* * * * *
                                        
                               I don't do windows
                                        
There is a downside to using computers—people expect you to know everything
about them, especially the ones they use.

The knock on the door proved to me one of my neighbors, a woman in her late
40s/early 50s taking care of her elderly mother. She wanted to know if I had
a copy of Windows 98 she could borrow (shhhh). I don't but my roommate Rob
[1] does. He was currently using the CD but he would lend it to her once he
was finished.

About an hour later he was finished. We were on our way to Shane's [2] house
for a bit of Half-Life and I decided to drop off the CD to my neighbor. I
would meet up with them later.

I had intended to drop off the CD.

I ended up being stuck for an hour trying to troubleshoot a Windows problem
and not wanting to install Windows 98 on a 16M 486 that was barely running
Windows 95.

“Should I install Windows 98?” she would ask.

“It's really up to you,” I said. “If you really want to, it's up to you.”

“Funny,” she said. “Everybody I talked to said the same thing.” She peered
closer. “Nobody wants the responsibility if it fails, right?”

“Yup. And I don't even use Windows.” Not that she believed me for a minute. I
use computers. I have computers. Therefore I know Windows.

Sigh.

I never did end up at Shane's house.

[1] http://www.tragic-smurfs.com/
[2] http://www.slartibartfast.org/

Email Sean Conner at sean@conman.org

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