If you ever need evidence of how fast the years roll by when you're busy living them and not counting them, just look at when you last bought a new computer. I replaced my old PC laptop last Christmas with a snazzy and faster-than-the-speed-of-light Mac Pro notebook. Of course, now my desktop pales by comparison. But that computer is fairly new. Except it's NOT. Seems like I just replaced it yesterday but it was actually almost 4 years ago.
I can probably squeeze another year out of it if I upgraded the RAM. My Photoshop stopped working last week. What do you expect from a 4.0 version when 9.0 is now available? It just pooped out in the middle of fixing photos. My 9.0 version arrived over the weekend. I have a new listing going on the market this week in Carmichael. And guess what? It's not a short sale. It's a regular home in a private gated community. I like being a listing agent in Carmichael. I seem to get one or two fabulous listings in Carmichael every year, and this is one of those.
We've been working on sprucing it up, reglazing baths, replacing fixtures, transforming the landscaping, staging the home, and in general plucking its eyebrows. It's just about ready to face the public. But I have to do a virtual tour, and I can't put that together without Photoshop. Part of the problem is my computer's RAM. I have to reboot halfway through the day because everything seems to slow down and my timing ball spins, and I have the patience of a fruit fly.
I went to Apple's website to order memory. It seemed to have every model but my computer. I have a dual core not a quad core, and could not find my computer listed. So I did an old-fashioned thing. I picked up the phone and called. Even more old-fashioned, somebody answered the phone on the other end. I gave her my serial number, model and specs for my computer and asked her to send me 2 GB of memory, which arrived yesterday.
I quickly shut down my computer, booted up my laptop to run a video on how to install memory, took my door off the Mac, opened the memory package and hey, what the heck was that? The chip was about 3-inches long and my slots were 6-inches. Sure enough, Apple sent the wrong memory. I called Apple again. The first guy was no help and totally clueless, which is unlike Apple. The second guy understood the problem and said Apple doesn't carry memory for my computer. He referred me to a different website and transferred my call to a different customer service rep who told me Apple doesn't give refunds on memory but she'd get an exception for me.
I was on the phone for at least an hour with Apple. I watched calls come in, light up and go to voice mail. Over and over. A bunch of prospective short sale sellers, I bet. I still don't have my memory because I ran out of time in the day to order it from somewhere else. Instead of replacing my computer every 5 years, maybe I should just buy a new computer now? That's what they want you know. It's a conspiracy.
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Certified HAFA Specialist
My Sacramento Real Estate Listings
Elizabeth Weintraub is an author, home buying columnist for The New York Times-owned About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento. Weintraub is also a Sacramento Short Sale agent who lists and successfully sells short sales throughout the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.
The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available at Amazon.com.
Lyon Real Estate is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.
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The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.
Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice. It could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.
My computer is 7 years old and I'm going to have to bite the bullet soon. I'm on a PC and am thinking of going to a Mac. That's the kicker ... when would I have time for the learning curve? Technology drives me nuts some days.
My laptop is 4 years old, my desktop is about 6 years old. They both fill the requirements for what I use them for. Although I do need to take them in for a "tune-up". They are slowing down and probably have registry issues. I might also get rid of Vista on my laptop and switch to Windows 7. My next purchase will be whatever version of Ipad is out, or Android competition, if they catch up.
Good luck getting your computer issues straightened out Elizabeth. My experience with Apple customer service has always been very good. Sounds like it might be time to replace the desk top.
I live in blissful ignorance of how old my computers are, or what life preserving measures are being done on them. In our house, my husband takes care of all that and I am SO thankful. Can't wait to see the new listing in Carmichael.
Elizabeth, this is a touchy subject here at my house. I have the first laptop still that I bought when I got my RE license in June of 05. Last summer I ordered a new one thinking my old one would give out at any time. When I was ordering it, Dell offered a little mini for just a couple hundred dollars more so I bought that too. I now have 3 computers as my old one is still working. And got suckered in my the lure of the iPad 2 so have one of those on order as well. My husband heckles me about it on a regular basis - wonder why?!!!
Elizabeth - I am stretching my one computer that I have had for 4-5 years. It is dying. It is a laptop and I can hear it running at a hot pace and then a snail pace. Sometimes it is so frustrating. I can type a sentence and not see any words on the screen. If I keep looking it actually appears a minute later.
I have never considered a MAC though.
I feel your pain. I realized the other day how I used to have a ton of software - I have invested a TON. It was all for my Macs, which I've had since 1989. As I replace putes, much of the software wouldn't allow another installation. so now, I don't have much of anything software-wise on my pute any more. Not the point ofyour post, I realize, but it goes hand in hand with the changing of computers so often.
computers have made my life WONDERFUL..... and MISERABLE. (But since I love my Mac so muc, the wondefulness HAS won out)