The Return of the Grape Panther

Even though my sister and her family were expected by noon on Saturday for an overnight visit, I was out of the door like a shot Saturday morning to retrieve my juiced-up iMac. Luckily, the gentleman who ministered to the Grape was not on duty at the service window when I arrived. A bland, frat-boy type courteously handed off the computer. He had the mystique of a hothouse tomato. So there you go--by a merciful twist of fate, my marriage remains intact.

Then, the cyclone that is my sister's family hit the household full-force. With the iMac still huddled into the back of our station wagon, I suddenly discovered that even making sandwiches for a group this large requires a crew of three; half the silverware in our possession; a strategic plan; and about 80% of my sanity. Then there's the mediator, required to negotiate plans of peaceful co-existence for two six-year-olds and a four-year-old. Do you know how challenging it is to find a professional mediator on a holiday weekend? The amateur efforts of the four adults on hand were drolly inadequate.

I don't get to see either of my sisters that often, and I miss the hell out of them. But I admit my thoughts were still, at odd moments, stealing to the 'puter with its shiny new baubles and gewgaws. I nudged Howie into snatching it out of the car for me, but he had to leave it in our bedroom because my toddler niece was sleeping in the study.

Then, a few hours into the visit, a question about our plans arose: what time, exactly, did the fireworks start? and was beer permitted in the park? Why, such a question surely cannot be answered without the assistance of The Grape! I dashed upstairs to plug the stripped off doodads back into the machine, held my breath, and pressed the power switch.

Wow. Just wow. I loves me some Panther. I bet if I'd googled the park on my old iMac with the miserable, mundane old browsers, we wouldn't have been permitted to bring beer to the park for the Independence Day festitivities. Yes, it's that good: it actually bends the universe to suit your whim. Nice OS. I should have done this long ago.

Also I will state with little authority but great conviction that Safari kicks both IE and Netscape's scrawny, flabby little asses.

I am still in two minds about whether I like the propensity of the interface to do little bursts, swoops and leaps with the opening and closing of the windows. Maybe it's a little too triple-double cappucino, you know? But I like caffeine too, so it'll probably grow on me.

Comments

[science chick]

Welcome to the Mac highlife......just a quick note: you can actually choose whether/how much of all those crazy effects you want in the system preferences area. Have fun muddling through OSX!

[Mir]

Oh, I have a thing for the weirdo magnifying-the-current-thing effect over the toolbar, too. (Yes, I own two Windows machines. No, I cannot explain it. In my previous life I was a Mac girl and I don't know how I got here.)

You have fun with your panther. ;)

[alice]

Welcome to the Jungle, my friend.

[Hula Doula]

Oh I so wish I understood all of what you said. I'm so freaking computer illiterate. The good news is that I am learning the fast way!!!
Sounds like fun fun fun though.

[Chris]

I so wish my computer could alter the fabric of reality like that. I mean, its nice but its not that nice! Can I come over and use it? ;-)

[Melissa]

Meeeee-Yow.

[Lee]

I want a refund on my popcorn. it didn't live up to the hype.......or is this just the opening credits?