No See-Ums, and Laptop No Help Ums.

March 18 - 24, 2016

As impossible as it feels to leave Tybee Island, there are some inhabitants here we will not miss.  No See-Ums.  Tiny flying nearly invisible stalking insects that bite with the ferocity of a parasitic pirahna.  I looked up No See Ums on Wikipedia and the symptoms caused by their bites are what I'm experiencing and I have the ankles to prove it. For some reason these little bast buggers really like my blood.  They are virtually invisible and once they've bitten you they leave a welt 114 times their size that itches like hell. Apparently they arrive in little No See Um herds and picnic on the unsuspecting.  They creep up under clothing (including bras) and nosh on people (that would be me).  AFTER BITE is the only relief but it stinks of ammonia. Keep scratching without it and you'll have scars.  By the time you feel the aftermath of their surprise attack, it's too late.  So I'm oily with bug spray and trying hard to keep my shoes from sliding off.

A couple of days ago I turned on the computer to write and there were no icons.  WTF?  Talk about Bad Computer Karma.  

Doug knows a ton about computers and he tried to repair the situation; even with him spending an hour on the 'phone with technical support from LENOVO (IBM), there was no fixing it. The most constructive thing the guy at the other end of the line could offer was,  "Do you have a paper clip?" .... to stick into the reset hole.  Holy Cow.  

Back to the store we purchased it from.  There, (long story short and after another hour with Doug on the 'phone at the counter) we were told to return it and LENOVO (remember that name) would either repair it or replace it.

We bought a Toshiba.  

No more Lenovo products.  Even the sales guy at the store informed us that, in his experience, one in twelve is a dud.  We got a lemon.  This was not a cheap laptop lemon.  But it cost us a lot of money and a lot of headaches and trips into the city and now we're still waiting for news on what is happening with the computer.

I love this Toshiba.  

The best bbq (reputedly) in the area is WILEY'S so we rewarded our patience and stopped by for a pound of takeout plain pulled pork.  This is Wiley and his main chef sitting at the bar in the restaurant: