I called Jason at work on Friday. “Hey, what’s up?” he greeted after the fourth ring.

“I need my IT guy.”

“Okay, what’s the problem?”

“My PC is dying.”

“Details.”

“Well, I noticed it when I was playing Sims, and it would crash during loading. So I thought maybe I downloaded something, a conflicting hack. So I ran all the Sims cleaning programs and even deleted the last downloads. Nothing. Still crashing. Except now instead of giving me a message and booting me back to Windows, it would freeze, then restart the whole computer. SO I tried just not using Sims, but it started giving me blue screens at random times while I was surfing the web. Blue screen for two seconds– I couldn’t even read the error message– then it would reboot. Now, today, it won’t even load Windows. It gets to the load screen, hangs, black or blue screen, reboot.”

Pause. “… I’ll just… look at it when I get home.”

He took apart my case that afternoon and inspected the insides, ran all kinds of BIOS tests. “Yeah, there’s a problem,” he admitted. “It could be a number of things, like–” and then listened my motherboard, processor, graphic card, cooling, our children, etc.

“How do I fix this?” I demanded, and he shrugged: “Just replace things one at a time and see what works.”

GREAT.

This wouldn’t be so bad, losing my PC, if I at least had my MacBook. BUT. My MacBook has been acting up since the week after we got it, which is about– what?– ten months, roughly? The latest thing (and you will hear ALL the things in a moment) is that it mirrors the PC: just blacks out, shuts off, reboots.

When Audrey came into town Saturday, we had a whole day of shopping at the mall. Audrey gave me a birthday budget– a really generous one, which I thanked her for numerous times, heh– and our fun girl’s day out included cosmetics, books, clothes, lunch. First thing though– I told her we had to stop at the Apple store to drop off the MacBook before my warranty expired. She was fine with that.

We pack up, drive to the mall, park, go to Apple. I have to walk up to the Genius Bar (yes, with Apple GENIUSES, just read their black shirts), and was informed I needed a reservation to be seen. “A reservation?” I echo. Jason, who is a Mac guy through-and-through, told me many times I didn’t need to do anything but walk in.

“Yeah,” says the guy, Chris, who ends up helping us. He only looks me in the face about four times in the two hours we were there. “I can fit you in at… um. 12:20? That’s rare, we had some openings.”

And then he walks away. I look at Audrey, who looks at me and shrugs. “So, 12:20?” I repeat, just to make sure. Chris sort of nods in my direction.

It’s noon. We have twenty minutes to kill. We go next door to get Phil‘s present (it’s late, Phil, but it’s coming! I had to think of something wonderful), and then show up again at 12:21. We sit on the chairs at the Genius Bar. The Geniuses are all busy, running behind schedule. Audrey and I make small talk with some of the other people waiting.

Audrey picked up a cookbook for Eli, and we flip through it. (Elias has expressed an interest, again, in being a chef.) We make it through every recipe before we’re seen. It’s about 12:50.

“You’re Becca?” Chris addresses me directly, instead of calling the name out loudly like they’ve been doing so far.

“That’s me.”

“Okay, what’s the problem?”

“Well–” Audrey hands me the MacBook, which she’d had in her purse to that point, and I slide it across the counter toward Chris. “I bought this less than a year ago. Within the first month, my CD/DVD drive broke. It just refused to acknowledge anything put into the slot. It would accept, and eject, but you couldn’t access any information or movies.”

“Okay,” Chris replies. He’s typing his own MacBook, which appeared from nowhere. It was kind of amazing. I think it floated up from behind the counter. “So, that drive is broken.”

“Yeah, which– whatever, I put things on our home network and downloaded that way. Then my case started warping. See?” I point to the case, which was bent like a tilted C; almost as if it began to shape itself around my lap.

Chris glances up. “Oh. Okay. Warped case.”

“Well, that’s not it. Okay. Well, I was just going to live with that because I liked my MacBook and I use it all the time and I didn’t want to take the time to bring it in. But then, when my MacBook went to sleep, it didn’t wake back up. Or it would reboot.”

