Graceway met in the cafe across the road from our usual hall last night. The hall wasn't available, and in spite of it being Anzac Day, & it being a war memorial hall, the two didn't seem to be connected. We decided that it looked like they were doing some digging out back.
Anyway, the cafe owner kindly stayed open an extra hour for us, and we clustered around tables and talked about intercession and then did some. It was great. My friends prayed about my computer (sadly there's no cure for terminal stupidity, but we make the best of what we've got!) and about the reaction at work today.
So, it seems that our wonderful technicians just MIGHT be able to copy my stuff off the hard drive, but they're going to try that tomorrow. They've also come up with another temporary "loaner", so that's brilliant.. I get that tomorrow too. The bad news, of course, is that I'll have to pay out lots of $$$ for the insurance excess, cos it was deemed to be "negligence". Ah well. The files are the bit I'm most anxious about. I know I'll be able to laugh about it sometime, but not just yet.
I got a great email today, tho, that just might describe my next data storage device:

This is our new IT strategy ñ all laptop computers will be disposed of by August 2004 and all desktop computers by July 2004 as a part of the ongoing cost-cutting in the Educational sector. Instead everyone will be provided with an Etch-A Sketch. There are many sound reasons for doing this:

No boot-up problems
No technical glitches keeping wok from being done
No more wasted time reading and writing e-mails or playing games on line
No more worries about power cuts or power spikes
Budget savings on upgrades unparalleled.

Frequently Asked Questions from the Etch-A Sketch Help Desk

Q: My Etch-A Sketch has all these funny lines all over the screen
A: Pick it up and shake it

Q: How do I turn my Etch-A Sketch off?
A: Pick it up and shake it

Q: Whatís the shortcut for Undo?
A: Pick it up and shake it

Q: How do I create a new document window?
A: Pick it up and shake it

Q: How do I set the background and foreground to the same colour?
A: Pick it up and shake it

Q: What is the proper procedure for rebooting my Etch-A Sketch?
A: Pick it up and shake it

Q: How do I delete a document on my Etch-A Sketch?
A: Pick it up and shake it

Q: How do I save my Etch-A Sketch document?
A: Donít shake it

Q: How do I photocopy an Etch-A Sketch document?
A: There three alternatives, but on no account shake it

a) Place the Etch-A Sketch on a flat surface, turn the photocopier upside down on it and press Copy (Hint ñ you may need to completely remove the ìlidî from the photocopier first)
b) Get a digital camera, photograph the Etch-A Sketch document, process it with your favourite bit of photo-enhancing software and print it. (Hint one: depending on your photocopier v printing costs it may save you a bit of time and money if you just print the required number of copies anyway. Hint two: If you do not have access to a digital camera you could use an ordinary one, get the film developed and printed and then scan it into the computer. Hint three: Since the Etch-A Sketch original is in grey and white you donít need a bubble-jet or colour laser to copy it.
c) Grab a piece of tracing paper (remember that?) trace the image and then copy it (Hint: if you canít find tracing paper maybe the Domestic Science /Cookery (Sorry ñ Technology Food) teacher has some grease proof paper (remember that?) that you can use.

(Please note: These hints are redundant anyway because your laptop and desktop computers will not be available in the last quarter of this year)

Q: What is the difference between FAQs and Fax?
A: With FAQs, since it ends in ìsî it is therefore plural so you get more than one (see the explanation for marking Unit Standard assessments). Fax should more properly have been spelt Facs since itís short for facsimile. So because Facs ends in an ìsî itís plural too so the conclusion is that FAQs and Fax are equivalent.

IMPORTANT: This e-mail is intended for the individual addressee(s) named above and may contain information that is confidential, privileged or unsuitable for overly sensitive persons with low self-esteem, no sense of humour or irrational religious beliefs. If you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail is not authorised (either explicitly or implicitly) and constitutes an irritating social faux pas.

Unless the word ìabsquatulationî has been used in its correct context (and youíll need a very good dictionary to look it up in) somewhere other than in this warning, it does not have any legal or grammatical use and can be ignored. No animals were harmed in the transmission of this e-mail, although the Kelpie next door is living on borrowed timeí let me tell you.Those of you with an overwhelming fear of the unknown will be gratified to learn that there is no hidden message revealed by reading the backwards, so just ignore that Alert Notice from Microsoft.

However, by pouring a complete circle of salt around yourself and your computer you can ensure that no harm befalls you and your pets. If you have received this e-mail in error, please add some nutmeg and egg whites, whisk, and place in a warm oven for 40 minutes.