Nettled Chef

As most of you know, i do Pampered Chef. I do it because a: i love to cook, b: i want others to love to cook, and c: i get paid to show off my kitchen tools to other people, cook for them, and get free stuff for my kitchen. But, that is far from the topic of this post.

Last night, i was beyond nettled, angry, outraged, incensed, you name it, i was a quantum level higher. Not at anyone, but this piece of (ahem, i should be careful here, i don't always know the full extent of my readership)...this lovely laptop. Mind you, my days of purchasing Microsoft based computer technology have ended.

OK, i know what you're saying..."Gonna be kinda tough to get around outside the MS world." Well, allow me this...if its possible, i will, if its not possible then you may be receiving my meanderings via snail mail. Though, i'm absolutely positive me and my next IMac will get along just fine.

My reasons for this are long and very indistinguished. But the incident last night, had it not been for the restraint i have been practicing for a few years now, may have earned said piece of.... a $1.75 150 grain .270 caliber high velocity terrorist deterrent right through the middle of the front of it leaving a gaping hole in the exit from say the 20 yards i was able to throw it into my backyard and stand it up, hand it a cigarette and "C'est La Vie".

Here's how it all went down.

The Queen and i had just finished taking some pictures of The Prince eating a piece his first birthday cake since he had gone to sleep soon after "The Song" on the party day. They were beautiful, you know the kind...his face was covered in chocolate cake, red, white, green and a mixture thereof of icing (it was a Lightening McQueen cake). Mostly on his face, but spreading out from there into his eyebrows, hair, nose, neck, shirt, shorts, chair, floor, neighbors backyard three houses down, you get the picture, well, NO YOU DON'T, BECAUSE THIS...ok, i digress. I had also taken a short video clip. I also had some pics on there from Saturday morning when the entire future court had climbed in bed with the Queen and with the morning light streaming in made for some great black and white possibilities. So there i was with these precious captives of moments in time ready for download. I do all the proper attaching of USB cables and all, open the applicable program and...and...nothing. The computer wasn't recognizing the camera...odd. Well ok, i'll reboot the program and re-hook everything up...nothing. Hmmmm, oh hey, i've never tried this before!! My handy laptop has a port specifically for my XD photo card that i've never used, well, now is a good time! Insert. Ahhhh good, pictures!! Yup, they're all there...great!!! OK, lets, go ahead and delete some of the out of focus ones, no that ones good, next, what? Well, its not loading...next. What? it's not loading either. Next, well, hmmmm... reboot...again.

"THIS CARD NEEDS TO BE FORMATTED."

WHAT THE????? You gotta be kidding me these cards don't need forma....OH SH!!!!!!!

OK don't panic here, just re-insert the card into the camera and make sure the pics are still there...

"THIS CARD IS UNRECOGNIZED MEDIA."

(blink)...

(blink)...

"you sorry SON OF A..." well, again, you get the picture. The Queen heard the commotion from the other end of the house and came briskly in to the living room where she found me with the laptop raised high over my head ready for launch somewhere in the direction of the backyard through backdoor window, with a blue flame coming out of my mouth. OK, well that's a slight amplification of reality, but the thought did occur, the blue flame is legit. She apologized for the computer, SHE apologized! As if its HER responsibility to save it from certain death. But, that's her Queenly duty, i'm certain that many feudal pawns have been redeemed over the centuries by the mercy of good queens. Thank the Lord i have a great one.

Fortunately, i have a friend who has always been there in times like these, and he was at least able to re-format the disc so it is usable again. The pics are gone, as i knew they were. Sure they can be re-staged but there were just some moments that were captured that are now gone, and that's what boiled the copper kettle. I rarely get upset with people...oh an occasional bubble gum machine drivers license holder, or somesuch, but that's normally pretty low key and easily contained. What really trips the wires is things like that, and the switch is flipped and BOOM...OUT GO THE LIGHTS. But, the chef is back in business and come to think of it...we have friends coming for dinner and i have poke ribs to grill, and some sweet corn maque choux to put together so i better bail, besides i still kinda have some residual anger and just looking at this computer kindles the flame, i should get a knife on some vegetables quickly...i love cooking.