Every once in a while, I feel the need to blog about tech stuff… Particularly when they begin to take over my brain time.

I’ve spent much of my free brain time (when my body is occupied with things like cleaning or commuting) learning about Audacity, the free software for recording and editing sound. I’ve been listening to “the audacity to podcast” – a podcast about podcasting, how cute is that?

It’s been a very helpful self-study program for anti-tech me.

This is actually really good news for clients, as I will finally make good on a promise I issued nearly a year ago: to provide mp3 recordings of readings.

This will be doubly – awesome for future learning circle participants, as I’ll be able to offer downloadable recordings of our conference calls. Awesomeness!

But this really requires me to have my shit together from a tech point of view. Did you know that windows XP is obsolete? Guess what I’ve been running for the past seven years?

Yeah. My laptop owes me nothing – it’s run like a dream for seven years… But it is so old it’s begun to acquire “quirks”. Like a fan that SCREAMS if you rest your hand on the mousepad while typing.

If it were a car, it would be a 1980 tercel – still runs, but you’re not sure for how long! Windows XP’s obsolescence is like an oil leak I can’t fix.

So, in the midst of learning new audacity software, I have to replace my laptop – this will mean having to re-install (re-learn) and set up a lot of my programs all over again. MS office. iTunes. Oh lord, the iTunes! Aaaaaaa!

It will all be awesome, once it’s over. My uncle owns a computer store, so I’m extremely lucky to access a new-to-me laptop through him. I believe my new computer will be three years old instead of seven, but it will be running windows 7, which is two skips and a jump up from good ol’ XP.

Lets all try to forget Vista. That never happened, right?

Once I’m done, all my software will be up to date.

Maybe I’ll keep it that way, download updates and install them diligently!

Yeah, right.

I just don’t trust updates because I never know what they’ve changed, and if that change is an improvement.

Like Facebook. Stop changing, Facebook! I learned how to use you in 2001, why must I re-learn!?

Oh tech-stuff. Such a necessary time-suck. It’s so not my “gift” – you know how you’re only supposed to spend time doing the things you’re REALLY good at? Your Genius Work, I believe it’s called.

Well tech stuff is not my genius work. But I’ll figure it all out.

See you on the other side…