A Post-Trojan World.

I remember a time when I didn't have internet access. I remember a time when I didn't compulsively check my email or surf the internet. Without waxing nostalgic, I'm just going to say, boy, are those times over.

Two nights ago, my McAfee virus scan caught wiff of a virus. Ironically, I had run a scan a few days before that and there were no unusual results. This stubborn virus reared its ugly head quickly and powerfully. All of a sudden, I couldn't run any internet browsers. In the blink of an eye, I had no email. I started running multi-hour system scans. Each and every time I could detect the existence of the virus, but it couldn't be moved, deleted, or cleaned.

And it was all I could think about! The more stubborn the virus was, the later I stayed up. I'd just sit there in the dark, watching the DNC and contemplating my next move. Nothing I did worked. All the advice I researched at work was powerless against this crazy virus. And so I had no choice. After many discussions with myself and with others, I realized that the only solution would be to reinstall Windows.

I mean, this wasn't entirely unpredictable. My computer is 3 years old and has been gradually slowing down over the last several months. But I was really dreading this. Operating systems are one of those mysteriously complex pieces of software. It's not like updating iTunes, this is unchangeable stuff here.

I began my preparations. Putting my most valuable files onto my external harddrive felt a lot like packing before the gestapo raids your house: totally unsure if you have everything you need, if you're leaving anything behind, and fully knowing that everything left behind will be gone when you get back.... if you get back. I took my time looking through some of it. There were the 12 pages of memoir I wrote when I was 17 that has been moved through three computers in hopes of being continued, my senior thesis, pictures from my whole college career, and my music. The most important part I think - all $600 of iTunes glory.

So maybe I was overly emotional about the whole thing. It went fine, although I still harbor resentment against the powers that be for making me spend over 12 hours on this thing. At least it's a 3-day weekend and I staved off purchasing a multi-thousand dollar machine. I know it's only a matter of time, especially coming up on year four of abuse. I mean, this thing used to go everywhere with me throughout college: class, the theater, the dining hall, that one time I went to the library (not that I didn't study... just that the other people studying stressed me out. long story).

So I'm up and running again. Thankfully.