My laptop finally gave out on me today. It had been acting funny for the last week..(It wouldn't stay powered up)..A life without my laptop would be the equivalent of Fred without Ginger, Mutt without Jeff, Charlie without call girls..You get the picture, my laptop is important to me. Now, in the old days I would have tossed it in the trash and bought a new one. Well, that was the old days, nowadays things are much different, so I decided to take it into a computer repair shop. Now, there is a shop right down the street from where I live. I figured that was as good a place as any. My goal was to get my computer fixed or walk out of there with a replacement..Either way it was going to be a tough task, since I was broke.
When I pull up to this place, the first thing I notice is the door is wide open. That struck me as very strange, considering it was 113 degrees today in Las Vegas. I walk into the shop and it feels like a sauna room..I didn't see anyone at first, so I yelled.."Is anyone here?" The next thing you know this guy comes out from the back..I proceed to tell him about what's wrong with my computer, he then tells me that it sounds like the mother board is fried. He wanted me to leave it with him, in order to do a diagnostic on it..I told him this.."Sounds good to me buddy, I need to ask you something before I go. Why in the hell don't you have the air conditioning cranked up? It's miserable in here!" You should have seen this guy, sweat was dripping from his fore head, his shirt was soaked..I kid you not, I thought he was going to kick over from a heat stroke. He then tells me this.."Some motherfucker stole all of the copper wiring out of the air conditioning units, and the landlord isn't going to have them replaced for another week..I've got a bunch of fans going, but their not doing a thing. I would close the shop, but I've got bills to pay, and tons of worked stacked up." This guy looked miserable, and to top it all off he had his dog with him, the dog looked more miserable than him. I was in the place for 20 minutes and damn near fainted because of the heat.
After I left, I started thinking about what I was going to do if my computer was fried. I don't have the funds to buy a new one, and I can't live without a computer..Well, the call came and I got the news I was dreading. My computer was fried, and I needed a new one..I consider myself a resourceful guy, you have to be when you live in Las Vegas. A few months ago I picked up a window air conditioning unit at a garage sale. I had no reason to buy it, my AC works just fine. I figured what the hell, maybe it will come in handy one of these days. With that in mind, I told him this
"Looky here, I don't have the money to buy a new computer right now. But, I do have something that might be beneficial to you. Have you ever heard of the barter system?" His reply was yes. I then told him this.."I know that you've got an old laptop laying around your shop that your not using. If you can part ways with it. I will swap you out a window AC unit that I have." I felt I was making this guy a fair offer. I don't see how he could stay in his shop with it being so hot, and his poor dog..Anyways, he tells me that I got a deal, and to get down to his shop pronto. I load up the unit from my garage and make my way to his shop. I had never actually tested the unit to see if it worked, so my fingers were crossed. Well, I carry it into his shop, we mount it in the window, plug it in, and the next thing you know it starts spewing out cold air. The guy was so happy, he gave me a choice of three laptops to pick from. I grabbed the one I liked, we shake hands, and I make my way to the door. On the way out, I noticed something that made me smile. His Doberman was lying directly under the AC unit:)
I like to end every post of mine with a thought I'm having..Call it the village idiot thought of the day. "Most of the time, this is a money talks bullshit walks kind of world, most of the time, not all the time. Tit-4-tat, you scratch my back I scratch yours, barter system..I don't care what you call it! It can be highly effective in certain situations."
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