New Computer

I don't like change.

If there is ever a decision between making a change to gain a little more efficiency and simply remaining as I am, I usually stick to my routine.  I am the embodiment of the “creature of habit.”

Yet recently I have made a change that I absolutely love: after months of dealing with a finicky computer I finally have a beautiful new machine!  It's incredible—everything about it is sleek.  The case is sleek, the performance is sleek, the Win7 OS is sleek.  I turn it on and I hear only a slight whir before the machine descends into silence.  Half a minute later I'm logged in and ready to go.

This is a huge improvement over my last computer.  For the past four years I've been using computers built out of parts my brilliant husband has pieced together (and it's a testament to him that I went so long before deciding I wanted a pre-assembled machine).  But after four years of periodic upgrades my computer was beginning to drag.  With an average boot-up/log-in time of fifteen minutes (taking into account the frequent crashes), it was ready for retirement.

Now I can't get over the aesthetic draw of this OS.  I'm super pleased with Windows 7.  It feels different while still being intuitive.  There's obvious logic behind the design.  Instead of being frustrated by the changes, I find them easy to adjust to; they feel right.

Plus, I have Spider Solitaire now.  I win.

And yet, despite all these things, I haven't actually used my computer all that much since it came last week (even accounting for the time it took to hook it up and install some basic programs).  Though I am excited about the new machine, there is still something that will always trump my latest gadgets:

Books.

In this case I am referring specifically to a series: Sharon Shinn's Twelve Houses.  I have simply devoured these books over the past week.  I love the characters!  I so wish I could know them for real.  And the romances are compelling and the action is exciting and all the interactions are so vivid.

With a world like that, shiny new electronics fade to nothing.

Thank you, Sharon, for such a beautiful series.