Spiritual Refreshment

Two things have much improved the quality of my life lately. The first has been the purchase of a new computer. The old one, well, not that old in my terms but at four years an antique computing-wise, was proving more and more reluctant to do virtually anything in an acceptable time. For at least two years I'd been turning it on in the morning and then going away and doing something else for a quarter of an hour while it warmed up, or at least that's what I assume it was doing. I was then very reluctant to turn it off again during the day as it would go through the same rigmarole again. Then there were all the simple tasks it would fail to perform, or inexplicably begin performing without being asked, for no easily identifiable reason. The new one is a dream in comparison - though I wonder how long it will last before it decides, like a spouse who's had time to get used to you, that it can drop its guard and go to the toilet with the door open, metaphorically speaking. Ah, the magic's worn off, I'll think to myself ruefully. The main drawback at the moment is the operating system. Those in the know tell me that Windows systems proceed alternately. The even-numbered releases are always ordure and the odd-numbered ones usually manage to repair the faults their predecessors introduced. My old computer came in just in time for the much-reviled Vista, and now my new machine enjoys the dubious glories of Windows 8. Next time I will either have to exchange machines faster or eke this one out longer, and coincide my new purchase with either Windows 9 or 11.

The other new development has been that I have signed up for call screening on my landline phone. This means that I can actually see who is calling me and decide for myself whether I am feeling strong enough to face a conversation with that person. It has already proved its worth with Mad Trevor (I don't always ignore him: today he put the phone down on me after I expressed some doubt as to whether he'd really heard the Devil cursing Richard Briers, given that he couldn't remember when it had happened and only 'recalled' it on hearing the news that he was dead) and cutting down vastly the amount of telesales calls I get as I routinely now ignore anything that comes up 'number withheld' or 'international'.

My spiritual equilibrium has benefited no end from these developments, both of which I recommend to the harassed and frazzled.