Mystery solved or life with a computer nerd

Posted on November 13, 2013


computer by geek ken
So I know you’ve all been sitting at the edge of your seats,  wondering what that picture was that I posted last week.  First though, let me tell you a story.

Once upon a time there was computer nerd. He loved computers more than anything. Well, maybe not more than his car or his wife. His wife wanted a new computer so she asked her adorable nerdy husband what kind she should get. She’s thinking he’ll mention a brand name; we’ll then go the store or order it online. Instead, his eyes light up and he says, “I’ll build you a computer.” Um, okay but isn’t it easier to just buy it at the store? HINT: Never ask a computer nerd if it’s easier to buy something. The answer is always no, followed by a long technical explanation of why. I honestly thought he had started speaking a foreign language.

So the project begins. Mr. Ken sits hunched over his computer, mumbling to himself about motherboards and processors. A few days go by, I ask him if he has ordered all the parts. He looks at me as though I had just asked him to jump out the window. His reply, “These things take time. I need to find out from PC forums the best parts to buy.”

A week goes by and daily, boxes start arriving from UPS. Mr. Ken is like a kid at Christmas, exclaiming with joy over each box. He says: “Oh good, the Asus PB785 has arrived!” and “The Vertex DDR3 will be tough to put in, so I’d better get cracking on the instructions.”

Mr. Ken proudly shows me the turquoise thingie with a clip. He asks me to guess what that is. Mmm, it looks sort of like a telephone cord but I don’t think my computer will have a telephone built in, will it? No, this thingie is a “anti-static wrist strap.” I bet you didn’t know that computer parts are very sensitive to static and will self-destruct if exposed to it. Any techie worth his salt HAS to have one of these.

All the pieces are in the computer case. I ask Mr. Ken if my computer is ready. Once again I get the “look” and he says, “oh no, I have to install the BIOS.”

Well, finally the big day is here. Presenting: Nancy’s cool new computer!

No thought-provoking questions this week. Except maybe one on “what have you built lately?”

P.S. I asked Mr. Ken to wear his pocket proctector to make the picture more realistic, but he declined, saying it would clash with the turquoise anti-static wrist strap. 🙂

P.S.2 If you’re wondering what life is like with a car guy, you might want to check out this post:
Life with a car guy.

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