Chris looks at me for the first time. He has one of the most direct stares I’ve ever encountered. “So, it doesn’t return from sleep mode.”

“No.”

“Okay.” He goes back to the computer. Click click click.

“Um, yeah, I should have brought it in, but I didn’t, and so now what’s happening–”

Chris doesn’t glance up, he just stops typing, and this is when I think he REALLY hates me, I’m one of THOSE customers.

“It started just dying out in the middle of my usage. I’d just be working on a story, it would freeze. Sometimes the computer would just power down for no reason, or, when I’d set it down for more than five minutes, it would shut itself off.”

Chris goes back to typing.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he says.

“Also–”

CHRIS HATES ME.

“Well, the thing is, now my power supply broke. The light didn’t go on when I plugged it in, and it didn’t show it charging my computer. And now my battery doesn’t hold a charge either. I was using my husband’s power supply for the last few months, but if the computer is unplugged, it completely powers down in about seven minutes, from 100 percent to 0. So, that’s a–” I fumble. “– that’s a problem too.”

Chris moves from his laptop to mine, flips mine over, and removes the battery pack. He holds it for a moment.

“Sorry,” I repeat.

“It’s okay,” he repeats.

“Gosh, it’s so dirty. I should’ve cleaned it before I brought it in.”

“No one ever does.” He puts the battery back.

As he returns to typing up my ticket, I add in a small voice: “Also, it used to do this high pitched whine when you left it alone for awhile… like, really high whining. But it hasn’t done that in awhile.”

Chris nods, eyes on his screen.

I turn to Audrey, who is sitting diagonal-behind me. She shrugs, and smiles.

We wait, and then Chris says he’s new here so he needs to grab a Genius to deal with this, so we wait more while Chris disappears into the back. He brings out Justin the Apple Genius, who is probably only a few years younger than my dad, and whose ID badge looks NOTHING like him.

“So, what’s the problem here?” Justin asks, and Chris and I tell him; taking turns and filling in gaps. Basically, I can save you the headache of the next hour, which was Justin watching over Chris’ shoulder and asking him to re-do everything, even when I think Chris did it fine the first time. Chris was extremely patient about the whole thing. Justin would tell Chris to type it one way, then change his mind, then tell him to erase and rephrase. Over and over.

Poor Audrey was probably bored out of her mind.

Justin seemed to think I warped the case myself, especially when he looked at it. HOW he thinks I did that, I don’t know. This warping isn’t anything that could’ve been caused by a human. And it wasn’t. He informs me that the case isn’t covered under my warranty, and that it would be $610 to replace.

“Can I just fix my computer and keep it warped?” I ask. “I mean, if it’s purely aesthetic, I don’t care.”

“You could,” Justin admits. He’s distracted. “I mean, we’ll send this to depot– that’s our main Apple center, we’re not trained to deal with– THIS– here. They’re going to need to replace your drive. If it doesn’t fit with the warped case, they’ll call you up and ask you if you want to approve the new case and cost.”

“Okay,” I agree, even though in my mind I already know how that phone call will play out: No, I don’t really need to watch my DVDs anymore. Thanks.

Chris finishes up the paperwork with Justin overseeing him, and then, at the very end, he gives me a piece of paper and tells me how to check my MacBook online and track its healing process. When Justin leaves, I sign some more things, and I finally get a smile out of him the last time he looks up. Aw. I’m relieved. Auds and I talk later, and we think Chris is probably just quiet and concentrated on learning everything, rather than actively disliking our presence. I really don’t know why, but I want everyone to like me; or at least tolerate me.

Five to seven days with no computer. I’m using J’s to write on, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to download slash upload photos until my MacBook is back. BOO. I saved all important files on an external hard drive, but I’ll still be sad if they have to wipe my system clean. I HATE reinstalling programs. (And the downloads on WoW. That will slay me.)

