Looking for work again--that is when he's not obsessively visiting Francine's blog to see if she's added anything new to it--Jake goes to turn on the computer in the morning. He pushes the start button. It lights up, but the lights go out and nothing else happens.
He pushes it again. This time, the lights don't even go on.
He sighs and gets beneath his desk and fiddles with the surge protector. It seems to be working so he unplugs and replugs the computer.
He stands up, dusts off his knees, and presses the start button again.
It lights up, but the lights go out and nothing else happens.
He pushes the start button several hundred times, while nothing happens except the click of the button being pushed in and then snapping back.
Oh, this sound is also accompanied by the sounds of Jake swearing loudly. Fortunately, no one else is home to see his semi-nervous breakdown, except for the cats, who gather around him and watch the proceedings with interest.
He unplugs the computer and disconnects all of the many cables and cords attached to it and takes off the side of the case. The cats follow him downstairs as he roots around for a can of compressed air, then follow him upstairs while he curses, holding the can in front of him like a talisman to ward off the evil demons that break computers.
He sprays the can of compressed air at the computer's innards and hordes of cat hair and dust fly out. He collects the do not compute kaka and brushes it into the wastebasket. He looks to see if anything else seems amiss inside the computer. It doesn't, so he puts the side of the case back on, reattaches the cables and cords to the computer, and plugs it back in.
He pushes the start button. It lights up, but the lights go out and nothing else happens.
He screams.
It's probably the power supply, he thinks. He could go buy one and install it himself. It should run him about fifty bucks. Of course, if it's something else, then he'll have just wasted fifty bucks, or if he installs it wrong he can ruin the rest of the computer. The cats follow him downstairs as he roots around for the phone book, then follow him upstairs with the book while he curses, holding the phonebook in front of him like a talisman to ward off all the charlatans who overcharge to fix computers.
The first computer repair shop is closed on Wednesdays.
The second computer repair shop is booked up until next week.
The third computer repair shop says they can look at it today under their emergency service which is a hundred bucks minimum for labor.
He drives the computer over there.
It needs a new power supply.
A hundred fifty bucks and two hours later, he arrives back home while the cats watch him reattach cables and cords and curses to the computer.
It works!
However, there are no responses to his job applications in his email and Francine hasn't updated her blog, but at least he feels connected again and can update his blog.
But, now that he's finished cursing, he has little else to say.
Blog Love Omega Glee is a novel by Wred Fright about two bloggers who fall in love while the world falls apart, which is being serialized on his blog. To start reading from the beginning or read another installment, please visit Blog Love Omega Glee Central on WredFright.Com. If you like what you've read, or you've read all of Blog Love Omega Glee and want more Fright, then please read his first novel, which is available in print and as an ebook.
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