PT 4, DOCTOR, GET IN HERE, STAT!

Francesca was not breathing. Well, that's not actually true. She was technically breathing, but she wasn't responsive. Her eyes were rolled back into her head. Her screen - totally blank. I could hear the fan running, which I know to be a good thing. Now, before you go and say, "Angie you dimwit, she's sleeping, wake her up," of course I tried that. She was in a freaking coma! It was awful! I was sure that the storm had fried her brain somehow and sent her spiraling to the deep dark abyss of computer white light heaven. I tried everything I knew to do, which isn't much in this particular case.

Then I called the big dawg. Scott Simmons. He's my astronaut friend. Not really. He's not REALLY an astronaut. He TEACHES the astronauts how to build the space station, so the way I see it, he's smarter than the astronauts. I told him what was happening.

Doctor, she's completely unresponsive. Power light is glowing as if she's getting juice, but she will neither power completely on nor off. The screen is blank. She was running off of the power cord at the time. The room shows no sign of a power surge or power outage. What's your diagnosis?" He said, "I would take the battery out, let it reset, and then restart it without the battery in. That should fix it. IF that doesn't work, then something is VERY wrong and it won't be good. It sounds like it has just gotten hung up somewhere in its own power saving features - that this is a battery problem." I asked, "That was my instinct, too, but I wanted to see what you thought since it appears to be still functioning, and I wanted to ask, "If I take that battery out, and it messes something up, will it void my warranty?" He said, "It shouldn't but that's a good question. I don't know." "Thanks for the consult doc." "Anytime. And hey - don't be a stranger, we're looking forward to seeing you and Robert sometime this fall, you promise?" "Yes sir." "Goodbye." "And be sure to call me with updates on the patient." "I will."

Hmm... what to do? Better safe than sorry. I called Tanya back asked her to take me to MicroCenter to have their tech look at it. Forty minutes later we were on our way.

And forty minutes later, Francesca was having her battery popped out by a very amused MC tech, who said exactly what Scott said. He proceeded to tell me that it was probably because it went into deep Hibernation, and that Hibernation is bad for computers. I said, "Oh. I know. That's why I have it turned off." As if I'm STUPID! Do i have "Computer Stupid" written all over my forehead? He even went and checked! lo and behold, it was turned off. Granted, my system standby wasn't set for "Never" but it doesn't have to be set for NEVER...I had it set for a long time, but it's never done THIS before. This was a goof. Hibernation is bad for computers. Do I look like I was born in the 19... well, there's really no way to finish that without offending someone is there? Let's just say that I know that Hibernation is the devil.

So, as a little treat for Francesca, I got her a carrying case. Up to this point, if I've needed to take her anywhere, I've gently put her in this old backpack I have. But it's not meant for a laptop - it's just a backpack (not safe!). I love the new case.

And then I went home, dried my hair (again, because it was still raining), and crawled into bed. What a day...