, although it has a Windows symbol on it. I use keyboard shortcuts a lot, so there need to be 3 keys down there to the left of the spacebar!
M'woofy lord, so nice to have an episcopal visitor.
Thanks for the keyboard advice. I will check it out.
Yes, Snow Leopard is included in my purchase. Evidently purchases since June will get it as an upgrade costing only about $10 for the disc. For $10 I won't argue, though after what I just dumped at the store yesterday I should get a free meal and a backrub along with the upgrade.
Doing my part for the economy.
I use keyboard shortcuts all the time, especially when composing in Word.
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