So, making this a little shorter, Auds and I spent the rest of the day together being girly; probably the first time we’ve been out and alone in– years, if ever. We always have friends or the kids. It was SO nice to be alone with her. We stopped at Sephora, and she bought me Stila Lip Glaze in Apricot, Fairly Light Bare Minerals Powder Foundation, and Too Faced Pitch Black Lash Injection. I waffled on Philosophy’s Spiced Apple Cider. Philosophy’s stuff is my favorite, but I was only Eh about getting body wash.

Also, I got new underwear at Victoria’s Secret with the last of my birthday budget. I think Audrey wanted me to go with something sexier. Heh. I was all, “Oh, gray cotton with pink trim! On sale! Perfect!” and she was like, “But this boycut with the cheeky little ruffle and sheer lace? WAY YOU.”

There are a few things I absolutely love about being a girl, and the fact that you can buy panties as a legitimate present for another girl is one of them.

We stopped in almost every store, including Game Stop so we could moon over Sims Bon Voyage. We’re hungry. Audrey says she’ll treat for dinner, anywhere I want. Pick ANYWHERE. I hardly ever get asked this– I mean, occasionally by my father, but usually that still involves kids so I have to steer towards family-friendly. It is VERY rare that I get to pick someplace adult and expensive.

(Also, where were Jason and the kids, you might be wondering? They were actually at the mall, too, because when Eli found out we were going, he wanted to come. Our paths never crossed. They went to Bee Movie– and were good the WHOLE TIME, if you can believe it– including Addie; who sat on Jason’s lap and would randomly announce: “Hahpeeee!” Afterwards, he took them to the play park in the food court. They were leaving for home right when we were going out to dinner.)

They opened a Melting Pot right across from the mall, so I choose that. I know Audrey likes fondue as much as me, and considering it’s a two to three hour meal, I also knew I wouldn’t get to do it again soon. We are so excited. GIRL DATE! FONDUE! Drive to the Melting Pot. It opens at 4. Time now– 3:32.

Sigh. We park in the nearby plaza and go in the stores to kill time. There’s a brand new parent-teacher store open, which is amazing (Mom, Sharman, we’re so going there). They have a display of realistic dinosaurs, and Audrey decides to buy one for Eli. “Which one would he like?” she asks, crouching down. “The T-Rex or this other one?”

“WHAT!” I gasp as The Other One‘s mouth opens. Audrey giggles. I guess she did it, and I thought the toy was alive. Woah, that mouth is SO real looking. We both eventually get on the floor and pull an assortment of dinosaurs out, talking at length about which one is cooler and would be appreciated by Elias.

Audrey votes for The Other One, which “starts with an S, and is the dinosaur that attacks the T-Rex in Jurassic Park 3″. I concur.

At checkout, Audrey asks the dino’s name. The cashier looks it up: Spinosaurus. Easy enough for Eli to remember, too. “It’s the one that attacks the T-Rex in Jurassic Park 3,” she tells the cashier, who nods happily.

Last stop is Best Buy, where I buy a Diet Pepsi and Audrey buys ‘Ratatouille‘.

Back to the Melting Pot. We’re the second car there, but third group in the door when the doors open. “Table for two,” Audrey says, and they lead us in the back. It’s beautiful in there. I have to run to the bathroom, and when I come back I tell her all about the copper sink shaped like an I and the mosaic everywhere and walnut slatted stall doors and THE BATHROOM IS AMAZING.

Audrey orders the Big Night Out, which comes with a hefty price tag and is a four course meal. We discuss which meats to get with the main course, since I’m trying most for the first time in a decade. She’s being so awesome. She lets me pick the cheese: cheddar, which isn’t exciting, but it’s safe. “And do you want to do the Yin-Yang drinks I got at Michelle’s bachelorette party?” she asks.

“Okay!” I agree. This is probably the first time I’ve ordered an alcoholic drink with a meal. (I just now realized: we weren’t carded.) “Audrey, you are the BEST DATE EVER.”

