To be opened only in the event you have not heard from me in the next 30 days

To whom it may concern:

If you are reading this, it's because I have not returned from the darkness. I recognized from the outset that both hubris and naivete led me down this path. It was on February 27th that the new machine arrived. It bore the symbol of the beast. And I welcomed it warily into my home.

Trust this: I recall your warnings. "I would rather scratch out my own eyes..." you said. "I don't trust..." you said. "Cancel or allow..." you said. I heard them all, but I could not make myself take heed. I was driven by familiarity and frugality. It was my avoidance of risk that drove me to risk in the first place.

As I waited for my fate, there was a part of me that said, "It can't be that bad. It's barely different than what you already you know." And, most of me believed that. Most of me believed that the hip, nerdcore propaganda had been getting to me.

"You are coming to a sad realization," you said.

And as I took hold of the new machine, I whispered, "Allow."

Indeed, if you are reading this, I allowed too much. I can only hope I return with as much relief as I have trepidation today.

Labels: Computers, Dell, Vista