Getting Ready

I'm at home, getting over some sort of histamine reaction to dust. I picked up my laptop from out IT department this week (our equipment gets re-formatted with updates for the new year every summer).

I'm always suprised at the number of things that I have added to my laptop that make life simpler for me. SnagIt, Photoshop Elements, various templates and boilerplate files I use for all kinds of things, bookmarks (stored back on the network server - so I'll get those later), Quicktime, drivers for expternal DVD burner, scanner, cameras (still and video). It takes several hours to get it back up to speed, installing, updating, re-entering valudation codes and looking up registration codes.

I always find myself wondering what little item I forgot - knowing that I'll be in some sort of pickle before I figure it out.

And my question is - why do I think that all these bits and bytes of software make it easier for me? The sheer number of things I seem to think I need just gets larger all the time!

In some ways it reminds me of other hobbies I have. They each seem to come with a new set of tools, magazines to peruse and subscribe to, new language to learn, new people to meet, new stores to find and spend money in.