The end of the affair. a rant.

Yes, it was only a laptop. And yes, it only ran Vista. But it's been the companion of many trips into other worlds and times (in my writing, naturally. I'm not Dr Who) and the friend of many a romp in The Word Den.

Ah well. At least I shall no longer spend so much time looking at the little label on the keyboard which said: 

FOR SAFE AND COMFORTABLE USE

SEE THE SAFETY AND COMFORT GUIDE

which I must admit has been irritating me slightly ever since I took the thing out of its box.

When my dear old laptop died I went out straight away and bought another one. The latest thing. Windows 8.

It lasted two days. Either it had to go or I had to kill myself.

It went.

I now have a Windows 7 machine in a box downstairs, but I don't dare open it. (I'm on an old XP machine at the moment. It's working perfectly, thank you.)

The thing is, I don't think I'm quite ready to plunge into another new relationship yet.

That WINDOWS 8 machine. It's left a scar. It looked handsome and shiny, but, but, but... 

I suppose our basic problem was that (sob) we didn't talk. The words just weren't there.

There was a full screen picture of a mysterious tower, possibly on the Planet Zog, but it just sat there impenetrably for ages and ages until the computer settled itself down to sleep again.

A simple inscription would have helped. Something like PRESS ANY KEY TO CONTINUE.

Communication. Any relationship will go sour without it, you know.

No, no, it's all right. Really. I expect by next Valentine's Day I'll have found a new computer with which I can have a meaningful relationship.

Anyway, please don't let the thought of my misery spoil your day.

After all, I still have XP.

Word To Use Today: eight. This word comes from the Old English æhta and probably comes from a Proto Indo-European word something like okto(u). The Sanskrit form is astau.