MIA

They said it was going to be a one-week job. That was three weeks ago.

My laptop contains all of the photo-editing tools that I use, and for months, that computer had a glitch that we could no longer overlook, especially with our home renovations and space on our main floor being at a premium.

Several months ago, our laptop developed a problem where the battery would hold a charge but would not recognize that it was fully charged. As a result, the computer could not operate on the battery at all. If the machine was running and became unplugged from the power cable, it would immediately die.

It wasn't a huge problem, as the computer worked perfectly fine, as long as it stayed plugged into a power outlet.

During the demolition stage of our kitchen and family renovation, I would constantly cut the power to various parts of that area, and sometimes I would inadvertently hit the wrong switch at the power box. If DW was working on the computer at the time, I would learn very quickly of my error, as I would hear an "Ahh!" or an "Oh, no!"

Frustrating.

When we moved our refrigerator, toaster oven, kettle, microwave oven, portable electric stove, and coffee maker in to our dining room, we very quickly learned that you couldn't boil water and heat up a meal at the same time. The trouble was, we also had our computer plugged into a workstation in the same area. Again, one of us would gasp if the circuit suddenly blew.

So, we made the decision, before its warranty expired, to have the problem fixed. We contacted HP and they sent us a box and packing slip to ship out our device for repair. They said that it should take no more than one week to receive, fix, and return our unit.

Three weeks have gone by.

For the most part, it hasn't been much of a problem: we have a second laptop, which the kids use, and DW and I have our work computers, although I can't do much in the way of personal work with that laptop.

I can write my blog on almost any device: I've even used my iPad when I've travelled for any length of time. But what I can't do on any computer at my disposal is my photo editing. My main laptop had the software that I use. On a couple of occasions, DW has let me use her work computer, which also has this software (she works for the company that makes it): I transfer my RAW files from my camera onto one external drive, use the apps on her computer to fix the images, and then I save the finished image on a second external drive.

But my big dilemma is that I just shot nearly 500 photos, this weekend, on a project and I don't have the luxury of using DW's computer at my leisure. I get that.

I want my old computer back. I want to be able to use the tools that I am familiar with on a machine to which I am accustomed. HP says I should have my laptop by the end of this week.

The clock is ticking.