Delete, Please

I have a love-hate relationship with the delete button on my computer keyboard, but not so much on my phone. For some reason, after more than 20 years of having a mobile phone, the two of us have never bonded. Most of the time, I don’t even know for certain where it is. But my laptop? Oh, yes, the bond is tight.

I know where it is at every moment of every day and night, too. I know it intimately right down to how much memory it is using at any given time, when the warranty expires, the last time I had the touchpad replaced, and each and every thing it can do for me. But I digress.

It’s the “delete” key. I love when I can send massive amounts of junk and outdated files to never-never land. Just highlight then BAM! and delete does the job.

It goes without saying that I spend a lot of time on my computer. Here’s a hint as to just how much time: I wear holes in the keys. The “M” and “N” keys are always the first to go, and it just spreads from there. I’ve had many keyboards replaced over the years; I’ve lost count just how many. But funny thing: I’ve never worn a hole in the “delete” key. I use it often, but not nearly enough.

While most of the time I spend on the computer is in productive writing, I do wander. Everything is just so convenient. And I’m the curious sort. As a result, I get so much email and so many notices from retailers and unbelievable piles of blog posts because I sign up. I’m a joiner. Then one thing leads to another, and before I know it, instead of writing about credit scores I’m loading up on yarn — or clothes and toys for our grandsons. Crazy how that happens!

While I’ve all but broken the shopping mall habit (thankfully), online shopping has become my nemesis. I do know the solution — it’s right there at my fingertip in the upper right area of the keyboard. It’s easy to find. I can do it without even looking! But do I? Not often enough because since I started this paragraph, two emails have arrived from competing knitting/yarn sites. They only know my email address because I gave it to them. And I can undo that easily. I know how to unsubscribe. I know how to delete! And I need to do that. Hang on… I’ll be right back.

There, done. Both have now gone to unsubscribe heaven. I am determined to do a lot more of that, too, as soon as I finish here.

I have a new goal to wear a hole through the “delete” key. I’ll keep you posted.