You know how I said I’d post from the coast? I went to an i-cafe. I had my lap top with me. This is what happened.
Me: Hello. Can I plug my handy dandy lap top into your modem?
12 yr old boy i-cafe manager: Certainly, madam. Follow me. (”Madam”??? Am I THAT old????)

walk walk walk

Boy: Put it here on this desk and I’ll connect it up.

I open bag and remove lap top.

Boy, mouth gaping: How OLD is that?
Me: Um, probably older than you.

I turn the now Proven Antique on.

Boy (four seconds later): Does it always take this long to start?
Me (lying): It’s usually a lot faster than this. It must be sick or something.

TWENTY MINUTES LATER, after lots of wire-checking, lead-poking and software manipulation by Boy Genius Manager.

Boy: I don’t think this is going to work. Have you thought about updating? (indicates toward the emaciated, greasy university student sitting next to me who is staring dully out of the window while his fingers frantically attack the keyboard of a lap top so thin you could slice cheese with it) One like this is only about $4 grand these days.
Me: Hmmm. (thinking: yeah, let’s see-Mortgage. Food. Car. Kids. Or new lap top? And who paid for that spotty kid’s $4000 computer anyway? I bet it was his MOTHER, who still has a laptop that weighs 15 kg and takes 5 minutes to boot.)

By now want to crawl out of i-cafe backwards, yelling “But really, I AM cool! Honestly! Well, I used to be… In 1987 I was… um… well, when I was a teenager…I…I…”
Decided not to humiliate Teenaged Offspring who were gaming in the Same Room (fortunately wearing headsets so they didn’t hear the Whole Sad Thing).

So, that’s why you haven’t heard from me. I ran very fast in the opposite direction and went for a walk on the beach instead.
This is Rowes Bay, which is just down the road a bit from our townhouse. I love it there. It’s a beautiful beach, in town and there’s hardly ever anyone there!