Our computer is currently housed in our lovely and spacious “playroom,” which could also be described as “a crowded little bedroom no one sleeps that is stuffed with toys, books, craft supplies, a pretend kitchen, an easel, a giant treehouse for doll people, and, oh, yeah, a computer desk and related paraphernalia.” Also, did you catch that ‘computer’ bit? Mm-hmm, Dane and I share just the one computer. Awesome plan, seeing as he works from home on the computer, I don’t know, about 800 hours a week. Feel free to send pity. Or a wireless laptop.

I’ve been wanting to move the computer out in the living area of the house, but I’m not at all sure I can stand to look at it all day. Yes, I look at it all day already, but at least I have the OPTION of walking away. At the moment, though, there is no phone jack in any of those rooms (who built this house, anyway?). There IS one covered-over spot where a phone jack could go. But just the one. In the kitchen.

Anyhow, I can’t quite remember if I had mentioned my brilliant furniture-moving plan to Dane before instant-messanging him about it at his work computer, where he spends his other 600 hours a week. (Wait, how many hours are there in a week?)

I thought you’d all like a peek into the crazy that is, you know, ME, so I’ve pasted the IM here for your enjoyment. With smiley things and references to googly eyes removed. (You’re welcome.)

me : hey…
me : just, you know, curious…
me : if I wanted to move the desk/computer, generally speaking…
me : is there more to it than just unplugging and re-plugging?
me : would the modem need to be… reset somehow?
me : Just wondering. [Because dude, if I can’t make the modem work, the computer ain’t going nowhere.]

him : um… the modem would have to be turned off before unplugging…
me : oh yeah? [Don’t you like how he doesn’t seem concerned—or even surprised—that I’m considering major furniture relocation with three small children underfoot?]
him : and I think it has a special DSL connector that goes into the wall jack…
him : but basically you should be able to just move all the stuff.
him : The modem has a power switch on the back.
me : oh, I see.
him : you see?
me : Well, I didn’t actually look.
him : like, you’re looking?
me : I just mean I understand.
him : ah.
him : I see.

me : hmm, how ambitious am I…
me : do we have any blue wall paint?
me : you know, for the kids room?
him : wait, now you’re painting!
me : no, I’m just WONDERING about paint.
me : the phone jack in the kids room is normal.
me : but the phone jack in the kitchen is covered over and painted.
me : brown.
me : so I’d need to I guess switch jack covers
me : and I guess repaint the brown one blue
him : wha…?
him : no, wait for me crazy lady.
me : my plan looks funny in type.
him : yeah, in type…
him : ok, I gotta go [Apparently he doesn’t go to work just for the fun of instant messanging.]
me : ok love you
him : YOU NO TOUCHY NOTHING!

And mostly I have no touchied nothing. I did check if I could switch the phone-jack-outlet cover thingies myself (I could not). I did make phone calls to see if someone else could do it (they could). I did ask about having a jack installed in an entirely new and different location so I wouldn’t have to step back from the computer in order to let anyone else open the refrigerator door (apparently possible, maybe on Friday).

So perhaps next week I will be posting to you from a different location, forty feet away! Or perhaps I will make everyone install the new jack, move the desk and equipment, and do I don’t know what else, and THEN decide I require computers to live somewhere that I can close the door on and walk away. We’ll see.