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My lady_curmudgeon surprised me this evening when I came home by presenting me with a belated (and entirely unexpected) birthday gift! Waiting for me, all snug in its carboard packaging and shrink wrap, was a shiny new Microsoft Natural Elite ergonomic keyboard. As those of you playing along at home may remember, about 4 months ago my old and much-abused keyboard decided to finally start failing in earnest by failing to recognize one of my most often used keys and just generally disintegrating. I've been hobbling along with it ever since, always telling myself that I'd be getting a new keyboard for myself Real Soon Now.

While not a "perfect" one-for-one replacement of my now-deceased workhorse (the old one had some function buttons that I never used, a built-in un-powered USB hub that could only ever support my mouse and a slightly different layout for the arrow keys and home/pg down/delete/etc) this keyboard still has what really matters to my wrists: the proper wrist support molded into the base and all the same sexy curves and breaks in the keyboard layout. And it's so much quieter!

I should take a picture sometime tomorrow, something so you can do a "compare and contrast" between the old keyboard and the new keyboard. The difference is, frankly, astonishing. You can see just by the discoloration what sort of punishment my old keyboard labored under.

All Hail The New Keyboard and the wonderful lady who got it for me.

And when I read it on your keyboard

Imagine, if you can, my complete surprise at this entry from chebutykin. What started out as a look back on the history of a piece of form-molded plastic turned into something much, much deeper. This has to be one of the most thoughtful, touching introspectives I've ever read.

I'm really pleased that somebody has such fond memories of me.

Thank you, Cheb. For everything.

Looking back on today, if I were to summarize it I could almost make it out to be a fortune cookie or a horoscope.

You will wake from a dream so real you will always remember it as the first time you touched her.

A filling meal will rekindle fond memories.

A conversation with a friend will bring unexpected laughter.

Great change is nigh.


And that would have been my horoscope for today.

Several of you have asked about the picture that crackjackal did to cheer me up the other day. I didn't have a link to it at that time, but I've gotten permission to share it, so here it is.

( Three... two... one.... AWWWWWW! )

crackjackal was kind enough to give me a "cheer up, damn you!" present this morning. It will join the ranks with my other icons, and I'm sure it will see plenty of service in the future. I do admit it brings a smile to me... despite the somber expression I sense a certain whimsy, and I find myself thinking of the "devious" icon when I look at this one.

Blue on the outside, a current of mischief beneath?



Thank you, jaql. I'll try my best not to essplode.