Okay, the New Year Cards? Maybe Not.

(Updated at end of post.)

So, we got this new computer.

Granted, that was over a year ago, but I digress.

Before hooking up this new computer, I had enough presence of mind to print out all the address labels that I needed for our Christmas cards. I kept all my addresses on a little floppy disk in a MS Works database file.

Life was simple. I was happy.

But the new computer didn't have a floppy drive. In itself this is no big deal. We didn't have a ton of stuff on floppies we needed access to. And the few things we did need to access (address list included) we simply attached to an e-mail to ourselves.

Yahoo has been graciously storing those files ever since then. Thanks Yahoo. I mean, thanks Yahoo!.

Anyhoo! (Did you like that?) Some time ago, I finally downloaded the address list file onto our computer. The computer which, by the way, came with WordPerfect already installed. Why WordPerfect has to be all one word, I will never know. But even more nonsensical to me is how to operate said program. I'm used to MS programs. And, after spending (literally) two hours trying (unsucessfully, thankyouverymuch) to figure out how to do something that I could have done in (literally) two seconds in MS Works, I was done. D.O.N.E. with all things WordnotsoPerfect.

Which means that I never did purchase the office suite to accompany WordPerfect.

And so, astute reader, you have by now correctly surmised that I have no database program. And that file with my addresses on it? You're right. It is absolutely useless.

Are you dizzy yet?

But, remember those New Year cards I am attempting to send out? Well, I sorta need the address list to do that.

Dilemma.

I could just buy MS Works and download it tonight. Not my favorite option, but looking all the better as the hours go by. However, before I gave in and actually spent money (eeek!) on MS Works, I decided I'd try an option that I'd been putting off for a long, long time.

So I went over to the Open Office website - recommended by a friend who loves computers (and hates Microsoft.) I tried to download the most current version of their office suite. For those of you who read my recent PSA about trying to renew my McAfee subscription, you know that downloads and I do not get along very well. (No, I never got THAT one to work either.) But, I really would like to open my address file. And come to think of it, I'd like to be done with WordPerfect turning my documents into jibberish. (Oh yes, it did. On more than one occasion.)

Off I went to download my brand new Take-THAT-Microsoft-ware.

Until a little "Alert" box popped up on my monitor. It seems that while I was attempting to download, "550 failed to change directory."

And, to be fair, who could blame 550 for that? Change is a scary thing, y'all.

Change is a scary thing.

(I am happy to provide you with this update, because I know you won't be able to sleep tonight if Idon't. Open Office is now downloading. My computer estimates that it will take approximately 12 minutes, 37 seconds. Give or take 9 hours. So, by the wee hours of the morning, I should have my database installed. I LOVE dial up!)