I love fondue. I could eat fondue all day. And I try. The first course is just cheese with apples and bread, and I almost totally fill up on that. Sip at the drink, which tastes like white chocolate in liquid form. Next is salad, then comes the main meats for cooking in a broth. I have some chicken. It’s weird. Not bad, just weird. And rubbery. I’m sure it’s good chicken, though; I just have no yardstick for that. Drink more sweet white chocolate. Drink water. I go through about ten glasses of water in the time we’re there. Finally, dessert, which we have almost no room for and pack up.

Go home. Elias is awake, and runs down the stairs in his underwear. He has purple marker on his chest, black ink on his stomach ( E L I A S + smiley boy face), a juice mustache, and two bat tattoos on his arms. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH. Audrey presents him with the cook book (“Dis is gonna be my favowite EVER! FANK YOU!”) and then the dinosaur (“…. woah.”).

“That dinosaur looks familiar,” Jason notes, getting something from the fridge.

“It’s a Spinosaurus,” Audrey says. “It’s the dinosaur that attacked the T Rex in Jurassic Park 3.”

I start laughing. Eli says, “Da spinosauwus is gonna say ROAR ROAR, dat means DIS IS COOL” — pause — “ROAR ROAR.”

Elias goes to bed with his book and new dinosaur. The adults nap for two hours, then Auds and I go to Lowe’s to look at paint colors and wainscoting supplies. She’s totally willing to do that with me next month: update the kid’s rooms. Drive. Stop for milk. Drive. Home. Wake J up (which is hard, and I almost wasn’t successful), and put ‘Ratatouille’ in. I fall asleep during the last 30 minutes. I have yet to see the end of that movie.

Auds leaves this morning before we go to church. Addie and Eli didn’t want to do church, but Addie doesn’t want to do anything lately and Elias thought church was the kid’s daycare place we dropped him off at twice. We do church anyway. They like it, we like it. It was fine. This service wasn’t a normal one; it was more for everyone to know what their donations and money were going toward. They showed all the missions across the world they help in, and shared stories about local things we’ve funded.

At the end, they mention the girl we donated a crib to, and I get to hear her entire life story: homeless since she was young, first child at 15, now at 24 she has four and no way to take care of them. We’re part of the One Church, One Family program; which is based on the idea that there’s almost an equal ratio of churches to homeless families in the Raleigh area, and if each church just took ONE family under their wing, it would make a tremendous difference. So they showed the house they put together for this girl with everyone’s donations, and her seeing it for the first time. I cried. I cried when I saw our crib on the screen, the one that Eli and Addie both slept in, being used for good instead of sitting in our garage. I just felt so happy to be doing that small thing and helping. And I cried when she saw the aqua toned master bedroom, and she whispered: “How did they know my favorite color is blue?” and then jumped on the bed, laughing, thrilled.

Anyway. That’s just how I roll. Tearfully.

Addie was hysterical when we went to pick her up. She’s so into Mommy right now; she’s going through this phase where all she wants in the world is to be next to me or held by me. The nursery teacher was trying to fix her ponytails, and Addie was sobbing MAMA MAMA WHERE YOU GO? MAMA! WHERE YOU GOOO!

“It’s okay, angel,” I assured her, picking her up and smoothing her crazy hair. She put her face in my shoulder, arms tight around my neck. Poor thing. It sounds strange, but it sort of thrills and amazes me that she likes me so much. I really assumed she wouldn’t, for some reason. I thought you had Mommy’s Boys and Daddy’s Girls, but so far they’ve both been very Mom-oriented. Maybe it’s the age.

Elias high-fived his teacher when he left his classroom. “See you again soon!” he called over his shoulder. Then: “Check dis out, guys. I made an angel puppet.”

I love the people in my life so much. I’m so excited Thanksgiving is coming, and I get even more family and friends– there can never be enough.

(Also, I’m excited to get my MacBook back. I can’t believe it’s only been one day. LAME.)