davenash.com

I've finally done it! Two weeks ago I gingerly prized apart my Mac Mini, with a putty knife I had bought the weekend before, and installed the new 1GB memory stick I have bought from [crucial.com]. I have a feeling that I could have seated the cover a littler better than I did, but that aside, I now have a computer that is befitting of internet junkies everywhere!

Satisfied with my Mac's new found desire to work at speed, I wasn't expecting to make another computer related purchase any time in the near future; however, shortly afterwards, my rather old 17" monitor began to make some very disconcerting sounds. I was happy however to put up with the snap, crackle and pop that had emanated from the rear of the monitor thinking it had been caused by a loose power cable.

Anyway, that weekend my good mate Jason came to visit - He arrived in the evening and we spent most of the night whiling away the hours with idle chit-chat and immature jokes. The next day he suggested buying a new coffee table from Argos, I'm not a fan of Argos furniture so suggested his money would be better spent at Ikea; we took a look online and he was able to find what he wanted for a better price than what he was going to spend in Argos.

Jason has never been one to enjoy Ikea at the best of times and only agrees to visit accompanied, perhaps he feels safer in numbers, so [Neil] and I were invited to attend. Within an hour we were surrounded by the hubbub of a typical Saturday at one of the county's largest furniture superstores. Jason was able to find what he wanted, and I had picked out a few bits and pieces that were missing from our already crowded kitchen.

On the way home I suggested popping into Makro, a large chain of Cash and Carry superstores, as Jason mentioned he'd like to have a look around the next time we visit one. Before long we were wandering the aisles of the electronics department and looking longingly at the large screen HDTVs and wishing we could replace our ageing JVC CRT model. We then passed the computer monitors, now I'm not sure whether it was the lack of sleep from the night before or the euphoria of having a faster Mac, but within the space of twenty minutes I had convinced myself to buy a replacement flat screen monitor.

So with the new memory and the addition of a brand new Samsung display, I now have a the computer I've deserved for so long. Though I have to say, it's kind of scuppered my plans for buying a new iMac any time soon.