Ineffectiveness at its Finest

Or, how I learned to love copydotcom.

Here is my photo taking situation.

I have a very expensive digital camera full of pictures for work. I cannot download these pictures to my work laptop for two reasons:

1. The work laptop does not have WindowsXP, which comes with a built-in photo wizard.
2. The work laptop is set up not to execute any .exe files except the ones that have permission from our national office, meaning that I cannot download the photo software that came with the camera without a big hassle.

My solution to this dilemma used to be as such: I would download the pictures to my home laptop and either upload to fruitcakebrigade.com or burn them onto a disc in order to get the pics at work. This is before my home laptop LOST ITS MIND and turned into an Alzeheimer patient. Now, we have the following problems:

1. I cannot upload anything to fruitcakebrigade.com because the ftp program doesn't remember who I am and now wants to charge me to use it.
2. I cannot physically view pictures that I download from the camera because my laptop has lost the ability to digitally render them. Now I just get the "drawing failed" message.
3. Even though I can't SEE them, the pictures are still there. However, I can't burn a disc because the little plastic bit in the middle keeps popping off and as such, the drive refuses to burn. Not that I could make a music CD if I wanted to, because I-Tunes is also playing the "do I know you?" card.

So after fighting the little plastic bit for a good half hour, I find myself getting in my car and paying copydotcom $1.08 for three minutes of computer use.

Which leads me to wonder...what's the use of OWNING technology if its only purpose most days is to piss you off?

And at what point, dear readers, after purchasing one crazy laptop after another, does a person decide to just throw in the towel?

Goodbye, October, don't let the door hit you on your way out.