Melting Machines

I wish I could say it has been a great 24 hours, but I have been battling with technology. I hate to admit this, but I am not that great with computers and my technical Chinese (How DO you say compressed air?) is lacking. Yesterday. I noticed my precious laptop running sloooow and hooooot and getting angry with sudden shut downs. As you may well imagine, my computer is my lifeline to the outside world. I NEED it. So, I set off in search of a can of compressed air to blow out the piles of Kunming dirt nad dust that must have been accumulating.

At the computer bizarre, I found weak little vacuums and screen cleaner. Then, I found someone who seemed to know what I was talking about. She somehow convinced me that a can of air with some 'detergents' was just what I was lookin' for. Sure! It says it is used to clean precision instruments and that is exactly what this hardworking laptop is to me. So I took home the spray and blasted the chemical mist into the vents and around the keys to 'remove the dust and dirt'...BUT seconds later I realized the spray was melting my computer!!!! MELTING, like the Wicked Witch of the West. I scrubbed, to no avail. My heart sank.

After a few drinks with friends who came over and consoled me that the most precious, expensive thing I own was not dead.... I realized a few things: I cannot afford a new laptop so must make this work; I should NEVER trust Chinese computer people again unless they know me; I really really really love and depend on this machine; I CAN reinstall Firefox and solve one of the random scary 'crash' issues I have been facing today; When the fan stopped, I realized perhaps I need to go to a professional for help on that one; AND my old laptop has a lovely grey-ish talc powder patina on the entire keyboard that will forever serve to remind me how careless I am not to have done an 'allergy test' like they advise on the bottles of hair dye.

I am trying to remain calm in the face of random shut downs, sticky keys and crashing programs, but I wanted to write this on the computer as long as it is staying on and functioning for a few minutes. I hope on my life this is not the last dispatch from Old (Nuclear Bomb Tested) Faithful.

UPDATE: The NYT today posted a recall notice on Vaios. Funny, my model is not included but it does remind me that other people have melting computers as well.